3/8 superratchet - cant get apart

[TwoInch]

found a b-52 in the junk pile at the pawn shop, got it for a buck. the ratchet is in great shape, not locked up, teeth feel to be in great shape, chrome is good.

but i can not get the nut to spin. i have soaked it overnight(15 hour..ish), wont budge. there is no marks from anyone trying to get it open previously, so i doubt it has ever been off.

any tips?

oh yeah, im using snap ring pliers, i know its not the best, but its all i can come up with. i am getting serious torque to the nut, twisting the pliers all up. no dice

 

[WNYflyer]

I have had sucess with this:

I believe this is the one I have and I believe it was referenced before in the forum

http://www.harborfreight.com/watch-case-opener-91550.html

and a good write-up on the dis-assemble

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36498

Nice find, they are good ratchets but be careful of all the little parts.........don't ask how I know !

 

[Bull]

You could place a punch in one of the holes, angle it, and hit in a CCW direction. I have done that with success on old Cornwell and Williams ratchets before, maybe a couple other old brands. Might make some marks in the hole, depending on the kind of punch you use and how hard you need to hit it.

 

[TwoInch]

thanks for the thread flyer, and thanks bull. i contemplated whacking it with a punch, or taking the point off an old cold chisel and using that. but after how much torque i got on it already, im fairly certain it will marr the **** out of it. the ratchet is in near perfect condition, with only a small section of the knurling being mashed up some.

that watch case opener looks good, but can it handle serious torque? i am unfamilar with them.

i have a spanner for a 4" grinder than i might be able to grind the pins slightly and get a fit. i really like the ratchet, a lot actually. just seems super dry inside.

 

[TwoInch]

okay. i ground my 4" spanner to fit, and after putting some serious *** behind it, i got that bad larry to spin off.

now, the internals dont just fall apart do they? id prefer to not be chasing bearings and springs all night. from what i get out of that disassembly thread, it looks like you have to purposefully pull the assembly apart, the two pins hold everything together. is this correct?

 

[WNYflyer]

okay. i ground my 4" spanner to fit, and after putting some serious *** behind it, i got that bad larry to spin off.

now, the internals dont just fall apart do they? id prefer to not be chasing bearings and springs all night. from what i get out of that disassembly thread, it looks like you have to purposefully pull the assembly apart, the two pins hold everything together. is this correct?

Been awhile since I took one apart so not up to speed on the process but I believe the pins connect everything together. I have seen where guys dis-assemble them while in a clear plastic baggy to keep the springs and bearings from going all over the place. Be careful and don't be in a hurry because those springs are really small and can be impossible to find if they get away from you.

 

[Bull]

That design is a royal pain in the sack to assemble, I'll tell you that.

Remember, you can always soak a ratchet like that in ATF if you just want to lube it without disassembling.

 

[Reed Felton]

Hey two inch, I've had many a time when I have had to make a custom spanner to disassemble something. Using a punch will work but not without mashing up the wrench. I have a lathe And mill so if you send me a drawing I'll make it for you. You pay shipping. good luck. Reed

 

[crankshaftdan II]

That design is a royal pain in the sack to assemble, I'll tell you that.

Remember, you can always soak a ratchet like that in ATF if you just want to lube it without disassembling.

I have found that once the cover plate is removed(Spanner/punch) whatever, you can take the internals out as a complete unit and either clean with spray(Non chlorinated) brake clean and compressed air(Lightly) or if you have mineral spirits-place the internals(Assembled) in a closed container w/lid and shake the hell out of it & repeat the clean with brake clean-dry & lube w/grease/oil of choice & re-assemble & good to go! Therfore no dis-assy and chasing of parts is required. These assy's are pretty much-bullet proof unless they have been leveraged with a pipe/cheaterbar!

 

[TwoInch]

thanks reed, now that i got the one i fashioned from the grinder wrench, i should be okay. i definitely appreciate the help and offer.

As for the ratchet, i pulled the guts, but i did not disassemble the pawl/spring assembly. I ended up spraying it for a while with brake cleaner to get the old oil and gunk out(almost none). Then I gave it the superlube treatment, used a few small picks to get the lube into the interior of the pawl assembly. Teeth look brand new, everything is in pristine condition inside. The ratchet was smooth to begin with, a little loud, so i knew it was pretty dry in there. After the lube job and reassembly, this is the smoothest, easiest turning, and tight ratchet i have in any drive size. Highest tooth count too.

I was worried that the lube might be too heavy for it, but it does not skip a single tooth on lock up, probably mostly due to the dual pawl. Very nifty design I can see this one being my go to standard length 3/8 drive ratchet most definitely. The handle is pretty plain jane, but that mechanism is nothing to be ignored. very cool.

i will be on the look out for the other drive sizes. apparently the 1/4 is not all that common, which blows, i bet it would be a mean little ratchet.

 

[TwoInch]

crank, why non-chlorinated in particular? just curious

 

[TwoInch]

i also forgot to mention earlier.

Before i found the B-52 in the junk bin, i was having a look at a mac and a snappy box they had in the corner, which had a Clarke middle box sitting on top of it. The tool boxes were empty, and for sale, and i was looking at the clarke to see how chinsy they really were, as i am looking for a cheap middle for my 26" box at home. I check the drawers one by one, and low and behold, this is hiding in the back of one of the empty drawers.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...roup_ID=682403&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

I grab it, and walk up to the counter, and the guy thinks i wanna pawn it... i tell him its already his, and he looks at me like im from the moon. I told him where i found it, and they had no idea it was in there. This shop keeps all the truck brand hand tools in glass display cases with price tags, and charge a pretty penny.

I am not a thief, and stealing is one of my big problems with people. But i would imagine most people interested in those boxes would have snatched that ratchet right up had they found it.

I ended up with six old school JW Williams wrenches, four like new craftsman screw drivers, and the B-52 for a grand total of...... $6.00

not to bad if i say so myself