c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

POST 1 of 4

GJ member in absentia four.cycle tipped me off to this Howard Zink Corporation Dandee Kit wrench set and roll for sale on fleaBay, and I couldn’t resist the name, the look, or the story uncovered with a little research, so I bought it.

Further reading revealed an even better story that any motorhead from A-HIGH-a or anywhere else might like!

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

POST 2 of 4

The two best histories of The Howard Zink Corporation I could find came from two unusual sources. The first was an introduction to the description of a photography collection that is archived at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum at Spiegel Grove, in Fremont, Ohio, linked here. And the second was a speech given by Hon. Alvin F. Weichel, U.S. House of Reps, on June 30, 1950, published in the Congressional Record from that year, linked here.

The Howard Zink Corporation started out in 1917 in Fremont, Ohio as the Hodes-Zink Manufacturing Company. The two-person operation (Mr. A.K. Hodes – the manufacturer, and Mr. Zink – the marketeer) made storm curtains for horse buggies, but soon expanded into similar items for early Brass Era automobiles, such as radiator covers, hood covers, top covers, and side curtains for roadsters and touring cars. The products were developed by creating a customized or tailored pattern for each model automobile and mass producing each item under the trademark “Sure-Fit”.

Here is their Trademark from 1923.



In 1936 they opened a second facility in Passaic, NJ, to cater to the East Coast market. In 1938, when Mr. Hodes died, his partner Mr. Zink purchased all his assets and changed the name to the Howard Zink Corporation. In 1939, they bought out a plant in Charleston, Mississippi. During WWII, in addition to their civilian products, they made bandoleers, sleeping bags, barracks bags, ponchos, and kapok-filled life jackets for the Army and Navy.

Here is a NOS radiator cover for a 1942 Pontiac.





Here are some NOS arm rest covers for 1942 DeSoto.



And here is a US Army sleeping bag tag from 1943.



After the war they opened a West Coast plant in Long Beach, CA, and expanded into seat cushions, mother’s utility bags, and nationally famous “Baby Pals”, a product I have not been able to locate a picture or description of. But they were most famous for their seat covers, which were, according to the 1950 Congressional Record and several trade journals, the number one seat cover on the market.

Here are some advertisements from the 50’s.

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

POST 3 of 4

While I couldn’t find any mention or ads for the Dandee Kit wrench set, I did make a significant and insightful discovery in an issue of the 1928 American Exporter.



It’s two ads, with shared design features, on the same page. The ad at the top of the page is for "Dandee" Manufacturing Company products. The ad on the bottom is for the Hodes-Zink Mfg Co “Sure-Fit” products. Look where the Dandee Manufacturing Company was located. Fremont, Ohio.

I’m thinking that one of the Hodes assets that Zink acquired when Hodes died was Dandee Mfg, and he just rolled it into Howard Zink Corporation. And I am guessing these wrench kits were probably an accessory they sold along with their regular line of aftermarket automobile products.

This Dandee Kit had to have been made after 1938, when the name of the company was changed to Howard Zink, and when they only had the two plants, in Fremont, Ohio and Passaic, NJ, so it’s no earlier than 1938, and no later than 1939. Fremont was also the home of Herbrand, so the pressed steel wrenches may have been made by Herbrand. Early Herbrand wrenches do have a hex throat. Or perhaps they made them in-house. They had a division stamping out metalware advertising as well!

Check out this sign.





As four.cycle observed in an email to me, 1938 seems rather late for a mfgr to be cranking out stamped-steel wrenches (similar to those made by Indestro, Wakefield, Mossberg, and others in the 20’s), but perhaps it's less unusual if they were making them themselves.

Regardless of who made the wrenches, or when, the Howard Zink Corporation was obviously quite capable of making the leatherette-impregnated canvas pouches for themselves. The second pic below is from the floor of the factory in the 20's.

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

POST 4 of 4

In 1957, when Howard died, his son, Jack, a WWII veteran, severely wounded in action, took over. In 1966, due to complications from his WWII injuries, he was eventually forced to sell his father’s company.

The company went through several changes of owners and names between then and now, including Indian Head Mills, Crawford Manufacturing, Starlite Industries, Wynn International, Bestop, Inc., Saddleman, Inc., and finally LeBra Products.

That’s right, regardless of what you want to call the name of the company or the product, in a fitting (pun definitely intended) tribute to the power of a darned good idea, the manufacturing facility that was making aftermarket “Sure-Fit” covers tailored to “horseless carriage” and early automobile radiators in 1917…



…is now making “Le Bra” front end wraps customized for modern automobiles today!

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

My get off the stage shot is one more photo of Le Kit...

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

Talk about a diversified company! Great example of seeing opportunities and filling needs in the market place. Thanks for sharing!

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

Private great story ,I have not heard about that company before.

Question for you:
I did not see any Id marks stamped on any of your wrenches, or perhaps I missed something? In other words if a person found those wrenches in the wild without the kit bag would they know the company that made them?

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

Thanks, Roob and Woody!

No, Woody, no branding. But that might actually help in this case, because all of the stamped-steel wrenches like this that I have seen and collected loose in the wild are typically branded (Indestro, Mossberg, etc).

As long as you bring up the markings, I didn't want to get into it in the first four posts and ruin the rhythm of the story, but the markings show signs of in-house production in my opinion.

The two smallest wrenches (13/32 x 5/16, and 7/16 x 3/8) have identical markings. Fractions with a slash and you read the size marking facing the head. The largest wrench (7/8 x 25/32) is also marked like that, but it has an inch mark (") after the 7/8. The wrench in the middle (11/6 x 19/32) has a horizontal line separating the two parts of the fractions instead of a slash. The second largest wrench has one marking (3/4) like the others, but the other one (5/8) is turned parallel to the shank and also has an inch (") marking.

It seems obvious to me that the wrenches are a set, made in the same place and at the same time. They show a uniformity in thickness, overall shape, shape of the jaws, shape of the throat (hex), and finish. So I attribute the variations to a less than ideal QC situation, and that may be an indicator, as I said, of in-house production.

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

Good history lesson and research.

Nice to see all the print on the pouch so well preserved.

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

Eyepoppingly preserved, 3bay, especially for leatherette. I was astonished.

Btw, it is a 6-wrench set! In my excitement and haste to document and report the kit here, I left one of the wrenches (1/2 x 9/16) with a stubborn rust spot out of the pictures! It has been soaking in Metal Rescue and I forgot all about it.

Re: c. 1938 Howard Zink Dandee Wrench Kit (or, from "Sure-Fit" to "LeBra")

That's better! (After all, the pouch does say "12 Selected Sizes" )