Good place to buy tools for the bike in the bay area?

I need to get a torque wrench. The catch is that I need a wrench
that operates in the range of ~0-20/30n*m. The valve cover bolts on
my bike are spec'd out at 12n*m. As far as the wrenches I've seen
go, this is on the light side: many seem to start around 10n*m and
up.

I also need a metric feeler gauge set: 0.? - 1mm, 20 to 25 blades.

I did a bit of a search at Kragen[1], Sears[1], etc and didn't find
anything suitable. Is there a good tool store that caters to
mechanics in the bay area? Preferrably in the east bay?

Or should I just break down and buy SnapOn?[1]

-- Michael


[1] Oops. A bit of flamebait there.

 

I use a Craftsman model 44593 that works pretty well in that range, 3.6-29 N-m.

Most feeler gauges are marked both Merkin and Metric, I think I got my
current one at the local auto parts store.

I don't know of one. I've built my m/c tool box with a combination of
Craftsman (Sears/OSH), auto parts store stuff (circlip pliers, etc.), and
Motion Pro specialty tools from Cycle Gear. An odd tool from Yardbirds,
etc. Motion Pro tools can be even more expensive than SnapOn, but there
are a few tools that are decently priced, or just hard to find anywhere
else.

I'm in the process of building my own leak-down tester. I almost bought
Motion Pro's at $285, until I realized I could put my own together from a
plumbing supply store for about $25. Of course, it won't have a nice
carrying case...

Up to you!

 

You might try
Albany Tool Mart
(510) 526-7074
747 San Pablo Ave # B
Albany, CA

bob

 

Look in the Yellow Pages under:

Fasteners-Industrial

Most suppliers will carry commercial grade torque wrenches.


nb

 

yeah, except that little stint for 48 years as a machinist....

last year he did admit that the quality has dropped off since 1972 (the
last time he bought a tool) and has started buying socks at "gasp" wal-
mart

agreed. I have been re-reading Alexander Weygers series on the making
of tools. http://www.alexweygers.com/BlacksmithBook.html where he
discusses what people actually NEED in tools.

Most of the tools he made, designed, etc, are aplicable to mechanics,
however, sockets, box-ends, etc, are easier to purchase than make.

I am currently moving, but hope to set up shop in the new house, and
begin making and re-making my tool set.

Craftsman is okay, Snap-on is good, but self made, purpose made is
better!

 

I did my search in RealSpace<tm>. It was a sunny, and a nice day for
a drive...

I did find and buy the 25 ( and the 36 ) feeler gauges from Sears. Call
me anal, but I'd really prefer to have a metric only set.

Sears had a _bunch_ of 1/2 and 3/8 torque wrenches, but nothing in the
range suitable for my valve cover. I didn't see the model that you
specified. Maybe I'll swing back after work and ask at the counter.

Of course, the real question is: considering the comments made
elsewhere in this thread, how reliable are Craftsman torque wrenches?
How accurate are they? How often do they have to be calibrated?[1]

-- Michael

[1] I think I'm just looking for an excuse to buy SnapOn now...

 

?

In that case, I've got liter of turn signal fluid I'll sell you at a
reasonable price.

Orchard Supply Hardware also carries Craftsman tools (owned by Sears).
They often have a better selection of Craftsman hand tools than Sears.

It's not too hard to judge the quality of Craftsman hand tools. Pick them
up, fit them in your hand, etc. The cheaper Craftsman ratchets are crap,
but they have a "pro" grade that is decent. The pliers in general are crap
too. But the sockets, extensions, drivers etc. are good.

I'm happy enough with my 3 Craftsman torque wrenches, 2 are click-stop
types, and one is an old-fashioned beam-pointer type. They feel well made,
seem to work well, but I haven't tried to verify their accuracy or
calibrate them, if that's even possible. They have all the SAE/ISO
standards mumbo-jumbo on the labels though.

With valve covers, the important thing is getting the bolts equally tight,
less important is that they are exactly 11.703 Newton-meters or whatever.
I think these wrenches will at least tell you when they are equally tight,
and be close enought to the setting to do the job.

 

KISS. Shims are metric, shim chart is metric. Having a metric only
feeler gauge lessens the chance that I have a brain fade and read
the feelers wrong. It's really not that big of a deal... but feeler
gauges are cheap. If I find such a set, I'll buy and use it.

I'd like to buy it, but my signal has a small crack. It would
just leak out.

Didn't know that. Thanks!

[snip]

What part of "I think I want an excuse to buy SnapOn" don't you
understand? [1]

-- Michael

[1] Yeah, I'll be buying Craftsman. Truth be told, I already own
one. ( A clicker; rated to 105+ n*m )

 

KISS. Shims are metric, shim chart is metric. Having a metric only
feeler gauge lessens the chance that I have a brain fade and read
the feelers wrong. It's really not that big of a deal...[/QUOTE]

OK, I can see that. Me, I like to see the merkin markings to help me get a
feel for what the metric callouts really mean. I'm starting to get some
intuitive sense of metric tools. Sort of like a cheat sheet.

BTW, if you get a SnapOn torque wrench, can I borrow it once in awhile? Please??

 

I'm a machinist, too. What a machinist looks for in tools is
definitely not what a home mechanic looks for.

Egg-zactly! That's why I made the distinction between average-joe
wrench and a professional. Sure, Craftsman will replace a broken
wrench. But, that's worthless if you live 100 miles from the nearest
Sears. Been there, done that. That's when I learned the
difference between quality and marketing hype.

Again, it's the application. If you are a weekend wrench, Craftsman
mechanics tools are a good deal. I have SOME Craftsman tools in my
box. But, if you are making a living at it, it's a whole different
matter. I reiterate. It's a tool-by-tool basis. One of the best
tools I ever owned was a Western Auto (remember them?) cheapo.
OTOH, I've paid big bucks for Snap-On tools that were nothing more than
rebranded junk that failed almost immediately..

That's a broad generalization that doesn't always hold true. Put your
brains and experience together and make an educated/experience decision.

nb

 

k-119 can come in handy after exhausting the sears-kragen-cyclegear-osh options.

 

I've got a set of wrenches... One that's 25-250 in-lbs, one that's 10-80
ft-lbs, and another that 25-150 ft-lbs. I bought them at either the
Sears in Pleasanton, or the local OSH.

-B