I'm going to be starting my restoration fairly soon and had a question regarding equipment. As much of the underside of this car is rusty, I expect many bolts to be extremely difficult to remove. Hence, I am interested in getting a few power tools to help me with the job. However, the problem I have is that the garage where my car will be located does not have any electrical outlets for my use.

So, the question is should I buy a generator or should I purchase some good cordless/battery operated tools? I also plan on doing the paint removal/sanding, so keep that in mind. I wouldn't mind getting a blaster kit, but haven't decided on it due to the mess it would make.

If generator, how many watts should I get? is 1000W enough? I'm guessing at most I'd only have a light and whatever tool I'm using plugged in.

If cordless tools, what would you recommend?

I have to say I'm leaning towards the generator as I think it would allow me to have more options of possible use (limitless, really...)

Thanks.

p.s. I didn't mean to sound like I currently have no tools for the job--I do. I was just thinking of getting some better gear.

I currently use two 18 volt cordless tools, a 3/8" drill and a flashlight. I can tell you I regularly have to find something else to do while I wait for batteries to charge. If you don't have power in the shop, where are you going to charge up?

Cordless tools or generator, either way you get what you pay for. If you go cordless, get good ones like DeWalt. If you go with a generator, get a Honda IMHO. I don't have much experience with a generator, but I would think 1000 W would be plenty to run a light and a tool.

By the time you buy all this stuff, you'd be on your way towards a trench and wiring for the shop. If it's not your building, maybe the owner would split it with you.

IMHO, in concurence with Kevin, look into diggin a trench and layin some line. You get a generator and you half to keep it locked up, filled with gas, eventually sell it for a larger one cause you bought a larger air compressor, etc, etc.

You should be able to wire it cheap enough.
Good luck.

well, problem is, it's a rental garage, so that's not an option even though it makes the most sense.

I use quite a few cordless and corded tools. The cordless tools are great for woodworking. But not only do the batteries require re-charges, but they are also limited in the amount of power/torque they provide.

IMO and based on what I've heard others say who have purchased lately, Dewalt is no longer one of the top-of-the-line brands. If I recall correctly, they are now made by a different company. Anyway, I own a Dewalt cordless drill and also have a Dewalt circular saw (corded). Both of them are fine tools, but they have been around a while.

I also own a Hitachi cordless drill and have had very good performance out of it. I've used it heavily for almost 3 years now without issues.

I have a Honda 9hp 4500-watt generator. It is a resto project (neighbors were moving and they were gonna throw it in the dump... we grabbed it up - all it needed was a fused wire replaced :D). I've run a circular saw and another tool or two on it and it will throw a bit of a load on it when you fire up the tool - but it keeps on chuggin'. For some more $$$ you can have a Honda generator that runs so quiet you can barely hear it from about 20-30 feet away. A friend of mine who does a lot of on-site welding has a couple of those and they are nice!

Best case scenario may be to do both instead of one or the other. Maybe a good cordless hammer drill? My advice is don't go cheap on either. Milwaukee, Makita, and Bosch all make quality tools. Most of them come with lithium batteries that recharge quickly. Also, just about all new cordless tools come with two batteries, so while you're using one the other can be recharging.

I've also heard some good things on the Rigid brand that you can buy from Home Depot - although I have very limited experience using them. They come with some type of "lifetime warranty" (which I'm sure is full of all kinds of loopholes to favor them...:rolleyes:). I've used their cordless drills and also their framing guns for about a two-week period and both seemed to be quality tools.

My only experience with generators is what I have described above - very limited. Can't really make a recommendation on lowest wattage to service your needs.

Good luck!

Thanks for the recommendations.

If I lived in a city where I could live like 98% of the rest of the US, this wouldn't be an issue, but it is, so I have to deal with it.

I'm now looking at compressors for soda or pressure blasting, which seemingly requires at least 7cfm at 80psi, so if anyone has any semi-inexpensive recommendations for that, feel free to let me know.

Thanks.

How about this?
Amazon.com: Factory-Reconditioned DEWALT D55276R Heavy-Duty 5.5 Horsepower 17 Gallon Wheeled Oiled Gas Single Hot Dog Compressor: Home Improvement


If you get an electric compressor, you will need to step it up quite a bit on the generator...

How about this?
Amazon.com: Factory-Reconditioned DEWALT D55276R Heavy-Duty 5.5 Horsepower 17 Gallon Wheeled Oiled Gas Single Hot Dog Compressor: Home Improvement (http://www.amazon.com/Factory-Reconditioned-D55276R-Heavy-Duty-Horsepower-Compressor/dp/B0015Z1FPI/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1214338637&sr=1-6)


If you get an electric compressor, you will need to step it up quite a bit on the generator...

That's actually a good one. And quite a discount on the unit. wow. I'd definitely go with the gas generator. I guess I have to determine if this will save me any money or if I should simply have a shop do it. Problem is, I actually like doing the work. (i guess that's a problem. :confused:)

1000w generator....look at the label on your tools, most of them will be over this and if not ..if using lights etc will be.

Other than a good trouble light there is not much u will actually need power for.
Batteries dont last long if left standing, so make use of it...for a good led and/or floresent trouble light(s) take home and put on the charger.

99% of dismantling u will use a few cans of CRC on bolts etc and soak several times over a week...everywhere.
A few tough fitings, and elcheapo impact screwdriver/socket will take care of them
A rechargeable drill is useful removing a line of bolts once loosened, but u will find a rachet or the socket set spinner just as good, if not quicker.

Once panels are off many canbe taken home for 'power work' welding grinding, cutting, blasting etc.

The main body its not so easy...this will be several months down the line...maybe by then u may find a panel or workshop that u can hire a cnr for a few weeks...Do as much cleaning and cutting the old fashioned way before taking to the workshop.

Blasting u will most proberly find cheaper to take prepared panels and body to a blasting shop (rathe the purchase/hire the equipment) and get it all done at once...this will also take care of sealing the blasted panels with a coat of epoxy immediatly after.

buy the compressor use it till you no longer need it then resale it, contractors always buy those generaters....
You will have to deal with a lot of noise from it but it seems like you dont have many options

I think you should use that garage for storage of your car while you look for a real one with power.

I'm definitely leaning towards the compressor, as I also have a ton of parts, the subframe, etc that are coated in rust. While I can buy Eastwood's rust encapsulating system, I have a feeling that the compressor with an abrasive blaster will more than pay for itself, especially if I am able to blast the car and then spray the epoxy. Plus this way, i am also getting rid of the problem properly.

As long as I can get certain things prepped or completed (the trunk, wheel wells & engine compartment), I'm spending that much less money at the painters.

I think you should use that garage for storage of your car while you look for a real one with power.

That would be an ideal situation Fred, but factoring in the living situations nearby (City life) combined with the fact I need to be able to get to the vehicle easily (I don't have a regular vehicle--all public transport here), I have a feeling I'd be waiting a long, long time.

We'll see. I haven't decided on it 100%. Part of the enjoyment of getting the vehicle, at least for me, is the time I spend working on it myself.

1000w generator....look at the label on your tools, most of them will be over this and if not ..if using lights etc will be.

Other than a good trouble light there is not much u will actually need power for.

Batteries dont last long if left standing, so make use of it...for a good led and/or floresent trouble light(s) take home and put on the charger.

99% of dismantling u will use a few cans of CRC on bolts etc and soak several times over a week...everywhere.

A few tough fitings, and elcheapo impact screwdriver/socket will take care of them

A rechargeable drill is useful removing a line of bolts once loosened, but u will find a rachet or the socket set spinner just as good, if not quicker.

Once panels are off many canbe taken home for 'power work' welding grinding, cutting, blasting etc.

The main body its not so easy...this will be several months down the line...maybe by then u may find a panel or workshop that u can hire a cnr for a few weeks...Do as much cleaning and cutting the old fashioned way before taking to the workshop.

Blasting u will most proberly find cheaper to take prepared panels and body to a blasting shop (rathe the purchase/hire the equipment) and get it all done at once...this will also take care of sealing the blasted panels with a coat of epoxy immediatly after.

Thanks for the info on the generator. I might, at some point in time, decide to buy a small one, but I think you're probably right. It's not absolutely necessary. As you see above, I'd definitely have more use for the compressor.

They have gas compressors available. I have used one. As far as a large portable generator, well, you'd be hard pressed to find something that would work better than an old cheap Lincoln stick feed. You could weld some stuff and they are built to supply power for long periods of time. Get one off an old oil field site pretty cheap I suppose.
Some lincolns even run off propane or could be converted.

shrug. :D

My advice is based on my own experiance ...around '84 I did a full rebuild on the camaro, in a 6x8 m garage, now power....I do everything from panel/paint/electrical, everything myself...I have been resto cars, vinage clasics for many yrs...but at that time I didnt have my own workshop due to a hard hitting devorce, so had to resort to the old school methods I learnt in the early 70s, and a bit of good old Kiwi ingunity.... and I was pretty broke back then too.

When it came to painting, a friend had a pile driving bussiness....had a tractor with a huge compressor on the back...this sat up on a huge truck he used to transport it around the country...so we had this huge truck with a tractor on, tractor running the compressor, and lines running into the garage with filters. Cost me a couple 6 packs.

I can tell you that the difference between a cordless drill and a power drill are like night and day when it comes to removing rust with a wire wheel. Cordless drills don't have the speed, power, or longevity you'll need for serious wire brushing.

As for hardware removal, nothing beats a pneumatic impact wrench. I use a lot of pneumatic power.

As for hardware removal, nothing beats a pneumatic impact wrench. I use a lot of pneumatic power.
I've heard good things about corded impact wrenches but have no personal experience with them. I do own a cordlees DeWalt impact and feel it would NOT have enough torque to be of much value in your use.

Jeff

If I were you i'd go with a 3500 to 5000 watt gen, a cordless 1/2 inch drive impact. Another thing that is good for removing heavy rust and paint on the subframe is a needle scaler Runs on air. Not too expensive, Harbor frieght sells them.

That's actually a good one. And quite a discount on the unit. wow. I'd definitely go with the gas generator. I guess I have to determine if this will save me any money or if I should simply have a shop do it. Problem is, I actually like doing the work. (i guess that's a problem. :confused:)
As mentioned previously... $748.00
5.5HP 17 Gallon, CFM @ 100 PSI: 8.9 CFM Amazon.com: Factory-Reconditioned DEWALT D55276R Heavy-Duty 5.5 Horsepower 17 Gallon Wheeled Oiled Gas Single Hot Dog Compressor: Home Improvement

3500 watt generator -$633.00
6.5 HP portable generator provides 3,500 running watts and 4,800 starting watts of power, Runs up to 12 hours at 50% output capacity ,
Amazon.com: Briggs & Stratton 3,500-Watt 6.5 HP Portable Generator #030208: Home Improvement

Get a generator with 5000 running watts not just start-up. I have a generator that is 3500 watts running with a 5500 watt start-up. The one I have would be enough for everything but a large compressor. I can run lights, table saw, and a small 3hp compressor putting out 5 cfm without issues, but a large compressor pushing 8+ cfm and other power tools at the same time would need the extra watts.

Have you thought about getting a decent gas powered air compressor and using air tools? You could add tanks in-line for more compressed air storage. Then all you would need is one of those rechargeable work lights.

Oh, I definitely have. I think I'm definitely leaning in that direction at the moment.

No matter what you do, at some point you are going to need AC power near the car, and it probably needs to be something that can run a wirefeed welder.

Well, I think the serious bodywork will have to be farmed out. I don't want the car to look like Frankenstein, which is what it would look like if I did the welding.

I'm actually going to look at a better garage today, so I'm hoping it has power.

The best thing for rusty bolts is a torch. No power required. :-) I'd get a 2KW inverter and run it off the car you drive to the garage in. Much better than running a gas generator IMO.

Well, I think the serious bodywork will have to be farmed out. I don't want the car to look like Frankenstein, which is what it would look like if I did the welding.
This has been covered and how to weld etc in many other posts, general rule of thumb is it is cheaper to get the tools and do yourself...takes longer, and doesnt take a rocket scientist to do good welds or use a paint gun, just a little bit of practice.

I'm actually going to look at a better garage today, so I'm hoping it has power.
U dont NEED power right NOW, just basic tools...so make a start, keep in mine that a better workshop will turn up over the next few months, so dont get to the stage where u need a hoist to put the car on a transport trailer...
You have a LOT of work to do before u NEED power.