Kit Wrenches, Auto Kit and others

disston · Feb 27, 2017

I have a small collection of wrenches made for carrying in one's automobile. I think these were a popular kit sold to owners of cars many years ago. The oldest may be the Auto-Kit set. I've seen old ads for them but don't know of the history myself.

The fact they are made with Vanadium Steel makes me think they were made by Henry Ford. Not too sure about that.

Individual wrenches are often found in piles of leftovers. I have a couple. But to be truly a complete set you need the special conical screw and nut that holds the kit together.

I have several other wrench kits but none I think are as old as this set. I'll post some more if you like.

Charlie

bill300d · Feb 27, 2017

Made by J P Danielson. Yours are patent pending so more than likely made before 1937. Patent no. is 2,083,131.

d42jeep · Feb 28, 2017

I just so happen to have a Barcalo set, not too surprisingly.
-Don

four.cycle · Feb 28, 2017

Your "Auto Kit 100" wrenches above were made by J.P. Danielson, as mentioned above.

Not to be confused with "Auto Tool Kit", which was apparently a catch-all term used for the various tool sets supplied with new automobiles or sold separately.

1905 Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal Boyle Parvo ad pp 213.jpg

1914 Cray Bros. Cray Auto Tool Kit ad pp 323.jpg

1914 Cray Bros. Cray Auto Tool kit ad pp 324.jpg

1917 Pacific Hardware & Steel Co. catalog Automobile Tool Kit ad pp 1499.jpg

disston said:
But to be truly a complete set you need the special conical screw and nut that holds the kit together.

Some were supplied with a "stepped" screw and a round knurled nut. (Not sure if that was Danielson or not.)

Corndoggeh · Feb 28, 2017

I find it intriguing how manufacturers don't include basic toolkits in vehicles anymore besides a tire iron and scissor jack.

disston · Feb 28, 2017

I notice in the pics with the old Auto-Kit wrenches they all have round nuts. Mine has a square nut. Fits well.

Have to find the other sets I have now. Seems to have disappeared just when I was looking for them.

gungatim · Feb 28, 2017

Corndoggeh said:
I find it intriguing how manufacturers don't include basic toolkits in vehicles anymore besides a tire iron and scissor jack.

some do.

wife's '97 Mercedes has a factory tool kit; screwdriver, pliers, wrenches, special tool for lowering the top if the hydraulics fail, and I forget what else all in a nice roll.

my vette came with a snap-on made ratchet with fixed torx bit for removing the top as well...I believe some other European cars came with tool kits through the '00's as well...

OP: pretty cool set of wrenches. I have not seen them before but will keep my eye out for them. I do have a pretty small collection of vintage tire pumps from the 20's/30's, a few of which I believe came with the vehicles, as well as several "Ford" wrenches and pliers...yours are cooler though!

KZ1000J · Feb 28, 2017

Disston, that's a nice set you have there......I picked up this set just a day before this thread appeared. I liked that it was complete as I have many loose "kit" tools accumulated here and there. The set was priced at $7.50 which was ok with me but I combined it with some other treasures then bargained the lot down some.

bill300d · Feb 28, 2017

Indestro also made their version

bill300d · Feb 28, 2017

This is the patent no. (2083131) for the tapered screw to hold your set together disston.

Cope · Feb 28, 2017

KZ1000J said:
Disston, that's a nice set you have there......I picked up this set just a day before this thread appeared. I liked that it was complete as I have many loose "kit" tools accumulated here and there. The set was priced at $7.50 which was ok with me but I combined it with some other treasures then bargained the lot down some.

Nice set. I had one in Junior High.

Private Lugnutz · Feb 28, 2017

disston said:
The fact they are made with Vanadium Steel makes me think they were made by Henry Ford. Not too sure about that.

Charlie,
First of all, vanadium was a popular and common alloy in rich steel compositions before the war and it was used by all the major tool makers. Secondly, Ford did not manufacture its own on-board toolkit tools. It had a stable of loyal suppliers. Moore and McKaig-Hatch, to name only a couple.

d42jeep said:
..., not too surprisingly.

Hahahaha.

KZ1000J said:
I liked that it was complete as I have many loose "kit" tools accumulated here and there.

Amen to that. I have the KLIP-TITE clip but none of the wrenches. Or maybe a few. I pick up Indestro Select Steel wrenches when I see them if they're wartime Jeep sizes. If they're not, I leave them behind. Would you please list the ISN's on the wrenches in that set? (Edit: Sorry - they're hard to make out in the photo.) I may as well see if I can fill up the clip!

KZ1000J · Feb 28, 2017

Lugz , ISN's....Individual Size Numbers?

7/8 & 13/16
3/4 & 5/8
11/16 & 19/32
9/16 & 1/2
7/16 & 3/8
11/32 & 5/16

Indestro Klip Tite Set 930-6P

disston · Feb 28, 2017

I read a lot but because I have such a poor memory it doesn't do me much good. I remember reading a long time ago that Vanadium Steel was originally a Ford idea. Maybe not Henry hisself but definitely Ford. So then I assume it was adopted by others. Not too sure about this and don't remember the years but I'm thinking early. So yeah, I can see others used Vanadium but...then came WWII and Steel evolved very fast around that time and after.

I have some of those old Ford wrenches. One of the oldest and slowest moving antiques in the tool world in my opinion. I don't have any of the cooler ones tho. Just the common stuff.

I'm not the greatest with Google. Appreciate all the tips about tools on this forum. You guys are the best.

Private Lugnutz · Feb 28, 2017

Thanks, KZ!

Sorry. Industry Standard Number. It's the number on the face of the jaw on the flip from the milled opening sizes. Those numbers were found on DOE and DBE wrenches up through the 1940's.

7/8 & 13/16 = 731B
3/4 & 5/8 = 729
11/16 & 19/32 = 27
9/16 & 1/2 = 725B
7/16 & 3/8 = 723
11/32 & 5/16 = 720

Private Lugnutz · Feb 28, 2017

disston said:
I remember reading a long time ago that Vanadium Steel was originally a Ford idea.

I wouldn't be surprised if steel alloyed with vanadium was used for the Model T, and perhaps it was even one of the earliest applications. But there's a difference between the idea of using a vanadium steel in an early automobile frame and inventing vanadium steel (i.e., designing the metallurgical composition itself). That's all I was trying to point out. Well, that, and the fact that Ford didn't have exclusive rights to the alloy to the extent that wrenches would be associated with Ford.

tym · Feb 28, 2017

Private Lugnutz said:
I pick up Indestro Select Steel wrenches when I see them if they're wartime Jeep sizes. If they're not, I leave them behind. Would you please list the ISN's on the wrenches in that set? (Edit: Sorry - they're hard to make out in the photo.) I may as well see if I can fill up the clip!

Are there any Indestro sizes you're looking for? I've got one or two kicking around here somewhere.

four.cycle · Feb 28, 2017

bill300d said:
Indestro also made their version

Indestro made a similar wrench, but they never referred to it as "Auto Kit", as was done by Danielson. (see also HERE: http://alloy-artifacts.org/danielson-jp-company.html#auto-kit )

They were also apparently referred to as "pump wrenches" (presumably because they were used to remove and install water pumps.)
I have never seen the term "pump wrench" in any catalog, but then, I haven't seen every tool catalog in the world.

bill300d, thanks for digging up that patent number on the holder. It looks like Danielson used a tapered screw with a knurled round nut.
Most of the Indestro sets that I see listed on Ebay have a regular slotted-head machine screw affixed with a stamped wing nut, as can be seen below in one of the examples. I think it's reasonable to assume a good many of the original screws and wing nuts were replaced at some point with off-the-shelf hardware and might not be original.

The Indestro "Klip-Tite" sets of forged open end, combination, and double-end box wrenches used a machine screw with a knurled round head, as shown in the example posted above by KZ1000J (post #8). The earlier "pump wrenches", and low-end stamped steel flat wrenches, were generally put together with a machine screw and wing nut.

Sorry I cannot recall who the maker(s) was on the set(s) that I've seen listed on Ebay that used the "stepped" screw.

Indestro made the "pump wrench" sets in various configurations: 4 piece, 5 piece, and 6 piece sets were available in different size ranges, and individual wrenches were also available. Here are just a couple examples below. (For more photos see the "Indestro Tool Catalog Thread" in the Vintage Tool Forum.)

Private Lugnutz: I am not finding the "pump wrenches" listed in the 1935 catalog. The earliest I have is the snip below from the 1938 Jensen-Byrd Hardware catalog.

Indestro 900 6-pc SAE combination open box end wrench set - 1938 Jensen Byrd Hardware catalog pp.jpg

Indestro 940-5N 940-6N Klip-Tite SAE open-end wrench set - 1938 Jensen Byrd Hardware catalog pp .jpg

Indestro 900-4A 900-4B 900-4C 4-pc SAE combination open box end wrench set - 1948 Indestro catal.jpg

Indestro 900-5A 900-5B 900-5C 5-pc SAE combination open box end wrench set - 1948 Indestro catal.jpg

Indestro 930-6P Klip-Tite wrench set - 1948 Indestro catalog pp 48.jpg

four.cycle · Feb 28, 2017

A couple examples of the Indestro "pump wrench". I cannot match up the 5-piece set to anything listed in any of my catalogs, so I'm just calling it a "5-piece set".

Note that the first set is stamped "Forged U.S.A." on one side, and "Select Steel" on the other side.
The second set is stamped "Made in U.S.A." on one side, and "Drop Forged Select Steel" on the other side.
I have not yet even attempted to ascertain which is the "early" and which is the "late" version. These same "pump wrenches" were also made with the Indestro name on the panel as well (as can be seen in bill300d's example above in post #9), so there are no fewer than three different versions.

Note also the first set has a bright nickel (or chrome) plated and polished finish, and the second set has a dull finish (referred to as "rust proof" in the catalog entry.)
The second set is mis-labeled. It is actually a 0900-4P set, which is the unpolished version. See notes on following page.

Indestro 5 pc SAE combination open box end wrench set 01.jpg

Indestro 5 pc SAE combination open box end wrench set 02.jpg

Indestro 900-4B 4-pc SAE combination open box end wrench set 01.jpg

Indestro 900-4B 4-pc SAE combination open box end wrench set 02.jpg

Indestro 900-4B 4-pc SAE combination open box end wrench set 03 (photo Ebay).jpg

bmw57isetta · Feb 28, 2017

If my memory serves me correctly, Henry Ford got on the vanadium bandwagon with the Model A, front axles specifically. He had been to France and saw a race car that used it extensively and was told the virtues of it. With the Model A being his new kid on the block, that was one of the things he incorporated along with the Zenith carburetor, etc.

leg17 · Mar 1, 2017

Private Lugnutz said:
Thanks, KZ!

Sorry. Industry Standard Number. ..... Those numbers were found on DOE and DBE wrenches up through the 1940's.

7/8 & 13/16 = 731B
3/4 & 5/8 = 729
11/16 & 19/32 = 27
9/16 & 1/2 = 725B
7/16 & 3/8 = 723
11/32 & 5/16 = 720

I believe Williams originated these numbers.
They were a pioneer in standardizing commercially made wrenches.

leg17 · Mar 1, 2017

four.cycle said:
Indestro made a similar wrench, but they never referred to it as "Auto Kit", as was done by Danielson. (see also HERE: http://alloy-artifacts.org/danielson-jp-company.html#auto-kit )

They were also apparently referred to as "pump wrenches" (presumably because they were used to remove and install water pumps.)
I have never seen the term "pump wrench" in any catalog, but then, I haven't seen every tool catalog in the world.

Williams made 'pump' wrenches for a long time.

http://alloy-artifacts.org/williams-supercompany-p3.html

Private Lugnutz · Mar 1, 2017

four.cycle said:
Private Lugnutz: I am not finding the "pump wrenches" listed in the 1935 catalog. The earliest I have is the snip below from the 1938 Jensen-Byrd Hardware catalog.

Four,
It's actually the DOE's I'll be looking for, not the Auto-Kit "pump wrenches". When I asked KZ to list the wrenches in his KLIP-TITE set by ISN, I clearly wasn't expecting the wide variety of sets your catalog excerpt posts above reveal. After checking the empty KLIP-TITE clip I found last year, it turns out to be a 0930-5P.

I'll be looking through your catalog thread to see if I can identify it and the five (5) wrenches it took. (One thing I noticed was the "0" before the set number. That's not shown in the catalogs or on KZ's "930-6P" clip. I'm wondering if it's a model number convention from an earlier or later era.)

Here is the only photo I have of it, taken the day I found it with the other things I found on the same day. Not a very good photo, sorry.

As you know, I mainly collect wartime tools with a military application. But I thought the clip worthy of saving and perhaps one day filling up. I do have a few other similar sets, complete with clips, including a 1930's Vlchek and a 1950's BHM.

tym said:
Are there any Indestro sizes you're looking for? I've got one or two kicking around here somewhere.

Thanks, Tym. I appreciate the thought. I'm a flea market junkie and I run into these all the time. I will probably see how I do on my own. But if I get desperate, I'll get back with you!

Private Lugnutz · Mar 1, 2017

leg17 said:
I believe Williams originated these numbers.

That is correct, but they were broadly adopted. For a sense of how broad, in 1940 when the US Government started ramping up acquisitions for the war, federal specifications for DOE engineer's wrenches actually stipulated that the wrenches have the ISN stamped or forged into it.

leg17 said:
Williams made 'pump' wrenches for a long time.

The variety of early approaches to turning water pump packing nuts is astounding, to include water pump pliers (now more commonly referred to as 'channellocks.')

But I have to admit I'm not seeing the connection with these "Auto-Kit" type wrenches. The sizes don't seem to fit that application.

Corndoggeh · Mar 1, 2017

When they use vanadium in the alloy steel, does it increase rust resistance? Or is it coated with vanadium the same way we chrome things. I am a bit confused because I have some older tools that are vanadium-steel alloy and have not a lick of chipping or rust despite obvious damage/grind marks from being tossed around while we have tools now that are vanadium-steel alloy and are chipping the chroming and are rusting.

vettex2 · Mar 1, 2017

disston said:
Charlie

I'm tempted to go buy a set at HF and drill a hole.

four.cycle · Mar 1, 2017

Private Lugnutz:
If you look at the photo on the previous page you will note that the little clip holder on that wrench set of mine is stamped " 0900-4B ", not " 900-4B ".

The 1959 prices list DOES show both 0900-4B and 900-4B, both appearing on page 37 of the 1959 catalog, both in a standard package of 6. The 0900-4B has a dealer net price of $1.12 and the 900-4B has a dealer net price of $1.53 (plated and polished)
I guess I wasn't really paying close enough attention when I labeled the photos and just ignored the 0 at the front end of the part number.

On your 0930-5P, the item appears on the 1959 price list as a "5 piece engineers wrench set", shown on page 30 of the 1959 catalog, contained in a standard carton of 6, with a dealer net price of $1.31

Also shown in the 1959 price list is a 930-5P, a 5-piece plated and polished head, shown on page 30 of the 1959 catalog, standard package of 6, with a dealer net price of $1.99.

The 1948 price list shows a 930-5P 5-piece "Kliptite" open end wrench set, shown on page 48 of the 1948 catalog, with a list price of $3.40 and a "mechanics net" price of $2.04.
I am not finding a 0930-5P set listed on the 1948 price list.

"Indestro Tool Catalog Thread" HERE:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344222

So thanks for raising that point, because I just learned something.
I've mis-labeled the set on the previous page: it should be labeled 0900-4B, not 900-4B - the 0 at the front end of the part number apparently indicating that it's the unpolished version.

Private Lugnutz said:
I clearly wasn't expecting the wide variety of sets your catalog excerpt posts above reveal.

Neither was I. This is an item I just delved into recently - both of those sets I posted photos of on the previous page were recent Ebay purchases. Previously I hadn't really paid much attention to them.
Those "Klip-Tite" (or "Kliptite", depending upon which price list or catalog you're looking at, apparently) sets came in a multitude of shapes and sizes: the "pump wrenches", open-ends, combinations, double-end box, offset double-end box, short double-end box, and short offset double-end box. Multiply that times two for plated and polished / not plated and polished.

In addition to that, as I noted on the previous page, there were no fewer than three variants of each type made, depending on vintage.

Clearly consolidation and streamlining of the product line was low on the priority list at Indestro for a number of years. A plausible explanation for the dizzying array of different types of sets, all available in either plain or polished finish, might have been to meet the demands of their private-label accounts.

four.cycle · Mar 1, 2017

Private Lugnutz said:
But I have to admit I'm not seeing the connection with these "Auto-Kit" type wrenches. The sizes don't seem to fit that application.

Agreed. I can't imagine being able to get enough arm on a 4-inch long wrench to loosen a 5/16-18 bolt holding a water pump onto the front of a cast iron cylinder block.
I'm starting to think maybe this whole "pump wrench" thing is a misnomer, conjured up for lack of a better term, perhaps?

disston · Mar 1, 2017

I think these wrenches and other kits like them were sold to people that didn't have any tools or know how to use them. Those of us that may use such things look at them as a short wrench and know what the applications would be. But the novice gets a warm feeling anyway just because he has something. I'm all for the novice making an attempt to get involved and learn about this stuff. So I won't discourage him. But if he knew that what he was entering into would become a lifetime obsession and lead to carrying around an extra hundred pounds plus of tools in the family car maybe he would reconsider. :drink:

Private Lugnutz · Mar 1, 2017

four_cycle,
Thanks for such a thorough, comprehensive reply, and for saving me some time. Start the timer - let's see how long it takes me to fill up my 0930-5P KLIP-TITE clip with the correct wrenches at the flea markets!

Corndoggeh said:
When they use vanadium in the alloy steel, does it increase rust resistance? Or is it coated with vanadium the same way we chrome things.

When you see an element (nickel, vanadium, molybdenum) incorporated into the branding of a tool, typically a wrench, in the 1920's and 1930's up through late 1941/early 1942, it pertains to the steel recipe, not plating. Tool Mfgrs liked to brag about the virtues of certain recipes on tensile strength and durability in their marketing schemes. It all came to a crashing halt at the end of 1941 when the government imposed harsher and harsher restrictions on alloy content that made it impossible to make the old recipes. Chromium and molybdenum were drastically reduced; vanadium was eliminated completely. In a very direct way, the war changed steel forever, with the War Production Board, industry, SAE/AISI, and academia getting together to invent so-called "New Emergency" steel compositions (SAE 86XX, 87XX), which were all triple-alloys. What industry discovered was the tools made with the NE steels were actually lighter and sleeker yet stronger. They never went back to the pre-war pet recipes.

four.cycle · Mar 1, 2017

disston said:
Those of us that may use such things look at them as a short wrench and know what the applications would be.

They looked a lot bigger when I saw the photo on Ebay. I was actually kind of surprised when I unwrapped them.
I suppose they'd do just fine for fixing a bicycle or a lawnmower. Definitely not something you'd want to tackle a Cummins diesel.

disston · Mar 1, 2017

I found another wrench kit. And this one has an Indestro bracket but the wrenches are only marked Forged in USA one side and Select Steel on the other

I don't know if this is how the wrenches are to be arrainged for in a drawer but I tried

Sizes are; 3/4 X 5/8, 11/16 X 19/32, 9/16 X 1/2, 7/16 X 3/8 & 11/32 X 5/16

I would say these don't seem to be as old as the Auto-Kit stuff in the OP.

Charlie

Private Lugnutz · Mar 1, 2017

four.cycle said:
Agreed. I can't imagine being able to get enough arm on a 4-inch long wrench to loosen a 5/16-18 bolt holding a water pump onto the front of a cast iron cylinder block.

I wasn't referring to the bolting on the pump housing itself, but the gland nut. Those were quite large. All the so-called "pump spanners" and "pump wrenches" I have seen (such as the Williams someone posted a link to upthread) have a range of openings in excess of 1 inch. And the jaw capacity of classic water pump pliers, also used to turn the gland nuts, is typically up to 1-1/2 inches. Also, the box end on these Auto-Kit wrenches would be useless on a packing nut... So it's either a misnomer, as you suggest, calling them "pump" wrenches, or the term is referring to something else.

four.cycle · Mar 1, 2017

^ Indestro didn't stamp the part numbers on their "Select" line of wrenches on the earlier versions. Those "Select" wrenches with the part number on the wrench are the later versions.

It appears that little red holder thing was designed to hang the wrenches on the wall. I suppose it could also be used in a drawer.

Indestro wall bracket wrench sets - 1959 Indestro catalog pp 31.jpg

I'm finding this kind of interesting. I never really paid much attention to these up until just a few weeks ago when I figured it was time to start filling some holes on Indestro items I didn't have.

When we first started carrying Indestro in 1970, we couldn't sell those "Klip-Tite" sets. People just didn't buy them. My old man had me break down all of the sets and put the pieces into open stock. The "Klip-Tite" holders and little screws all went into the dumpster. We dumped the wrenches into 2-gallon galvanized buckets on the front counters of the stores and blew them out for $1.88 each or 3 for $5.00.

four.cycle · Mar 1, 2017

Private Lugnutz said:
So it's either a misnomer, as you suggest, calling them "pump" wrenches, or the term is referring to something else.

Makes sense. I cannot recall where I first heard or saw the term. I've always assumed that's what the "proper" name for those little things was. Again, I'd never seen one in person until a couple weeks ago - this is all new ground for me.

four.cycle · Mar 2, 2017

okay, ran across an Ebay listing for a set of wrenches that are held together with the "stepped" screw I mentioned above, just so you know I wasn't imagining things:

Aetna 5-pc SAE open-end wrench set (Ebay 262874728056).jpg

I do not believe I've ever seen that type of screw used on Indestro sets OR the J.P. Danielson "Auto Kit" sets. I do know I've seen them used on sets of forged wrenches, though - not just the cheapie stamped ones like those in the photo.

bill300d · Mar 2, 2017

Those Aetna's look very much like Indestro's version.

leg17 · Mar 2, 2017

Never heard of them referred to as 'pump' wrenches.
I always heard the generic 'autokit' wrenches, regardless of maker.
Like 'crescent' wrench.

disston · Mar 2, 2017

I found the last of my wrench kits. I have 3 more. First up is is a 6 wrench set by Bridgeport.

Sizes are; 7/8(22mm) X 25/32(20mm), 3/4(19mm) X 5/8(16mm), 11/16(18mm) X 19/32(15mm), 9/16(14mm) X 1/2(12mm), 7/16(11mm) X 3/8(9mm), 19/32(10mm) X 5/16(8mm)

That's right these wrenches are marked with inches on one side and mm on the other. They make the mm marking thus "m/m". Hard to see the numbers on the smaller wrenches so I hope I got the numbers right.

four.cycle · Mar 2, 2017

disston said:
That's right these wrenches are marked with inches on one side and mm on the other.

I have a set of Bridgeport "Hy-Power" wrenches that are marked with both SAE and metric sizes.
Not the same as yours, but just as screwy. I suppose at least one of two of them actually line up properly. :lol:

Bridgeport Hy-Power 6-pc SAE metric open end wrench set 03.jpg

Bridgeport Hy-Power 6-pc SAE metric open end wrench set 04.jpg

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