Required tools for working on autocockers

[Drone31]

Hello,

I am new to autocockers and am looking for some tools. I have access to all the normal stuff since my father was a vehicle mechanic. I bought the valve jam nut tool. I am trying to find small wrenches / sockets for things like the barbs, 4mm wrench for Inception design ram, and other kinda niche stuff.

Thanks,
Brandon

[Chuck E Ducky]

Valve tool
Good Ball end Allen set
C Clip removal tool
Good Oring set
Small adjustable wrench

optional tools:
reg tester (I made mine)
Dow55 for leaky 3ways
ASA female threads welded to the teeth of a vice grip
Vice with soft grip jaws can be helpful
Good strap wrench.

[Chuck E Ducky]

You can grab Reg tops that can get stuck works great when you are at the field and no vice is available.

[Drone31]

Does the asa get cut in half before welding?

[Chuck E Ducky]

I will post a picture. You take a female ASA threaded piece of steel pipe cut it in half and weld them inside a pair of vice grip. So it can clamp right on the threads without messing them up because it’s the same pitch and it’s thread.

[Trbo323]

I specifically avoid ball end Allen's, they always snap off in the long run in my experience

Make sure your Allen set has a .050 size wrench. Stuff like a jackhammer 2 LPR needs it and some trigger adjustment screws

Having a fairly expansive o ring collection is helpful.

Screws, springs. And more screws and springs.

I use a cigar cutter to cut macro, lots of people have different techniques, find one that works for you because it also works for cutting front block hose.

Thin adjustable wrench. I just took a normal one and spent about 10 minutes on the grinding wheel with it.

Really, thin non adjustable wrenches would be better because there's less chance of them slipping around but they are not flexible for every situation

HPR pressure tester is helpful. An old on/off-bleed ASA and a gauge is all you really need. I've never felt the need for a LPR tester, you can do that one by hand

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[DocsMachine]

Vertical mill, a good lathe, roughly four hundred pounds of tooling for each, maybe an O-ring pick...



Doc.

[Grendel]

bah, drill press, "Dremel" tool and a cold chisel

[DocsMachine]

Hoof rasp, angle grinder, 12-ounce ball-peen, hacksaw, and a cheap Craftsman X/Y table to turn that drill press into a milling machine.

We'll make a full-fledged airsmith out of you, yet!

Doc.

[Drcemento]

I would move reg testers to the "must have" section of chuck E's list. Both for tank reg output, reg output and one for LPR output. even if in the end you can adjust a reg by feel or sweetspotting ( i never could and still can't), without associated numbers nothing will make sense. now I use a starting point of balanced lighter springs and input pressure of 380 and rarely do i have to move it from there. before a reg tester i would spend waaay to much time screwing with springs, and wildly adjusting the regs. and it was a tester for my LPR that finally diagnosed my three way leak. it will save allot of grief and time so its worth every penny ( they are cheep to make with a little know how)

[mueller]

Don't agree on "required" --- but strongly agree that objective testing/ measurement makes a ton of sense. I swear cocker techs seem oddly resistant to LPR bench measurement

[Chuck E Ducky]

You can sweet spot a reg easy with just a chronograph. I like a reg tester for maintenance.

[Toestr]

1/4" 12 point socket for stock VASA bolts. I think pretty much everything else has been covered.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I got one welded into a small T wrench I think SCC made it.

[DocsMachine]

I made a bunch of those over the years, too.
Doc.

[Jsc5150]

Reg tester is absolutely essential.

Get knipex pliers wrenches instead of crescent wrenches

[autococker04]

Pair of channel locks with extra sharp teeth for disassembling regulators.

[DocsMachine]

So you're the guy!

Doc.

[autococker04]

Some people like the custom knurled grip.

[latches109]

I specifically avoid ball end Allen's, they always snap off in the long run in my experience

I have had zero snap off with these two brands.

Try Bondhus or Whia tools. Bondus is better, I have a T set and these drivers in both SAE and metric. Good to have in general tools. Whia is a little harder to get in and out sometimes, and the shank is too thick on the smaller sizes but very hard and stay sharp. Sometimes the Whia will bite when others will not.

Bondhus 10637 Set of 13 Balldriver Screwdrivers, ProGuard Finish, sizes .050-3/8-Inch