I know there’s an air-powered impact somewhere because I could hear it when I was in the space on Saturday but I could not find it yesterday.
It wasn’t in the toolbox, on any of the shelves in the automotive space, and wasn’t on any shelves in the entire workshop. If it’s still in the building, it’s nowhere near where it’s supposed to be.
Does anyone have an idea where it might be? I have tennis elbow from removing rusted-on bolts and nuts yesterday. 
I was using a personal impact at DMS on Saturday. AKAIK DMS does not have one.
There is one electric impact that should be sitting next to the batteries, at the next board meeting I am requesting more funds so that we can hopefully have more than just a single impact wrench.
Oh ok. I figured there just had to be an air-powered one somewhere.
My elbow is suggesting that I stop at Harbor Freight before tackling the lift-kit on my Suburban that lived its previous life in Nebraska.
Do yourself a favor and get an Ingersoll Rand.
This is what I use…Dewalt impact wrench…got it off Ebay for about $130. No air needed…works great in my garage…
Oh yeah, I agree with Bryan. I have the IR2135TiMAX and IR2015TiMAX. Love 'em both.
Now … as for my air hammer, it’s hard to beat Harbor Freight $14.
I’m going to try the cordless impact at the space first. I’ve been reading up on them and it may have enough torque to get the job done.
Cordless impact wrenches, in my experience, are usually just cordless impact drivers with a 3/8" drive in place of the standard 1/4" hex chuck. They usually have the torque for little things, and they’re AWESOME for running things down, or spinning a fastener out, but they don’t have anything in the way of breaking torque.
If you need tools that can work on rusty old fasteners, I’d recommend a proper air-powered impact wrench, and an air ratchet for tighter clearances. The space has good availability of air at high enough pressure that if we can clear some of the controversy in the automotive group, I’m considering buying a set of my own. (Because I sure as hell can’t afford a big enough air compressor to run such tools at home)
This is what we have and claims 200 ft-lbs
https://www.ryobitools.com/power-tools/products/details/353
Vs a good air impact which can deliver 780 ft-lbs
http://www.ingersollrandproducts.com/am-en/products/tools/impactools/maintenance-automotive-impactools/1-2-drive/2135timax-series/2135timax
In the past using just the battery powered ones was easier because of less maintenance and no hose to drag around, and for vast majority of jobs the battery one is sufficient, but it would be worth it to have both at the space
The ratings you’ll see are generous and represent absolute peak breaking torque. The torque it takes to break a fastener loose is considerably higher than the torque it takes to set a fastener. For example, the specification for lug nut torque on my Jeep is 80-90ftlbs, but after setting that, it takes more than my 150ftlb impact driver can give, to break them loose.
I’m not all clear on why this is, just that I wouldn’t recommend an impact wrench with a rating under 500ftlbs for any serious use.
Impact drivers are great for running down and running out little fasteners all around a car. I used mine to great effect during the 200SX’s engine swap. (And several other projects, both in and out of the makerspace) I think they’re a super useful tool to have, and the absence of an airhose or power cord is really good for getting them into awkward places. They’re also a lot lighter than a proper impact wrench.
But I do think it’d be good to have a real impact wrench around. Especially what with all the impact sockets and torque sticks we have lying around. They’re a great investment.
I was victorious with the cordless impact, PB blaster, and a generous helping of heat.
I did, however, find a problem with the tool. It randomly stops working but if you remove and replace the battery, it works again. It seems like the connection to the battery is loose. It behaved the same way with 3 different batteries.