Let's Hear it for the Old Gray/Red Sears Craftsman Tool Chests and Cabinets (60s/70s)

[bagged89s10]

I’ve decided to sell this but I realized I never took good pictures to share so here they are. My 1975 Craftsman red gray stack

 

[bagged89s10]

 

[Smokeshow69]

I’ve decided to sell this but I realized I never took good pictures to share so here they are. My 1975 Craftsman red gray stack

Too bad you are selling. That looks in fantastic shape!


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[dkroth]

I’ve decided to sell this but I realized I never took good pictures to share so here they are. My 1975 Craftsman red gray stack

Hey, I put that on my eBay watch list a couple days ago!







.

 

[bagged89s10]

Too bad you are selling. That looks in fantastic shape!


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

yeah it’s in great shape. reorganizing my shop. making a tool wall for a lot of my regularly used tools like wrenches, measuring, T handle allens, nut drivers, screwdrivers, punches, etc. I have a 20x20 and floor space is a premium. I might actually even sell my early 2000s craftsman stack and get a US general 44 bottom box only.

 

[bagged89s10]

Hey, I put that on my eBay watch list a couple days ago!







.

 

[mikeinri]

yeah it’s in great shape. reorganizing my shop. making a tool wall for a lot of my regularly used tools like wrenches, measuring, T handle allens, nut drivers, screwdrivers, punches, etc. I have a 20x20 and floor space is a premium. I might actually even sell my early 2000s craftsman stack and get a US general 44 bottom box only.

Is that original, or did you restore it? Beautiful piece, either way!

Mike

 

[taumac]

yeah it’s in great shape. reorganizing my shop. making a tool wall for a lot of my regularly used tools like wrenches, measuring, T handle allens, nut drivers, screwdrivers, punches, etc. I have a 20x20 and floor space is a premium. I might actually even sell my early 2000s craftsman stack and get a US general 44 bottom box only.

I saw that on FB. The stack is in great shape. I really like having a bottom only and top surface on top. You might wanna look into a 56 as the 44 has a lot shallow drawers but it does have best add on capabilities. I

I’ve considered painting mine to match the gray/red color scheme.

 

[z1kzonly]

Love the idea with the track lighting. I graduated High School in 1976. My Mom bought me this red set, top & bottom, I added the middle a few years ago, nice to see they kept the same dimensions. So, only 43-44 yrs. old. Very sentimental! As I lost my Dad in 1972, and most of his tools are in there. Plus each sticker and decal has a story & memory

 

[z1kzonly]

Reason I signed on is. I lost one of those little clips that go on side of the sliding track for the drawers. Almost looks like a women's bobby pin / hair clip. I did not search ebay, our local Sears hardware stores closed up in my area. Just need 1.
Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[mikeinri]

If all else fails, can you take out another and copy it (or have it copied at a machine shop)?

Mike

 

[taumac]

Reason I signed on is. I lost one of those little clips that go on side of the sliding track for the drawers. Almost looks like a women's bobby pin / hair clip. I did not search ebay, our local Sears hardware stores closed up in my area. Just need 1.
Thanks in advance for any info.

Call Waterloo but a simple fix is to use a zip tie and much sure where it locks is between drawer slide and drawer.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[consti2tion]

Reason I signed on is. I lost one of those little clips that go on side of the sliding track for the drawers. Almost looks like a women's bobby pin / hair clip. I did not search ebay, our local Sears hardware stores closed up in my area. Just need 1.
Thanks in advance for any info.

My 3 boxes and work bench were missing some as well, if I have 1 left over I will PM you and mail it to you. It's awesome that you still have your original boxes!

 

[Yost]

Here is a nice looking set in Albuquerque if anybody is looking in this area. I don't think I have the space/need for one myself, and at $250 it seems a bit too expensive to make space.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/493283548239408/

 

[DFB]

Well I sanded my chest down last night. I haven't paid any close attention to it before this and its just sat in the garage since I bought last summer as I was busy.

So looks like its been painted once before. The gray was a deeper and darker. Under the lid had not been repainted as was the original lighter hammered gray finish. The drawers are all still original.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=7977770&postcount=373

Kind of liked the shade of straight gray it was in general...decisions, decisions.

One neat thing I discovered was the key from old 26" red and black tower 80's vintage fits the lock

 

[bagged89s10]

Is that original, or did you restore it? Beautiful piece, either way!

Mike

original. thanks

 

[consti2tion]

Got the top chest done, just need to find a badge for it. I found the date. But it only has the year? 1975

 

[RubiconJK]

Got the top chest done, just need to find a badge for it. I found the date. But it only has the year? 1975

Looks great!

 

[WagonHo!]

Give ecosta@777gmail a private email, he makes those chevron badges for sale.

 

[jjssdd]

Great toolboxes- mine is 40 years young . With some care will most likely last the next generation .

 

[consti2tion]

Looks great!

Thank you! I'm pretty happy with it, now if I could only figure out how to cut drawer liner square..

Thank you WagonHo! I will message him.

 

[redcodefsu]

I just picked up the bottom box last week. It doesn't have any rust so I'm just going to leave it as is. I cleaned up the top box awhile back with regal red and hammered gray Rustoleum.

 

[consti2tion]

I just picked up the bottom box last week. It doesn't have any rust so I'm just going to leave it as is. I cleaned up the top box awhile back with regal red and hammered gray Rustoleum.

Looking good! I look forward to finding one I don’t have to repaint!

 

[taumac]

Looking good! I look forward to finding one I don’t have to repaint!

Those come with hefty price tags but there’s some still out there.

 

[consti2tion]

Those come with hefty price tags but there’s some still out there.

The few I’ve seen the owners are proud of.

The wife told me I have to lay off the toolbox purchases until we get this house sold and move into something else that either has a bigger shop or we build a bigger shop. My 20x30 is over capacity haha!

 

[DFB]

Man some of you guys have it easy for a "resto"

Mine is so heavy with grease and oil must have been in a repair shop

Sanded off all the old paint yesterday. Removed and polished up the side handles today, pulled out all the drawers somebody spilled something yellow..paint maybe? headscrat in one drawerand scrapped all that out. Wiped down the inside bottom with my parts cleaner fluid Crown PSC 1000 was coated with oil :;eyecrazy:

Anyhow well on my way.

Like the old style drawer slides a lot. They will all come out to get cleaned next

 

[consti2tion]

Man some of you guys have it easy for a "resto"



Mine is so heavy with grease and oil must have been in a repair shop



Sanded off all the old paint yesterday. Removed and polished up the side handles today, pulled out all the drawers somebody spilled something yellow..paint maybe? headscrat in one drawerand scrapped all that out. Wiped down the inside bottom with my parts cleaner fluid Crown PSC 1000 was coated with oil :;eyecrazy:



Anyhow well on my way.



Like the old style drawer slides a lot. They will all come out to get cleaned next

My drawer slides were caked in grease/oil but the insides of the drawers weren’t bad at all. Nothing a lot of LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner/degreaser, stiff bristled brush and a pressure washer couldn’t get off, haha! I didn’t do some crazy full resto on mine though.

Looking forward to your finished project!

 

[DFB]

I'm in a bind for any spray bombing right now as it's too cold to anything outdoor and will be too much odor in my basement garage.

I may have to pace my project to get the results I want

Just curious has anyone ever brushed on the Rustoleum Hammer Gray with any decent results :

 

[DFB]

Okay making some progress

Got the box all primed and waiting on the Hammered Gray to be delivered. Had to order it online thru Amazon could find none local anywhere I looked

There's a few dings in the box just on the back mostly. I debated smoothing them out with some filler but decided against it and left them for character

Did the drawers over...and the Rustoleum Sunrise Red is a very very good match for the original IMO.

The back edge of the deep bottom drawer was pretty crinkled up, probably by closing the lid without it being shut tightly. Straightened it best I could with a hammer and block of wood.

 

[DFB]

Oh almost forgot...did the name badge over too!

 

[taumac]

I'm in a bind for any spray bombing right now as it's too cold to anything outdoor and will be too much odor in my basement garage.

I may have to pace my project to get the results I want

Just curious has anyone ever brushed on the Rustoleum Hammer Gray with any decent results :

I don’t think they make it in antique pewter which is the match to original. I havnt shopped for paint in few years.

 

[DFB]

I don’t think they make it in antique pewter which is the match to original. I havnt shopped for paint in few years.

Antique Pewter hey. I will have to look for that.

Seems that Hammerd Gray has often come recommend in these Craftsman restoration threads.



This box was already painted over once it was a med/dk gray, the original paint was still in the bottom of the box and under the lid. It was much lighter almost silvery looking.

Curious now if the Pewter light or darker than the gray?

Actually just on a personal note I was generally ok with the darker look the box had when I got it. As long it finishes couple shades darker than that primer and with the hammered look I'm hoping I'll be good

 

[consti2tion]

Looking great DFB. You’re making good progress now.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

A very late 12/76. I think they switched not long after this was built .. the slides are painted black which is characteristic of the red and charcoal stacks with rectangular logo



Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

I'd venture to say there's not many boxes like that out there Smokes. You ****.

Great complement from the great jocosawdust [emoji23] on a serious note, it is the only transitional logo, 12 drawer , red and grey that I know of but I would love to be proven wrong!


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Here is a 12x12 rectangular badged red & gray I plucked off the local C/L this afternoon. The roller is dated 12/76 and the Chest 01/77, the year I graduated HS. The chest does have the black slides but the rollers slides are silver. The chest is really straight and the paint not all that bad....the roller on the other hand is straight but has the worst spray bomb paint job ever. I hope it will wipe off with some lacquer thinner. Not sure what happened there. A few pics of the new stack and the last one of my few years older chevron badged red & gray 12x12 stack. Ed.

 

[DFB]

Looking at Ed's last photo above I'm curious if anybody knows if there were specific years the badge emblem was to on either the right or left side of the bottom drawer on some of the top chests.

Mine is mounted on the right side but have seen several on the opposite end of the drawer in recent posted photos

Have to say thats quite a custom paint job on the new find

 

[JoCoSawdust]

ORC: What a fantastic find. Hopefully whoever kinda sorta painted the roller did zero prep work and that spray bomb will wipe off OK. The 12 over 12 stack continues to elude me.

DFB: I thought I had the issue of what side the emblem was when worked out with the Chevron logos from the catalogs until somebody here posted one that violated the rule. Catalogs show the Chevron on the right side through 70 then over to the left after that. No clue on the rectangular logos. Sometimes I think the guys on the assembly line flipped a coin for the day.

 

[taumac]

Looking at Ed's last photo above I'm curious if anybody knows if there were specific years the badge emblem was to on either the right or left side of the bottom drawer on some of the top chests.

Mine is mounted on the right side but have seen several on the opposite end of the drawer in recent posted photos

Have to say thats quite a custom paint job on the new find

IIRC pre 1970 toolboxs have badge on right and after had them mounted on left.

 

[taumac]

ORC: What a fantastic find. Hopefully whoever kinda sorta painted the roller did zero prep work and that spray bomb will wipe off OK. The 12 over 12 stack continues to elude me.

DFB: I thought I had the issue of what side the emblem was when worked out with the Chevron logos from the catalogs until somebody here posted one that violated the rule. Catalogs show the Chevron on the right side through 70 then over to the left after that. No clue on the rectangular logos. Sometimes I think the guys on the assembly line flipped a coin for the day.

I posted before reading your comment. Yes around 1970 they switch sides. I can’t remember the one that violated that rule. Everytime you think you figure it out one pops up that changes things but at least we got a general idea of things.

 

[RubiconJK]

Here is a 12x12 rectangular badged red & gray I plucked off the local C/L this afternoon. The roller is dated 12/76 and the Chest 01/77, the year I graduated HS. The chest does have the black slides but the rollers slides are silver. The chest is really straight and the paint not all that bad....the roller on the other hand is straight but has the worst spray bomb paint job ever. I hope it will wipe off with some lacquer thinner. Not sure what happened there. A few pics of the new stack and the last one of my few years older chevron badged red & gray 12x12 stack. Ed.

Great find! Congrats.

 

[JoCoSawdust]

I posted before reading your comment. Yes around 1970 they switch sides. I can’t remember the one that violated that rule. Everytime you think you figure it out one pops up that changes things but at least we got a general idea of things.

I think changes generally occurred the year prior to a catalog change, which would make sense. I have a 10d date stamped 68 with the whiskey drawer handle up top while the 68 catalog shows it centered until 69. Likewise, the catalogs show the Crown logo appear on AMD boxes in 59 only yet there's AMD boxes stamped 58 with Crowns on them. That's my best guess at the moment.