So I Went In To Oreillys Today

[MoparTrucks]

Had to buy an upper and lower radiator hose for the 2000 Ranger and since we were in town for other things I stopped by OReilly's and they had them (surprise to me).

As I was getting rung up I saw this display for an 8 piece ZEON socket set by PowerBuilt that have a stepped design inside the socket meant for rounded off bolt heads and the display had a regular bolt and a rounded off bolt for you to give it a try and damned if they didn't work pretty good. I normally just ignore the Lucas display with the cog and all of the other gimmicky displays but this one hooked me like a fish.

I bought a set that ranged from 1/4" to 3/4" and they seem to be pretty good sockets for the price (about $9). So far I have only tried them out on a 1950 stove I am restoring and it worked like a charm, anyone have any experience with them?

I have an old Dodge pickup that someone did a hack job on in years past (looks like they did a lot of work on it with a Crescent wrench) and the 1/2" and 3/4" sockets could get a real workout on some of the rounded and rusted bolts if they dont just break. I just figured for the price what the heck.

 

[jim1987]

Pics?

 

[NKlamerus]

That sounds awesome, we are getting an Oreillys now in Niceville FL. I've never been a fan just because we didn't have one, but now; there is an advance, autozone, and Oriellys literally all within a half mile on the same road

 

[Larey]

NKlanerus that is funny as I work at the one in Crestview.

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[MoparTrucks]

Ahhhh I knew I needed to include pictures! My camera is kind of crappy but here goes:

The package they came in is just cheap throw away packaging and not a carrier.

I didnt know how to describe it other than its stepped inside (or has teeth) and it just digs into the rounded off nut and grips tighter the more you put pressure on it.

O'Reilly's has also now come out with a new rewards program where you get $5 off for every $150 you spend kind of like Autozone. I like Oreillys but the stores are really spotty as to how good they are. We have two in the city nearest us and in one they cant find their *** with two hands and in the other you give a vague description of something and they will know what your talking about and likely have it.

 

[KinzeMech]

somebody's always got another wrench/socket gimmick. time will tell, but i suspect this one will go as fast as it came.

For the quoted price, I would have bought a set to try, too. (now ask me how I know about gimmicks )

 

[vwracer]

OK How do you know about gimmicks?

 

[southalabama]

Great. Something else to buy. At that price if it works for a single stubborn bolt it may be worth it.

 

[Farmall450]

How'd they work?

I "rented" a powerbuilt fan clutch tool from Advance, it was trash...

 

[MoparTrucks]

I've only used the 5/16th on a an old stove I am repairing Farmall and it worked great. The nut was rusted on and had been pretty rounded off by a previous owner who tried to get it off without any luck.

As for gimmicks, I know all about gimmicks because of my dad. He is almost 80 and I love the old guy but he is convinced that "As Seen on TV" means its a must have (especially if it has an AA battery) so each Christmas I get some interesting thing probably from QVC....I even got a Popeil pocket fisherman from him back in the day!

I should also mention they sockets are made in Taiwan and the chrome on them is actually pretty good.

 

[KinzeMech]

OK How do you know about gimmicks?

T'was a rhetorical question, but if you must know, I've bought a gimmick tool or two before. They're usually cheap enough you think, "Why not?", but in the end just end up thinking about what you could have drank with that $10...

 

[F16CrewChief]

That sounds awesome, we are getting an Oreillys now in Niceville FL. I've never been a fan just because we didn't have one, but now; there is an advance, autozone, and Oriellys literally all within a half mile on the same road

I live in Crestview and our Oreillys is good, actual mechanics working there.

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[Larey]

I live in Crestview and our Oreillys is good, actual mechanics working there.

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Haha I am one of them.....

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[jim1987]

Ok it got it now


These aren't really meant for rounded bolts. The stepped insides you are referring to as the same idea as snap on flank drive. Note, don't use those on soft fasteners you care about, they will leave teeth marks.

 

[Alienbaby17]

Am I the only one that thinks it's funny that they are still selling fractional tools and not metric? I personally have three pre-1956 vehicles but it's 2014 for goodness sake. I'd have to imagine the vast majority of their clientele are buying parts for their daily drivers that were made in the last 20 years. Pretty much everything on the road has been metric for over 30 years.

 

[NKlamerus]

I live in Crestview and our Oreillys is good, actual mechanics working there.

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Heck yeah guys! This is one of the first times I see locals on this site glad Oriellys is branching finally!

What do you guys cover as far as mechanical work? Or is it strictly a store?

If you need any inflatable water slides or anything for kids, let me know! (Spacewalk of Crestview- Fort Walton Beach)

Haha I am one of them.....

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[Larey]

Simply light bulbs and batteries are what corporate say. I have changed out other items at the slower O'Reillys I have worked at. I do whatever as it is a part time job for the discount.

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[nicksnothereman]

Had to buy an upper and lower radiator hose for the 2000 Ranger and since we were in town for other things I stopped by OReilly's and they had them (surprise to me).

As I was getting rung up I saw this display for an 8 piece ZEON socket set by PowerBuilt that have a stepped design inside the socket meant for rounded off bolt heads and the display had a regular bolt and a rounded off bolt for you to give it a try and damned if they didn't work pretty good. I normally just ignore the Lucas display with the cog and all of the other gimmicky displays but this one hooked me like a fish.

I bought a set that ranged from 1/4" to 3/4" and they seem to be pretty good sockets for the price (about $9). So far I have only tried them out on a 1950 stove I am restoring and it worked like a charm, anyone have any experience with them?

I have an old Dodge pickup that someone did a hack job on in years past (looks like they did a lot of work on it with a Crescent wrench) and the 1/2" and 3/4" sockets could get a real workout on some of the rounded and rusted bolts if they dont just break. I just figured for the price what the heck.

They got grooves in them. I dunno about these ones, if they work no big deal, if they don't still no big deal. I'm not big on appearances for a lot of stuff though these look a bit rough. Still...10 bucks. They got a bunch of these rounded bolt deals I have a couple of the sets. Can't remember what the heck the set I recently bought was but they got plasticky jim jams in the sockets and come with a ratchet and extension (taiwanese and smooth); 10 bucks on clearance hopefully they work. Can't remember who makes them but I bought it at sears.

I saw a pic on ebay of your sockets. Probably don't destroy fasteners like the other "extreme" stuff or the bolt out stuff but technically if a bolt is bad (rounded out, rusted, etc) you should probably replace it.

 

[bgarrett]

I went to Oreillys for a radiator hose today too. 1 3/4 X 16 They didnt have anything close. Oreillys has quit selling parts for every car I own and I have 9 drivers.
Autozone had it

 

[MoparTrucks]

Am I the only one that thinks it's funny that they are still selling fractional tools and not metric? I personally have three pre-1956 vehicles but it's 2014 for goodness sake. I'd have to imagine the vast majority of their clientele are buying parts for their daily drivers that were made in the last 20 years. Pretty much everything on the road has been metric for over 30 years.

Not quite, my 2003 GMC 2500 HD (6.0L) has a frustrating mix of metric and standard all over it and half the stuff I work on has standard; not sure what you work on but I am convinced that tool manufacturers and the auto industry are in cahoots. These actually work on similar sized metric also so no worries there.

I have to admit I used a gimmicky tool yesterday to tighten a hose clamp on the radiator hose for the Ford Ranger; the lower hose is a two part hose with a molded whye and its a ****** to get to but my dad had given me a Kobalt flexible driver with replaceable bits for Christmas a couple of years ago where you turn the handle and the bit also turns (hard to describe) and the damn thing saved my *** trying to get the small hose clamp tight.

I always look for high quality stuff at farm auctions, estate sales, and yard sales and I try to buy as high quality stuff as I can retail but once in a while I fall for the sales bin or the "point of sale" stuff like this time and I figure what the hell! Of course once in a while I grab a National Enquirer at the grocery and throw it on the pile too...especially those "Best Bikini Body" editions so I'm not very discriminating!

 

[Super Sport]

Not quite, my 2003 GMC 2500 HD (6.0L) has a frustrating mix of metric and standard all over it

I was going to say, it seems as if most of my vehicles have at least one standard size fastener on them. Just enough to piss you off!

 

[zoomzoomjeff]

My Grand Cherokees have had standard, metric, internal torx, external torx, and safety torx on both. A tad overkill, and a PITA.

 

[jim1987]

My Grand Cherokees have had standard, metric, internal torx, external torx, and safety torx on both. A tad overkill, and a PITA.

I'm 99% sure our xj has etorx on the hatch hinges. WtF! Seriously? And regular torx for something in the front suspension. Descent size too. I don't know the size but its about 5/8 across. T50 maybe?

 

[jim1987]

My Grand Cherokees have had standard, metric, internal torx, external torx, and safety torx on both. A tad overkill, and a PITA.

I'm 99% sure our xj has etorx on the hatch hinges. WtF! Seriously? And regular torx for something in the front suspension. Descent size too. I don't know the size but its about 5/8 across. T50 maybe? And they also hold the front bumper on. O.K!

 

[John in OH]

Am I the only one that thinks it's funny that they are still selling fractional tools and not metric? I personally have three pre-1956 vehicles but it's 2014 for goodness sake. I'd have to imagine the vast majority of their clientele are buying parts for their daily drivers that were made in the last 20 years. Pretty much everything on the road has been metric for over 30 years.

I don't buy into your premise that SAE fasteners and tools are a thing of the past. I agree that the majority of automotive applications will be metric, but not all of us GJ folks work only on cars and bikes.

A lot of farm machinery is still SAE and a lot of the non-automotive equipment/items being built in the US has SAE. Or take a look at the hardware aisle in the box stores ... rack after rack of SAE screws, bolts, nuts, lags, etc. SAE will be hanging over the US for many years to come.

 

[KinzeMech]

I don't buy into your premise that SAE fasteners and tools are a thing of the past. I agree that the majority of automotive applications will be metric, but not all of us GJ folks work only on cars and bikes.

A lot of farm machinery is still SAE and a lot of the non-automotive equipment/items being built in the US has SAE. Or take a look at the hardware aisle in the box stores ... rack after rack of SAE screws, bolts, nuts, lags, etc. SAE will be hanging over the US for many years to come.

+1
I work on ag equipment at a short line implement dealership. There are a lot of lines, where you can buy a brand new, 2014 model year machine, all new, with normal fasteners.

I wish metric fasteners were a thing of the past. I know there are those that like it, but I feel that the metric system is a crutch for simpletons who are befuddled by such simple things as fractional math. I don't want a person like that handling tools, he's probably a danger to his own safety, and he's definitely a threat to my machine. His time is better spent repeating fourth grade.

It's not 100% accurate, but amongst the machinery I work on, if it's got SAE fasteners on it, it's tremendously more likely to be an American made machine.

 

[48RON54]

For that price I'll give em a shot. At least it is another option before the drill and easy out come in to play (I really hate drilling them *SIGH*)

 

[yost69]

My mac edge impacts have those "teeth" in them. They work very well, but as with everything they have their limitations.

As a matter of fact my driver came in with one of those boards. One perfect bolt and one round bolt. Told me to grab any of my sockets and see if it worked as well as his.

 

[ibedayank]

Am I the only one that thinks it's funny that they are still selling fractional tools and not metric? I personally have three pre-1956 vehicles but it's 2014 for goodness sake. I'd have to imagine the vast majority of their clientele are buying parts for their daily drivers that were made in the last 20 years. Pretty much everything on the road has been metric for over 30 years.

you must not work on much as my boxes contain SAE, metric and WHITWORTH. 1920-2014 if it rolls or burns dead dino juice I at somepoint might be told to fix it.

 

[n8n]

you must not work on much as my boxes contain SAE, metric and WHITWORTH. 1920-2014 if it rolls or burns dead dino juice I at somepoint might be told to fix it.

Hah... yeah I feel like I ought to have at least a set of whitworth sockets and combo wrenches just in case something old and british ends up in my driveway. Looks like all the whitworth tools currently available are made in India... are they any good?

 

[pstnbly]

+1
I work on ag equipment at a short line implement dealership. There are a lot of lines, where you can buy a brand new, 2014 model year machine, all new, with normal fasteners.

I wish metric fasteners were a thing of the past. I know there are those that like it, but I feel that the metric system is a crutch for simpletons who are befuddled by such simple things as fractional math. I don't want a person like that handling tools, he's probably a danger to his own safety, and he's definitely a threat to my machine. His time is better spent repeating fourth grade.

It's not 100% accurate, but amongst the machinery I work on, if it's got SAE fasteners on it, it's tremendously more likely to be an American made machine.

^this

 

[Norcal]

I had a 1978 Camaro that had a mix of SAE & metric, engine was SAE, body fasteners were metric, DAMN YOU GM "engineers", do one or the other but not both.

 

[n8n]

I had a 1978 Camaro that had a mix of SAE & metric, engine was SAE, body fasteners were metric, DAMN YOU GM "engineers", do one or the other but not both.

keep in mind the basic engine in a '78 Camaro probably used most of the same major fasteners as the original SBC introduced for the '55 model year... yeah it is frustrating but understandable. I think most of the "legacy" engines are out of the pipeline now though. That might make a fun thread...

 

[Alienbaby17]

you must not work on much as my boxes contain SAE, metric and WHITWORTH. 1920-2014 if it rolls or burns dead dino juice I at somepoint might be told to fix it.

I work in an independent professional auto repair facility and have for 20 plus years. At my job I work on both American and import vehicles EVERY day. I also recreationally work on old bicycles and own and work on a lot of older (pre-1960's) American automobiles.

My tool boxes at work and home have both metric and SAE tools. However if I were giving advice to a young auto. tech. just starting out I sure wouldn't advise them to spend much money on SAE tools for shop use. 90% of what I use at work is metric. Everything that comes in the door of my shop from overseas is metric. SAE stuff takes up about half my wrench and socket drawers but is probably only used 10% of the time.

This is my experience only. Your mileage may vary.

 

[southalabama]

For y'all crestview guys I'm 50 miles up the road in Brewton.

In town we are down to one independent. Dad has had an account there 40 years. I need to order a part I go there.

We also have oreillies, auto zone and advance auto parts. Napa has been gone for years.

Of the three chains I prefer the local oreillies.

 

[mikeburris]

+1
I work on ag equipment at a short line implement dealership. There are a lot of lines, where you can buy a brand new, 2014 model year machine, all new, with normal fasteners.

I wish metric fasteners were a thing of the past. I know there are those that like it, but I feel that the metric system is a crutch for simpletons who are befuddled by such simple things as fractional math. I don't want a person like that handling tools, he's probably a danger to his own safety, and he's definitely a threat to my machine. His time is better spent repeating fourth grade.

It's not 100% accurate, but amongst the machinery I work on, if it's got SAE fasteners on it, it's tremendously more likely to be an American made machine.

("It's not 100% accurate, but amongst the machinery I work on, if it's got SAE fasteners on it, it's tremendously more likely to be an American made machine")

Is that a metric or fractional statement?

 

[RedneckWelder]

Am I the only one that thinks it's funny that they are still selling fractional tools and not metric? I personally have three pre-1956 vehicles but it's 2014 for goodness sake. I'd have to imagine the vast majority of their clientele are buying parts for their daily drivers that were made in the last 20 years. Pretty much everything on the road has been metric for over 30 years.

Maybe it's true for some of the import brands but I know that GM loves to use a mix of both Metric and SAE fastners. At least they've gotten a little bit better more recently vs. 25 years ago. At least I don't encounter a lot of the torx variants like some people report on here for other brands, so I haven't had to buy e-torx or tamper torx or what have you.

Chrysler seems to throw a hardware store at the vehicle and sees what sticks...

 

[48fordnut]

Ck acft all SAE. There is another world other than cars and trucks.

 

[KinzeMech]

Is that a metric or fractional statement?

It's a simple observation that was worded poorly.

Most (nearly all) of the machines I see having SAE fasteners are of domestic manufacture.
Most (nearly all) of the machines I see having metric fasteners are foreign manufactured.