Auto Wrench Thread

[AntiqueBen]

With the invention of the automobile in the late 1800's & early 1900's the tool industry would be changed forever. It brought on new ideas for tools & how they would be used. Ratchets & sockets as we know them today are because of the auto industry. In the early years manufacturers were coming up with their latest & greatest tool aimed at car owners & repairmen. One of these tools was a thinner adjustable wrench simply called an Auto Wrench. It's thinner profile was designed to get in those tighter places that other tools couldn't, especially on a car. Many manufacturers had their version of an Auto Wrench. Most have the same design & generally came in a 9" or 11" version with some versions being 12" & even 15" versions in some of the WWII kits. Even though most of them looked similar, some of them were made & designed a little different. So post your Auto Wrench pics & share any information you know about them. Occasionally we run across something different that's not seen to often. Which brings me to one I found recently.

I ran across a Whitman & Barnes (W&B) wrench (pics below) that at first I thought was just a monkey wrench, but I noticed it said "Auto" on the handle. It has a thinner profile than a regular W&B monkey wrench. I didn't realize that early on that W&B made an Auto Wrench that looked like a monkey wrench. It's heavy for it's size & is in great shape. I've only found a couple ads for it from 1906 & 1908 . I'm sure once the common Auto Wrench design came out & was being mass produced, this version kinda fell out of popularity. Especially after W&B was acquired by J.H. Williams in 1920. I'd be curious to see if there are any other versions similar to this one or any other odd ball Auto Wrenches out there....so post what you got.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a 15” auto wrench with a Federal Stock Number (41-W-450). Made by Universal Metal Prods. L.A. Calif.
-Don


WW2 image.

 

[d42jeep]

11” Vlchek with a straight handle marked Auto.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

11” Vlchek with curved handle.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Craftsman -v- No 4440 11” with curved handle.
-Don

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here is a 15” auto wrench with a Federal Stock Number (41-W-450). Made by Universal Metal Prods. L.A. Calif.
-Don

Nice examples Don! Is the 15" Universal a government contracted tool?

 

[d42jeep]

Some NAF marked auto wrenches made by Diamond. N.A.F. 1106-4 (R41-W-506). 11” long.



I would assume that all the tools with government assigned numbers were contract wrenches.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

^ I think most ebay sellers are retirees just tryin' to pick up a few extra bucks. Not really that many sellers on ebay who deal exclusively with tools when you consider the total number of people peddling stuff there.
I've also seen them called "Ford wrench" on ebay as well. It will be interesting to see what turns up in Ben's new thread.

I was looking at Craigslist a couple days ago and came across a listing for a mess of "railroad wrenches". Go figure.

Ford wrench? This one made by Moore Drop Forging Co.
Another Ford marked auto wrench
Before picture
-Don

 

[AntiqueBen]

Ford wrench? This one made by Moore Drop Forging Co.
Another Ford marked auto wrench
Before picture
-Don

Thanks for chiming in Don. Great pics of a nice collection of Auto Wrenches. Gotta love those Ford wrenches

 

[AntiqueBen]

Researching the topic of Auto Wrenches has turned out to be quite interesting. In the early days (early 1900's) not only were there Auto Wrenches that looked like monkey wrenches (like W&B), but there were also Auto Wrenches that looked like adjustable wrenches & pipe wrenches too. It looks like many of the manufacturers had some version of an Auto Wrench or sometimes called a motor wrench. Companies like Stillson, Bonney, Billings & Spencer, Bemis & Call (just to name a few) all had some type of Auto Wrench. My research up to this point leads me to believe that Billings & Spencer seems to have produced an auto wrench first with the typical auto wrench design. I found a B&S ad from 1902 depicting this (pic below in next post).

I bought online a Bonney Auto Wrench that looks just like a pipe wrench. On both sides of the handle is forged "Automobile." AA isn't sure of an exact date so they just list it as pre-1920. Just another example of what was being produced early on before the typical Auto Wrench design by Billings & Spencer caught on. Below are pics of the Bonney. My next post will be some of the early ads I've ran across.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Here are some early ads. The first pic is of the 1902 Billings & Spencer Auto Wrench ad with the classic auto wrench design. I believe once B&S's design caught on, the other types like the pipe & monkey wrench designs lost popularity.

 

[isb cornbinder]

With the invention of the automobile in the late 1800's & early 1900's the tool industry would be changed forever. It brought on new ideas for tools & how they would be used. Ratchets & sockets as we know them today are because of the auto industry. In the early years manufacturers were coming up with their latest & greatest tool aimed at car owners & repairmen. One of these tools was a thinner adjustable wrench simply called an Auto Wrench. It's thinner profile was designed to get in those tighter places that other tools couldn't, especially on a car. Many manufacturers had their version of an Auto Wrench. Most have the same design & generally came in a 9" or 11" version with some versions being 12" & even 15" versions in some of the WWII kits. Even though most of them looked similar, some of them were made & designed a little different. So post your Auto Wrench pics & share any information you know about them. Occasionally we run across something different that's not seen to often. Which brings me to one I found recently.

I ran across a Whitman & Barnes (W&B) wrench (pics below) that at first I thought was just a monkey wrench, but I noticed it said "Auto" on the handle. It has a thinner profile than a regular W&B monkey wrench. I didn't realize that early on that W&B made an Auto Wrench that looked like a monkey wrench. It's heavy for it's size & is in great shape. I've only found a couple ads for it from 1906 & 1908 . I'm sure once the common Auto Wrench design came out & was being mass produced, this version kinda fell out of popularity. Especially after W&B was acquired by J.H. Williams in 1920. I'd be curious to see if there are any other versions similar to this one or any other odd ball Auto Wrenches out there....so post what you got.

The early steam powered machines and the horse drawn implements did not fix themselves. Owners tried using their teeth, and lost most of their teeth. Out of necessity, the tool industry was born and Dentistry became popular. It was embarrassing to shush your word starting with "S". Toothless persons were not allowed to blow out the candles on their b'day cake because of the over spray. So it may be said dentistry and mister fixit tools grew together. We should never forget bib coveralls and trap-door underwear. I think this may have been around the time the "racing stripe" first appeared.

 

[d42jeep]

My Billings wrenches kind of blur the line between bicycle and auto wrenches.
5-1/4” shorty to 15” big boy.


-Don

 

[AntiqueBen]

My Billings wrenches kind of blur the line between bicycle and auto wrenches.
5-1/4” shorty to 15” big boy.


-Don

Nice B&S Auto's Don. You have a nice Auto Wrench collection. It's one of those things where you don't realize how many you have until you start pulling them all out. All yours have the word "The" in front of Billings & Spencer stamping. Before 1915 their tools were just stamped Billings & Spencer Co. In 1915 when they re-organized the company they renamed themselves "The Billings & Spencer Co." Just a tidbit you probably already know but for the benefit of others

 

[AntiqueBen]

I've been enhancing the picture of the Billings & Spencer Auto Wrench in the 1902 ad to look for any clues, and I found one (pics below). You can clearly see where the Billings & Spencer Co stamping should be with the B in triangle logo on the handle. This early mark has both upper & lower case letters unlike the later markings in all upper case letters generally with the word "The" in front. So I looked online for any that might be for sale with this stamping & wrench design....& I found one (pics below). It's a 10" version identical to the pic in the 1902 ad. The stamping is even in the identical spot on the handle. Looking forward to getting this one.

 

[AntiqueBen]

I thought I would post some cool Automobile ads from the 1902-03 era. These would have been the cars that they would have used the early Auto Wrenches on.

 

[AntiqueBen]

More automobile ads....

 

[Private Lugnutz]

For my first contribution, I'll simply re-post these two 1905 ads, which tell a lot of the story, both informative and humorous, of how the industry was responding to tools in the Brass Era.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

You can clearly see where the Billings & Spencer Co stamping should be with the B in triangle logo on the handle. This early mark has both upper & lower case letters unlike the later markings in all upper case letters generally with the word "The" in front.

Here is a link to mine in the B&S thread. Beat to hell, with broken teeth, and a barely legible logo, but I was glad to find it. I have a few of their classic standard-setting Model "G" Auto wrenches, which they made for decades, but none that old.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Speaking of the model number, in later years, they placed it on the wrench, in various locations. Highly desirable at the end of the shank, after the branding, on the WWII version. But they're kind of cool on the fixed jaw, as in this example...

 

[DAustin]

We always called these Ford wrenches, because most of the ones I ran into were from Ford tool kits. I still keep a new Crescent brand in my car's tool kit.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

My last contribution for now will be a deep dive into WWII toolkits.

When B&S proudly proclaimed that their auto wrenches were gov spec models..., as in this catalog excerpt...



...they weren't fibbing.

Here is an excerpt from QMC HQ Motor Base Engineering Specification No. 422 for Motor Vehicle Tool-Sets from 1942:



Here is an excerpt from the same spec as the Ordnance Dept Tank Automotive Center started assuming control of all motor vehicles, tracked and wheeled, from 1943...

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here is the drawing from the Willys-Overland engineering department, following the government's lead, specifying "B&S or equal" for A-377, their part number for the 11-inch "Auto Type" adjustable wrench. It is, without any shred of doubt, a B&S Model "G".

 

[Private Lugnutz]

A cool thing about the 11-inch Auto Wrench in all Willys MB on-board toolkits, is that it was initially dual-used as the handle for the hub wrench. When WWII jeep toolkit collectors ask each other if their 11-inch Auto Wrench has passed the "hub test", they mean, "Will the handle fit through the slots in an original Willys MB hub wheel wrench?"

Used as a form of authentication. Because not all Auto Wrenches do!

Here is an illustration showing the dual-use.

 

[AntiqueBen]

My last contribution for now will be a deep dive into WWII toolkits.

When B&S proudly proclaimed that their auto wrenches were gov spec models..., as in this catalog excerpt...



...they weren't fibbing.

Here is an excerpt from QMC HQ Motor Base Engineering Specification No. 422 for Motor Vehicle Tool-Sets from 1942:

View attachment 2133938

Here is an excerpt from the same spec as the Ordnance Dept Tank Automotive Center started assuming control of all motor vehicles, tracked and wheeled, from 1943...

View attachment 2133940

I like seeing the WWII info. I would still like to put together a WWII kit some day.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Here is my B&S 11-inch Auto Wrench in one of my kits...



And here it is passing the hub test!

 

[AntiqueBen]

It's funny how Coes snerks at how Auto Wrenches are just overgrown bicycle wrenches, then within a few years of that ad, they jumped on the "Auto Wrench" wagon and offered some Auto Wrenches of their own. Here's their release of Auto Wrenches in a 1909 ad.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I would still like to put together a WWII kit some day.

Be careful what you wish for! Once you go there, there's no turning back. I am only way-less-than-half joking, and that's coming from someone who literally co-wrote the book on the jeep toolkit, and developed a handy dandy folding guide (fits in a shoulder bag!) with actual size tool outlines, key specs, and confirmed brands, for the GMTK. It's addictive and challenging, not just in the looking and finding, but the learning. The devil is in the details.

...and offered some Auto Wrenches of their own.

Those aren't Auto Wrenches. Those are Monkey Wrenches they put on a diet, masquerading as Auto Wrenches!

 

[AntiqueBen]

Those aren't Auto Wrenches. Those are Monkey Wrenches they put on a diet, masquerading as Auto Wrenches!

Your right
I hear you on the war tool kit. I'm sure it takes patience to not only find what you need, but also find it in good condition. Your tool kit in post #26 is AWESOME!!

 

[d42jeep]

Another onboard Jeep toolset. This one is from my Ford WW2 Jeep. This is the set that got me interested in collecting vintage tools. The 12” Moore auto wrench is on the upper left.
-Don

 

[AntiqueBen]

Another onboard Jeep toolset. This one is from my Ford WW2 Jeep. This is the set that got me interested in collecting vintage tools. The 12” Moore auto wrench is on the upper left.
-Don

Wow Don, that is an awesome Jeep tool kit! Nice Auto Wrench. I like the little Barcalo adjustable wrench too. I knew this topic would produce some really nice tool posts

 

[d42jeep]

It’s Barcalo time!






8” Barcalo auto wrench

 

[d42jeep]

More Barcalo wrench pictures.
-Don

 

[d42jeep]

Barcalo continues.

Charles Hall tools were purchased by Barcalo in 1914.



Barcalo bicycle wrench.

Last picture.

-Don

 

[isb cornbinder]

I have a few of these Monkey Wrenches in Ford, Billings and King ****. I carried a larger size Ford Monkey Wrench for Aeroquip fittings in tight places. I was given a shop made monkey wrench. It was in the estate of a long retired machinist.

 

[AntiqueBen]

Barcalo continues.

Charles Hall tools were purchased by Barcalo in 1914.



Barcalo bicycle wrench.

Last picture.

-Don

Wow Don. You have to be the King of Auto Wrenches. You must have collected them for a while. Are you sure your not this guy pictured below........?

 

[AntiqueBen]

In all seriousness, nice Barcalo collection Don. You have an awesome auto wrench collection!!

 

[AntiqueBen]

I ran across this ad talking about how the NOS auto wrench for the Willy was a Fairmount auto wrench. I actually had forgotten about Fairmount Cleve. They also made Auto Wrenches. A pic & a couple ads below.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

...this ad talking about how the NOS auto wrench for the Willy was a Fairmount auto wrench.

Every Willys MB jeep that left the factory had a B&S auto wrench in the toolkit until May 1943, when Fairmount was added as "an equivalent" supplier. After May 1943, jeeps may have been issued either one. I have all the Bills of Material, Production Release Forms, material surveys and more. No other supplier was ever used for the factory kits. The Ordnance Dept may have used others. But Willys only used B&S, and then B&S and Fairmount for the duration.

 

[d42jeep]

I’ve traded away several Fairmount (not Fairmount Cleve) 11” auto wrenches to people putting together Willys MB toolsets. I managed to keep one.
From G503.com
-Don