Admittedly, this particular choice is a bit surface-level, but it is definitely a worthy place to start. After all, if you don’t have a set of sockets, you’re not going to get very far when working on any project car. The color-coded deep socket sets from Pittsburgh Pro at Harbor Freight are truly a godsend. Not long after you start using them, you’ll have the color-coding committed to memory. This makes the entire process of figuring out what socket you need and grabbing it a no-brainer.
The 3/8-inch drive set is a phenomenal starting point. The great news, too, is that if you grab the 1/4-inch drive set, you get a couple of smaller sockets (great for hose clamps), and the color-coding is consistent across both of them. It’s a level of organization that just really tickles the brain. Plus, at under $15 each for either the 3/8 or 1/4-inch set, they’re a super affordable way to start building your project car tool collection. Best of all, they come with Pittsburgh’s lifetime warranty. If you ever break one, you simply return to Harbor Freight, and they replace the entire set with a brand-new one.