Best Tool You've Found in a Car?

[KCarGuy]

I tripped over an old vintage Floor Jack while running between two cars while at a junk yard, after pulling it out the dirt, i tested it on a full size Blazer and have been using it ever since (that was 28 years ago). I found a 1" Craftman Ratchet that was frozen sold in a car at a junkyard...turned it into Sears for a replacement. I also found a Snap-on 1" ratchet head (no bar) that still works great today.
My niece drove 3 hours home from school after getting some service done on her car, and later found a Matco angle grinder on the engine manifold, so she gave it to me.
I also found lots of shotgun shells in the quarter panel of a 1967 Barracuda, after I was cutting the quarters off with a air chisel, freaked the S*#T out of me, because they were jammed way down in the bottom, where you couldnt get to them. Those I did not keep.

 

[Ray-CA]

I tore down a '93 5.0L Mustang to get parts to build my FFR. We found over $10.00 in change and an almost new Leatherman tool. I only paid $80.00 for the donor car so after subtracting the coin and the value of the tool, I think I ended up with a $20.00 car. There were also several "adult" Polaroid photos that went into the trash.

Ray

 

[Vulturej]

I found a Fluke MD88 under the hood of my wife’s van, I opened the hood to fill the windshield fluid tank. We had it in the shop about 3 months earlier for a check engine light. There was one happy mechanic at the dealer when I brought it back.

 

[petty4243]

Well, I have not found tools like some of you, But I did Find a Real nice phillipine combat knife Jest brand?... was behind the seat of an old S-10 I bought....

also got a $50.00 dollar bill in a owners manual....

recently had a trade in vehicle came in... ash tray full of change... apx$30.00 worth... more funy is it already had been detailed prior to me doing vehicle inspection

 

[isr2kba]

Snapon torx t-35 (?) 3/8 drive bit. Funny thing is that I did all my own servicing on that car and had owned it several years before I found the socket.

 

[stricht8]

MAC 8mm combination wrench, Snap-on philips head screwdriver.

 

[sk farmer]

i found a 2d maglite and a nice 10 inch crescent adjustable in a car we destroyed in an extrication class. they live at my house now

 

[Garage_Mahal]

A nice deadblow hammer was left under my hood. I kept it in the car for a time intending to return it, but I never made it back to that garage as I moved soon after.

 

[Elroy]

Used for those delicate adjustments no doubt.

 

[spazzer]

Well, I have not found tools like some of you, But I did Find a Real nice phillipine combat knife Jest brand?... was behind the seat of an old S-10 I bought....

also got a $50.00 dollar bill in a owners manual....

recently had a trade in vehicle came in... ash tray full of change... apx$30.00 worth... more funy is it already had been detailed prior to me doing vehicle inspection

I've had trade-ins like that before as well, $40 in change in the spare tire well of a Civic, $30 in the floor heater ducts of a Silverado and $20 worth of change behind the ashtray, under and around the center console and under the carpet of an STS. I guess the previous owner of the Civic was lazy and I'm still trying to figure out how all the quarters got into the HVAC ducting on the Silverado!

 

[spazzer]

Found in used cars (mostly trade-ins we re-sold) over the years @ work:

Cheap 2' long 1/2" and Napa 12" long 3/8 breaker bars, misc. craftsman sockets mostly 1/4" drive stuff, tape measure, and a 5 D-cell maglite are the most memorable tool finds.

Found a good sized ballpeen hammer in the middle of the street last year too.

 

[kartracer55]

Found a 5/16 reversible gear wrench under the hood of a car a few weeks back. The black oxide had some surface rust and it was stuck, but after an overnight soak in some wd40, I loosened it up and it works like new.

Judging by the owner, it certainly didnt belong to them!

 

[GT89mustang]

Found a long flat head c-man screwdriver behind the backseat of my 89 mustang when i first bought it. Also found a small wrench inside one of the coil springs, spied it when i was underneath swapping in longtube headers, still not sure what it was doing there, was a random size that didnt seem to fit anything on the car.

Not me but one of my buddies found a mac 1/4 ratchet and socket laying in his engine bay when he was replacing his serpentine belt one time, not sure when it was left there.

 

[Danglerb]

1/2 x 5/8 offset after getting a new battery at Sears. Took it back and nobody would claim it.

Porsche 928 has a spider intake system, found a 10mm socket in the last one, and a 7mm (size used on some clamps).

Pulled the seat on one car and found $12 in change.

 

[-B-]

I'm still trying to figure out how all the quarters got into the HVAC ducting on the Silverado!

Kids !

In my Dart I found all the internal factory paper work for the day it was built , found a set of hog ring pliers and a screw driver.

In one of my brothers Larks we have found a treasure trove of rusted out cheap dime store tools stuffed in every crevice.

 

[cruiser808]

For me, I must be an unlucky guy because I've never found anything cool in a car. Absolutely nothing. But I did find a classic 3/8" Indestro ratchet in a second story air handler unit I was working on.

 

[fatfillup]

Well, I have not found tools like some of you, But I did Find a Real nice phillipine combat knife Jest brand?... was behind the seat of an old S-10 I bought....

also got a $50.00 dollar bill in a owners manual....

recently had a trade in vehicle came in... ash tray full of change... apx$30.00 worth... more funy is it already had been detailed prior to me doing vehicle inspection

Already been detailed? How do them fellas in the detail department buy beer? When I detailed cars 30 years ago, I always looked for change in the used cars. Supplimented my party habits.

 

[fatfillup]

Snapon torx t-35 (?) 3/8 drive bit. Funny thing is that I did all my own servicing on that car and had owned it several years before I found the socket.

Sure it wasn't yours to start with?

 

[autoace]

I was working on a Volvo 940 wagon, for a older female customer. During routine oil changes, I would usually make sure the spare tire was fully inflated and the mechanism to release it was working etc... You know to save my customer a hassle, in case they needed to use the spare Anyway when I pulled up the floor panel to service the spare, I found a large green "brick" of weed, in a tuperware container. There were also a few boxes of zip lock bags etc.......this woman was in her 60's. When she picked up her car, I told her my findings "in case it wasn't hers" and she told me SS doesn't pay enough young man

I had a early 90's Saab 900 in for a fuel pump, when I opened the trunk to access the fuel pump hatch, I was greeted with a site of dirty magazines, and a "pump" that looked kinda glazedI closed the trunk and called the customer and spoke with his mother, I simply said I would not work on a car, with a trunk full of hazzardous bio waste.

 

[TheToolMan]

I was working on a Volvo 940 wagon, for a older female customer. During routine oil changes, I would usually make sure the spare tire was fully inflated and the mechanism to release it was working etc... You know to save my customer a hassle, in case they needed to use the spare Anyway when I pulled up the floor panel to service the spare, I found a large green "brick" of weed, in a tuperware container. There were also a few boxes of zip lock bags etc.......this woman was in her 60's. When she picked up her car, I told her my findings "in case it wasn't hers" and she told me SS doesn't pay enough young man

I had a early 90's Saab 900 in for a fuel pump, when I opened the trunk to access the fuel pump hatch, I was greeted with a site of dirty magazines, and a "pump" that looked kinda glazedI closed the trunk and called the customer and spoke with his mother, I simply said I would not work on a car, with a trunk full of hazzardous bio waste.

HAAAAAAAAAAA Granny was selling pot to supplement her SS, That is great!!!

 

[TheToolMan]

i found a 1/2'' Snap-on wrench under the seat of my 1st f-150. Same truck i had the rear brakes fixed on it several times. the last time they found that the rear lind was clogged making the brakes drag. I was still annoyed to find a clinking noise in the rear, On my way back to the shop something flew off and went clinking down the road. When i went to the shop and explained what happened the mechainc said that was his $35 snap-on wrench left on the frame rail. He hopped in an old beater and took off to look for it

 

[Rolling_Thunder]

I found a Bag of Weed under the carpet of a Mustang I bought a long time ago! My mom snatched it out of my hands and flushed it!!

 

[voidifused]

I found a Bag of Weed under the carpet of a Mustang I bought a long time ago! My mom snatched it out of my hands and flushed it!!

I would have told her she owed you for it, since it cam with the car you bought.

 

[gatewaysysop]

i found a 1/2'' Snap-on wrench under the seat of my 1st f-150. Same truck i had the rear brakes fixed on it several times. the last time they found that the rear lind was clogged making the brakes drag. I was still annoyed to find a clinking noise in the rear, On my way back to the shop something flew off and went clinking down the road. When i went to the shop and explained what happened the mechainc said that was his $35 snap-on wrench left on the frame rail. He hopped in an old beater and took off to look for it

Well, on that note, I will add tonight's find. I was putting in a PMGR style starter on my 90' Bronco (Ford only put these on Bronco's 92+) as I was on my third(?) 4", 40lb hunk of **** OE style starter and still having heat soak and hot-start problems.

Was looking down in front of the battery and what do I find? Looks like a ratching wrench. I'm thinking "woo... wonder if it's Snap On?" picked it up and checked it out, GearWrench brand, 11mm. Trying to figure out the last time someplace would have been mucking with my battery, haven't figured yet. Would have been a while ago at any rate. Guess I'll make a couple calls tomorrow, just for giggles, only 2 places it could have been. Doubt anyone remembers or cares, but I guess that's the least I can do.

If anyone cares, the heat soak problem is gone. Those gear reduction starters are worth the $$$.