Advice on a KR562A Taco Wagon

[x justin]

I'm in school to be an Auto Tech and won a raffle in our class and got a Snap-On Taco Wagon with a single $3 ticket I bought. I currently have no tools or box since I am starting new from scratch and have no tools to inherit (my family does construction). Anyhow, I don't have any pictures at the moment but was hoping to ask the more educated people here if it would be worth restoring or just getting rid of it as is.

It appears they go for $400 or $600 in good original condition and possibly $800 or more restored and mint? Mine is extremely weathered and needs to be taken completely apart and repainted, but everything is intact and mostly rust free besides the protective metal strips clipped to the drawers, which are gone. Also the key to the lock is missing but all the locks function and are original. I'm not a fan of the slides, and one of them on a bottom drawer is bent and difficult to use. I looked up Snap-On prices for parts but is just too much money for my priorities right now to keep it all true Snap-On peices. I was thinking I wouldn't get more than $200 out of it the way it is...

 

[Shadowdog500]

I would probably take it apart and paint it if I were you.

Where are you located? If it is near South Jersey and want to sell it, I may be interested in it.

Welcome to the forum.

Chris

 

[ears]

I think I would sell it as is. To get that thing fixed up and repainted nicely, your profit would buy you a cup of coffee if you value your labor at anything over $1 an hour. If you don't do a bang up job you really wont improve the value all that much. It would be easier to sell it to someone wanting a project.

 

[bgott]

You have no tools or box. Use it for a starter box. After you've done this for a while the tool truck guys will take it for a trade-in. If you start working in a shop and decide to bail out after a couple of months, like a lot of guys do, you won't be in hock for a box that you can sell for fifty cents on the dollar.

 

[toytech40]

You have no tools or box. Use it for a starter box. After you've done this for a while the tool truck guys will take it for a trade-in. If you start working in a shop and decide to bail out after a couple of months, like a lot of guys do, you won't be in hock for a box that you can sell for fifty cents on the dollar.

I would have to agree with bgott

Hey it is a free box, and the tools you store in the box are what help you make your living. If it were me, clean it up and make a few repairs to get it usable and use it so to have a good place to store and secure you newly purchased tools. Then in a year or two if you are still working as a tech and want to upgrade then you will have trading material or a nice box to start a home set with( yea we all end up with at least 2 sets of tools work and home)

 

[JSBriggs]

I would see about getting new keys or locks for it and use it. Its a decent box to start out with. It will take a while to fill it if you are starting out. Once its full you can see about upgrading, but until then, I'd use it.

-Jeff

 

[rsanter]

use the thing
take the drawer out that is giving you trouble and post some pix asking for help fixing it.
get a lock for it and drgrease the thing
use it and you may find someone who just has to have it and will either overpay for it or offer to trade you something you like better

bob

 

[Packard V8]

FWIW, the bent slides can usually be straightened. They seem to have a memory. If you are studying to be a tech, you will get an education by figuring how to fix anything and everything you come across. Money aside, thinking it through is the thing.

jack vines

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Get some pictures and post them. Otherwise, it's really hard to give you sound advise b/c we're all guessing here.

 

[mtkst19]

my advice, being you dont own anything, is to keep it. The tools make your money, not the box. Fill your taco wagon with tons of quality tools. Worry about a pretty box last. I see way to many techs of ALL AGES with 20k boxes and junk or no tools. I seriously dont know how any tech can own only a single 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 ratchets. Yet a lot of them do. I'm more impressed w/ a **** load of tools in a **** box over a nice box with nothing in it.

Funny is my first "real" box was a taco i found at a parts swap meet. I went looking for parts, and noticed a well worn box in the bed of a truck. I paid 100 for it all beat to hell. Paint was to far gone, so i sanded it down, fixed the drawers and sprayed it flat black. The lock is a simple cabinet lock you can buy from any hardware store. It was not pretty by any means, but functional. When i started at a porsche garage it was brought up how my box was pretty haggard looking all flat blacked and chromed. But hey, unless they were buying me a new one it stayed. Besides, i had all the necessary tools and then some. so no one bitched there.

I simply outgrew that box, so added a used side cab to free up room, only to outgrow that. Truth be told, if i would have found a top for it i likely would have kept it. But i got a deal on a newer used box so the taco went bye-bye. Way i look at it, box dont make me money--so it is the last thing to get upgraded unless a hell of a deal you cant pass comes up.

If you live anywhere near an airport, guys will flock to buy it. I found that out when i sold mine. A lot of older plane techs still want them it seems. mine brought 500 flat blacked but functional. I didnt even name the price. My snap on guy told a few plane techs about me selling it and 1st one who came bought it after naming his price. i have seen nice shape originals as high as 2500 locally. I wouldn't pay it But people do.

 

[Rickster]

Keep the box. Take the drawers out and clean & lube all the slides. Check all the slides for any bends and straighten them in a vice. I've done several this way. Once you have access to a Snap-on dealer you can get some of those slides replaced.

 

[daveblank]

You have no tools or box. Use it for a starter box. After you've done this for a while the tool truck guys will take it for a trade-in. If you start working in a shop and decide to bail out after a couple of months, like a lot of guys do, you won't be in hock for a box that you can sell for fifty cents on the dollar.

Exactly. Keep it & put it to good use. Even at home it will make a good box. as far as trading it in, you'll get far more than the $3 you have invested in it.

 

[x justin]

These are the best I can do on my camera phone, my DSLR is long gone.

I appreciate everyone's advice. I don't mind investing the time in it, but I guess my main concern if I was going to decrease the value even more doing my own thing with it. I can't afford to have it powder coated with genuine Snap-On parts etc. I think maybe some roll on bed liner (not too heavy of a texture though, a light finish) and a new style snap on logo, some rubber liner in the drawers and fix the slides/locks and I should still be able to get my money back out of it. I found pictures of a guy with a satin black MATCO box that kind of sold me on the look.

Someone said you can straighten the slides in a vice? I would have swore that they had small spot welds holding them to the box when I took a look. I would be really happy if I could get this one drawer fixed, the rest work pretty good. It's actually just the right hand side slide on the bottom front drawer. I'll do a search and see what I can find.

 

[Diesel_Crawler]

That box is not in that bad of shape, I would put the time into fixing it up. If you had plains of trading it I would keep it as much to original as possible, You would get more on trade for it that way.

This guy did a restore and it looks awesome, there is just no way its worth the money he wants for it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Snap...Z150446223076QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools

 

[Shadowdog500]

That box looks a lot better than I thought it would. Keep it and fix it up. Fixing it up may help you learn and develop some new skills.

Chris

 

[sk farmer]

it looks like a little love would make that a pretty damn nice. lots of room and heavy duty. if you decide to fo a full blown resto it would look awesome. i would stay away from the roll on bed liner. it would be nearly imposssible to remove in the event of a future resto.

 

[sevnd3z28]

If it was me I would just disassemble that box,remove the drawers,locks etc. and spray every nook and cranny with degreaser. After letting it sit long enough to allow the degreaser to do it's thing,I would take a pressure washer to it and clean that sucker good! Take a really fine steel wool,#000 maybe,and give the slides/glides a good cleaning. Give the slides a little lubrication,reassemble,throw a coat of wax on it and USEthat sucker!

I love that box and like previous posters have said....use the money you save to fill it with tools!

Donnie

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

These are the best I can do on my camera phone, my DSLR is long gone.

That box doesn't look bad at all. I'd clean it up like some of the other posters have said, and depending on your budget, you could even check into seeing if a local body shop could spray it for you after you do all the prep work. With good prep work and a paint job, you'd have an awfully nice toolbox.

For the top I'd recommend a good 1/4" thick rubber mat that you glue to it. You can get that at Tractor Supply. If that slide is causing you so many problems, go to Snap On's website and look into ordering a replacement---they're not that much.

 

[scheu]

I'm with the others. Clean it, repair slides/new locks, etc... And roll on. It's still a pretty nice box. And for free?!?
scheu

 

[crewchief888]

i'd give it a good cleaning inside and out and use it.

i'd say it's in typical shape for a box of that vintage.

if the tweaked slide just rfuses to be untweaked, get the numbers off of it, and contact a SO dealer. they can probably still get you a set of replacements.

about a year ago SO warrantied a set of 25 year old slides in my kr555.

 

[Packard V8]

Yes, the slides are two pieces spot-welded together.

No, that doesn't prevent them from being straightened with a large vise, hammer and anvil and hand pressure. I've straightened many this way. Once you get them as straight as you can, reinstall them switched side-for-side.

Maybe, remember, you're not marrying the box. Use it until you get in a situation where your need for a different design box is matched by your bank balance and income.

Hint: The best financial advice I could give anyone, but especially a beginning tech. "Never pay interest on a depreciating asset." Nothing depreciates faster than a new truck box. If you can't pay cash for it, you can't afford it.

jack vines

 

[dan76]

As many have said....keep, thoroughly clean/repair and start filling the box with quality tools.

 

[Burgerkong]

I'd love to have a Taco wagon....clean it, prep it and spray with some rattle-cans then wax it...should look like new(-ish)!

 

[mjozefow]

I think you could have a heck of a nice box without investing more than $50. My advise would be to CLEAN it really well. Take all of the drawers out, clean and lube the slides, and put it all back together. I have a few Snappy boxes that are not the best to look at, but mechanically they are flawless. I actually prefer it that way sometimes, as I'm not sweating laying a wrench on the top or whatever.

Oh, and once you clean it, give it a good waxing. Then you will be all set. With those older friction slides, once they are lubed, they are very smooth and pleasant to use.

 

[chadster1]

I have a KRA562B in my garage. I had another dealer offer me $1000 for it. I turned it down because I am using the box. Its a very well built box and for the money you have in it, keep it and use it until you get established in your trade.

 

[dieseltech]

that box could be a great start . its alot more than I started with does your trade school have an auto body program? id bet they would spray it for you for free if they do

 

[x justin]

Well the box has already been cleaned/degreased in those pictures, everything you see is the weathered metal beneath, there isn't much paint left on it. The inside of the drawers look the same also. It needs to be completely redone. I started working on it already, hopefully by the end of the summer I'll have it done. I'll try and keep some photos of my progress. I think I should have less than $200 into it with my current plans. I'm sure I can get it back if I decide to get rid of it or give up on it. Of course it could be made perfect, but I can't spend that kind of money this early into things, and honestly, I'd rather just get another used box in better shape since I can't utilize a box with this kind of layout very well.

 

[rebrewer]

Keep it. They are great boxes. Here's what's available for the KR562B. Should be close the to A version.

Bob

 

[Dale B]

When I restored mine , my S/O dealer waranteed the slides, at least 8 of them.......I later sold it , in nice condition and a spray can repaint for $800 here in So Cal.....

 

[omega9452]

Hey I have a snap on KR562A that I picked up about 2 months ago it was in bad condition. I am currently restoring it and I haven't put 50 bucks in it. So far I have replaced the slides in all 13 drawers and the casters are on the way I have replaced all 3 locks and am currently prepping it for paint. Snap on warrentys the slides and casters on this box and the new locks they install on the brand new snap on boxes today are direct replacements for the original locks and are easy to change out. the casters are worth a total of just under 800 dollars and are load rated at 1200 pounds each. Snap on got me all my parts under warrenty and the only item I paid for was the new style locks. I have found the drawers slide very nicely if you remove the slides and lubricate them well with LPS 3 it leaves kind of a heavy grease behind that keeps them sliding nicely even when they get dirty. This box is extremely popular with aircraft mechanics and they will pay a pretty penny for them even in bad condition. I paid over 400 dollars for mine and it was in much worse shape than yours. I'm a fairly new mechanic myself I have only been in the field for 3 years but I can tell you that box is rare and worth the little bit of time and is a fun project to work on. If you remove the drawers and slides be careful they are tricky to get out if you do not know how to remove them and alot of damage can be done if you try to pry them out I would suggest asking a snap on dealer or someone who is familiar with old snap on boxes to show you how to take them out the right way if you dont already know. I have most of the part numbers handy for parts for the box let me know if you need any of them.

 

[mrholeshot]

I had one of those for a short time I would clean it up and use it. The only thing I didt like about mine was the doors on the back

 

[omega9452]

I dont know if this is true or not but I have been told the box was designed to be marketed at aircraft mechanics since they typically roll their box next to the aircraft they are working on or have it parked somewhere in a hangar it is rare that the rear cabinet would not be accessisble. Also this the reason for the "tow hitch" on the side and the heavy duty wheels and brake so it can be moved around a hangar or even outside with a tug. again I dont know how much truth there is to it but it does explain the strange design of the box.

 

[mrholeshot]

If you live within 200 miles of me I'll give you 200 for it.