Craftsman Gray & Red 12 drawer top chest restore thread

Rileysan · Oct 25, 2017

Well it was bound to happen. I knew if I watched Craigslist, et al, long enough, I was sure to find a matching 12 drawer top chest to go along with the 12 drawer roller I purchased this past summer. Yesterday, my dream came true!

But first, a picture from the 1974-75 Craftsman catalog.

Note the original prices of $159.97 for the roller and $99.97 for the top chest.

Brian

Rileysan · Oct 25, 2017

Now here's the new 12 Drawer top chest I brought home yesterday. It's certainly got "character".

It is dated 11-75.

Rileysan · Oct 25, 2017

Here's the back story. I found this on CL more than 100 miles away. The man who was selling it (along with a 3 drawer roller) purchased it with the intention of selling the boxes and the contents at a profit. Unfortunately, the chest was not secured properly in his truck, and it made a hasty exit while turning a corner. The box and its contents were strewn about the intersection covering "hundreds of feet". If this were any other Craftsman box, I never would have considered it. Instead, I've created yet another project to test my patience.

It kind of makes me feel like Homer Simpson after his BBQ pit fiasco!

wrenchr · Oct 25, 2017

That is not character but road rash, wow!!! Subscribed!!!

Rileysan · Oct 25, 2017

So today I tore into my new box. For a change, I'm taking detailed photos as I work on the project instead of just 'before & after' photos.

I started by removing all the drawers, drawer slides, lock bars and lock assembly. I really needed to look this thing over well.

I was really worried that I might have to replace parts. But as it turns out, most of the damage was superficial. A few of the drawers will need straightening, but the drawer slides are in perfect condition and there doesn't appear to be any damage to the lock bars. The hardest part of the drawers will be sanding and de-burring the aluminum drawer pulls as they are pretty badly scuffed up.

Rileysan · Oct 25, 2017

Full disclosure - I am not good with sheet metal. In fact, I think I'm downright terrible. Since I can't make this box any worse than it is, it's a perfect way to practice!

My focus today was to fix the lid hinge and straighten the lid enough to close. With no clear idea where to begin, I just started hammering away. After a couple hours, I managed to fix the hinge and straighten the lid enough to get it functioning correctly.

Rileysan · Oct 25, 2017

After losing interest in the lid, I decided to start on the front corners - which are a disaster.

I took out an angle grinder with a cutting wheel so I could cut open the right/front corner in order to straighten the face of the box where the lock mounts. I'm a good welder, so am not worried about making a good repair. I'm mostly concerned with aesthetics. I want this to look like new when I'm done!

Pictures don't do justice to just how bent up the face was. Instead of being 90°, the face was bent inwards ~10°. I'm trying not to disturb the rolled edge on top, but that is proving difficult.

I spent about 4 hours hammering on my box today. I will bring home a slide hammer from work to use on the front corners. Though I've never done this type of work before, I have a pretty good idea what to do.

I hope to get back to it this upcoming weekend.

Brian

Hiatt1991 · Oct 25, 2017

I've got a 6 drawer "parts" box that fully intact. Not dented up but the paint is kinda poor on the box. The drawers, sliders and everything else is in good shape. Let me know if there are any pieces you might need and I might be able to help.

Smokeshow69 · Oct 25, 2017

Looking good so far! You hammer choice is fantastic as the green handled guys are my first choice when it comes to swing presses! I can't wait to see this thing all done!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

gregaz · Oct 25, 2017

Hiatt1991 said:
I've got a 6 drawer "parts" box that fully intact. Not dented up but the paint is kinda poor on the box. The drawers, sliders and everything else is in good shape. Let me know if there are any pieces you might need and I might be able to help.

Love this. That's what community is all about!

Zeeman · Oct 26, 2017

After having done one or two of these myself, I'll be watching! Thanks for the pictures. It's always fun for me to see something go from messed up to looking nice.

Renchi · Oct 26, 2017

Subscribed!

Rileysan · Oct 27, 2017

Hiatt1991 said:
I've got a 6 drawer "parts" box that fully intact. Not dented up but the paint is kinda poor on the box. The drawers, sliders and everything else is in good shape. Let me know if there are any pieces you might need and I might be able to help.

gregaz said:
Love this. That's what community is all about!

Thank you for the offer, Hiatt!

Greg, I totally agree. There are some wonderful people here that are amazing to work with!

Brian

Hiatt1991 · Oct 27, 2017

Rileysan said:
Thank you for the offer, Hiatt!

Greg, I totally agree. There are some wonderful people here that are amazing to work with!

Brian

No problem! Excited to see how your top chest comes out!

Rileysan · Oct 27, 2017

I want to thank Hiatt for offering parts to help my rebuild because it jarred loose the cobwebs inside my head. I have a parts box that I stowed away in my storage unit a few months ago! So off I went to pick it up ...

And here it is - the famous "Barracuda" box I picked up for $20 off my local Craigslist.

It's a Craftsman, of course. Mid to late 60s, missing a drawer (I removed the others) and the handles. I've already robbed it for a few drawer slides and now I'm going to cut off corners to weld on to my 12 drawer box.

Obviously that means I realized how incredibly difficult it was going to be to straighten out the bent corners of my box. So I opted to cut off the corners today and that's where I left off.

Brian

Hiatt1991 · Oct 28, 2017

Rileysan said:
I want to thank Hiatt for offering parts to help my rebuild because it jarred loose the cobwebs inside my head. I have a parts box that I stowed away in my storage unit a few months ago! So off I went to pick it up ...

And here it is - the famous "Barracuda" box I picked up for $20 off my local Craigslist.

It's a Craftsman, of course. Mid to late 60s, missing a drawer (I removed the others) and the handles. I've already robbed it for a few drawer slides and now I'm going to cut off corners to weld on to my 12 drawer box.

Obviously that means I realized how incredibly difficult it was going to be to straighten out the bent corners of my box. So I opted to cut off the corners today and that's where I left off.

Brian

That's actually a really great idea. To get those original corners straight would have required a ton of work nevermind awkward positioning of the box. Glad I could help remind you of your parts box! Haha. What's funny is your parts box is the exact same parts box I have.

Smokeshow69 · Apr 10, 2020

Rileysan said:
I want to thank Hiatt for offering parts to help my rebuild because it jarred loose the cobwebs inside my head. I have a parts box that I stowed away in my storage unit a few months ago! So off I went to pick it up ...

And here it is - the famous "Barracuda" box I picked up for $20 off my local Craigslist.

It's a Craftsman, of course. Mid to late 60s, missing a drawer (I removed the others) and the handles. I've already robbed it for a few drawer slides and now I'm going to cut off corners to weld on to my 12 drawer box.

Obviously that means I realized how incredibly difficult it was going to be to straighten out the bent corners of my box. So I opted to cut off the corners today and that's where I left off.

Brian

Any new updates on this top chest ?

Looking for a craftsman heritage era 10 drawer top chest

Rileysan · Apr 11, 2020

Smokeshow69 said:
Any new updates on this top chest ?

Looking for a craftsman heritage era 10 drawer top chest

The project came to a screeching halt when my little Lincoln 120v wirefeed welder died. And since I do most of my welding at work, I haven't purchased a new one. So the project sits!

Brian

Craftsman Gray & Red 12 drawer top chest restore thread

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