Let's Hear it for the Old Gray/Red Sears Craftsman Tool Chests and Cabinets (60s/70s)
- Thread starter Ponchoguy
- Start date
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
Got more work done on my 9 drawer roller to make it match closer to my minty 12 drawer top chest [emoji51] got the cabinet and drawers degreased, clay barred, drawer faces and outer cabinet polished and drawer liners are going in. I use the harbor freight stuff. I hate to say it but it is the best I have found. It has a rubber texture so stuff doesn’t slide around when you open the drawers. I stick it down with 3 m emblem tape as well so it doesn’t move. Upper drawer (smaller) dimensions are 10-1/2x16-1/2. Lower drawer dimensions are 22-1/4x16-1/2 and I used about 2-1/2 of the drawer liners so buy 3. I will be using this in my top chest and chucking the slippery sears liners that are in it
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Smokeshow69
Well-known member
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
This is my 12 drawer in case anyone missed my posting when I bought it [emoji51]
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Rileysan
Well-known member
That's a beautiful cabinet! Wanna sell it?!?
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
I just got done cleaning fire extinguisher dust off it and also removing paint/ drops off all 3 sides. Not really wanting to sell it unless motivated [emoji41][emoji23] you were right , it will clean up well!
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Steventech
New member
I have the top and bottom boxes just like the one in your first pic.. Passed down from my grand father.
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
Got the last few drawers lined tonight! This came out way nicer than I was thinking it would. The lighting in the photo is poor so you can’t see how good the paint looks. You can still see scratches and some wear but it looks much more cared for than it did before!
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Smokeshow69
Well-known member
I started on the cleaning of the 12 drawer top chest pictured above with my smug mug....dated 12/76 . It will get a good bath with gentle car wash soap and then get clay barred and a good final wax. The paint on this one is so nice, even when covered in saw dust, I can still see my reflection so therefore no polishing required which is what I like. I have not paid attention to the later black slides but these slides are painted, in haste and a bit thin in areas... some sides have the grey which is the color of the box, some are natural like the older slides and some are painted black but all have the newer long clips that push into one side of the slot before clipping into the side closest to the drawer edges. Don’t know if slide finish has been studied before or if it is unusual but thought it worth a mention. Box even still has the grease marks in the back from the ends of the slides hitting the back of the cabinet
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JoCoSawdust
Well-known member
Beautiful work Smoke!
RubiconJK
Well-known member
Yep, nicely done.
Oregon rock crusher
Well-known member
That 12 drawer top chest does look pretty minty Smoke. Coupled with the fresh shined 9 drawer cabinet that will make a very nice gray n red stack. New drawer liners do make a big difference. Ed.
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
Thanks guys! While I would prefer vintage cork liners, these foam ones are the best to keep tools from flying around when you open the drawers . The stack shows its age gracefully without looking new or abused so that is a good place to stop
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ColumbianRon
Well-known member
Good job. I have the smaller version of that chest and cabinet combo. Thanks for the tip about the HF drawer liners. I have a tool box in the trunk of my car (my first Craftsman box from 1970), and the tools slide around without restraint when I make a turn. Will try those drawer liners to see if it abates the sliding.
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
You will like them. They have a rubber texture to them unlike most that are more foam or plastic based that have no grip. It comes in a roll
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RubiconJK
Well-known member
Agreed. Also I've been known to spend more on the cork drawer liner material than I did the boxes!
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Smokeshow69
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taumac
Well-known member
RubiconJK
Well-known member
Thank you!
dkroth
Well-known member
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
Picked up a couple more rolls to put into my 12 drawer top chest yesterday. This is what the rolls look like. The purist in me prefers the cork but you can’t beat this in terms of the non slip function!
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Smokeshow69
Well-known member
I open the rolls and let them hang for a few days prior to installation do that they are fully flat since they come out of the packaging circular shaped!
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taumac
Well-known member
I know is blasphemy but love those MAC boxes. If only big drawer was in center.
txlonghorn1989
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2017
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Picked up a couple more rolls to put into my 12 drawer top chest yesterday. This is what the rolls look like. The purist in me prefers the cork but you can’t beat this in terms of the non slip function!
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I personally like the Husky liner available from HD. That 12-D sure is purdy Smoke!
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
Yes, the 12 is stupid nice. You can see some of the drawers to the right of the picture of the hanging liner. It is so nice I can see my reflection without any buffing. It is just getting waxed and that is it
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Whca
Member
Have really started into the restore on my dads old two drawer. Hardware all cleaned up. Removed the lock and under the grime found a number LL67, which is good since I need a key. 67 sounds about right for the year but I am still looking for a year stamp on the box and drawers. There was a strip of dripped paint on the back and when I removed it saw that the paint on the box had somewhat a blue tint. Some boxes in this thread have that same tint. Is there a rattle top color for that blue? Thanks and will post pics when done. This will be a generational pass on!
JoCoSawdust
Well-known member
Can we see a pic of the box Whca? Factory paint does crazy things over time and it has a lot to do with what environment they were exposed to. To my knowledge the 1960s-early 70s chests and rollers never had any sort of blue tint to them. I use Rustoleum Hammered Gray on mine of this era, others have used Hammered Silver. In my opinion the gray is a better match.
Rileysan
Well-known member
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
Please tell me a GJ member came away with this. I was too late to get a hold of this early style gray & red 5d roller with roller slides that was listed for free. Dammit!
Brian
I wish it was me and that I could hide it but alas it was not me [emoji17] whoever got it *****!
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Whca
Member
RubiconJK
Well-known member
The LL67 is simply the lock number. You can find vendors on Ebay that sell keys and you'll need your LL67 number to order. The date of mfg on these upper boxes is inside the upper section on the left side. Following is a link to a post I made earlier on a two drawer that shows you what the date stamp looks like.
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8034926&postcount=1714
Rileysan
Well-known member
Here's a vendor on eBay I have used in the past with great success, having purchased at least 6 different LL locks
Brian
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-KEYS-CRA...LL1H-LL225H-KEY/113206456860?var=413504023810
Please tell me a GJ member came away with this. I was too late to get a hold of this early style gray & red 5d roller with roller slides that was listed for free. Dammit!
Brian
Roller slides?
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
Question -
The box is a silver & red lower cabinet (with the covered lower cabinet, not the drawers) from the mid 70's... and the locks on the drawers are hit and miss. Sometimes it locks down, but sometimes they won't. It sounds like the thing is sliding when I pull the cover out, but the drawers still pull.
What am I missing? Do you think something is hanging up the back slider, or did the little fingers on it get mushed, or ?? Anyone good at long distance troubleshooting one of these?
It's driving me nutso, as I can't secure my tools like this.
Wait. I want roller slides for mine. Can it be true, was it a retrofit, or ??? I hate the annual clean and regrease exercise on mine.
The box is a silver & red lower cabinet (with the covered lower cabinet, not the drawers) from the mid 70's... and the locks on the drawers are hit and miss. Sometimes it locks down, but sometimes they won't. It sounds like the thing is sliding when I pull the cover out, but the drawers still pull.
What am I missing? Do you think something is hanging up the back slider, or did the little fingers on it get mushed, or ?? Anyone good at long distance troubleshooting one of these?
It's driving me nutso, as I can't secure my tools like this.
Wait. I want roller slides for mine. Can it be true, was it a retrofit, or ??? I hate the annual clean and regrease exercise on mine.
Last edited:
Whca
Member
Cleaned, scrubbed, & used 3 different lights, still nothing. Where might it be in relation to the left hinge?
Smokeshow69
Well-known member
taumac
Well-known member
There was some from 60 to 65. They weren’t what we consider BB slides today. It was a steel roller that drawer rode on.
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Smokeshow69
Well-known member
Correct.... I meant more like “paging rileysan ..., is there something you want to tell us?
I have seen one of these in a 3 drawer form and it was loaded down with tools. Even full, the bearings where smooth. These remind me of the pressteel tool boxes with bearings. Plus I like how easy the drawers are to remove!
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