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As I have been continually gathering feedback on our social media channels to attract new members, there have been questions coming up about those looking to break into working on these Camaro's or cars in general and what they even need to get started.
I decided it might be beneficial to start breaking down some basic and advance tools that one might use when working on their car for those who want to get started to look into investing in.
Since we have an amazon affiliate account and we get a small commission from any sales through their links that we provide, I'll add Amazon links to products where I can but some of these tools may be cheaper in box stores.
Repair Manuals
One of the first things you will want to do if you are starting out on these cars is to pickup a manual for them so that you can see torque specs, diagrams and have a bit of a guide on how to preform certain services.
After getting yourself a manual, the second best tool you can have to start learning what's going on when you have an issue is an OBDII code reader so that you can read engine codes when your engine light goes on. This will help point your repair in the right direction, or if you have to take the car into the mechanic help you recognize if they don't know what they are doing or trying to take you for a ride.
These are fairly generic nowadays, so it is more on preference if you want a hand held unit or something that connects to your phone. I bought an autel scanner for about $20-$30 and it does everything I need it to do when I am not tuning the car and have hp tuners out. (If you are just getting into repairing your car and not tuning it, there is no need to drop big money on Hp tuners)Jack, Jack Stands & Car Ramps
If you need to get under your car to change the oil or another type of repair, you're going to need to safely get your car up in the air. To do this you'll need a jack and jackstands (I recommend a low profile jack as these cars sit lower) or possibly ramps. Any way you choose make sure that you never work under a vehicle only supported by a Jack and use wheel chocks to prevent the car from rolling. Follow all safety precautions or you risk death if your car falls on you. A little bit of common sense and you'll be safe.
Socket Set
A good socket set is needed if you intend on doing any wrenching on these cars. I would invest in something that has a decent number of pieces and is also a decent name. Cheaper socket sets tend to have fatter walls and can't always fit in tight areas, or the tolerances are off and they tend to strip bolts easier. Stripped bolts = a 10 minute job turning into a 3 day job.
I have always believed you don't need super expensive wrenches. You want something that has a thinner material for the closed end to allow you to use the wrench in different circumstances. The big thing for me is having both a set of metric and SAE. Some people will get ratcheting wrenches and that is there only set. I personally like having a set of each as the ratcheting ones are fatter and I can't always use them in tight spots.
I don't know if you consider this a tool or not, but if you do any sort of fluid changes, a catch pan is an absolute must. Funnels will help getting fluid into both the motor / transmission.
Screw Drivers
A set of screw drivers is needed for everything from undoing band clamps in the engine bay, to helping remove wiring harness clips to tacking most interior trim work.Pliers/Vice Grips
Pliers are used for help to dislodge brackets/harness clips and vice grips are primarily going to be used to grab things like stripped bolts or hold something in place while you wrench on the other side.
There are a few different types of hammers that may be helpful to have when working on your car. A regular hammer, sledge hammer rubber mallet and sliding hammer. The sliding hammer probably fits in more with "specialty tools" but since we already have a hammer category we'll keep it here.
Torque Wrench
These are a must have when working on cars. Every bolt on a car has a torque spec which is a specific measure of torque applied to a bolt so that it is not too tight or too loose to put it in the simplest of terms.
You may have seen our impact gun thread where we discussed which battery powered impact to go with. Now that I have switched to battery powered, I find it way more versatile than my air gun. If you can afford to go with a battery power gun and you already have batteries from one of the big name players and it is going to be cheaper for you that way, do it.
Specialty Tools
These tools are a little more for specialized jobs such as certain engine/electrical testing, ball joint repairs, brake repairs, etc.
Ball Joint Seperator
You can use pullers, pickle forks or separators. I prefer using the seperator as I have had great luck with it and have never ruined a ball joint boot ever.OHM Meter/ Multi Meter / Electrical Related
For testing the electrical system or the battery.Wire Crimpers / Wire Cutters
If you are doing any sort of wiring on your car (amp install, audio, Big 3 wire upgrade, trailer hitch, etc) then you will need a way to strip your wires and crimp them.
If you don't have a second person to pump the brakes for you while you bleed them, a vacuum bleeder is key to getting the job done yourselfOther Power Tools
These are under the specialty category because it depends on what you are doing. Drills for instance aren't specialty, but they are typically going to be used more so to drill a hole into something if you require it, or maybe to spin some wire wheel to clean an area up. Angle grinders and sawzalls can be used to remove metal where needed to make something fit or get rid of something that is no longer needed.
Molding Trim Remover
Used to remove the trim around your radio or dashboard without marring the surface
Compression Tester
Used to check for cylinder compression. More of a diagnostic tool than something you will use often.Misc
These are not necessarily tools, but probably a very good idea to have when working on your car.
I''ll keep adding to this list with more tools. If you have tool suggestions list them below and I will add them to this list. I'll ramp this from a beginner all the way up to an advance level.
I decided it might be beneficial to start breaking down some basic and advance tools that one might use when working on their car for those who want to get started to look into investing in.
Since we have an amazon affiliate account and we get a small commission from any sales through their links that we provide, I'll add Amazon links to products where I can but some of these tools may be cheaper in box stores.
Repair Manuals
One of the first things you will want to do if you are starting out on these cars is to pickup a manual for them so that you can see torque specs, diagrams and have a bit of a guide on how to preform certain services.
- 1993-2002 Camaro Firebird Haynes Repair Manual
- 2010-2015 Camaro Haynes Repair Manual
- 1982-1992 Camaro Haynes Repair Manual
- 1993 - 1997 Camaro & Firebird Repair Manual
- 2010-2015 Chilton Repair Manual
After getting yourself a manual, the second best tool you can have to start learning what's going on when you have an issue is an OBDII code reader so that you can read engine codes when your engine light goes on. This will help point your repair in the right direction, or if you have to take the car into the mechanic help you recognize if they don't know what they are doing or trying to take you for a ride.
These are fairly generic nowadays, so it is more on preference if you want a hand held unit or something that connects to your phone. I bought an autel scanner for about $20-$30 and it does everything I need it to do when I am not tuning the car and have hp tuners out. (If you are just getting into repairing your car and not tuning it, there is no need to drop big money on Hp tuners)Jack, Jack Stands & Car Ramps
If you need to get under your car to change the oil or another type of repair, you're going to need to safely get your car up in the air. To do this you'll need a jack and jackstands (I recommend a low profile jack as these cars sit lower) or possibly ramps. Any way you choose make sure that you never work under a vehicle only supported by a Jack and use wheel chocks to prevent the car from rolling. Follow all safety precautions or you risk death if your car falls on you. A little bit of common sense and you'll be safe.
- Low profile Jack
- 3 ton jack stands
- wheel chocks (you should at least a pair to put behind your 2 wheels on the ground, but ideally you should have them front and back of the 2 wheels on the ground.
- Wheel ramps (if you don't want to use a jack, but want to get under for things like oil changes. Make sure the ramp will let your lowered car go up it)
Socket Set
A good socket set is needed if you intend on doing any wrenching on these cars. I would invest in something that has a decent number of pieces and is also a decent name. Cheaper socket sets tend to have fatter walls and can't always fit in tight areas, or the tolerances are off and they tend to strip bolts easier. Stripped bolts = a 10 minute job turning into a 3 day job.
- Stanley Socket Set I like my Stanley socket set, it is durable and their lifetime warranty replaces any tool I break. Granted, a lot of their stuff is backordered and takes awhile to get to me when I break it, it's free and I make do with my spare tools in the mean time.
- Dewalt Mechanics set
- Mastercraft Socket Set
I have always believed you don't need super expensive wrenches. You want something that has a thinner material for the closed end to allow you to use the wrench in different circumstances. The big thing for me is having both a set of metric and SAE. Some people will get ratcheting wrenches and that is there only set. I personally like having a set of each as the ratcheting ones are fatter and I can't always use them in tight spots.
- Combination Wrenches
- SAE / Metric Gear Wrench Set
- Oil Filter Wrench (cloth style)
- Oil Filter Wrench (adjustable)
I don't know if you consider this a tool or not, but if you do any sort of fluid changes, a catch pan is an absolute must. Funnels will help getting fluid into both the motor / transmission.
- Upright 18 gallon oil drain container (if you have a lift)
- Portable Oil Drain Pan With Pump (if you work on jack stands and don't like spills)
- 2 Gallon Drain Container (old fashioned pan with a spout)
- Flexible Funnel
Screw Drivers
A set of screw drivers is needed for everything from undoing band clamps in the engine bay, to helping remove wiring harness clips to tacking most interior trim work.Pliers/Vice Grips
Pliers are used for help to dislodge brackets/harness clips and vice grips are primarily going to be used to grab things like stripped bolts or hold something in place while you wrench on the other side.
- Basic Plier Set
- 5 piece plier set
- Locking Jaw Vice Grips
- Vice Grip Set (needle nose + big jaw)
- Snap ring pliers
There are a few different types of hammers that may be helpful to have when working on your car. A regular hammer, sledge hammer rubber mallet and sliding hammer. The sliding hammer probably fits in more with "specialty tools" but since we already have a hammer category we'll keep it here.
Torque Wrench
These are a must have when working on cars. Every bolt on a car has a torque spec which is a specific measure of torque applied to a bolt so that it is not too tight or too loose to put it in the simplest of terms.
- Dewalt 1/2" Torque Wrench
- Craftsman 1/2" Torque Wrench
- Cheap 1/2" Torque Wrench (I've used cheap torque wrenches over the years and they have worked for me, now I prefer to use a brand name one that I trust a little more.)
You may have seen our impact gun thread where we discussed which battery powered impact to go with. Now that I have switched to battery powered, I find it way more versatile than my air gun. If you can afford to go with a battery power gun and you already have batteries from one of the big name players and it is going to be cheaper for you that way, do it.
- Milwaukee 1400ft/lb 1/2" impact (my favorite)
- Milwaukee Impacts
- Dewalt 1200ft/lb 1/2 impact (Steve's favorite)
- Dewalt Impacts
- Makita 1180ft/lbs 1/2" impact
- Makita Impacts
- Ingersoll Rand 1350ft/lb 1/2" Impact - Air
- Arcan 1300ft/lb 1/2" Impact - Air
Specialty Tools
These tools are a little more for specialized jobs such as certain engine/electrical testing, ball joint repairs, brake repairs, etc.
Ball Joint Seperator
You can use pullers, pickle forks or separators. I prefer using the seperator as I have had great luck with it and have never ruined a ball joint boot ever.OHM Meter/ Multi Meter / Electrical Related
For testing the electrical system or the battery.Wire Crimpers / Wire Cutters
If you are doing any sort of wiring on your car (amp install, audio, Big 3 wire upgrade, trailer hitch, etc) then you will need a way to strip your wires and crimp them.
- Wire crimping pliers
- Wire stripper
- Self adjusting wire stripper + crimper
- Hydraulic wire crimper (great for doing wires running to amps / capcitors or battery terminals)
If you don't have a second person to pump the brakes for you while you bleed them, a vacuum bleeder is key to getting the job done yourselfOther Power Tools
These are under the specialty category because it depends on what you are doing. Drills for instance aren't specialty, but they are typically going to be used more so to drill a hole into something if you require it, or maybe to spin some wire wheel to clean an area up. Angle grinders and sawzalls can be used to remove metal where needed to make something fit or get rid of something that is no longer needed.
- Milwaukee Drills
- Dewalt Drills
- Makita Drills
- Milwaukee Grinders
- Dewalt Grinders
- Makita Grinders
- Milwaukee Sawzall
- Dewalt Sawzall
- Makita Sawzall
Molding Trim Remover
Used to remove the trim around your radio or dashboard without marring the surface
Compression Tester
Used to check for cylinder compression. More of a diagnostic tool than something you will use often.Misc
These are not necessarily tools, but probably a very good idea to have when working on your car.
- Non Latex Vinyl Gloves (I go through a few boxes a year. Makes cleanup of myself 1000x easier)
- Nitrile Gloves (I prefer nitrile over vinly gloves above as they are stronger and rip less. But more expensive)
- Headlamp (When I am under the car or working into the evening this is clutch for me and keeps a hand free)
- Creeper
- Pry bar
- Telescopic magnetic pickup tool
- Flexible magnetic claw
- Torx bit set
I''ll keep adding to this list with more tools. If you have tool suggestions list them below and I will add them to this list. I'll ramp this from a beginner all the way up to an advance level.
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