The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

[eighthd]

Here is one I just picked up this last week end

 

[CoreyVanDine]

Here is one I just picked up this last week end

Very cool! Do you know the year? If you look on the bottom right of the back of the box right after the USA will be a two or four digit year number. It looks the same emblem as the top box in my picture.

 

[Steevo]

Here is my Snap-On set. I am the original owner. I bought these in the mid 1970's, when I was working as a motorcycle mechanic.

I would really like to find a matching top box that is as wide as my rollaway, and a second matching rollaway.

 

[TL95SVT]

Here is my toolbox that i got from my grandpa. I think it is from the late 60's or early 70's.

I just cleaned the outside, greased the slides and lined it with new cork. It originally had cork in it when i got it a few years ago, but it was really dirty and torn up.

I found this booklet inside showing where he bought tools. The dates are from 1970.

 

[TL95SVT]

Here is a K21 i just picked up off of craigslist for $25. It seems to be in great shape for its age (i think 1936-1939).

It has a removable top tray and 2 drawers. The top drawer has 4 slots and the bottom has a small tray that slides. The paint on the underside of the bottom drawer is almost perfect... so i plan to take that and match it up with some rustoleum paint. I am gonna sand everything down, use a gray primer and gray top coat. I also plan to line the drawers with cork...

It is missing the original leather handle... Does anyone make replacements that i can buy?

The top removable tray has a tab that seems to be bent or crooked?? Or is it supposed to be like this? (see the pic with the red line)

 

[crewchief888]

Here is my toolbox that i got from my grandpa. I think it is from the late 60's or early 70's.

I just cleaned the outside, greased the slides and lined it with new cork. It originally had cork in it when i got it a few years ago, but it was really dirty and torn up.

I found this booklet inside showing where he bought tools. The dates are from 1970.

nice find on the So reciepts

 

[TL95SVT]

It is missing the original leather handle... Does anyone make replacements that i can buy?

Well i started looking around and found this handle for $40
http://machinistchest.com/site/product_details.php?category_id=55&item_id=23

That was way more than i wanted to pay considering i only paid $25 for the whole box, plus i wasnt crazy over the way it looked (i would have got black)

Got to looking around some more and i bought this for $15 shipped:
DOG-BONE Amp Handle for EV Fender Evans Speaker Cabinet
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ry=43375&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619#ht_2239wt_1141

I know its not 100% correct, but i like the way this looks better than the $40 handle (I saved $30 also). It should get the job done, especially since i wont be carrying it anywhere. The lid will pretty much stay open the whole time and you wont even see the Handle. Also, it has a steel strip inside and can support 70lbs+.

 

[eighthd]

My box is a KRA315 made in 1960

 

[Pug}{maN]

kra-307-f and a kra-616 top with a kr-288-b side

 

[DrewDay]

Heres my vintage combo. I picked up the top box about a year and a half ago, and have used that until i filled it too much. Ive been scouting craigslist for a vintage box and stumbled upon this awesome snap-on roller for a steal and couldnt resist. It's in beautiful shape, Check it out

 

[exjeeper]

Thanks to this thread, I've been inspired to bring my late fathers old farm Craftsman box in out of the elements. I have emptied it of YEARS of accumulation of nuts and bolts, cleaned it up and purchased Krylon Hammered Silver paint for it. Now comes the sanding....

It looks like these old Craftsmans....

The 2 model 6500's.....1 I stickered up around 1980.

 

[thrifty bill]

That's a beautiful Snap On set!!!


I bought this tool box at a flea market 20 years ago. I am guessing it is 50 to 75 years old, but I have no idea. Its a wood workers tool box, with room for a saw, etc. It was a one of a kind, the guy's name "Robert Lear" is on the badge by the handle. I hate to see stuff like this no longer with the original family.... Should have been something special handed down to the next generation.

 

[demographic]

Got this Enox toolbox today. At first I wasn't sure if it was a toolbox, a fishing tackle box or a sewing but but I figured the diagonal dividers marked it out as being for sockets.
Hey ho whatever it is I got a load of tools I wanted (that I would have paid thirty notes for) with it for a tenner.

But then there was this one. Its a Facom but its been attacked by some random ******* armed with a rivet gun, I could have picked it up for a fiver but I'm not so sure. Its not that spectacular when you use it and I don't like buying things just for the name.
What do you lot reckon, should I pay five quid for it?
I'm tempted but...

 

[ZRX61]

Yes, buy the Facom box, drill out the rivets & just fill the holes with the mig, grind flush, paint, sorted..
Get a piece of copper behind the holes when ya plug em.

 

[Pug}{maN]

not 100% on the year, its a kennedy kk-16-015421..

 

[crewchief888]

That's a beautiful Snap On set!!!


I bought this tool box at a flea market 20 years ago. I am guessing it is 50 to 75 years old, but I have no idea. Its a wood workers tool box, with room for a saw, etc. It was a one of a kind, the guy's name "Robert Lear" is on the badge by the handle. I hate to see stuff like this no longer with the original family.... Should have been something special handed down to the next generation.

from what i was told by "old timers" one of the 1st things an apprentice carpenter had to do was make his toolbox, so they were all one of a kind boxes.

one of the 1st jobs my dad had when he left the army in '45 was an apprentice carpenter. i wish i had his old box, he had it packed full of old rusty nuts and bolts.
we lived on the edge of a farm when i was a kid, the old farmers tractor broke down right behind the house one day. dad helped him get it running again, and gave him the box full of rusty bolts.
i still have a couple of dads old planes, and his brace and a few bits.

 

[dieseldodge01]

Here is a box I got off Ebay before Christmas:

Hope Mr. Patton doesn't mind that I have his box

This is what came with the box:

Neat little piece of history.

 

[crewchief888]

Here is a box I got off Ebay before Christmas:

Hope Mr. Patton doesn't mind that I have his box

This is what came with the box:

Neat little piece of history.

now thats the coolest thing ive seen in a long time.

 

[dieseldodge01]

now thats the coolest thing ive seen in a long time.

When I bought the box, the pictures were not very clear. I could see a Fleet logo and that was it. When I arrived and I opened it to see the logo and the name plate, it was a overwhelming feeling. This box had real history that could be traced, it made it even more valuable to me. Since I got it I was able to find the plastic tray listed, X9089, and the full socket set. Some day I might be able to fill it back up.

 

[PCO6]

I bought this Snap-on roller cabinet a few days ago to go with my top chest. It took me a awhile to complete the set. I bought the top in 1969! Here's what I wrote back in post #69 of this thread ...

"I bought this Snap-on box used in 1969. I was in high school then and worked part time at my Dad's gas station. I had a tiny box and the Snap-on dealer that frequented our garage said he'd keep his eyes open for a good trade in for me ... this is it. It's in pretty good shape considering I lugged it around with me while off-road racing for about 5 years in the 70's. I've bought several other boxes since then and this one has sat idle for about the last 20 years or so. After seeing some of the restorations on here I plan to do this one. One of the attached photos isn't that clear but on the back bottom left corner the following is stamped ...

Snap-on Tools
KC 532
MADE IN CANADA

ps - If any one has a matching roller cabinet they'd like to sell I'd be more than happy to speak with you."


So 42 years later I finally found what I was after. Both boxes were made in the mid 1960's and I think the top is slightly older than the bottom. The roller cabinet is in good working order. The fellow I bought it from did a great job of painting it about 12 years ago and he took good care of it. It had been disassembled and stripped of paint when he got it. He thinks is was originally all red whch I believe is correct from what I remember of similar Snap-on boxes of the time. I am certain however that the mat black drawers on the the top chest are also correct for that box. I plan to restore both boxes and will probably go with red cabinets and gloss black drawers (a bit of a compromise). This will be a fun project!

 

[demographic]

Yes, buy the Facom box, drill out the rivets & just fill the holes with the mig, grind flush, paint, sorted..
Get a piece of copper behind the holes when ya plug em.

Well, I went back and got it, a dinky clamp on vice and a Primus number 5 stove for seven quid.
The handle has been replaced by a length of threaded bar and its been a bit beat up but for the cash I can't complain.

 

[Farma11]

Here's one that followed me home from the flea market.

1980 KRA-61D

 

[M-technik-3]

Circa 1967

 

[Grape Ape]

Here is my old Snap On combo.I picked them up in NJ back in like 1992 when I went out there to dismantle a machine. They were mothballed for a few years until my youngest brother adopted them to get started as a mechanic. Over the years he amassed a HUGE toolbox and tool collection. He brought my boxes back to me about a month ago.

The top box is a KRA59B - 1973.

The lower box is a KRA379A - 1977.

The hang on cabinet is a KR274A - 1980

The hang on folding work shelf is a KRA4712A - 1978.

Today, my son and I spent a good while removing most of the stickers and decals that 'lil bro slapped on them. I also started scrubbing them with brake cleaner. I have the drawer that is missing in the picture. It needs some work done to the slides.

A few more hours of cleaning, tweaking, and a little lubrication and they'll be ready for another thirty-some years of service.

 

[TL95SVT]

Here is a K21 i just picked up off of craigslist for $25. It seems to be in great shape for its age (i think 1936-1939).

It has a removable top tray and 2 drawers. The top drawer has 4 slots and the bottom has a small tray that slides. The paint on the underside of the bottom drawer is almost perfect... so i plan to take that and match it up with some rustoleum paint. I am gonna sand everything down, use a gray primer and gray top coat. I also plan to line the drawers with cork...

It is missing the original leather handle... Does anyone make replacements that i can buy?

The top removable tray has a tab that seems to be bent or crooked?? Or is it supposed to be like this? (see the pic with the red line)

Well here it is!

Its not perfect by any means but it looks better than it did. I decided to add a few custom touch's to it.

I painted the face red and added a white snap-on decal. The only snap-on logo is in the front, and it cant be seen when the tool box is in use. The decal is an exact copy of the logo on the front.

All of the drawers are lined with cork (The cork is kinda rolled up until i get some weight on it).

I added this black snap-on decal.. when you lift the tray out you can see it, but when the tray is inside it is hidden.

The tray was very hard to cut all the cork for... there are lots of angles.

This is a leather handle from a guitar amp. It has a steel band inside it and can hold 70+ lbs. I got some new chrome D-Hooks and polished the bracket hardware.

 

[mkdive]

Very nice job.

 

[snapmom]

Yes. nice job.

 

[scoutkid]

Perhaps a good thread to get any info on this old girl. Looks like the predecessor to the KRA59?

 

[dirtrider]

Here is mine, I'm currently trying to figure out the make and model.

View media item 7761View media item 7764View media item 7762

 

[ZRX61]

Today i finally put new wheels on that old Craftsman I restoed a few months back I can actually influence the direction it rolls in now

 

[trexdoink]

Is it wrong if i save a bunch of old toolbox pictures and make a slideshow or a screensaver...? Does this make me strange?

 

[VegasBruce]

Is it wrong if i save a bunch of old toolbox pictures and make a slideshow or a screensaver...? Does this make me strange?

I don't think so.

 

[ajchien]

I have no idea how old this toolbox is. But I picked it up at a garage sale, with the tools, for $12 Stripped the paint and repainted, left the craftsman name plate alone.

 

[NY Old Guy]

Here's my toolboxes, one from 1955 and the other from 1986:

 

[DanCo]

Here a couple of mine
old P&C socket box

old SK tool box

and another SK

I might just post these in the classified, as I have way too many metal boxes

 

[premierplayer]

I've been waivering on a resto on this one.
A little body work, a bead blast, and a rattle can finish.
Anyone know what paint would be a close match to the original?

 

[r07d24]

Well, here is mine I picked up yesterday...not a vintage Snap On by any means, and not even the best of Craftsman quality, but the part about "lots of tools included" sparked my interest!
Anyways, I can't really find any info on it yet, anybody got any ideas??

 

[old salvage]

Well, here is mine I picked up yesterday...not a vintage Snap On by any means, and not even the best of Craftsman quality, but ...

When that box was made (mid 70's to mid 80's) they were still good quality.

 

[r07d24]

When that box was made (mid 70's to mid 80's) they were still good quality.

Well, thanks for the quick info there NE neighbor! I'll do some more digging. Do you think it's Waterloo made?
Anyways, with all the tools included...I don't have much into it.
Now...whether to sell or keep, hmmm.

 

[old salvage]

Well, thanks for the quick info there NE neighbor! I'll do some more digging. Do you think it's Waterloo made?
Anyways, with all the tools included...I don't have much into it.
Now...whether to sell or keep, hmmm.

Dont know who made it. It certainly looks Waterloo-ish.
Its definitely a nice box.