I heard someone once made a list of the exact tools and sizes used for a Volvo 1800S.

I keep starting, then losing the bits of paper. Plus I haven't worked on every part. I'm looking for quality individual tools at flea markets and garage sales. But I don't want whole sets if I only use one or two tools, so a list would help.

Any favorite helper tools & brands? A friend of mine has a Mercedes Spark plug puller she likes. Another friend loves Stahlwille and Hazet for the balance and feel. I see Snap-On at garage sales.

Does anyone have a list, or a partial list for a stock 1969?

How deeply are you going into working on this car?
Do you plan to do suspension work, brake work, etc?
I ALWAYS use 3/8" drive sockets and they are sturdy enough for about 99% of what I do. A ¼" drive set with a BIG screwdriver handle is handy too.
Axle nuts are 1¼", oil drain plug is 1" - box wrenches are good for that.
The camshaft nut is 1 7/16" but I usually use a 15" Crescent wrench for that.
Be sure that any screwdrivers you get are good quality and big. The screwdriver blade should
be big enough that it barely goes into the slot and fits snug, so you need several sizes.
If you are going to do work on DRUM brakes (I forget if a 69 has disks or drums in back) you will need
a husky drum puller that attaches to at least 3 lug bolts.
Good hammers (NOT Claw!) up to 3# are a big help. Using a hammer that is too small is usually a waste of time.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

The 69 is a special beast, but the tools required are not all that special. My recommendation would be to go to Sears and buy a fairly full set of mechanics tools. That's what I did before a ground up restoration on our 69. Nearly every nut and bolt on the car is standard - with just a couple of metrics thrown in for good measure. I've managed to find ways to mangle a few tools. I just go to Sears and they give me a new one.
Additionally, you might want to consider a dwell/rpm/engine anlalyzer, a timing light (best to get one where you can adjust the timing of the light to the degree of advance), feeler gauge, Unisyn carb balancer, dead blow hammer. A good jack and jack stands are a must.
A good garage sale find would be a high-quality torque wrench(i.e. Snap On , Mac, or comparable). You'll probably want both a 3/8 and 1/2 drive. Trouble with used torque wrenches is they will frequently need to be calibrated, which can cost as much as a lesser quality new one.
Have fun wrenching!
--
Glen

Thanks for the torque wrench tip, I've been borrowing them from the auto stores in the area. Never thought about iffy calibration.

I should clarify: I already have a basic set of cheap tools, but I want to upgrade at least the ones I would be using most. So I'm looking for wrench sizes, etc.

If you work tidy and have a nice tool box, get another small one to put close by. As you regularly use wrenches/sockets etc put them in the small box. After a while you'll rarely go to the big box and then you'll have your set of regulars which are also much easier to find. These are the ones to upgrade to top quality items. You'll find them nicer to use as well. Add good ones as you need them. If you use sockets a lot, splash out on a good ratchet handle. A Snap-On or similar which is rebuildable may be lots of $ but a good long term investment. IMO.

While I work mostly on a 142 I suspect most of the needs in the 1800 are the same. I have a good Metric/AF set of both ring, open-ended and sockets in both 1/4", 3/8" & 1/2" drive which I find covers most if not all needs on my car.
I have both Stahlwille(which are excellent if expensive) and a local Australian brand tools, Sidchrome.
One tool they make is U shaped which fits onto a torque wrench for tightening head bolts without having to take off the tapet gear. It is 11/16" with 1/2" drive. The distance between socket and drive ends is 95mm and the depth 50mm. It is a great tool made specially for torquing the heads of early GM Holden 6cyl. engines but it works with the B18/20 engines as well. The Sidchrome part no. is 21476.