Heavy Tools
floor creeper or large pieces of cardboard to work under the car
2 ton engine hoist and sling, preferably a folding one for storage
two 2 1/4 ton hydraulic floor jacks, full size for raising both sides of the car simultaneously. You could probably get by with one and moving it around, but two tend to be faster for doing operations like engine removal.
four 6-ton heavy duty jack stands for holding the car up. You can probably get away with two, but I like four because you can put the extra two in redundant places. Make sure your jack stands are wide to prevent toppling. Some people prefer cinder-blocks with wood on top (18" 2x10s) due to their stability. If you're working outside on asphalt, putting boards under the jack stands is good to prevent them from digging into the asphalt.
heavy duty furniture dolly to hold the the transmission and motor so you can wheel it around
Power Tools
Electric drill with 3/8" chuck
Drill bit set from 1/16" to 1/2" in 1/64" increments
1/2" 82 degree countersink
1" hole saw
Hand Tools
utility knife or razor knife with extra blades
cable shears
diagonal wire cutters
good quality wire stripper and crimper
hammer
standard pliers
needle-nose pliers
metric and american combination end wrench sets
full set of american and metric socket sets with ratchet
1/2" drive metric deep socket set
1/2" drive breaker bar
large adjustable crescent wrench
various standard and philips head screwdrivers
scribe or ice pick
small "hook" tool for grabbing and pulling on small wires
small mirror on a stick or cheap dental mirror
fine-toothed metal file
1 1/2" wide putty knife for scraping things clean
centerpunch
digital gauge caliper
torque wrench
two 1/2 combination end wrenches with all but one end wrapped in electrical tape
rivnut tool
25' tape measure
heavy steel wire brush
old toothbrushes
Miscellaneous Tools
MUST: fire extinguisher, possibly with an additional electrical fire extinguisher for electrical fires
'92-'95 Civic Helms Shop Manual (look online)
"Convert It" Book by Mike Brown
headlamp for seeing into dark corners as you work
notebook for taking notes as you go on how to re-assemble things
digital camera for documenting your progress or capturing hard-to-explain situations
digital multimeter (Fluke meters are nice)
heat gun for heat-shrink tubing
drain pan for removing fluids
medium and fine point permanent markers ("Sharpies")
shop towels or rolls of paper towels
leather gloves
several blocks of wood like 2x4s cut into 18" lengths to support parts of the car as needed
empty bottles for fluid capture
"C" clamps for holding things together
fender covers (an old quilt will do) to protect the car's finish while you work
Extra Supplies
Safety Glasses
Hand Cleaner (I like Fast Orange)
Noalox anti-corrosion compound by Ideal
small tube of dielectric grease
heat shrink tube for protecting 16-gauge wire going into crimp connectors
heat shrink tube with cement for battery cables
silicone spray lubricant
red loctite
brake cleaner
contact cleaner
electrical tape
bag of various size zip-ties (preferably in a variety of colors)
zip-tie mounting clips for holding wires
Permatex Black RTV sealant in a caulk tube. It will last a long time if you put a long drywall screw in the tip (not a NAIL) to pull the hardened plug out after long periods of sitting time
PB Blaster for freeing difficult bolts
Rust encapsulator (POR-15, Loctite Extend, Rustoleum Reformer, etc)
Oil Dri/Kitty Litter to clean up oil spills
plastic sheeting to protect the garage floor during teardown
sandwich bags to hold small parts as you remove them (label the bags too!)
Optional Tools for the Gadget Lover
metal welder for making your own battery rack and other metalworking tools
label maker to label all your wires as you remove the engine. Make sure the labels are water resistant so that things like steam cleaning don't erase all your labels. This is much easier to use than tape with writing. Labeling all components in your system is also good for demonstrations after you're done.
oscilloscope for measuring dynamic voltages like speedometer and tachometer signals. Good for debugging PakTrakr battery monitors and possibly the PWM signals in the Belktronix controller
digital camera for documenting your progress or capturing hard-to-explain situations (Mothers like pictures too)
door panel/molding & trim removal set. These are plastic or coated pry bars in assorted shapes perfect for popping loose the ribbed plastic push-in fasteners found all over these cars without damaging the fasteners or panels. You can get by without it, but it is WAY harder work with screwdrivers/putty knives, and you are infinitely more likely to break something.
Miter saw or chop saw with a grinder blade to quickly cut steel angle iron into needed pieces
Drill press for more easily cutting clean holes
Civic Specific Parts
Replacement clutch assembly (pressure plate, clutch disc and throwout bearing)
Civic flywheel lock or steel bar with properly drilled holes (see instructions)
Civic clutch centering tool
Other parts that will probably be listed in the instructions
Adel clamps to hold wires and cables
split loom wire cover (3/8" is the most commonly used)
Licensed under the TAPR Open Hardware License (www.tapr.org/OHL)
Copyright 2008 Tim Kutscha