5 Milwaukee Tools You'll Want For Working On Your Project Car
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Working on a project car is not a light hobby. It takes a lot of thought and hard work and can take months to complete. If your project involves a complex restoration, it may even take years. This time and effort, however, ultimately makes working on a project car so rewarding, of course. If you're spending months or longer on a project — even if it's just a hobby — you're going to want to make sure you have the right tools for the job so you're not wasting your energy. The better the tools, the better your finished project, and having the right set in your garage can result in a project car you're proud of.
Milwaukee Tool is a popular brand that manufactures a wide range of automotive tools, among others. While you might not need all of them, chances are you'll want several of the brand's products on hand. To help determine which tools will come in handy when working on your project car, hands-on reviews from multiple reputable publications, such as Bob Vila and Popular Mechanics, were taken into account. You can find more information on this selection process at the end of this list. Here are five Milwaukee tools you'll want for working on your project car.
3/8-inch Drive 56-piece Ratchet & Socket Set
You can't get much done in a garage without a ratchet and socket set. Fortunately, in addition to strange power tools and other advanced equipment, Milwaukee also makes simple hand tools. That includes several ratchet and socket kits, like the Milwaukee ⅜-inch Drive 56-piece Ratchet & Socket Set, which comes with a 90-tooth ratchet, three- and six-inch extensions, and a universal hose adapter, as well as an abundance of standard and deep well sockets. The sockets, which come in SAE and metric, range from ¼-inch to 1 inch and 6-millimeter to 9-millimeter. Thanks to a design featuring four flat sides, they're wrench-ready and won't roll away on you.
The ratchet has a slim profile design and affords four degrees of arc swing, making it easier to rotate while under your car or deep in its engine block. Plus, the tools come with a portable carrying case in the brand's signature fire engine red that includes a removable inner tray. Each socket is stamped with its socket size and fits neatly into the tray's custom molding.
The publication Bob Vila thoroughly tested this set on a truck engine, among other things, and rated it nine out of 10, noting it contained a "well-curated selection of sizes" and praising the tools' "tremendous build quality." However, the review did point out that the kit "lacks the broader range of socket sizes other sets have" and that an additional 12-inch socket driver doesn't fit within the included carrying case. If that's not a dealbreaker, you can purchase Milwaukee's ⅜-inch Drive 56-piece Ratchet & Socket Set for $199 from Amazon, as well as from Home Depot, where it's listed for $189 (and currently discounted at just $99).
M12 Rivet Tool
Milwaukee's M12 Rivet Tool is indispensable for building project cars, and you may be surprised how often you'll use it — especially if you're keeping welding to a minimum. Rivets can be used in your car's interior, undercarriage, and exterior, including car doors and custom modifications you might plan on making to your ride. The M12 Rivet Tool generates up to 2,000 lbs of pull force and supports 3/32-inch, ⅛-inch, 5/32-inch, and 3/16-inch rivets for use in steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. In its hands-on review of the product, Shop Tool Reviews says the tool has "more than enough power to put ⅛-inch rivets in sheet metal and thinner material."
The tool has a 0.8-inch stroke length and can hold rivets in any orientation. It's also ergonomically designed for force reduction, making it easy to use and requiring less muscle effort. However, it isn't as powerful as Milwaukeee's beefier M18 Rivet Tool, and if your project car is a larger pickup (or another heavy-duty vehicle like an RV) — or if you just like to have an overabundance of power when it comes to your tools — you may want to opt for the latter. However, the M18 Rivet Tool is very expensive, several times the price of its smaller cousin. You can find the Milwaukee M12 Rivet Tool at Home Depot for $249 or from Amazon for $239.
M18 Fuel 1/2-inch Compact Impact Wrench
If you plan on adding an impact wrench to your tool kit, a good choice would be the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2-Inch Compact Impact Wrench, which Popular Mechanics named its best cordless impact wrench for mechanics. Its brushless motor can generate up to 250 ft-lbs of nut-busting torque, and its short 4.9-inch length allows for use in tight spaces. The attached tri-LEDs will also help illuminate the work area in the darkest corners of your vehicle. The impact wrench offers a lot of control with four different speed and power settings (up to 2,400 rpm and 3,500 rpm), a bolt-removal mode, and an auto shut-off mode that prevents over-tightening and limits the tool to 20 ft-lbs of torque.
Some mechanics hesitate to use motorized impact wrenches because they can be too strong for the job, and depending on your project car, there could be a risk of damaging your wheels if used improperly. However, if you're overhauling an old ride or have to remove old, rusted bolts at some point, you'll certainly want to use this tool rather than doing so manually. Milwaukee's M18 Fuel 1/2-Inch Compact Impact Wrench is available for $219 from Home Depot and $199 from Amazon.
Milwaukee M12 LED Underhood Light
Chances are you're going to need some additional work lights in your garage when you're working on your project car so you can prevent any costly mistakes that may occur when you can't quite see what you're doing. One especially useful light you can use is Milwaukee's M12 LED Underhood Light, which fits neatly under your hood and conveniently illuminates your engine block. It displays an even beam of neutral white light, producing up to 1,350 lumens with two different brightness settings. Shop Tool Reviews, which gave the product a very positive review, noted that its 600-lumen low setting was strong in its own right and "floods the engine bay with plenty of light."
The underhood light is versatile and lets you rotate, slide, and hang it to suit your needs. It's also durably built, with a tough aircraft aluminum frame, as well as an impact and chemical-resistant lens. Plus, its stainless steel hook is equipped with Milwaukee's Finishguard technology to prevent scratches against your vehicle's finish.
If you're burning the midnight oil and spending hours at a time working on your project car, you may prefer a corded light that won't run out of battery life at an inopportune time. Also, you might find the product to be too expensive, considering there are many ways to illuminate your work area. If you've got the budget for it, though, the quality and convenience offered by the Milwaukee M12 LED Underhood Light is worth the cost. Home Depot sells it for $199, and Amazon lists its price at $168.98.
M18 Cordless 2-Speed Grease Gun
Working on a project car doesn't just require elbow grease — it requires a lot of actual grease, too, whether it's for lubricating joints and suspension bearings, preventing rust and corrosion on important car parts, maintaining drive shafts and brake systems, or lubricating hinges and latches in your hood, doors, and trunk release. You could use a manual grease gun, but this can take a lot of effort, especially if your grease starts to jam up. The Milwaukee M18 Cordless 2-Speed Grease Gun can do the work for you and save you a lot of time and energy.
The tool boasts an industry-leading 10,000 psi max operating pressure. In its hands-on review, Pro Tool Reviews notes that this "impressive" power is "about 2,000 – 3,000 psi above most other comparable models." It also highlights the tool's "convenient and appropriate" features, including an onboard LED light, lock-on/lock-off trigger, built-in plunger rod with markings that tell you how much remaining grease you have, and an extra-long hose that makes the tool easier to use.
One drawback to the product is that it's pretty expensive compared to manual grease guns. But, if you're willing to spend the money, you'll certainly appreciate the time and frustration you save by automating one of the more laborious aspects of working on a project car. You can find Milwaukee's M18 Cordless 2-Speed Grease Gun at Home Depot for $229 and from Amazon for $171.
How the tools for this list were selected
Positive reviews from reputable publications were taken into account to ensure the Milwaukee tools selected for this list are actually ones you'll want for working on your project car. This includes Popular Mechanics, Pro Tool Reviews, Bob Vila, and Shop Tool Reviews, which all conducted thorough hands-on testing on the tools mentioned in this list. By considering the reviews of experts who have actually put these products through their paces, you can best gauge whether or not the tools are reliable and work as advertised.
Also, a wide range of tools were considered for this list since working on a project car usually means most — if not all — aspects of automotive work will come into play. That includes bread and butter tools like ratchets and impact wrenches, as well as items that might not immediately come to mind, like grease guns and work lights. You'll want to make sure all your bases are covered so that all the time and effort you put into your project car ultimately end up being worth it.