The list of tools and supplies one requires for a project like this is nearly endless. These are some of my most frequently used:
Calipers
As indispensable as a pocket in a shirt. I use these constantly to measure hole ID/OD/depth, wire thickness, bolt & screw sizes, etc. Recommend some that do both metric and imperial. (Side note: My truck chassis and engine are metric while most of the module fasteners are imperial, with a smattering of metric.) A digital readout is nice, but not a necessity. I think I bought mine 20 years ago at HarborFreight for about $8.
Multimeter
Knowing how to use a multimeter is a good basic skill to have and an absolute necessity for a conversion project such as mine. Take voltage readings in AC or DC, test continuity, etc. Fluke is the premium brand and I owned one of their handheld meters for years. I can’t recall the brand I use now, though, just about any of them will get the job done. A dearly departed family friend, whom I respected greatly, couldn’t pass one of these things in a store and not buy it and had seemingly dozens in his various toolkits and workshop.
Picks
Basically a handle with a tiny sharp stick. These typically come in a set of four with various end shapes, but I find the 90 degree is the most useful. Incredibly handy for poking, prodding and pulling things out of tight spaces, picking things lose or removing crud. Dental picks also work a treat for this purpose, though are not quite as robust.
The Humble Ziplock
Every time I disassemble something I put all the fasteners into a Ziplock and label where it came from with a Sharpie and then toss that bag into a box. I mainly use the sandwich size, but also have some quart size which I use to hold smaller assemblies and their fasteners. There are far too many fasteners to keep track of in a project of this scale and often when I disassemble something I think I’m going to put right back together, weeks later it’s still in pieces. I also keep a few miscellaneous bags for fasteners of unknown origin. For example, on the floor of the cab I’ve probably found a dozen or so screws or nuts under the seats or jammed in corners that I might need some day. The Ziplocks not only keep things organized but also ensure that the odd bolt or washer doesn’t wander off when you’re not looking.
Your Local Hardware Store
I mean a real hardware store, not a giant home center like Home Depot or Lowes. Those big box stores can certainly be useful, but I’m talking about an old-school hardware store that stocks a seemingly infinite variety of, well, everything and is usually staffed by folks with decades of knowledge. My favorite is Rylee’s Ace Hardware here in Grand Rapids. I have spent literal hours wandering up and down the comfortingly narrow, crowded aisles, visually cataloging everything in the hope I might remember it someday when I need it. They have all the standards; tools, paint, plumbing, electrical, etc., but also seemingly every kind of nut, bolt and washer you could ever need, in every grade and drawers and drawers of grommets, knobs, and other doodads you didn’t know were a thing. More valuable than the hardware they stock are the employees. Rylee’s seems to favor seniors, something I wholeheartedly support, and there is almost always someone ready to greet you on your way into the store to ask if you need help without being annoying about it. It’s wonderful when I walk in with only a vague, stuttering description of something and a little gray haired lady sets off at a pace I can barely keep up with, down the aisles and guides me to the exact thing I needed. I had one employee spend nearly a half hour with me as we tried to come up with convoluted combination of tools and adapters that would suit the specific problem I was trying to solve. 15 out of 10. Support your local hardware store.
Simple Green Cleaner
I’ve been using this stuff for 35+ years. Can be used in various dilutions to clean absolutely everything.
A Word About Brands
I’m not much for brand favoritism and have zero interest in arguing whether one is better than another. I’d rather just get some work done. That said, the following have served me well to-date:
Milwaukee
I worked for a company in college that sold Milwaukee tools so they have always stood out for me. It makes sense to settle on one brand as the tools share common batteries, at least for the cordless tools. Dewault and Craftsman are other popular brands, though I have little or no experience with either of them. One’s probably as good as another IMO. When I’m buying a power tool, I’m investing in that tool and it’s broader ecosystem, so I’m not going to buy only on price. Thus far I’ve been completely satisfied with the cordless tools I have purchased for this project. The 1/4″ Hex Torque driver has been particularly useful. The 1/2″ Torque Wrench is an absolute monster with 1400 ft-lbs of nut busting torque. I got one specifically to handle the wheel lug nuts, which the 1/4″ couldn’t budge, and other large chassis and engine nuts. Truck lug nuts typically have torque specs of between 450 to 600 ft-lbs and each of my wheels has 10 nuts.
Not sure if the other brands do something similar, but Milwaukee typically sells two versions of most of their tools; in a kit that comes with the tool, a battery and charger in a hard case or bare, which is the tool only. The bare tools are a nice option because once you have a charger or two and a few batteries you don’t need them with every tool. I also don’t want a separate case for each tool as that would take up far to much storage space.
TEKTON
I bought a wrench and socket set and a torque wrench from TEKTON some years ago when I started doing my own minor car repairs and they have served me well. I was recently pleasantly surprised to discover that they are family owned and coincidentally, headquartered right here in Grand Rapids only a few miles from my apartment (though their tools are made in the US, China and other countries). I’ve since bought their pick set and several impact sockets and have no complaints. I have also bought a few cheaper brands and been sorry I did. My philosophy is buy quality, take care of them and you will rarely be disappointed.