Are you ready to take your car restoration game up to the next level? Are you tired of relying on other people to get your restoration projects off the ground?

If there’s one thing hardcore auto body enthusiasts hate, it’s having to pay other people to do what they could very well do themselves. Even if you can borrow tools from friends and do the work yourself, that puts you at the mercy of someone else’s schedule.

With the right lineup of auto body tools, you can stop farming out your restoration work to other people and start taking care of it yourself—on your own time. Here are 5 auto body repair tools you’ll need to keep on hand if you want to do serious auto body repair.

1. Auto Body Sanding Blocks – At an absolute minimum, a sanding block is one of the most basic discount body shop paint supplies you can have in your garage. Not only is sanding by hand a drag, but it’s imprecise and will leave you with a sloppy, lumpy finish. With the right sanding block, you can even out high spots, shape body filler, and work every inch of your car’s surface with precision.

2. Dual Action Sander – As useful as sanding blocks are, there’s nothing quite as efficient as a solid dual action sander. Just load up the right abrasive disc and go to town. You can get away without this one for a little while, but once you do pick one up you’ll never go back to sanding large areas by hand.

3. Angle Grinder – Rotary sanders are great, but when it comes to deep rust on metal, an angel grinder will be your best friend. Just load it up and go to town. This tool will also come in handy if you need to make precise cuts on metal body material.

4. Slide Hammer – The slide hammer is a basic tool, but essential if you plan on working dents out of auto body panels. While these used to cost a pretty penny, you can easily pick one up nowadays for less than $50. If you want to go with something a little more advanced, you could consider a pneumatic or electric stud welder. Nevertheless, a good slide hammer will take you a long way.

5. Air Compressor & Spray Gun – If you really want to tackle auto body projects like a pro, you’ll pick yourself up an air compressor. Not only will a compressor allow you to use the best pneumatic tools, but you can pair it up with a spray gun for professional quality auto body painting. If you want to paint a car right, spray guns are the way to go.

When it comes to auto body restoration, there are plenty of tools out there to choose from. As far as we see it, these 5 are must haves. Once you pick them up, don’t forget that we’ve got all the wholesale auto restoration supplies you need to keep them and your operation going.