scored a Parker 974, resto under way!

[greymatter]

Hey Guys,

I have been inspired by many of the vise threads here, so when I found this old Parker 974 I had to save it!

some before pics

and some midway shots after many hours with the wire wheel, wire brush and files.

unfortunately, the swivel bolt and wrench were missing but I am planning on turning a new bolt from some hex stock. Now is it 1.125" or 1.25" hex bolt that its supposed to have? Also hoping I can score a wrench somewhere. The Jaws are in pretty decent shape too.

So a little more cleaning and buffing then onto paint, right now stuck between black or blue.

let me know what you guys think?

-Todd

 

[Tejaas]

Absolutely badass.
These 974B's are my favorite.

Remember, when Union started the Parker surplus production they added the letter identifier.... So it's actually a 974B!

I just posted my salvage of a pretty rough 974B myself.

Before:

After:

You did great, I just hate that now there is one less for me to acquire!


~Tejaas~

 

[Tejaas]

Oh, and don't spend the cash on the finger saver pads for the handle!
Go to your local auto store (advance, o'reillys,etc) and just buy two 7/8" ID grommets for a few cents! Perfect fit and save the screw head from flaring any more when the handle whacks it.


~Tejaas~

 

[oldldh]

Ya Dun Gud, Bubba!!!

 

[Hako86]

Nice vise man! I would love to get my hands on one of those USA vises

 

[greymatter]

Thanks for the tip Tejaas! I just threw some o rings on it but I like the grommet idea! oh and hate to say but its two less you'll never see, I have an older one waiting for me at my father in laws.

also eyeballing this big sucker, its an Athol, stands about 18" tall, dynamic jaw had to be at least three feet. owner says its 250lbs, not sure of that but I couldn't lift it.

Just not sure what these GIANT vises are generally going for... would love to know if what he's asking is fair...

 

[oldldh]

250 pounds!!!

And it swivels!!!

That's got to be at least a 6", more than likely larger than that...

And there are no broken bits, or cracks, or....

If the price is less than two bills...

Grab that sucker!!!

(If you decide that you don't want it, post it's location on this thread...I'm sure one of my fellow "Vice Junquies" would jump all over that wee beastie!!!)

 

[Tejaas]

Thanks for the tip Tejaas! I just threw some o rings on it but I like the grommet idea! oh and hate to say but its two less you'll never see, I have an older one waiting for me at my father in laws.

also eyeballing this big sucker, its an Athol, stands about 18" tall, dynamic jaw had to be at least three feet. owner says its 250lbs, not sure of that but I couldn't lift it.

Just not sure what these GIANT vises are generally going for... would love to know if what he's asking is fair...

Haha, you and I are both up to our eyeballs in vise offers! I'm chasing down a nice Reed #206R (yea, I know I'm a hypocrite about replaceable jaws... But it's priced SOOO good!) from a guy 2 hours away, and had another guy say he has a very old, pristine vise in his shed that he is "pretty damn sure it says "Parker" on it".

I just passed on an identical model Athol... I prefer to have replaceable pads as an option. I still am kind of in disbelief that I passed on it, because I am a Starrett junkie.

Round my parts, all the 150 pound-plus vises are coming out of railroad machine shops and military depots.

The railroad machinists treated them like gold compared to what the old army depot mechanics did.

Apparently, you can't take the lugnuts of a road wheel without an 8' cheater on the vise handle or something,
haha.


~Tejaas~

 

[Filson]

Grab that Athol! Holy ****!

Fixed jaws FTW!

 

[wrenchguy]

Absolutely badass.
These 974B's are my favorite.

Remember, when Union started the Parker surplus production they added the letter identifier.... So it's actually a 974B!

I just posted my salvage of a pretty rough 974B myself.

You did great, I just hate that now there is one less for me to acquire!


~Tejaas~

can this be verified? i believe there has been several 974a union parkers on the board here. check with jason about repro sticker 4 the left side. heres my 975b.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Check the front of your screw handle on the Parker, it should have a set-screw in there. If you remove it there should be a spring and either a ball bearing or piece of metal.

I replace the metal with a piece of brass. It's tightened just enough to where I can spin the handle around with one finger and it stays, but then I can easily pull it down to get more force.

I've seen Parkers of that era have different locksdown, everything from the classic older Parkers with the wrench, to a plain bolt, to the more modern with the rod handle. Easiest really would just be to use a bolt unless you are going to be swiveling it a lot.

I made up some sheets of stickers if anyone needs one for their "B" model. I have 974B, 974-1/2B, and 975B... Just PM me your address and I'll mail you a couple. They will be rough over-size, so you will have to trim to fit. I first made a paper template measuring the area on the vise and to make sure it was sized proper. Then I used that and trimmed the actual label with an xacto knife. Worked like a charm.

Finally, there is a guy on eBay selling 4" & 4.5" Poly jaws for the B model Parkers. I'm kind of up in the air if I want to get a pair.

Here's some pictures of my Parker.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Haha, you and I are both up to our eyeballs in vise offers! I'm chasing down a nice Reed #206R (yea, I know I'm a hypocrite about replaceable jaws... But it's priced SOOO good!) from a guy 2 hours away, and had another guy say he has a very old, pristine vise in his shed that he is "pretty damn sure it says "Parker" on it".

I just passed on an identical model Athol... I prefer to have replaceable pads as an option. I still am kind of in disbelief that I passed on it, because I am a Starrett junkie.

What town are you close to? What city is this Reed 206 located in? Anything you are passing on that I might be interested in???? Like where on earth is that Athol you are talking about! I've been looking for a big Athol for a while!

can this be verified? i believe there has been several 974a union parkers on the board here. check with jason about repro sticker 4 the left side. heres my 975b.

I've seen A, B, and G.... Not sure what happened to C,D,E, and F... lol...

The A's & B's look the same to me, I don't know what the difference is. But the "B" model seems to be the most common... The G's were the last (I'm guessing) as you could tell them by jaws that were just rectangular and screwed in (like most vises today) vs the older Parker style that wrapped around on the top and was held in with pins.

 

[Tejaas]

can this be verified? i believe there has been several 974a union parkers on the board here. check with jason about repro sticker 4 the left side. heres my 975b.

Thanks for the sticker tip!

You actually raise a good question.
I was told by an older guy that Parker 974A was Union's first run of the Parker patent with Parker surplus parts.

The 974B was when Union depleted their stock of the screw head cover plate and had to manufacture an in-house blank one....

The G identifier signified the change from the pinned topside pads to traditional block style...

I would assume the C,D,E,F model changes would have been in relation to depleting the thread stock, the swivel base lever, the screw guide, or maybe the swivel base itself?

I don't know, I've also never seen or heard of a C/D/E model!


~Tejaas~

 

[Tejaas]

What town are you close to? What city is this Reed 206 located in? Anything you are passing on that I might be interested in???? Like where on earth is that Athol you are talking about! I've been looking for a big Athol for a while!

Hey!

The Athol was posted on the local newspaper site in San Angelo about two weeks back. I called the guy back a few days after I passed on it to try and help a buddy out... Guy said it was since sold!

The Reed 206 I was approached about "word of mouth" from an older gentleman located in Gonzales.

Where are you located? Perhaps I could help you and be an extra set of eyes?


~Tejaas~

 

[EOC_Jason]

I was told by an older guy that Parker 974A was Union's first run of the Parker patent with Parker surplus parts.

The 974B was when Union depleted their stock of the screw head cover plate and had to manufacture an in-house blank one....

The G identifier signified the change from the pinned topside pads to traditional block style...

Okay yeah, after digging up some old images you are right. The "A" models had the old style Parker collar. Makes sense....

I'm located in the north Houston area.

 

[greymatter]

Absolutely badass.
These 974B's are my favorite.

Remember, when Union started the Parker surplus production they added the letter identifier.... So it's actually a 974B!

Very nice resto as well, but this one is actually marked 974AU on the base. not sure if the U was stamped later as its a bit off set from the other markings.

well thanks everyone for the kind words, apologies on the lack of updates but here are some updated pics of the resto as well as the other 974 i scored!

taped and ready for primer:

the older 974 i scored:

starting to get her cleaned up

and primed:

here is the only shots of them painted so far:

need to get some more pics of the 974AU painted and finally get around to doing the lettering!

more to come, thanks again!!

 

[wrenchguy]

this "a" was still built in meridian ct while my "b" was made in new brittian ct. this could be another difference between them. model tag is vertical too.

don't try to figure out those parkers drive u crazy