Auto Wrench Thread

[AntiqueBen]

Did you check the Wakefield thread? I don't recall a No. 11, and the longest in my collection is 9" - both a No. 9 and a No. 19. Plenty of info on the company, its various tools, and some trade mag excerpts on the thread for general context.

Thanks for the info. I'll have to find the thread

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It's in the W's under "Wakefield" in the A-Z Index of Threads in the Sticky at the top of the forum!

 

[AntiqueBen]

I found this 9" Auto wrench in a toolbox today. It has no markings, except for 3 dots forged on it? It seems like I remember a 3 dot wrench being discussed somewhere here on GJ, but I can't find it. Anyone know anything about these or who manufactured them?

 

[d42jeep]

Those look like little blobs of weld to me. Probably made by a previous owner to mark his tool. I checked my auto wrench pictures and found one with what looks to be three center punch marks in a line. I believe that mine was made by Vlchek. I leave behind plenty of unmarked 9” auto wrenches at sales.

-Don

 

[AntiqueBen]

I have a few that was marked by the owner. Usually stamped with a punch or something. These 3 blobs kinda look factory? Or whoever did the weld blobs did an amazing job. Comparison pics below.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a No 14 Mossberg Sterling I found at a Gardnerville yard sale today. It’s quite a bit larger than my No 1.


-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

If I brought home every auto wrench I saw at the flea market my house would be sinking, but I found another Moore 12 today. Before the Ordnance Dept assumed responsibility from the QMC for wheeled vehicles in October 1942 and started insisting on standardization, the QMC allowed Willys and Ford to use their favored suppliers for some of the tools in the on-board toolkit. For the 11-inch Auto Wrench, Ford favored Moore Drop Forge - despite that fact that their product was an inch longer than spec - and this is a wartime Ford GPW wrench. This example has a good bit of black enamel left on it. And the jaws are straight and clean.

 

[d42jeep]

Nice find. It took me quite a while to locate mine at a local estate sale.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

This is only the second one I have ever found. I still have the first. One of these years I'm going to go down to Aberdeen for the Eastern Rally and sell off all the jeep and GMTK tools I have in my wartime stash box.

I've mentioned this before, and you've probably noticed, unlike the B&S, Fairmount, and Diamond versions, that the pin holding the thumb screw in place in the Moore 12's is permanently staked, not a set screw.

 

[Steven 33]

I've been enhancing the picture of the Billings & Spencer Auto Wrench in the 1902 ad to look for any clues, and I found one (pics below). You can clearly see where the Billings & Spencer Co stamping should be with the B in triangle logo on the handle. This early mark has both upper & lower case letters unlike the later markings in all upper case letters generally with the word "The" in front. So I looked online for any that might be for sale with this stamping & wrench design....& I found one (pics below). It's a 10" version identical to the pic in the 1902 ad. The stamping is even in the identical spot on the handle. Looking forward to getting this one.

I have a bunch. I'm not sure if this is the same style you're looking for, but it looks like it

 

[d42jeep]

I stopped by to visit my old buddy with the amazing car and bike collection to drop off a shorty Britool Whitworth DBE. He had some tools lying around on a bench and I spotted this nice Ford marked Moore Drop Forging auto wrench. He suggested that I take it home with me.
-Don

 

[four.cycle]

^ that's an oldie!

 

[Steven 33]

Here's a few of mine fresh out of the Tumbler. Three different styles of the moore and a barcalo as well as a Fairmount.

 

[59Sled]

Small Ford script wrench I restored a few months back.


Also redid this Auto wrench