I'm about to replace all shocks & springs and hit LBJ's at the same time.
I've only done oil changes and front brakes so far so don't have a lot of tools yet.
I figure an impact wrench could cut down on time & headaches, at least for lugnuts and lower shock bolts. If I only have one impact wrench for this and future projects, what size should it be? I'm guessing a 1/2" can do everything a 3/8 can and more, except its a little bulkier. Is that the one to go wtih?
Also Harbor Freight has a 13 piece deep impact socket set on sale for $19. Has most sizes I'd need except the 12mm for some reason.
If I only bought one socket set, should I go deep or shallow? Like the 1/2" impact, I assume deep sockets can do everything shallow can except fit in some tight places? But maybe I should stop thinking for myself and listen to you guys with more experience!
And if shallow is slightly better overall, is $19 such a good price that i should go ahead with the deeps?
I'm surprised no one has replied to this, but since I just went through the process of buying all of these tools, I'll chime in.
I started working on my rig with a cheapo 1/4" itty-bitty socket set that I've had from before I can even remember. It pretty much sucked and was super slow but I was able to get a lot of rusted bolts off and managed to remove the rear bumper and side rails with just this rachet, sockets and a set of Irwin bolt extractor sockets for the super rusty or rounded bolt heads.
As I got more serious, I moved up to a Harbor Freight 1/2" rachet and 12 point chrome socket set, supplemented with 16" breaker bar. Again, those did pretty much everything I needed them to do. In hindsight I would have gone with a 6-point socket set since that works better on ultra-rusty bolts, but 12 point still managed pretty well.
Then I started drinking the Milwaukee tool Kool-Aid. I now have the Fuel 1/2" mid-torque impact wrench which I really like. I also waited for a sale on the Milwaukee 1/2" Deep Impact socket set. But I think a cheap HF impact set will likely be fine too. I've been able to get the impact drill on most bolts with the deep sockets, but there have been a few tight places where it wasn't possible. Milwaukee also makes a stubby impact with slighly less power, but still a lot, if size is a big concern. But at $19 a set, you may as well get both a deep and shallow impact set.
There are tons of good cordless impacts out there these days, so any name brand will be fine. I would stay away from the Bauer brand at HF, but the Hercules line seem to be getting great reviews from people who own them.
I personally think the high-torque impacts are overkill for the home mechanic. The mid-torques have plenty of power. 1/2" vs. 3/8" is just personal preference. I like 1/2" because that's what I already had for my regular socket set when I got my impact. You can always get an adapter bit and step down to 3/8" if you need to, but for me, mo' bigger is mo' better.