Box ID/parts help?

[n8n]

Picked up this old Snap-On chest today; it's pretty rough but exactly what I was looking for to help organize some of my stuff. For the price I pretty much stole it, when you figure that I found a 6" S-O 3/8" extension, a S-K 3/4" socket, and a pair of Kraeuter linesman's pliers inside among other things.

Difficulty: I was hoping it'd be Kennedy made so I could get a new dead front for it, but the dead front from my Kennedy 526 almost-but-not-quite fits. I can see that the Snap-On, now that I have the two next to each other, is deeper, heavier, and the latches and dead front retention hardware are different (dare I say better?) than the Kennedy.

It also needs a new lock because someone busted it to break in, but that is a surmountable problem if I can find a dead front.

So... what can you tell me about this box? The only ID I have on it is the nameplate riveted to the front of it, no model number or anything to go off of. I'll reach out to Snap-On but I am guessing that this box is quite old, although again, any info would be greatly appreciated.

I'm going back and forth on whether I even want to think about sanding it down and painting it in the spring, or if I just want to hose the rodent debris out of it and start using it.

 

[bonneyman]

Restore or just use - hard to say. It looks old enough to save the patina but would probably look great if you did a restore on it.

 

[n8n]

I'm starting to think that I'm going to use this one to organize my taps/dies and other machinisty stuff and bring the Kennedy in the house to sort phono cartridges and other audio related stuff.

If I can't buy a replacement dead front, can someone with a similar box take pics? I have enough CAD skills I could draw up a functional replacement and send to a sheetmetal shop to have a new one fabbed. I pretty much know what it would need to look like in my head but just want to see how the original was made so I can get as close as possible.

 

[n8n]

Also, how to I get the drawers off the slides? They look similar but different to Kennedy. Cleaning this up is definitely going to involve a garden hose and a scrub brush. Thankfully there's no felt otherwise there would still be no felt I'll figure it out next weekend but figured that I'd ask in case someone already knew the procedure.

 

[n8n]

Guessing this is a K-55W based on poking around?

https://collectingsnapon.com/index.php?page=Tool Storage/Tool Storage K series

As I was pretty sure would happen, S-O doesn't have a dead front for it; if anyone has one of these pics of the dead front would be appreciated so I can get one made.

 

[1982fxr]

Snap on sells a feeler tool for slide removal but with the $21.99 shipping or whatever, just insert a thin metal shim so the catch can slide over it.

 

[n8n]

Snap on sells a feeler tool for slide removal but with the $21.99 shipping or whatever, just insert a thin metal shim so the catch can slide over it.

So it's like pulling a car stereo out of a DIN sleeve then kind of?

Sorry I haven't messed with this at all. Got sidetracked when I had to switch gears and install a storm door I'd promised my landlord I'd do and he finally dropped off (not that I jump when he snaps, but the kitchen door to the outside is drafty as hell and I have wanted this done for a while.)

 

[1982fxr]

Some have ground down hack saw blades.

Pull drawer all the way out.
Push back in one inch
Slide tool back inside there
Pull drawer forward two inches
Push slide back into the box
Repeat on other side
Remove drawer