August 01, 2020

Five key things your garage should have

If you're going to work on your car at home there are certain tools or items you should have which will make your life easier from the very outset. These are staples of not only the MCM workshop (as seen in the latest video HERE) but both Marty and MOOG's home garages.

1. A workbench

Next to a good quality trolley jack, a workbench is just about mandatory in any garage set-up. For space reasons it isn't always easy to have one of those killer heavy duty set-ups but even a folding plastic table is better than working on the ground.

2. Trolley jack

Being able to lift your car off the ground is heaps easier with a trolley jack, but make sure you buy a good quality jack that is rated to lift your car's weight before you shell out your hard-earned. A decent low-profile aluminium trolley jack isn't going to be cheap, and you should expect to spend a few hundred bucks on one, but it should also last years of work.

3. Jack stands

If you're going to lift your car up, you need jack stands. Working under cars without them is pure insanity as people are killed every year after being crushed to death when a car falls on them. Heavy duty jack stands with a good triangulated base aren't expensive and - when put under a secure part of the car's chassis rail or suspension - makes for a safe way to work on your pride and joy. For extra security, slide a wheel and tyre under the sill of your car on the same side you're working on, just in case the stand fails or you accidentally shake the car off the stands.

4. A storage cabinet

Keeping your sprays (like cans of MCM WD40!) tidy is important, because a messy garage is not only crap to work in but potentially dangerous thanks to trip hazards. A simple metal storage cabinet allows you to keep sprays, valuable tools and small fragile parts out of harm's way, and behind lock and key. It also gives you a cool place to put all your stickers you get with parts. Less broken stuff, a tidier workspace, and knowing exactly where your stuff is - perfect!

Side note, check my MS Paint skills, kids. P-R-O!

5. Electric zotter

It can take years to build up a full collection of sweet tools, plus they take up heaps of space and are difficult to move so one way to go is to keep a basic set of hand tools (socket set, pliers, spanners) and spend your coin on some battery-powered tools. The MCM guys don't just use their Ryobi tools on-screen, they use them at home too and with them all sharing one battery system it makes a great way to save space and time by letting the electric wrench, impact driver, drill and more do the heavy lifting for you.