• Pliers: slip-joint, needle-nose, Vise-Grips
• Allen wrenches: standard and metric
• Scissors: 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-inch; snips, seam ripper (Having several pairs of scissors is a good idea because they do get dull and using a sharp pair makes your work much easier.)
• Staple lifter
• Door panel tool
• Door handle tools
• Headliner tuck tool
• Regulators
• Assorted hole punches
• Wire cutter: 7- and 9-inch, bolt cutters
• Hog-ring pliers: straight, angled
• Rulers: 36-, 48-, and 72-inch tape measures
• Utility knife (Always have plenty of blades on hand.)
• Bench vise
• Workbench
Power Tools
• Walking-foot sewing machine
• Steamer
• Drill motor: 3/8-, 1/2-inch
• Heat gun
• Air compressor
• Staple gun: electric, pneumatic, mechanical
• Glue gun: foam, contact cement, hot glue
• Rotary tool
• Foam saw
Pres-N-Snap Setter
One tool that I could not do without is the HooVer Products Pres-N-Snap setter. This tool sets you back about $130, which sounds like a lot for just one tool, but it does a professional job of installing snaps without crushing or denting the cap on the snap. This alone saves you money by not wasting materials, and it also saves time (i.e., makes you more money) by allowing you to install a snap in just one squeeze, unlike the manual setter that comes free with some snap kits.
Hog-Ring Pliers
Different types of hog-ring pliers are available and each has its own purpose. Originally the hog-ring pliers were used in agriculture to ring the nose of hogs to keep them from rooting and destroying the land. Other uses for hog-ring pliers range from food processing to sealing sausage casing to industrial usage in chain link fences. Hog-ring pliers look like regular pliers but are notched at the tip to hold a wire hog ring while clamping it tight.
A quality hog-ring tool is made from cast iron with long handles to allow for a tight and complete cinch of the hog ring. The professional hog-ring tool costs about $30 to $35 and will last you a lifetime. The cheap hog-ring pliers that come with a seat kit are most likely made from round stock and riveted together. They typically are short in length, which makes crimping a hog ring more difficult, causing the hand to fatigue quickly, and they usually last only a few dozen crimps before they fall apart.
Hog-ring pliers are essential to the auto upholsterer. Several shapes and styles are available to reach into difficult areas. Professional-quality hog-ring pliers can properly install a hog ring with ease and serve you for many years without failing.
Use the steamer to remove wrinkles in upholstery materials as well as to help with pattern making. Professional-grade steamers such as this Jiffy model J-4000 will last a long time in the shop because they are built to withstand the rough service they are bound to see. Interchangeable heads make this model even more useful.
Steamer
The use of a steamer to remove wrinkles and small imperfections is essential to the upholstery trade. Several models of steamers are available for upholstery and each has its own strengths. Some have a dedicated purpose while others use different heads for specific applications. Hands down, the most versatile and durable auto upholstery steamer on the market today is the Model J-4000A manufactured by the Jiffy Steamer Company. This steamer unit has interchangeable heads on a 7½-foot hose and they are great for different applications. The 6-inch flat-iron head is used for general steaming and pattern making; the straight-tube head is perfect for steaming the hard-to-get-to spots on convertible tops.
Door-Clip Tool
Removing door panels is an easy task when you use the right tool. Some people use a screwdriver for this job and end up scratching the door and causing damage to the door panel while they are trying to free it from the door.
A variety of door panel tools are available for purchase and most are relatively inexpensive. The tool works on leverage to lift the fastener from the door. Long and short versions of the panel clip tool are useful to gain access to tight situations.
Getting under the panel fastener and lifting it without damaging the door panel is what this tool is all about. Many different lengths of panel tools, as well as plastic panel tools, are available to accommodate any task. These manual tools use simple leverage to get under the fastener and lift the panel safely from the door. The forked end of the tool is slid under the fastener and then the clip is pried out, releasing the panel without damaging it or the car.
Window- and Door-Crank Tool
It has always been a chore to remove the window and door cranks from a panel, but using the correct device speeds the job and prevents harm to you or the door panel. Early Ford cars used a 1/8-inch-diameter pin to hold the crank to the regulator post. The pin is accessed by depressing the decorative escutcheon and pushing the pin out. Using the correct pin removal tool makes this operation simple.
Using the correct tool makes removal of a window and door crank much simpler. The upper tool is for early GM cars that have a small spring clip. Later-model cars used a larger clip that is pushed out of the handle using the middle tool. Ford used a small pin that is difficult to access without the special fork tool shown at the bottom.
GM cars used a small “C” spring clip in its early models and it is removed with clip pliers. Later models used a larger spring clip and that was removed by sliding the handle clip tool between the escutcheon and the crank to push out the clip.
Headliner Tuck Tool
Getting a headliner to settle into place is a breeze when you use the correct tuck tool. The tuck tool is made of spring steel with a wooden handle. The blade of the tool is blunt and rounded on the corners to prevent damage to the headliner material or molding you are working with and is available with a thin or heavy version to suit the task at hand.
The thin-blade tool can push the headliner material under and into the tightest places, leaving the outside of the headliner wrinkle free and snug; the heavy-duty blade works well for lifting the rubber moldings around the windows so that glue can be applied underneath.
This tuck tool is essential for the installation of a suspended headliner. The wide blade is great for lifting rubber window molding without causing damage. The top tool has a thicker blade for lifting and prying and the lower tool has a thinner blade for tucking headliner material into tight places.
Other versions of this tool are also available and are used in the same manner. Always choose the