First Tools

Good evening, all.
Just bought my first 1974 Series 3 and would really appreciate your help and advice. Would like to get a decent set of spanners (especially wheel nuts and free wheeling hubs) and need to know which sizes. Any tips for a newbie would be much appreciated.
Cheers, Ed.

Not sure on sizes for a series. But halfords professional when on offer will stand you in good stead and are good quality.

IIRC they are rebranded Sykes-Pickavant so good quality stuff and have a superb warranty aswell

Get two cheap sets from the local spares shop. One metricated and one imperialist. Youll end up losing most of them anyway. Crappy stuff that wont undue needs an angle grinder taking to it. Lifes too short for seized stuff. With the money you save on expensive tools you can buy several jam jars of brand new nuts n bolts and have change for a fortnight on a Nile cruise.

for a 74 series you want af sockets and spanners,wheel nuts are 1.1/6, youd want 7/16 to 1.1/6 to cover most

Ezibleeder

Halfords advanced ratchet set
Halfords advanced Set of af ring spanners
3ft breaker bar
Big hammer and various off cuts of scrap to use as drifts
Torque wrench
Angle grinder
Lots and lots stainless fittings and copper grease for reassembly

That should cover nearly every job you will have to do and you can get more along the way when you find you need specific tools. You will very quickly find you need a bigger tool box!

Halfords pro.

Lifetime warranty and great quality.

They used to be made by Facom, might still be in fact.
If they had Facom on them they would be 5 x the price.

Oh, and get a Trade card, just make up a company name .

Halfords Profesional has now been rebranded Halfords Advanced, but still comes with the lifetime warrentee.

Definitly see if you can get a trade card, lots of professions are included if the company you work for is vaguely mechanical in any part you should be able to get one, If not just make up your own buisness like @Brads said

Prop shaft removal tool and hub nut box spanner.

Bootsales and auto jumbles- dig in all the heavy boxes under the benches. A lot of imperial A/F stuff is coming on the market as owenrs retire or (sadly) die off. Prices can be very low - I got a set of Britool spanners and a Britool 1/2 ratchet for £4 last year. In my view you need a set of a/f open ended, and a set of rings plus a set of sockets. A breaker bar and torque wrench, that wheel nut box spanner and a dial guage/mag base, a pry bar and the large size hide mallet. I would buy everything second hand and my first thing would be to ask all freinds and elderly relatives if they have any tools they are clearing out as so much of this stuff gets binned because no one knows what to do with it any more. If you fancy a trip go to Basingstoke Festival of Transport on the 13th May with a bag of £coins. I'll be there, its £2 to park or free if your enter as historic, we do and there's always lots of Series and loads of tools for sale. I got an aircraft torque wrench still in calibration that cost £175 new for £3. Details and entry form. there's still time....
https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/rte.aspx?id=1343