Fair warning... I've never worked on my cars, so forgive the ignorant questions. I have mufflers for my 2006 Carrera S on the way and I'd like to install them myself.

What kind of a lift/jack/stand setup do you recommend?

What brand/kind of torque wrench would you recommend for removing/installing the wheels? What should it be set to?

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

Wow - those are quite a bit of subjective questions. And, you need to read to get up to speed. I suggest you read various posts at http://www.renntech.org/forums/. Your topics and many more have been covered there extensively. You'll find many different answers so in the end, it's what ever works best for you.

For me, I like Craftsman tools - torque wrenches with a dial indicator. - The long one - like 2 or 3 feet. Harbor Freight has a great low profile jack - http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=67022. They also sell some Aluminum ones but I liked the low profile ones to get under our cars better. And I used hockey pucks on the jack head to prevent metal to metal contact on my 996. Harbor Freight also sells some great 3+ ton jacks for cheap - get two or four depending on what you want to do in the future. Wooden ramps work well too. Renn tech has some great ideas.

In the end, remember, there are like 100 ways to do the same thing. What worked for me could easily be accomplished in another equally good way. It's all about what you have at your disposal and what you want to spend your money on. Good Luck.

 

The threads that are listed above will get you the bare minimum of what you need.
Buy a good torque wrench. Again you can search for the setting. If they are stock call the local dealer. If they are custom then call the dealer they came from.
You can buy a small bundled set of sockets and wrenches to get the muffler on and here is a little info on some other stuff in case you want to do more work yourself later. Jack and stands are covered in the bottom part.

The Stanley Tools at Wal-Mart are good quality tools for a weekend mechanic. Also you can return them and Stanley owns MAC tools. MAC are some of the Best. If you are going to get serious then buy a verity of MFGs. The common tools needed can be purchased at Wal-Mart ( Stanley ), Home Depot ( Husky ), Lowes ( Kobalt ), and Sears ( Craftsman ) All can be returned w/ receipt and all have good and bad about them. I suggest buying a few form each and get the " feel " for what you like. How they fit your hand is very important.
Get full socket sets of ¼” drive ( I think it is?) 6mm to 13mm and 3/8" drive socket from 9mm to 19mm Then get the 3/8 socket set in deep socket 10mm to 17mm.
( You can get a Husky or Craftsman in a bundle set that will work the best to get these and a few ½” drive as well. )
Get a set of combo wrenches from 9mm to 19mm
Full set of screwdrivers
You will eventually need some odd stuff like 21mm and 23mm sockets in ½” drive
If you don’t buy a set of tools in a bundle then make sure you get extensions in ¼, 3/8, and ½” drive.
You need hex socket and wrench set.
You will need full set of pliers.
This will get you started, so depending on the sets you buy as a bundle expect to spend $250 for the tools and tool box to keep them in. You can get the bundle of socket sets and the other stuff later if you want. The list I just gave you is way more in a bundle then $250.

Other things you will need,
C-clamps. 3” and 6”
12volt tester.
4” or 6” vice.
2 ton ( minimum! ) low profile floor jack. 2 high grade jack stands. Again, Sears has a good combo buy on these.
Go to a construction site and get some big blocks of scrap wood. You never trust the jack stands alone. Headers glued and screwed together w/ cheap little handles added work great.
Get a nice padded creeper. ( it is what you lay on like a wide skate board. )
You will need a Drop light or 2.
You will need a work bench. They are easy to make, I can put some info on this as well if you want.

I hope this isn’t over whelming. Don’t let it be. The best thing to do ( unless you just have $ to spend ) is buy a few things at a time every other weekend or so. It won’t be long till you have all you need. You will also need to think about being able to add to your tool box. I suggest buying a “ top “ box so you can add middel and bottom to it as you tools grow.
I am sure there are a ton of other tools you will end up needing if you really want to do things on your own, but this list gives you an idea of what it takes to do most things.

 

Thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for.

 

A torx bit set can also be helpful.