2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
And now I'm organizing, because my drawers look like a wreck.
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70s to Today- Tool Box / Tool Cart Drawer Changes
- Thread starter CGarage
- Start date
Basically all the brands LOL.
Most are by set. Some like the flare nut wrenches are by size. So all the 7/9 wrenches from all the sets, the. All the 10/8s, etc. First drawer is all SAE and crow feet. Second is all metric plus the SAE line wrenches, last is cart.
I don't like to suffer. The 3 sets on my cart do most of the work. Wright grip, a pile for bleeder and brake pins, gearwrench xl and mountain offset flex reversable.
Would love a listing of what you have as time permits.
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
Deep breath....../
First is SAE and crowfoot.
On the right side are SAE crowfeet, gearwrench ratcheting, sunex flare nut, NAPA? regular open end. Stubbies are sunex, regular combos are snap on I got used, and sunex above 1". Crescent holder is just a holder, they're non grippy end proto. Williams Taiwan for flex reversable ratcheting and stubby ratcheting. Above is e-torx wrenches, VIM. The black one is for some GM wheel cylinder bolts which are blocked by a strut. Surprise, they're just M6x1, just break the heads off and replace the hardware instead. Hex keys and extender. Kobalt micro wrenches, very rarely I use the metrics, never these SAE. The next is a combo of Astro flank bite, metric and SAE, by size decreasing. Yes they're actually different tools, like 14mm isn't a rebranded 9/16. Above in the pouch are the capri stubby version. A godsend once a year. Wrench extender, and tekton 30/60 angle wrenches.
The all then crowfeet. Sunex metric flare nut, and gear wrench ratcheting metric. Proto ASD for 10-24mm standard open end. The black 12 point spline are cornwell branded Schley spline. Very nice. The two 1/2 sets are on the black rails, standard crowfeet, snap on/tekton/sunex. Torque adapters for 3/8 are snap on, and I have the flare nut extended crowfeet from snap on as well. The tekton flare nut crowfeet will join them tomorrow. All the way on the bottom left is 1/4 metric. Customer torque adapter for 10mm, damn close to 1" exactly. Snap on 7 and 8mm torque adapter, and proto ASD metric up to 14mm.
First is SAE and crowfoot.
On the right side are SAE crowfeet, gearwrench ratcheting, sunex flare nut, NAPA? regular open end. Stubbies are sunex, regular combos are snap on I got used, and sunex above 1". Crescent holder is just a holder, they're non grippy end proto. Williams Taiwan for flex reversable ratcheting and stubby ratcheting. Above is e-torx wrenches, VIM. The black one is for some GM wheel cylinder bolts which are blocked by a strut. Surprise, they're just M6x1, just break the heads off and replace the hardware instead. Hex keys and extender. Kobalt micro wrenches, very rarely I use the metrics, never these SAE. The next is a combo of Astro flank bite, metric and SAE, by size decreasing. Yes they're actually different tools, like 14mm isn't a rebranded 9/16. Above in the pouch are the capri stubby version. A godsend once a year. Wrench extender, and tekton 30/60 angle wrenches.
The all then crowfeet. Sunex metric flare nut, and gear wrench ratcheting metric. Proto ASD for 10-24mm standard open end. The black 12 point spline are cornwell branded Schley spline. Very nice. The two 1/2 sets are on the black rails, standard crowfeet, snap on/tekton/sunex. Torque adapters for 3/8 are snap on, and I have the flare nut extended crowfeet from snap on as well. The tekton flare nut crowfeet will join them tomorrow. All the way on the bottom left is 1/4 metric. Customer torque adapter for 10mm, damn close to 1" exactly. Snap on 7 and 8mm torque adapter, and proto ASD metric up to 14mm.
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2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
Metric drawer.
Left side is sunex 8-32. Custom bent HF 21mm for doing Dorman leaf spring shackle kits. Metric hex keys, and a few off sized gearwrench XL. Williams Taiwan for ratcheting stubby, sunex for standard stubby. Gear wrench 8-24mm regular ratcheting wrenches, but they're lobster-claws. Mechanism is decent. Flare nut wrenches are SK straight, Snap on angled, gear wrench flex head. VIM offset bleeder wrenches, I have two more in my cart for 8/10mm.
Small offset wrench set are SK. I've used these like a half dozen times. They're nice though. Williams USA shallow offset box, on top of FACOM thin wrenches. Then USA Williams straight stubby ratcheting. I regret these. I don't use them often. Platinum 21/22 and 24/25 XL ratcheting wrenches, some extra gear wrench XL are stuff in the back too.
Williams Taiwan ratcheting reversable flex head. I like these a lot. 30/60 wrenches are tekton and snap on. Baby kobalt wrenches sit above a set of Teng wrenches. Uncomfortable, but have a nice offset to the box end. I used them as dailys for a month or so out of curiosity, but they're too short. Oh, and Teng discontinued that style too. Top right are a set of moon wrenches. Thought they'd be useful. Have never used in literally years. Toptul deep offset box wrenches, very nice and satin finish. Bottom right is Cornwell DOUBLE flex head ratcheting wrenches. These will get some wild stuff done. Hope I never break one and have to find a dealer.
Left side is sunex 8-32. Custom bent HF 21mm for doing Dorman leaf spring shackle kits. Metric hex keys, and a few off sized gearwrench XL. Williams Taiwan for ratcheting stubby, sunex for standard stubby. Gear wrench 8-24mm regular ratcheting wrenches, but they're lobster-claws. Mechanism is decent. Flare nut wrenches are SK straight, Snap on angled, gear wrench flex head. VIM offset bleeder wrenches, I have two more in my cart for 8/10mm.
Small offset wrench set are SK. I've used these like a half dozen times. They're nice though. Williams USA shallow offset box, on top of FACOM thin wrenches. Then USA Williams straight stubby ratcheting. I regret these. I don't use them often. Platinum 21/22 and 24/25 XL ratcheting wrenches, some extra gear wrench XL are stuff in the back too.
Williams Taiwan ratcheting reversable flex head. I like these a lot. 30/60 wrenches are tekton and snap on. Baby kobalt wrenches sit above a set of Teng wrenches. Uncomfortable, but have a nice offset to the box end. I used them as dailys for a month or so out of curiosity, but they're too short. Oh, and Teng discontinued that style too. Top right are a set of moon wrenches. Thought they'd be useful. Have never used in literally years. Toptul deep offset box wrenches, very nice and satin finish. Bottom right is Cornwell DOUBLE flex head ratcheting wrenches. These will get some wild stuff done. Hope I never break one and have to find a dealer.
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
Cart -
Wright grip 8-24mm. Pile of FACOM thin wrenches for caliper pins, some bleeder wrenches, from VIM and Matco. Yeah, it's a pile, no better way. 5 piece mountain spline double box flex head ratcheting, and above that 8-22 gear wrench XLs. AMAZING wrench set.
Final wrench is a cornwell 1". I use this to open 55 gallon drums of oil. Whack plastic cap to crack it, pry up with open end, then stick open end in the metal plug cap, wedge it against the edge and twist the plug open.
Wright grip 8-24mm. Pile of FACOM thin wrenches for caliper pins, some bleeder wrenches, from VIM and Matco. Yeah, it's a pile, no better way. 5 piece mountain spline double box flex head ratcheting, and above that 8-22 gear wrench XLs. AMAZING wrench set.
Final wrench is a cornwell 1". I use this to open 55 gallon drums of oil. Whack plastic cap to crack it, pry up with open end, then stick open end in the metal plug cap, wedge it against the edge and twist the plug open.
Cart -
Wright grip 8-24mm. Pile of FACOM thin wrenches for caliper pins, some bleeder wrenches, from VIM and Matco. Yeah, it's a pile, no better way. 5 piece mountain spline double box flex head ratcheting, and above that 8-22 gear wrench XLs. AMAZING wrench set.
Final wrench is a cornwell 1". I use this to open 55 gallon drums of oil. Whack plastic cap to crack it, pry up with open end, then stick open end in the metal plug cap, wedge it against the edge and twist the plug open.
What set do you consider to be: AMAZING, per above post?
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
What set do you consider to be: AMAZING, per above post?
Gearwrench XL. I've had those about 10 years. Impacted against the ratcheting mechanism, yanking and jerking on them to break stuff free. Tough tool and a great design.
I'd consider that XL design to be the most useful shape other than combo wrenches.
Gearwrench XL. I've had those about 10 years. Impacted against the ratcheting mechanism, yanking and jerking on them to break stuff free. Tough tool and a great design.
I'd consider that XL design to be the most useful shape other than combo wrenches.
What combo wrenches come to mind?
I will order a set of the XLs.
2ndGearRubber
Well-known member
What combo wrenches come to mind?
I will order a set of the XLs.
For me? Wright. I like snap on too, but prefer wright grips.
The standard combo shape is IMO the default. It's everybody's first set and a common choice just based on that.
He made the comment it was very rare that he didn't have a back log of work. I'm not sure how much diagnostic stuff he was doing vs getting handed a pre-diagnosed work. That would probably drive a guy like me insane.For a dealer? If they let you fall into a niche, yes, I would advise simply maximizing the niche. Issue being is if you're down on work, and now you're working on the used car trade ins, or waiting for a scan tool without which you cannot proceed on a car, etc. Do you have more than one bay? Or is it 20 bays and 20 techs? Or they may not do niches. So you're at VW working on everything from a 2003 beetle to a 2010 town and country rebadge to a 2022 Tiguan. Still easier than all makes, IMO, but at all make repair shops you're shipping wild stuff out the door anyway. I ain't pulling the chassis of a Rover to put chains in it, or dropping out the drive train for a rear main seal in an X6. Hell I'm not swapping an engine in that chevy truck either.
I 100% agree, shallow drawers are a big waste. I specifically look for boxes which don't have those, 4" is an acceptable height IMO for storage. Lockers are the way to go IMO for bulk storage outside industrial cabinets. I have one of those too, got it for a steal, and it's great. But without a fork-jack I can't move them much at all, and whatever price I can get on a lista adds a few hundred since I need a lift gate. The savings start to thin out IF one isn't loading drawers down in the lockers. For some of the heavier drawers, it's still sub 50lb in a locker. Mostly cases of threading and repairing tools. A drawer full of scan tools weighs next to nothing obviously. If I had a pallet jack? Or a fork lift? And the floor didn't massively leak through the foundation near my boxes? I'd be all over industrial cabinets, I love the look, the CLACK of the slides, etc.
Lista toolboxes? Very tempting.
I ordered my lista boxes shipped to my door for about $1k each. I made a base from 4" C channel for the boxes to live on and with casters moving them doesn't require anything other than a winch to drag it up a tilt bed. I also made up my own locker and upper cabinet from used industrial cabinets. None of it is pretty but that's fine for my needs, I'm not customer facing. Well I wasn't, but now my "tool box" is like @crewchief888 and my box has to look like it's worth the hourly rate.
I've been reading this topic on & off the last few days. Pretty interesting. Obviously different folks have different needs. Dad was an IH farm equipment mechanic, then later a heavy equipment guy. His brothers farmed all their lives....obviously their tool (and storage) needs were different.
I've been a Chrysler mechanic my whole career, save an 8 month stretch after the 2009 Chrysler bankruptcy. I started with my Dad's old 26" Craftsman 5 drawer roller for a couple years. Then I went to a new Craftsman 40" roller with ball bearing drawers and full length top drawer for a few years. That turned into a slightly used 50" Mac Tech 1000 for five years, then a new 67" Macsimizer, and finally the 84" epiq I have now, that I got new in 2011. I wanted to stay with a double or triple bay for the top work space. Thinking about the box I have now, I don't know what I would do to it to change it, other than I wish the power strips on the stainless top had USB outlets in them too. I also need to mention I don't have the significant investment in the toolbox itself mentioned previously either. That's insane. I also don't have the need for the huge amount of tooling the independent folks have. I can't even imagine!
Down at work there's an older guy with 2-33" rollers and 1 side cab on each of them; 4 triples with hutches; 3 triples without hutches; 1 double with a top & bottom; 1 double with a hutch; and 2 other doubles. There's a few guys with lockers too but maybe only 2 or 3.
I've been a Chrysler mechanic my whole career, save an 8 month stretch after the 2009 Chrysler bankruptcy. I started with my Dad's old 26" Craftsman 5 drawer roller for a couple years. Then I went to a new Craftsman 40" roller with ball bearing drawers and full length top drawer for a few years. That turned into a slightly used 50" Mac Tech 1000 for five years, then a new 67" Macsimizer, and finally the 84" epiq I have now, that I got new in 2011. I wanted to stay with a double or triple bay for the top work space. Thinking about the box I have now, I don't know what I would do to it to change it, other than I wish the power strips on the stainless top had USB outlets in them too. I also need to mention I don't have the significant investment in the toolbox itself mentioned previously either. That's insane. I also don't have the need for the huge amount of tooling the independent folks have. I can't even imagine!
Down at work there's an older guy with 2-33" rollers and 1 side cab on each of them; 4 triples with hutches; 3 triples without hutches; 1 double with a top & bottom; 1 double with a hutch; and 2 other doubles. There's a few guys with lockers too but maybe only 2 or 3.