txlonghorn1989
Well-known member
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- Feb 27, 2017
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Great start to my weekend - Craftsman Gray & Red Toolboxes (long post)
I slept in a bit late this morning. As usual, first thing after getting up and around is to check the local CL ads for tool related stuff I need or am interested in. My usual quick scan before the in-depth one shows an ad for "Craftsman toolbox". I check it. It's a gray & red rolling Craftsman toolbox with a gray & red Craftsman toolbox on top. Both have twelve drawers. It's been posted three hours earlier. Damnit! I call even though I'm usually loathe to call greatly preferring e-mail. The guy says he still has it and that he's at work and won't be off until 4pm. He lives about 60 miles from me. I let him know I have to pick my grandkids up at 4pm for a weekend visit with Nana & Grandpa. I ask if anyone is ahead of me and he says one guy but that he's not sure the guy can meet today. I tell him I am very interested and I'll let him know if I am unable to figure out a way to meet him when he gets off work. This comment is just desperation from me as I've already committed to meet my daughter 50 miles away in another direction at that exact time for the already mentioned grandkids but I just couldn't make myself say "I think I'm going to have to pass". I'm puttering around and I thought to call him back and at least tell him I really want it and I'm willing to come out there later in the evening after I drop my grandkids back at home. He says "I was just about to call you. The other guy isn't that interested and is offering me less than my asking price. Oh by the way, how soon could you get here? I'm heading home now.". OMG! I let him know I was heading for my vehicle immediately and that I could probably be there within an hour. He wanted to know what I was driving because "these are REALLY heavy." He also muttered something about tools which I didn't really understand. I did ask him if these toolboxes were really old and his response was "no, they aren't very old". The whole drive to his place way out in the country I'm thinking these are going to be some recent cheap Craftsman re-issue of their classic gray & red toolboxes. I'm debating whether I buy them if they are just to give to my son-in-law as his first set of toolboxes. Anyway, I arrive. He opens the gate and motions me up the hill to his house and to a shop in the back. Turns out these belonged to his wife's father who died recently. They are legit, original and in fantastic shape. The heavy part besides just these toolboxes when empty are pretty hefty but every drawer is packed with tools and parts. I don't look thru the drawers because I'm thinking he might see something he wants to keep. Know what I mean? Anyway, I've got a little Subaru Forester. He and his offensive linemen sized son get them both loaded with some effort. The rolling toolbox was set backside down in the back of my Subaru. I'm thinking I'll have to remove all the tools & such from that rolling toolbox before trying to get it out if I'm going to have any chance of budging it when I get home. It takes me an hour to unload the smaller toolbox and get it into the garage. I'm looking at the rolling toolbox and trying to figure out what I'm going to do. With it sitting on it's back I'm finding it difficult to even lift the drawers open and attempt to pull the stuff in there out. The first drawer I attempt something falls out and down to the back of the drawer such that now that drawer won't close. I manage to unload that drawer but give that plan the deep-six. I start trying to wrestle it out loaded and actually managed to get it out without doing too much damage. I may have put a very slight crease on the back side as I was sliding down some 2x6s, Lots of tools and stuff in there. Mostly stuff I don't already have - 3/4" Craftsman 18" breaker bar with 10" extension, appx 16" 3/4" Craftsman rachet with a set of sockets, bearing pullers, Victor torches, half a shoe box of Craftsman, Plomb, Proto, etc sockets, old Craftsman multimeter, a like new still in the box Lufkin Chrome-clad tape measure, lots and lots of other stuff, and things I have no idea what they do or are. If there's interest I'll be happy to post pics of the tools after the grandkids are gone. You might be wondering what I had to pay. He was asking $100. I never had a thought of offering a penny less. We were both happy. Fyi, this guy used to manage a number of Dale's Auto Parts stores here in the Central Texas area. So he had a pretty good idea what was going on. He just wanted to get rid of this stuff and already had most of it already.
I'd be very interested in knowing dates on this toolbox. I know it's earlier than 1984 as there was a receipt in there for another tool purchase with an '84 date on it. I also could you some advise on how to get the drawers out as I need to get whatever it was that dropped in the back out so I can get that out and check for anything else that may have dropped in there.
The toolbox had a number of dirt dauber nests in/on it and what appears like a 1/4" circle of light rust on the back side of the top box. It also has the previous owner's last name stenciled on the sides of both boxes. I can live with that. I'll get it cleaned up good next week. If anyone wants pics let me know and I'll be happy to post them after it's cleaned up.
What a great way to start a weekend - Craftsman gray & red toolboxes filled with old tools and the rest of the time with the grandkids!
Hope you enjoyed my adventure half as much as I did! Wow! How lucky that the stars aligned for me today. :0)
Thanks, Mike
I slept in a bit late this morning. As usual, first thing after getting up and around is to check the local CL ads for tool related stuff I need or am interested in. My usual quick scan before the in-depth one shows an ad for "Craftsman toolbox". I check it. It's a gray & red rolling Craftsman toolbox with a gray & red Craftsman toolbox on top. Both have twelve drawers. It's been posted three hours earlier. Damnit! I call even though I'm usually loathe to call greatly preferring e-mail. The guy says he still has it and that he's at work and won't be off until 4pm. He lives about 60 miles from me. I let him know I have to pick my grandkids up at 4pm for a weekend visit with Nana & Grandpa. I ask if anyone is ahead of me and he says one guy but that he's not sure the guy can meet today. I tell him I am very interested and I'll let him know if I am unable to figure out a way to meet him when he gets off work. This comment is just desperation from me as I've already committed to meet my daughter 50 miles away in another direction at that exact time for the already mentioned grandkids but I just couldn't make myself say "I think I'm going to have to pass". I'm puttering around and I thought to call him back and at least tell him I really want it and I'm willing to come out there later in the evening after I drop my grandkids back at home. He says "I was just about to call you. The other guy isn't that interested and is offering me less than my asking price. Oh by the way, how soon could you get here? I'm heading home now.". OMG! I let him know I was heading for my vehicle immediately and that I could probably be there within an hour. He wanted to know what I was driving because "these are REALLY heavy." He also muttered something about tools which I didn't really understand. I did ask him if these toolboxes were really old and his response was "no, they aren't very old". The whole drive to his place way out in the country I'm thinking these are going to be some recent cheap Craftsman re-issue of their classic gray & red toolboxes. I'm debating whether I buy them if they are just to give to my son-in-law as his first set of toolboxes. Anyway, I arrive. He opens the gate and motions me up the hill to his house and to a shop in the back. Turns out these belonged to his wife's father who died recently. They are legit, original and in fantastic shape. The heavy part besides just these toolboxes when empty are pretty hefty but every drawer is packed with tools and parts. I don't look thru the drawers because I'm thinking he might see something he wants to keep. Know what I mean? Anyway, I've got a little Subaru Forester. He and his offensive linemen sized son get them both loaded with some effort. The rolling toolbox was set backside down in the back of my Subaru. I'm thinking I'll have to remove all the tools & such from that rolling toolbox before trying to get it out if I'm going to have any chance of budging it when I get home. It takes me an hour to unload the smaller toolbox and get it into the garage. I'm looking at the rolling toolbox and trying to figure out what I'm going to do. With it sitting on it's back I'm finding it difficult to even lift the drawers open and attempt to pull the stuff in there out. The first drawer I attempt something falls out and down to the back of the drawer such that now that drawer won't close. I manage to unload that drawer but give that plan the deep-six. I start trying to wrestle it out loaded and actually managed to get it out without doing too much damage. I may have put a very slight crease on the back side as I was sliding down some 2x6s, Lots of tools and stuff in there. Mostly stuff I don't already have - 3/4" Craftsman 18" breaker bar with 10" extension, appx 16" 3/4" Craftsman rachet with a set of sockets, bearing pullers, Victor torches, half a shoe box of Craftsman, Plomb, Proto, etc sockets, old Craftsman multimeter, a like new still in the box Lufkin Chrome-clad tape measure, lots and lots of other stuff, and things I have no idea what they do or are. If there's interest I'll be happy to post pics of the tools after the grandkids are gone. You might be wondering what I had to pay. He was asking $100. I never had a thought of offering a penny less. We were both happy. Fyi, this guy used to manage a number of Dale's Auto Parts stores here in the Central Texas area. So he had a pretty good idea what was going on. He just wanted to get rid of this stuff and already had most of it already.
I'd be very interested in knowing dates on this toolbox. I know it's earlier than 1984 as there was a receipt in there for another tool purchase with an '84 date on it. I also could you some advise on how to get the drawers out as I need to get whatever it was that dropped in the back out so I can get that out and check for anything else that may have dropped in there.
The toolbox had a number of dirt dauber nests in/on it and what appears like a 1/4" circle of light rust on the back side of the top box. It also has the previous owner's last name stenciled on the sides of both boxes. I can live with that. I'll get it cleaned up good next week. If anyone wants pics let me know and I'll be happy to post them after it's cleaned up.
What a great way to start a weekend - Craftsman gray & red toolboxes filled with old tools and the rest of the time with the grandkids!
Hope you enjoyed my adventure half as much as I did! Wow! How lucky that the stars aligned for me today. :0)
Thanks, Mike
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