Vintage & home made auto body tools

[Camerl2009]

Let's see your vintage and or homemade auto body tools.

Little background I grew up in a body shop and I'm a 3rd generation auto body technician(dad did it for 25 years and my grandpa did it probably around 50 I started helping dad and grandpa around the age of 6).
love seeing the tools we never really used anymore let's see them hammers dollies bullseye picks ect.

I only have one vintage hammer currently and other then polishing and modifying some cheap hammers and dollies I dont have much.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a Fairmount hammer head that I put a new handle on. Most of the dollies I’ve found are unmarked.
-Don

 

[lilredex]

Have a few auto body solder paddles, shop made about fiftty years ago........they don't see much use these days.

 

[snapmom]

A Blue Point (probably a HB253) with a 24 inch snap on handle.

 

[Camerl2009]

Have a few auto body solder paddles, shop made about fiftty years ago........they don't see much use these days.

No they dont that's for sure.
i can do body solder grandpa taught me out of boredom on some scrap.

Out of the factory's even until the 80's the window channels and roof seams had body solder fox body mustang are anyway.

 

[Camerl2009]

A Blue Point (probably a HB253) with a 24 inch snap on handle.

That's beautiful wish they made them like that now hard to find good hammers

 

[Camerl2009]

I'm looking at making a few hammers for myself but it's on the bottom of a list of stuff I got to do. I don't do it for a living anymore so not a huge deal.

 

[d42jeep]

Here are some tools I keep handy, mostly for working on toolboxes.
-Don

 

[Camerl2009]

Here are some tools I keep handy, mostly for working on toolboxes.
-Don

I like the curved dollie on the right.

Makes me want to go to the heavy plate company here and see what they got for scraps

 

[4lug39]

I haven't used them much over the past few years but I have held on to them just in case. My dollies were buried in the box behind the frame so I couldn't put my hands on them.

 

[Camerl2009]

I got plans for a bullseye pick that I think I have some slavaged round bar sitting around.

When it comes to work in the shop now a days we barely use hammers and dollies anymore and forget about heat shrinking on modern vehicles.
But I'm the kind of guy that likes to take my time and get the metal as close as possible to avoid using too much filler.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I'll have to get out in the garage tomorrow and snap some pics. I have some older stuff.

 

[don long]

I was a bodyman back in the 60's - 80's and owned and operated shops for 20 years after that. I loved the trade
As a young man I was introduced to Snap on tools and loved the feel of that Snap-on hammer handle in my hand and still do today as I play in my garage with my OLD tools

Here is a shot of my autobody tool cupboard

 

[don long]

I also collect old blackhawk porto powers and tool boxes that were used before my time in the shops

 

[Camerl2009]

I also collect old blackhawk porto powers and tool boxes that were used before my time in the shops

Love the second pic has the 50's early 60's were going to space feel

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Here's my body shop tool drawers.

 

[Camerl2009]

The only vintage hammer I have currently and she needs some work but looks decent no makers name.

 

[Camerl2009]

Well let’s bump this up since I may be working in this industry again this time for a restoration/custom shop. I finally get to be a real panel beater hopefully and not just a filler applyer/sander. I also acquired a vintage adjustable body file this year.

 

[driftpin]

My friend who is now deceased was a body shop guy who put himself through college doing that in Michigan in the sixties and early seventies

His widow who is a friend of ours still has all his body shop tools and an old porta power. When he stopped doing that work he gave me his DA and a long pneumatic sander.

 

[Camerl2009]

My friend who is now deceased was a body shop guy who put himself through college doing that in Michigan in the sixties and early seventies

His widow who is a friend of ours still has all his body shop tools and an old porta power. When he stopped doing that work he gave me his DA and a long pneumatic sander.

We call the long straight sanders air files. My neghibor has a vintage one of those that I have been trying to get off of him since I don’t have one and need one. Most of the work I have done in the past was by hand my new DA barely has any hours on it. it was also modern work on modern cars and I didn’t really like it it was basically do the bare minimum to get them out the door. These guys seem to want stuff near perfect before any filler is applied and that’s something I walkways liked doing.

 

[d42jeep]

I usually pick up these hammers when I see them at estate sales. The handle was tight but it was covered in some kind of tar-like substance that took quite a while to remove.
-Don

 

[Camerl2009]

I usually pick up these hammers when I see them at estate sales. The handle was tight but it was covered in some kind of tar-like substance that took quite a while to remove.
-Don

Probably seam sealer or window putty both never fully harden.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I picked this up on ebay this week. Steck Sidewinder. They don't make or sell it anymore so I assume it wasn't much of a hit. Anyone ever use/own one?

 

[Camerl2009]

I picked this up on ebay this week. Steck Sidewinder. They don't make or sell it anymore so I assume it wasn't much of a hit. Anyone ever use/own one?

If it does what it’s supposed to I could have used one a few times.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

If it does what it’s supposed to I could have used one a few times.

My best guess as to how it works is basically you rough cut out a quarter panel with an air chisel. Then you drill out the flange spot welds and you ratchet this along that flange and it peels it off. I always just used a Seam Buster. Either way it's cool!

 

[thehorse13]

I'm unsure how I missed this thread. I have a bunch of mixed match body hammers and dollies but this NOS 1970s 9 piece set with original documentation is the nicest that I have. I'm unsure who the maker is but they are marked made in the USA. If I had to throw a guess, it would be Fairmount.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Wow that's a nice set.

 

[Jacobs976]

Recently got this lot in and just finished cleaning them up a bit. Some could use resurfacing (nothing is polished anymore but nothing that'd cause issues either) and some of the hammers could use new handles(they show their age).

Left top is a mystery dolly. Haven't seen one like it before, no markings as far as I can see.
Next is a Fairmount 1067 claw dolly.
Mystery ball peen(no visible stampings on head or handle, 40-48oz)
Mac handled Channelock cold chisel(was in the body hammer drawer but haven't heard of them being used for body work).
Top right down is Stanley(SO handle)
Unknown(SO handle)
Snap On
Snap On
Mac
Unknown brass(marked 1)
Unknown brass(probably homemade, steel rod handle)

Currently working through cleaning a pile of stuff taking up most of my office floor but I'll have a bunch more body tools coming up soon. Plus some instruction sheets for some of the stuff which are kinda cool.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Nice lot. I've never heard of it being called a claw dolly, only called a comma dolly as it looks like a comma when it's on its side. Can't wait to see what else you have. If you ever want to let go of any stuff, I collect auto body tools. Let me know.

 

[Jim greengo]

My Dad was a blacksmith/boilermaker/spring maker for 30 plus years.
He always said: a blacksmith will make a tool,to make a tool to make a part.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

I picked this up on ebay this week. Steck Sidewinder. They don't make or sell it anymore so I assume it wasn't much of a hit. Anyone ever use/own one?

How it was supposed to work was after trimming say a 1/4 panel that was to be replaced with a zip gun/air hammer with a panel cutter bit, you would be left with the flange where the spot welds were attached. Theoretically you would then grab what was left of the flange in the slotted part of the tool and using a ratchet, curl the flange over separating what's left of the panel from the underside leaving only the spot weld nuggets which would then get ground off. Sounds good in theory, didn't work as well in practice. I had one many years ago when I was starting out. More often than not the piece you grabbed with the tool would tear before it separated the spot weld. Tried it a few times then chucked it into my box never to be used again.

 

[Jacobs976]

Nice lot. I've never heard of it being called a claw dolly, only called a comma dolly as it looks like a comma when it's on its side.

Claw was a misnomer, I tend to forget names and went with claw because the shape reminded me of a cats claw when I was writing up the lot.

Can't wait to see what else you have.

Hoping the rest is interesting but a lot of it I only have minimal to no knowledge of how it was used or what it even is. Spent an hour trying to figure out a door hinge tool set (not body tool but the lot came with tools for various disassembly work too) the other day before I finally found the instructions.

If you ever want to let go of any stuff, I collect auto body tools. Let me know.

Will do. At the moment I'm mainly just collecting a set of hammers and dollies so a lot won't be staying around after I go through everything.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

How it was supposed to work was after trimming say a 1/4 panel that was to be replaced with a zip gun/air hammer with a panel cutter bit, you would be left with the flange where the spot welds were attached. Theoretically you would then grab what was left of the flange in the slotted part of the tool and using a ratchet, curl the flange over separating what's left of the panel from the underside leaving only the spot weld nuggets which would then get ground off. Sounds good in theory, didn't work as well in practice. I had one many years ago when I was starting out. More often than not the piece you grabbed with the tool would tear before it separated the spot weld. Tried it a few times then chucked it into my box never to be used again.

I imagine it would also bend the flanges that the old panel is welded to as well before the spot welds separated. I really don't see the advantage of using this tool which why it probably didn't catch on. It's easier to use a panel separator or chisel.

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Claw was a misnomer, I tend to forget names and went with claw because the shape reminded me of a cats claw when I was writing up the lot.

Hoping the rest is interesting but a lot of it I only have minimal to no knowledge of how it was used or what it even is. Spent an hour trying to figure out a door hinge tool set (not body tool but the lot came with tools for various disassembly work too) the other day before I finally found the instructions.

Will do. At the moment I'm mainly just collecting a set of hammers and dollies so a lot won't be staying around after I go through everything.

Door hinge tool would definitely be a body tool in my book. Definitely interested in seeing what else you have! Definitely let me know and don't hesitate to ask if you are unsure of what a tool is/does.

 

[Ricky Joe]

.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

I always called this a comma

Not sure what that is, never seen one like that before. Here is what a classic comma dolly looks like.
This:



Or this:

 

[NYBODYMAN]

I always called this a comma

I've never seen one like this either. Looks very narrow.
@Ricky Joe I've messaged you several times about the body tools. Are you still interested in selling?

 

[Movin/on]

Local guy here cleans out after estate sales and only focuses on garages and shops.
We trade back and forth so he gave me a box of body dollies.
I soaked them in vinegar for a few days then wire wheeled them, Still another 20 or so still soaking but those are nothing special.
Upper right is one I made to mount in a vice, it matches the inside of a Ford FE round top stamped steel VC.
Movin/on

 

[NYBODYMAN]

Awesome. I see three that I don't have and need to add to my ever growing list. Can't wait to see the rest.

 

[Jacobs976]

Here's another part of my lot. Haven't got much done the past few days because of work but here's a few files(one new in box, all soaked in oil but loose ones could use a few drags across a sacrificial board or something to clear up gunk) and a Snap On A159 door handle tool and Bluepoint YA 811 windshield wiper arm remover.