Impact Driver

Adrenaline-Junkie

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Since ive pretty much dove into a build i figured its time to start buying some tools. That being said, i have a question about impact drivers. What does everyone here use and what do you recommend? Ideally id like something with a slip clutch but have no idea where to go from there. Any help would be great. Thanks
 
Electric, hand or air? I use a hand held hit with hammer. available at harbor freight. or try ebay
 
Dewalt. Paying premiun for a name i have a ryobi. Great for a home garage..use milwauki's at work.
 
Since ive pretty much dove into a build i figured its time to start buying some tools. That being said, i have a question about impact drivers. What does everyone here use and what do you recommend? Ideally id like something with a slip clutch but have no idea where to go from there. Any help would be great. Thanks

Hi Adrenaline-Junkie,
you need a 1/2"square drive air-impact wrench.
And if you don't have a ~6+cfm air compressor to drive it that's what you buy first.
Then you get a 1/2" square drive air nut runner for assembly work.
Then you need TWO torque wrenches, a 1/4" square drive for the small fasteners and a 1/2" square drive for the bigger stuff.
This because the average amateur-level (the ones you can actually afford to buy) torque wrenches only read accurately in the middle 60% of their range and a 3/8" square drive unit has the low torque readings for an M6-M8 and the high torque readings for an M16 and above at the extreme ends of it's range, beyond that middle 60% comfort zone.
 
About 8 years ago I bought a Mastercraft Maximum 10.8v Li-ion impact on clearance from Canadian Tire. I wasn't expecting much, but it has held up well and is quite handy. I recently discovered that it was built by a company called Durofix, which still makes this line of tools. I cannot find a reasonably priced supplier of these tools in Canada, as they are sold as AC Delco professional tools here, which seems to command a pretty hefty price premium. Good news for Americans though,as I see Sears, Walmart and Pep Boys all sell them. The 12v is the same as the 10.8v I bought. I would love to pick up the 3/8" cordless ratchet, or the multiple tool combo kit, but until I get my passport and start getting stuff shipped to the UPS store in Ogdensburg like everyone else in Ottawa, I'll have to keep looking around here. I would highly recommend these tools. They have some neat stuff.

Unfortunately, I had begun to invest in the Bosch 18v system before I realized I could still get tools for my old Mastercraft battery system, otherwise I would not have bothered. I bought the cordless impact with the 1/2" drive and the 1/4" hex Chuck in the middle. It's also a very nice piece, but probably overkill for most motorcycle fasteners.

https://www.pepboys.com/tools/power_tools_accessories/cordless_power_tools/00314/
 
Aside from the clutch basket nut, the sprocket nut, and maybe the rotor nut there is little use for an air or battery impact wrench on an XS project. It's better to feel the threads with a wrench or socket as you remove nuts so you can stop, lube, re-tighten and start over BEFORE you strip a stud or bolt. The hand-hammer impact wrench is a must have in several places. the cheapest harbor fright hammer tool works just fine. My Chicago pneumatic air impact is more than 40 years old and going strong, the hand impact is that old also. I own several air ratchets but never use them.
 
what gggGary said...

hand hammer impact screwdriver is a must, ideally with a good phillips bit that will reach the points and advance housing screws, and for clutch spring screws- which you should change to socket screws... you usually only get one or two shots at a stuck screw before it's permanently stripped so be sure your technique is good.
 
Unless you anticipate working on lots of bike where fasteners haven't been disturbed for many years the a manual driver is probably sufficient.

Once you have the screws out then replace them with cap head screws and apply and anti seize grease like Copper Slip to the threads and torque to the correct value.

The money you save can be put towards a good quality torque wrench.
 
If you're going to get a hand impact, I recommend shopping eBay for a nice used Vessel No.2500. These are one of the best made and in fact, Vessel may have even invented them way back when .....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ves...656673?hash=item43ebd8b4e1:g:M7gAAOSwwpdW9cIb

I bought mine over 40 years ago when I was just a kid and got my first bike (actually a mini cycle). I knew this tool was a "must have" from reading all the motorcycle mags back then. I picked mine up at the local hardware store for $6 or $8. I didn't realize what a good one I had gotten (never heard of Vessel) but I still have it and it works great to this day. I have needed to get replacement bits a few times but that's normal. They wear, the tips sometimes bend, or even break.

Having this one as long as I have, I figured it might be a good idea to lay in a spare or two. I was easily able to find them on eBay for between $10 and $20. Retail on them today is probably over $50. One I got is basically brand new, not a hammer mark on it. It's never been hit with a hammer, lol. Well, it was never hit, I fixed that right away.
 
+1 on getting a Vessel impact driver. Got mine back in the 70s. Recently got new bits for it.

Might need to get new bits if you get a used impact driver.

For a good low $$$ setup:
1) set of Vessel JIS screwdrivers
2) Vessel hand-held impact driver (the bits are JIS)
 
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