Cheap Indian S-shaped wrench saved my A$$

cowboy73 · May 18, 2012

I had to change the temperature sensor on the daughter's car this week. It's in a difficult to get to area. No room for a regular wrench or a deep socket to get in there. The first pic is a photo of the new one installed.

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To use a regular wrench or a deep well socket, I would have to remove this tube that runs across the engine.

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I thought "Wait a minute! I have those cheap S-shaped wrenches I bought at the Cummins tool sale years ago." So I happened to have a 3/4" and this is how I tackeled that S.O.B...

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It worked awesome! Here's a final pic of the wrench and the old sensor. Success!

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kornjulio · May 18, 2012

Nice work! Old 3.1 litre in a Sunbird/Cavalier?

cowboy73 · May 18, 2012

Yes 91 Sunbird.

Harwinton · May 18, 2012

I never knew those old S-shaped wrenches were made with box ends. I thought they were all open-ended.

bcradio · May 18, 2012

Harwinton said:
I never knew those old S-shaped wrenches were made with box ends. I thought they were all open-ended.

I never knew those S-shaped wrenches were ever made with open ends. Thought they were all box ends. Shoot the ones I own are the gearwrench ratcheting box end set

Harwinton · May 18, 2012

That's a funny coincidence!

A lot of the SAE wrenches I use are the old-fashioned S-shaped type, and they, along with all others I've run into, are open end.

Here's the ones in my SAE box:

91bronc300 · May 18, 2012

That's a pretty cool collections of old wrenches you've got there Harwinton.

G1GRANDEUR · May 18, 2012

Can't believe you let her drive that car.

Might not use often, but S shape and moon shape can be very handy.

Harwinton · May 18, 2012

91bronc300 said:
That's a pretty cool collections of old wrenches you've got there Harwinton.

Thanks! Most of the stuff in that box is from the mid-1910's to the early 1920's. My uncle's grandfather originally had those tools, probably to work on his Model T or some other vehicle of the same vintage. Overall, they've held up pretty well over all the years since they were kept in their box in a more-or-less dry area. A few of the wrenches had some rust which I've long since cleaned off, but none of the sockets ever did (and they're all plain ol' carbon steel--no chrome).

I still use them as my "daily drivers" for SAE stuff, and they work alright. They're enough to get jobs done around the house and yard, and on my Jeep (which has unfortunately got some metric bolts here and there

).

JASTECH · May 18, 2012

I could use a sae set, hint hint.
Good going on the sensor, I have a hard time getting some of them.

fergus · May 18, 2012

Hey Harwinton,

I'd always heard of those wrenches referred to as "tractor wrenches". Maybe that's just local jargon. Anyway, cool set of tools.

Harwinton · May 18, 2012

fergus said:
Hey Harwinton,

I'd always heard of those wrenches referred to as "tractor wrenches". Maybe that's just local jargon. Anyway, cool set of tools.

I guess calling these tractor wrenches could make sense. As a matter of fact, I was using them to work on a tractor last weekend! But there's only one problem---these wrenches and sockets haven't been sitting in a barn for 75 years rusting the whole time.

But, you know, I COULD convert them into true tractor wrenches by giving them a "tractor paint job" where you slap green and yellow paint over rust and dirt to "restore" an old machine. :lol:

To be honest with you, me and the folks I knew always called them "snake wrenches" because their S-shape reminded us of a snake.

JASTECH said:
I could use a sae set, hint hint.

Just gotta keep your eyes and ears open and you'll find something good. There's always that old lady down the street who's been dying to clear out all those dirty old wrenches...

Maexle · May 18, 2012

i have to stop reading here on this forum, i read this thread and immediately i started sweating and had hallucinations about working on a project where i need on of those...and of course went out after work and got two sets (metric and SAE)

OccupantRJ · May 18, 2012

fergus said:
Hey Harwinton,

I'd always heard of those wrenches referred to as "tractor wrenches". Maybe that's just local jargon. Anyway, cool set of tools.

I have heard them called plow wrenches.

bcradio · May 18, 2012

Harwinton said:
That's a funny coincidence!

A lot of the SAE wrenches I use are the old-fashioned S-shaped type, and they, along with all others I've run into, are open end.

Here's the ones in my SAE box:

Darn you! Now I have another tool to add to the list. :drool:

TwoInch · May 19, 2012

what about a deep socket and a universal joint and extension?

i need to pick up a set of obstruction wrenches. i only have a few odd pieces.

gatewaysysop · May 19, 2012

Very nice! I don't have much in the way of C or S shaped wrenches, but this makes me think about keeping an eye out for them in case I find a deal somewhere. Great write up and pics, thanks for sharing and, most likely, contributing to future wrench hoarding. :lol_hitti

Danglerb · May 19, 2012

I bought sets of the GearWrench when Sears was clearancing them a year or two ago, wow am I going to enjoy using them when I need them.

Cheap Indian S-shaped wrench saved my A$$

cowboy73

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kornjulio

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cowboy73

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Harwinton

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bcradio

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Harwinton

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91bronc300

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G1GRANDEUR

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Harwinton

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fergus

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Harwinton

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