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Air tools
zilspeed - 29/12/05 at 04:33 PM

I used air tools today for the first time.

Replacing front struts and top mounts on Ye Olde Audi. I had been forewarned that certain bolts would be an absolute nightmare to get out and some practically impossible. Borrowed a retired friend's commercial garage complete with air tools.

Holy smoke - those bolts didn't stand a chance. I could easily have spent 4-6 hours per side doing this job.
We did it in 4 hours total. That included an hour for lunch and 1/2 an hour messing about lighting the salamander (prehistoric waste oil heater - top bit of kit).
Anyway - air tools rock.
Big time.

I gotta get me a big ole compressor and some tools.

nludkin - 29/12/05 at 04:57 PM

I was going to get an Air Compressor for the same job. The pinch bolts on the top of the Audi front hubs are nightmares!!

Do you know if the sub £200 air compressors make a ludicrous amount of noise though? I am tempted to buy one myself as long as it doesn't distress the neighbours.

aweekes1 - 29/12/05 at 05:10 PM

"Good Dads have power tools, Great Dads have Air Tools"

My compressor makes a right old din although it's a direct drive oil-less so get a belt driven splash oiled unit and put it in a vented box to reduce the chances of the neighbours going mental

zilspeed - 29/12/05 at 05:16 PM

This compressor was more the sort of thing that looked like the fuselage of a WWII Bomber. A bit of a monster really.
However, once it was charged up with a full tank it just sat there silently delivering the air.

I honestly don't know how the smaller ones would compare, but certainly having it rubber mounted off the floor inside an insulated cabinet woujld be a very good idea. .

[Edited on 29/12/05 by zilspeed]

ed_crouch - 29/12/05 at 06:04 PM

I take it you mean the top pinch bolt on A4/6/8 of late 90s era??

If so, I feel the pain, man. Been there, left about an acre of knuckle skin on the car...

You should have a go at doing the front wheel bearings!!

Would you beleive me if I said that they needed approximately 10 tons to shift them??

Front springs are good fun too!

ED.

rusty nuts - 29/12/05 at 06:12 PM

If you get yourself a compressor make sure it's up to the job. You want at least a 14CFM if you are going to be using air tools a lot . Well worth paying the extra and getting decent air tools rather than the cheap disposable ones

froggy - 29/12/05 at 07:00 PM

the cheapest clarke industrial is 11cfm and runs my 3/4 drive gun ok but 14cfm and 4hp the world is your oyster

I love speed :-P - 29/12/05 at 08:16 PM

froggy can you make ur avatar smaller plz also where abouts in stoke are you?

Phil

froggy - 29/12/05 at 08:21 PM

im doing my best ive managed to get the pic into my archive but thats my computer skills exhausted .no idea how to shrink it? im in sunny silverdale

I love speed :-P - 29/12/05 at 08:21 PM

sweet i only live in chesterton by the speedway

froggy - 29/12/05 at 08:25 PM

tell me youve got a plasma cutter and il come round and give you a nosh

just joshing

Peteff - 29/12/05 at 11:56 PM

download and upload then link to it. Rescued attachment kitten2.jpg
Rescued attachment kitten2.jpg

Mark Allanson - 30/12/05 at 12:11 AM

Sorry, Pete, you have lost me there

MikeRJ - 30/12/05 at 12:50 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson
Sorry, Pete, you have lost me there


Pete's kindly shrunk the image for froggy, who needs to right click on it, "save picture as" somewhere on his hard drive and then upload to his locostbuilders account as usual.

To go slightly back on topic, air tools are great, but if you need an impact wrench don't discount the (decent brand) battery powered ones. I had a go with the ones they use at my dads place, and they really are very good.

[Edited on 30/12/05 by MikeRJ]

mangogrooveworkshop - 30/12/05 at 09:23 AM

quote:

"Good Dads have power tools, Great Dads have Air Tools"


mmmm that means Im great.

Cant beat the gun....... best thing I ever bought

zilspeed - 30/12/05 at 09:29 AM

You should be working - or something