And there is NOTHING metric on a Minor.......so metric tools are no use to you!
hmm
11mm fits many things
13mm socket fits wing bolts if the heads are a bit corroded (i.e. when they are undersize)
18mm sockect - perfect fit for the wheel nuts on a Minor 1000. It can be added onto the end of one of those extending wheel wrenches that come with 17/19mm double ended socket (~£6 from Wilco). Keep the double ended socket with the wheel brace and you can help change wheels for stranded motorists in modern cars who can't undo their wheel nuts using the little wheelbrace that came with their car ;-)
Get hold of a decent (old & large) scissor jack to go in the boot as it has many uses (including to help change wheels for stranded motorists in modern cars)...
When it comes to tools - spend as much as possible and they will pay for themselves many times over!
I have many duplicates in my toolbox. This can be handy if you leave things all over the place but often when something is tight, you need the 'best' spanner to undo it. I've had occassions where the cheap tools damage a nut/bolt head and the good spanner will undo it.
Sockets - I have a small set (1/4" drive ) and a large set (1/2" drive) with metric and AF. You can buy a set of Whitworth sockets from ESM, Frosts etc..
Get hold of high quality 6 point sockets if possible. Cheap 12 point sockets are often more trouble than they are worth. Good 12 point sockets are well worth having, and only beaten by high quality 6 point sockets.
Screwdrivers - a few small ones, one very large flat screwdriver and a multibit set with srewdriver - this will do more jobs than just the old cars! The bits are 1/4" AF so you can also fit them in a socket (e.g. to undo torx head fasteners on modern stuff)
Pliers - thin nose, small set and a big pair (or replace the big pair with a good set of pump pliers).
Pump pliers - a big set (10") can do many many things. Also very handy for undoing the spring loaded modern hose clips if you end up fixing a modern car.
Molegrips - the wrong tool for every job but often very handy.
Hammer - a average household claw hammer will cover many jobs (including Minor wheeltrim removal) and if you get into serious DIY, a bigger ball pein hammer will be a nice 2nd.
Multimeter - certainly not essential on a Minor. You can tell a lot (and get less confused) using a test light [e.g. 20w bulb on long wires with crocodile clips on the ends]. A multimeter canl show 12v even when there is a high resistance connection (i.e. you think there is a 12v feed but nothing works when you turn it on). Using a test light instead you will not be fooled that easily.
Retractable Stanley knife - the cheap snap off knives look good value but I've never found them to be anywhere near as useful as the real deal.
Wire brush. Anything goes, but the cheap wooden ones last less well than the crimped metal spined ones.
Files - not needed often. A set of needle files takes little space, and the round ones are good for enlarging holes.
A good scissor jack will get you through nearly all DIY jobs. A trolley jack is worth having to save time but only if you do enough work to make it worthwhile. From personal experience the cheap new ones are not worth the cost of the petrol to drive to/from the shop. If you're getting one, get a good big one to keep in the shed / garage. Don't worry about load rating - the only important number will be how far it lifts (the more the better).
4.5" Angle grinder - useful for causing injuries, putting sparks into glass, firing small parts across the garage etc.. Also useful for cutting off seized bolts and/or removing chunks of bodywork but you're getting into serious territory here!
Welding equipment - can make a prize mess if used badly but can save a fortune if doneright. Really not essential unless you keep rescuing basket case cars.. The ability to weld can lead to a tendency to buy basket case cars!! Not always good!
again personal preference, but I wouldn't confuse the issue by using metric bolts on any machinery with imperial fasteners?
from personal experience - garages and previous owners may have already done this for you! Being unable to unbolt something due to lack of metric tools would be frustrating.
I have to admit I'm a bit of a DIY fiend. I have two very well stacked toolboxes, one is pure metric for modern cars with the remaining space used for electrical tools (crimping pliers etc..) and the other has everything (metric, AF &Whit).
I have to say it was nice to leave the olde-car toolbox in Bedfordshire for a few months when I was doing a rebuild over there rather than cart ~40kg back and forth a lot!
When you get to the level where you have 2 angle grinders (one for cutting one for grinding) rather than keep changing disk, you know you're pretty serious.
. I don't have a huge amount of tools, and most are DIY orientated, so just an adjustable spanner or two and a pretty decent sized socket-set.
