1963 Wright 4400 ratchet overhaul

[SMKS]

I got this 1963 Wright 4400 ratchet at a swap meet this weekend. It wouldn't ratchet and looked like garbage, but I guessed I could fix it. The elderly gentleman who had it offered it to me for free, but I gave him $1 for it.

I opened it up and cleaned out the rust. After a trip through the ultrasonic cleaner and an Evapo-rust bath, the mechanism works very well.

The finish was trashed, so I used the wire wheel on my bench grinder to clean it up.

I had a Pratt-Read screwdriver handle leftover from another project, so I decided to use it to replace the trashed original grip. I accidentally drilled the hole in the handle too big, so I had to use Gorilla Glue to hold it in place. It seems like a solid fit.

Total cost: $2.17
Ratchet $1
Handle (half of $1.85 screwdriver) $0.92
Glue (I already had it, but I'll guess I used $0.25 worth.) $0.25

 

[Outlawmws]

Very nice job!

 

[woody 73]

Fantastic Job very cool looking ratchet!

 

[zer01]

Do you like how it works now? Are you going to put this ratchet to work? Just curious if it is now going to be used or if it will sit as a conquered project. Looks great good job on the rebuild.

 

[blue dog]

I scored a old wright back about a month ago for $4.00, cleaned at and gave it the red lube of love treatment, works perfect. It is my first old ratchet purchase. Very happy with it.

 

[zer0cell]

That's a very nice restoration and at a great price too. In the throw-away world we live in, its nice to see what a little care and ingenuity can do as quality products are restored and brought back into working condition. I wonder how many 'broken' tools can actually be fixed and reused over and over again, even if they don't 'look' like the once did, they can still get the job done.

 

[GTVi]

Well done mate! You brought it back to life! Should be good for another 50 years.

 

[zer01]

Well, cleaning tools is probably my most common garage project these days. I do as much auto maintenance and repairs as I can, but it's not as much as I'd like it to be.
I'll happily use it, but I don't use 1/2" ratchets too often, especially since I got an extra-long 3/8" Proto ratchet. It's smaller and lighter but offers the extra length of a 1/2" ratchet.

That's okay just curious as I see people bringing old tools back from the dead. It is something I enjoy as well just wondered if it would be put to use. Great job on the resto.

 

[north]

That's just lovely to see. Nice job.

 

[64merc]

That's awesome!! Good job!!

I wonder what happened to the old rubber handle? I guess they just get brittle with age?

 

[SMKS]

That's awesome!! Good job!!

I wonder what happened to the old rubber handle? I guess they just get brittle with age?

It actually isn't that brittle, it's just totally destroyed. Those nitrile grips are pretty tough. I've had several of these ratchets and the grips usually hold up pretty well.

 

[machine_punk]

Looks great. You cannot argue with the price, either. I like to do this with old air tools...get them cheap, disassemble and lube, and get them working well again.

 

[SMKS]

Well, I guess I'll post a long-term update.

I've used this ratchet several times. Recently, I was doing some suspension work on my girlfriend's VW Beetle. I put some good pressure on this ratchet. I actually put in on a stuck bolt and pushed it with my leg a couple times and it worked great.

A well-spent $2.17, IMO.

 

[TOOLFREEQ]

how did you restore the metal?

 

[SMKS]

how did you restore the metal?

Actually, I didn't "restore" anything.

All I did was hit it with a wire wheel. It turned out way better than I would have expected.

 

[white91formula]

Im going to bump this from the depths.

I have a 63/64 3400 and 4400 that i want to overhaul. How do you pop the head out of the handle? Been searching and cant find any info on it

 

[SMKS]

It's super easy. There's a retaining ring on the drive side. It's made of spring steel and fits in a groove on the mechanism and holds the mechanism in place. Find the end of it and use a small pick to lift it up, then pull it out of the groove. Be careful that you don't deform the retaining ring.

I've posted pics before, but now I can't find them. Many round head ratchets are held together with a similar retaining ring.

 

[white91formula]

Awesome, thanks. Thats what i thought but didnt want to break anything on it. Im used to the craftsman ratchets with the c clips so i just wanted to be sure first

 

[dkop1]

I picked one of these up for ¢50 at a flea market, the handle too corroded for me to tell the name, I just needed a 1/2" ratchet and it fit the bill. I just took it apart for cleaning this morning and discovered my luck!