At Annex, we work with auto body repair professionals and car restoration enthusiasts from all over the country. We love helping people who are serious about their craft source the tools, parts, and supplies they need to ake do their work in as professional a manner as possible.

But, what about the do-it-yourselfer?

Not everybody has the budget or time to stock their garage with a full range of professional auto body shop tools and supplies. We get that. No matter what their experience or budget, we love helping do-it-yourselfers stock their garage with the supplies they need to work at home.

In today’s post, we want to help you stock your garage without breaking the bank. So, here are 9 basic tools you can pick up for under $50 a piece.

Heavy Duty Suction Cup Dent Puller – Has a stray football put a dent in one of your passenger doors? No problem. With a suction cup puller, you can quickly straighten out minor body dents.

Slide Hammer/Dent Puller – For more complicated dents, a slide hammer is a cheap and easy to use tool to get your body back into shape.

Touch-Up Paint –  It never hurts to keep a supply of touch-up paint on hand for minor projects of different kinds.

Sandpaper/Sanding Blocks – Sandpaper is a body repair staple. If you’re doing anything that affects paint, then you’re going to need a wide range of sandpaper on hand to both prepare the body for paint and smooth down your final coat.

Rotary Sander – Ok, some jobs are a little too big to get away with sanding by hand. If you want to save yourself a wicked case of tennis elbow, an inexpensive rotary sander can help you cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time.

Dual Cartridge Respirator – Sanding, grinding, scraping, and painting are all dusty. If you don’t want a cloud of metal and who-knows-what-else getting into your lungs, it’s always a good idea to keep a HEPA-certified respirator on hand.

Bondo and Spreaders – Another staple in body repair, Bondo will help you make short work of a wide variety of body dings and defects. Just smooth it on, let it cure, and use your trusty sandpaper to even out the edges.

Masking Tape and Dispenser – Unless you want to get paint on your windows and trim, masking tape and supplies are essential to auto body repair and painting.

Angle Grinder – Believe it or not, you can pick up a simple angle grinder for less than 50 bucks! It may not be a professional machine, but it’ll be a handy tool to keep around for minor cutting and rust removal jobs.

With this list of car restoration supplies, you can build a decent auto body repair operation for under a couple hundred bucks. Let us know if you need any more help sourcing tools and supplies. Our customer service staff is always on hand to answer any questions you might have.