5 Harbor Freight Tools You'll Want For Working On Your Project Car

If you're working on a project car, there's an annoying unwritten rule of the universe. It dictates that no matter how many tools you have or just recently bought, you will never have the right one. This presents a bit of a problem because tools are quite expensive. If you aren't a professional mechanic who's working on cars every single day, though, buying cheaper tools is rarely a problem.

So, as many DIY automotive enthusiasts do, you find yourself at Harbor Freight. Inside is a virtually endless supply of affordable tools that will undoubtedly work just fine for you. From basic hand tools to items that'll help you swap engines and transmissions, there's one of everything there. Let's take a look at five tools you can buy from Harbor Freight today that are project car essentials. Whether you're looking to simply upgrade some basic parts or drop a V8 in a chassis that was never designed for it, these will go a long way!

Admittedly, this particular choice is a bit surface-level, but it is definitely a worthy place to start. After all, if you don't have a set of sockets, you're not going to get very far when working on any project car. The color-coded deep socket sets from Pittsburgh Pro at Harbor Freight are truly a godsend. Not long after you start using them, you'll have the color-coding committed to memory. This makes the entire process of figuring out what socket you need and grabbing it a no-brainer.

The 3/8-inch drive set is a phenomenal starting point. The great news, too, is that if you grab the 1/4-inch drive set, you get a couple of smaller sockets (great for hose clamps), and the color-coding is consistent across both of them. It's a level of organization that just really tickles the brain. Plus, at under $15 each for either the 3/8 or 1/4-inch set, they're a super affordable way to start building your project car tool collection. Best of all, they come with Pittsburgh's lifetime warranty. If you ever break one, you simply return to Harbor Freight, and they replace the entire set with a brand-new one.

If you're working on a project car, there will undoubtedly come a time when you need to jack it up. If you have ever used a bottle jack, like the ones that come with a car for swapping to a spare tire, you'll know why having a good floor jack is imperative.

Enter the Pittsburgh two-ton low-profile floor jack. It has "Rapid Pump" technology, and they mean it. This jack takes your car from the floor to the air with just a few pumps of the handle. Its two-ton capacity is more than enough for most project cars, and its low profile layout means it fits under just about any car. Despite its low-profile design, it can still reach a maximum lift height of just under 17 inches. That's more than enough room for finagling yourself underneath to change oil, remove exhaust components, or whatever else you need to be under the car for. At $120, it's a phenomenal choice. The ease of under-car access is a wonderful thing, and being able to do it quickly and easily makes all the difference. However, you should not even consider getting under a car without our next tool recommendation.

Seriously, do not ever crawl under a car that is not properly supported. It does not matter how urgent the situation may seem. Working on a car without proper support can turn an urgent situation into a dire one, and that's no joke. People die from cars falling on them with an alarming regularity.

These Daytona jack stands come with redundant locking ability and that specific reason is why they are on this list. As with most jack stands the steel ratcheting system locks in place once weight is put on top of it. However, these particular stands also include a locking mobility pin, giving you two layers of security against a fall. In addition, they are compliant with industry standards for safety requirements on portable automotive service equipment.

Do not look to save a buck on jack stands, it's not worth it. These jack stands cost $49.99 and that is a perfectly reasonable amount of money to spend to rule out a serious safety risk. On a less serious note, they are also available in a bunch of colors. Safety first. Fun colors second. Got it?

Having a well-lit work area is perhaps one of the most overlooked parts of working on a car. Even if you have great lighting in your garage, there will inevitably come a day when you're under the car or under the hood and can't see what you're working on. Sure, having a headlamp is a good idea. Sometimes, though, you just need a ton of light.

Enter the Braun 845 Lumen LED Rechargeable Underhood Work Light. With nearly four feet of shatter-resistant polycarbonate tube stuffed with potent LED lights, you've got all kinds of light on deck. Best of all, it's got an integrated rechargeable battery and comes with both a standard wall charger and a 12-volt/cigarette lighter adapter. So, whether you're working in your garage or stranded on the side of the road, you'll have a way to charge it up! You might not need to, though, because it's capable of up to seven hours of light on a full charge. For $30, that's hard to beat! 

Yes, these are technically two different items, but you can't really use one without the other. If you're working on an old car you're virtually guaranteed to come to a point where a standard socket and a ratchet won't get anything to budge. Most likely, you'll run into this issue on suspension or engine components. When you reach that point, it's time to break out the "I wasn't asking" tools.

The Pittsburgh 1/2-inch drive impact socket set and 25-inch breaker bar make the perfect team for these situations. Give someone enough leverage and they can move the world. The 25-inch breaker bar gives you all the leverage you could ever want. When pairing these two items with good penetrating fluid and some heat, there's virtually no bolt you can't break loose (or just break, but that's a different discussion). Here's a pro tip, too. If the breaker bar doesn't quite provide the leverage you need, slide the handle from the above-mentioned jack over it for an extension. Mega-torque mode unlocked!