EDITED PIC. And I got it. All American tool chest made by Waterloo info please.

[CalsXS2]

I know Waterloo made boxes for a lot of the big names back in the 70's. Are there any differences in quality depending on who's name is on the box? Was there a lower level build so to speak? Or are they all the same?

What are some of the name brands they made them for.

My friend has a gray colored "All American" branded version set up he is selling for $200. Made in 70 something. It's in really nice condition. Could I swap labels and now I have a Craftsman or Cornwell, or who ever else,,,lol. Not that I would do that. Just saying.

I don't need a top quality box. Just random storage in my basement shop that will seldom get used.

EDITED:
Here's the actual box in question since some of you guy skipped over the part saying the red box pictured before was a random internet pic,,,,lol.

Is it worth $200?

Thanks for any info.

 

[mike93lx]

If you like it, it serves your needs and $200 works, go for it. Toolbox prices vary a lot around the country as do how much effort people will put in to get them.

Hard to regret it at that price if it does what you want

 

[Schurkey]

Waterloo had multiple "levels" of quality. They made everything from "homeowner" bottom-end stuff, to genuine "professional" grade.

I'd pay $200 for that. I'd pay $200 for just the bottom roll-cab. I'd use it in place of a "tool cart"--a temporary job-centric box that's easy to push around the driveway.

I have a NAPA-branded version of a Waterloo Magnum Plus series. Inherited it from Grand-Dad, complete with sets of tools, many of which were missing or broken by people that Grand-Dad should never have allowed to use his stuff. I cleaned it out, rebuilt the drawer slides, (two pair need replacement, and they are NOT available) and replaced most of the destroyed tools.

 

[CalsXS2]

The one picture is not it. It's random pic off the net.

 

[RTM]

Here is some help from the past

What names have Waterloo boxes been re-badged under?

over the years...?

www.garagejournal.com

The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

Just picked this S-K machinist box and contents at auction, had one S-K Wayne socket, a couple VV and V craftsman wrenches, some bits and taps and all kinds of other things. I pulled the drawers to dump the dirt out and found the owners Kelvinator AMC employee badge and a check stub from...

www.garagejournal.com

The VINTAGE toolboxes of Garage Journal!

Nice Timm! Did you have you add a spacer for the bottom drawer to clear? I like how you have the spud wrench in there handy. For a welding fab cart, that makes good sense! I stuck on in my Samurai so it's handy to align the trailer receiver hitch, and more importantly for my trailer with the...

www.garagejournal.com

I found a carry box in a second hand store, quality and weight were OK, nothing stellar.

 

[Lesserstore]

The "All American" line was a homeowner grade line from Waterloo. I bought a 2 drawer carry box in December 2023. Wish I remember how I found out it was their budget line though.
Yours just by looking looks a lot nicer than homeowner grade.

 

[CalsXS2]

So I bought this for $200. I hope it's worth it.

That being said you don't get much for $200 in my area. Let alone an all matching 3 box combo. WITH KEYS!! No one seems to have keys,,,,lol.

I don't know if this a lower home owner grade or not. But is seems stiffer than the modern Husky 46'' box I have. But I'll measure the thickness's tomorrow. Maybe the 1972 home owner level was better than today's stuff? Doesn't matter. It will suit me just fine.

I'm surprised at how tall it is. It's 69''. I have to stand on my tip toes to see in the top box. So I'm either going to have to remove the middle box, or the casters?

What I really like about it is could have just as easily been a Craftsman. Which would go perfect with my 1972 (IIRC) Craftsman metal lathe. I think I might throw some Craftsman stickers over the All American badges just for fun. Not to try and fool anyone. But just to please me,,,lol.

I'll add a pic of my Craftsman lathe. I think the tool box needs matching Craftsman logo's,,,lol.

 

[PoorUB]

I have a Proto tool box set exactly like that, excluding the center section. I bought mine new around 1980.

 

[sk farmer]

thats a cool box and you can obviously do what you want.

in my eyes, what makes it real cool is its uniqueness. i have no issue with cman stuff. i have much of it but disguising those cool vintage boxes with cman stickers just doesn't seem right.

 

[rust in the eye]

Looks very well cared for.
$200? Yeah, all day long. It's utility value exceeds that and the look is cool.
If you change your mind you can drop it at my door, I'd be happy to fork over $200 for that.

 

[ecotec]

I think that is totally worth $200, especially with the middle box.

Go get a few rolls of drawer liner, and get to work.

 

[Mr_B]

In that sort of condition and for 3 matching pieces it worth the 200 bucks as it tidy enough use with minor fiddling .
I bought old MAC branded ones use as consumables and hardware storage, they great for sensible money and good bit of nostalgia with them and more rewarding than using cheap modern made garbage .

 

[CalsXS2]

What would you guys do?

Man this thing is tall with that middle box. You'd have to be well over 6' just to see inside the top. It's in my basement shop that has a dropped ceiling. When I open the lid it barely scrapes the ceiling tiles. I'm not so much worried about the ceiling but sure don't want to be wearing the paint off the box.

As is, access to the very top is not user friendly.

OPTIONS:
1. Leave the lid closed all the time. Just don't put anything, or something very seldom used in the top. But I would need to knock (I HOPE) the pins out of the drawer locks bars and remove them so the drawers will open. It's not like I'm desperate for storage space.

2. The easist solution is simply use the middle box somewhere else. But that kills the uniqness of the whole thing. I hate to do that.

3. Remove the casters. This will make it 4.5'' lower. Top access solved. But now obviously I can's move it. And it would be sitting on concrete. I think I could just use some plastic shims to keep it from actually touching the concrete. Maybe put oil, grease, or something on the bottom to keep it from rusting? Maybe even some kind of coating like flex seal?

So any suggetions?

Here's a pic showing the cover open on the middle box showing the drawers. And a pic of the lock bars. I gotta get a better look to make sure I could just knock out the pins?

 

[1982fxr]

Put the middle and top on a bench or something. Use roller separate and reclaim lost bench top space on top of the bottom box?

 

[sk farmer]

i would just use the top for big stuff. cases, less likely used items. maybe make a slanted board and make a charging station. they have been together this long. shame to break em up,

i have also seen people build a step and leave in place or slide underneath.

 

[nutjob]

How about a step? The top of my box is 72" and this step works fine.

Kevin

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

I would use it like a SO box where the drawers are a step ladder.. that seems to be all the rage nowadays.

If you can weld you could build a dropped frame for the box to sit in/on and move the casters to the outside. That would solve the hitting the ceiling issue.

 

[RTM]

So any suggetions?

Grow taller

Move to a house with a taller basement

Raise your house.

I think the other suggestions are all better than mine.

Oh, and very nice get for $200. Very nice and unique looking.

 

[rust in the eye]

If you have the drawers open a bit before closing the lid they won't be locked. They won't slide in quite all the way either but maybe a good compromise.

 

[Chipm]

So I bought this for $200. I hope it's worth it.

That being said you don't get much for $200 in my area. Let alone an all matching 3 box combo. WITH KEYS!! No one seems to have keys,,,,lol.

I don't know if this a lower home owner grade or not. But is seems stiffer than the modern Husky 46'' box I have. But I'll measure the thickness's tomorrow. Maybe the 1972 home owner level was better than today's stuff? Doesn't matter. It will suit me just fine.

I'm surprised at how tall it is. It's 69''. I have to stand on my tip toes to see in the top box. So I'm either going to have to remove the middle box, or the casters?

What I really like about it is could have just as easily been a Craftsman. Which would go perfect with my 1972 (IIRC) Craftsman metal lathe. I think I might throw some Craftsman stickers over the All American badges just for fun. Not to try and fool anyone. But just to please me,,,lol.

I'll add a pic of my Craftsman lathe. I think the tool box needs matching Craftsman logo's,,,lol.

Looks like a nice box. Congrats!

 

[hailwood1965]

Looks like a Huot; made in Minnie.

 

[CalsXS2]

Looks like a Huot; made in Minnie.

I wished,,,lol.

 

[CalsXS2]

You guys came up with some great ideas. Thanks

I was dog tired last night after driving a hour each way to get the box. Got in just before 9:00. But I just had to get that thing in the basement to see how it looked.

Here's what's funny. After seeing it hit the ceiling I did in fact grab my little step stool to have a closer look to see how bad it was hitting. It never even dawned on me that that could be a permenite fix to see in the top,,,,lol. Hey I was tired.

I also just tried the not pushing the drawer in all the way and close the lid. Yup. Thought that was a winner. Then I got to looking at the ceiling tiles. The one that's rubbing is sagged down between the metal runners. So I just shimmed it up on each side with a carpenters pencil and no more rubbing!

Sometimes it's best just to not mess with stuff when you're tired,,,lol.

Only one mysterious issue to solve now. Suddenly the top drawer on the bottom box won't open. I know for a fact it did work because I checked them all many times. And that's where the guy kept the keys. Glad I left them out last night.

Just two more things.

1. What are you using for drawer liners? Something from Harbor Freight maybe? Amazon?

2. What should I use to lube the friction slides. I think I read about something called door slide or something?

Thanks for all the help

 

[Cruzan80]

Make sure the trapdoor is pushed all the way back, and try the roller again. If the rest of the drawers were open slightly, and the trapdoor was moved forward at all, it would drop the lock bar and "capture" any drawers that were fully shut (in this case, possibly only the top one).

 

[CalsXS2]

Make sure the trapdoor is pushed all the way back, and try the roller again. If the rest of the drawers were open slightly, and the trapdoor was moved forward at all, it would drop the lock bar and "capture" any drawers that were fully shut (in this case, possibly only the top one).

Thanks Cruz. You nailed it.

The lock bar is a little sticky and needs lubed. I think it gets stuck sometimes maybe.

Does the trap door need to stay opened for the drawers open? Just like the top box lid is supposed to be opened for the those drawers to open.

Thanks

 

[Cruzan80]

Either the trapdoor open, or the drawers pulled out slightly and then the trapdoor closed (dropping the lockbar) so it can't grab the drawers. In the second case the drawers "look" closed, but are not secured.

 

[RTM]

Either the trapdoor open, or the drawers pulled out slightly and then the trapdoor closed (dropping the lockbar) so it can't grab the drawers. In the second case the drawers "look" closed, but are not secured.

On my Blackhawk roller box (1969 vintage) the drawer back loops were all bent from being closed while the lock was down. PO added a bar and padlock to compensate. I rebent the loops open, and the built in lock worked again

 

[Cruzan80]

Sounds like a PO tried to repeatedly shut the drawers hard when the lock bar was down.

So Caveat: If you go with method 2 above, don't slam the drawers against the lock bar!

 

[alinc100]

1. What are you using for drawer liners? Something from Harbor Freight maybe? Amazon?

2. What should I use to lube the friction slides. I think I read about something called door slide or something?

Thanks for all the help

The best lube we've found so far is Edge Cutting/tap wax ( not cheap but a lifetime supply)

Lps Tapmatic Edge Lube, Direct Application Cutting Lubricant, 13 oz Container, Solid, Tube, White 43200 | Zoro

Order Lps Tapmatic Edge Lube, Direct Application Cutting Lubricant, 13 oz Container, Solid, Tube, White, 43200 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

www.zoro.com

Drawer liner wise I keep buying this one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFQK12SH?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Lassen Forge]

My C'man Waterloos (I have 2 bottoms and 2 tops) are all different - especially the bottoms, as one has the big covered "power tool" bottom, the other is all sliders. Over the past, what, 5 decades (damn, it's been that long?? ) they've been abused, so a few years back doing their 2-3 year clean and lube, while I had the drawers and sliders out, I got into the locks, unpinched the hooks on the lock bars and opened up the smashed loops on the drawers - it was nice to actually have it all work again... 2 totally different mechanisms, tho - one triggered off the top drawer, the other off the cover for the "power tool" compartment.

By the way - a word of warning - the sliders on these things are sharp sharp as hell - I always end up with a slice or 2 off them, no matter how careful I am. Wish I could have afforded rollers, but that was more like SO territory back then - out of this kid's price range by a mile. Also, someone has the retention clips for the sliders/drawers - not only do they fly (constant PITA), they also got a little more brittle over the decades,,, so it's worth it to pick up extras - someone has them on line, can't remember who, but I picked up a bunch before making the jump here...

Oh yeah - drawer liners? Don't laugh, I bouught a few yoga mats (the closed cell rubber kind) and they worked good. At first, I had Indoor-outdoor carpet, but they got rotted out and fell apart - if I was REALLY cool I'd find some backed felt (like a machine shop cabinet), but I ain't that schmancy fancy.

 

[CalsXS2]

My C'man Waterloos (I have 2 bottoms and 2 tops) are all different - especially the bottoms, as one has the big covered "power tool" bottom, the other is all sliders. Over the past, what, 5 decades (damn, it's been that long?? ) they've been abused, so a few years back doing their 2-3 year clean and lube, while I had the drawers and sliders out, I got into the locks, unpinched the hooks on the lock bars and opened up the smashed loops on the drawers - it was nice to actually have it all work again... 2 totally different mechanisms, tho - one triggered off the top drawer, the other off the cover for the "power tool" compartment.

By the way - a word of warning - the sliders on these things are sharp sharp as hell - I always end up with a slice or 2 off them, no matter how careful I am. Wish I could have afforded rollers, but that was more like SO territory back then - out of this kid's price range by a mile. Also, someone has the retention clips for the sliders/drawers - not only do they fly (constant PITA), they also got a little more brittle over the decades,,, so it's worth it to pick up extras - someone has them on line, can't remember who, but I picked up a bunch before making the jump here...

Oh yeah - drawer liners? Don't laugh, I bouught a few yoga mats (the closed cell rubber kind) and they worked good. At first, I had Indoor-outdoor carpet, but they got rotted out and fell apart - if I was REALLY cool I'd find some backed felt (like a machine shop cabinet), but I ain't that schmancy fancy.

Man it nice to grab some of those clips. I all ready thought I broke one. But I was just putting it on backwards,,,lol.

Please try to remember where you got them. Thanks