Let's see pics of your tools and boxes/cabinets

[ORVietVet]

I have a nice set but so do some of you, I would bet. I recently found out about a "JIS" design, Japanese Phillips head on Toyota vehicles. I of course am getting some to upgrade my tools.

I am a retired tech and service manager and work on vehicles at home. I see all kinds of manufacturers vehicles.

 

[ORVietVet]

Ok, here goes:

 

[ORVietVet]

 

[ORVietVet]

 

[Cadillacmak]

If I take pictures, you will all laugh at me! Not much to write home about!

 

[ORVietVet]

I was in the shops for 40+ years and what you see here is about 1/2 of what I owned. This is not a "Big Pecker" contest. When I started out, I carried my tools in for the first month before I got my first roll around by Craftsman.

I only have this much because I came across deals and I work on other vehicles at home. If was just my own vehicles, I could taper back by 25%. Post up the pics, please.

 

[4silverado]

If I take pictures, you will all laugh at me! Not much to write home about!

Sounds like my set up. Mine is just a scratch and dent Harbor Freight special and a couple of legal size (11x17) filing cabinets (auxiliary tool boxes).

 

[ORVietVet]

Harbor Freight US General and ICON have some decent boxes and tools. I have the US General cart and I have some ICON sockets and ratchets.
It was hard fitting the Snap On 3 bay at the wall. At home, you do the best you can for storage and prioritize.
I sold off a lot of Snap On and Mac tools that are not needed daily. The off brands are great for that.
Almost forgot. Am an SK Tools fan too.

 

[Cadillacmak]

This is my shop, not as cool as my late father-in-law for sure. That man had some tools!
My shop is small, but easy to heat in Alaska. The box is from when my wife and I were first married and I was trying to become a mechanic. Worked at Penske changing oil and tires while training for bigger things. I decided to be an electrician because they made more money and made working on vehicles my hobby.
Of course I ran out of room so started hanging stuff and filling cabinets. The stainless and glass cabinets are old hose bibs out of a military barracks.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Other cool things (to me) in my shop. This is my favorite beer and for years I asked jokingly for this mirror at the local liquor store. And one day, to my surprise, they gave it to me.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Over the years I have accumulated stuff to decorate the place.

 

[4silverado]

I used to wrench on Kenworths and forklifts. Back in those days, I had a small Snap On tool box but life came and I needed cash; sold off a lot of the name brand stuff. Now I work at a call center helping techs work out truck issues over the phone. I had roughly 6 years in trucking and I’m going on 30 years in forklift industry. Most of my stuff is scratch and dents or filing cabinets that my company was getting rid of. I’ve got quite a bit of homemade tools. Now days, my “garage” is a gravel driveway and a 12x16 yard barn. It’ll do for now but I’m really wanting someplace to actually pull a vehicle in out of the weather. One of these days maybe

 

[ORVietVet]

@Cadillacmak, I wish I had that room in the shop. Like @4silverado, I have a small area for my tools. My spot, at the front of the garage, is 12' wide and 10' deep. Then I have use of the driveway and butted right up to the front of the garage, I have a 10' x 20' canopy. I can easily work in the rain if the temp is above 45 degrees and the rain is not coming in sideways. Otherwise, here in Eugene, Or. the weather is nice enough that I can work in front of garage all I want. All my neighbors, including landlord, are fine with it because I work on their vehicles. I use ramps and have 2 3 ton floor jacks and two sets of jack stands. I use those rolls of padding that you see stacked on my tool box. They are 4' x 8' and can lay on each other and jack up on them and set stands on them and fluids wipe right off. My girl got them for me. Very nice to work on top of, instead of the concrete driveway. I have 2 of the 14" x 18" x 2" thick kneel down pads for my knees. The floor pads are very easy to slide out from under on. I have helped at my shop owner friend's shop and it is harder for me to stand on the concrete there and work on a lift.

I wish I had the whole garage but my girl gave me what I got and that is fine with me. The roll around cart holds plenty of tools and keeps me from having to get a top box. I pick and choose what I want to work on and it is my way or I will not work on it. There is no part warranty, since I do not make money on parts. if I have to go get the parts, I charge for my time but the customer gets my military discount. All of this is made clear before I do anything. Take it or leave it, period.

I would love all that cabinet space you have, @Cadillacmak. Your lower roll away box looks a lot like my first lower box, only newer.

 

[Cadillacmak]

Your lower roll away box looks a lot like my first lower box, only newer.

My father-in-law Mike Ward gave that to me when I first stared working on vehicles. Right before he died he spotted it and remembered giving it to me. He was a lot like you, a veteran and long time mechanic. We are going to sell off his tools this summer as he wished, to take care of his wife of 50+ years.

 

[ORVietVet]

Yea, my girl knows that if she is still alive when I go, she has my safe keys for cash and firearms, gets my vehicles and my tools to do with as she pleases. I have told her what the tools are worth.
Vice versa with her stuff. I will keep her nice little Ruger .380 LCP II. Nice little pocket gun.

 

[DateNight]

For almost 20 years I had a service truck, packed full of all my own tools. From 1/4in all the way up to 3in (yes 3inches) This was my last truck before I called it quits. $150,000 rolling shop. I had carpet in the boxes and LED lights everywhere. Looked like a tool show room. I could do complete overhauls and major rebuilds in the field.


Now I do all my work out of this, all my tool that where on my service truck are in a large box that I never open.

 

[ORVietVet]

For almost 20 years I had a service truck, packed full of all my own tools. From 1/4in all the way up to 3in (yes 3inches) This was my last truck before I called it quits. $150,000 rolling shop. I had carpet in the boxes and LED lights everywhere. Looked like a tool show room. I could do complete overhauls and major rebuilds in the field.
View attachment 1636

Now I do all my work out of this, all my tool that where on my service truck are in a large box that I never open.

View attachment 1637
View attachment 1638

First truck I owned, after I got out of the service, was a 1965 Chevy C10 short bed big rear window.

 

[ORVietVet]

For almost 20 years I had a service truck, packed full of all my own tools. From 1/4in all the way up to 3in (yes 3inches) This was my last truck before I called it quits. $150,000 rolling shop. I had carpet in the boxes and LED lights everywhere. Looked like a tool show room. I could do complete overhauls and major rebuilds in the field.
View attachment 1636

Now I do all my work out of this, all my tool that where on my service truck are in a large box that I never open.

View attachment 1637
View attachment 1638

Had a neighbor years ago in KC, Mo. area and he was a mobile railroad locomotive mechanic and he had something called torque multipliers that amazed me.

 

[DateNight]

Had a neighbor years ago in KC, Mo. area and he was a mobile railroad locomotive mechanic and he had something called torque multipliers that amazed me.

Yeah used them daily. I had 3/4in drive multiplier that made my life ez. Also used hy torque hydraulic torque wrenches too, very cool tool to use. When I would do heads on 3600 cats I used an air over hydraulic head stud stretcher to tighten the head studs.

 

[4silverado]

I use a lot of filing cabinets for auxiliary tool boxes. Silverado sign came from Hobby Lobby, not sure when I got it but I’ve had it for a while.