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What would you do [big wrench question]

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Mwalsh

Mwalsh

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I have been borrowing 26mm and 32mm wrenches from the company I work for on the rare occasion that I've needed to make adjustments to the adjustable suspension (hi-los) on one of my Minis.

The setup is basically you jack the car up to take the weight off the suspension then undo a jam nut (32mm) on a large bolt (26mm) and turn the bolt in to lower or out to raise.

I've long thought that I should own my own, but don't want expensive ones just for that very rare occurrence.

My longtime favorite for cheap hand tools, Agri Supply Company, offers several cheap metric and SAE sets, starting at $14.95 for a 14-peice set. However the metric sets, while they both include a 32mm wrench, skip over from 24mm to 27mm. Individual wrenches are available but are, as seems to be commonplace, expensive compared to the sets.

So, my question is...should I buy a metric set and have the 27mm wrench be just a bit too big or buy a SAE set and use the 1-1/4" and 1" sizes with just a hair taken out the 1" size with a dremel (26mm is 1.023")?
 
Yes, but one sees the predicament. A 26mm for $6.99 plus a 32mm for $12.99 and all of a sudden we're at $19.98 when I could have 12 more wrenches for free.
 
Found a bargain set of 14 "made in China" wrenches at Harbor Freight that included 1" and 1.25" sizes. Cost me just $9 and they are decently made and have quite a heft to them. Meanwhile I measured the bolts in the setup properly (used an adjustable wrench and then measured the gap) and I think that a 1" wrench would do the job without any modifications. Anyway, I guess we'll see when I get home tonite!
 
If it were me, I'd buy the set you mentioned, and the separate 26mm- so you'd have twenty-something bucks in the wrenches.

It's not 12 for free, but for cheap. If the 26mm cost $6.99 and the 32mm cost $12.99, you've got $19.98 in two wrenches as you said, but if you buy the set and the 26mm, you have $21.94, which in essence means you paid $1.96 for all the "extra" wrenches....at least that's how I would present it to my wife. Seems like an easy choice to me
 
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