Ever grind wrenches to fit?

[Kev442]

Got my flame suit on, so I am ready to discuss a wrench made in India.

The Gearwrench standard combo thread reminded me to pass this little tidbit on to you guys for what it's worth.
Twice in the last month I have had to grab these wrenches made by Akar and sold at Menards in lieu of grinding a good wrench down to fit. First on carb bolts and then on exhaust bolts up by the catalytic converter I avoided grinding either a wrench or the part. These are extremely thin and saved a lot of swearing. Fit where neither my Williams or Craftsman would not.
I bought these originally for the road kit as I liked that their case is self contained and the wrenches won't rattle (also got to put the Craftsmans back in the house). The plastic turns out to be flexible and did not crack on first use, kinda nice. Sometimes a $6.99 road kit is worth the price paid!

 

[BlindViper]

Yup I keep a box of chinese/mismatched sockets and wrenches just for the purpose. I have even went and bought a cheap wrench just so I don't have to kill a good one.

 

[blacK20]

Ya I have a few wrenches that have been cut/ground/bent for very specific applications. I am sure anybody that wrenches for a living have their own share of modified tools.

 

[yevangelis]

oh definitely, buy a set of wrenches and sockets real cheap and modify as needed

 

[afazz]

I have half a drawer full of purple tools. In the heat of the moment, sometimes you have to grind/cut/weld/bend the tools to fit!

 

[cdseven95]

96-00 civic ... Alternator on the back of the bolt... Steal bolt in a aluminum sleeve... Seized..

Had to grind a cheap wrench down 90% to unbolt the bracket from the block with the alternator still bolted on.

 

[BJ42LX]

BMW E36 front anti-sway bar links need a thin 16mm open end. Craftsman to the rescue!

 

[deathbound]

Had to grind a couple of Craftsman open end wrenches.....7/16" for the tappet screws on my Panhead & 3/8" for something else-forgot what. Didn't want (or have) a cheapo to grind-why make a cheap wrench worse & possibly bust a knuckle.

 

[Kev442]

Right, we've all been there with tool modification. Keep in mind the point here is that where most chintzy tools are usually grossly oversized crummy castings, these are unusually thin and saved my azz without any grinding.

 

[Orangestang]

Yes I've grinded on a few.

 

[wafrederick]

I have cheap 10mm, 13mm and 15mm combo wrenches I ground down to get into tight spots.The 10mm,I ground down the box and open end to get to one of the lower fan shroud bolts on a 1999 and newer Jeep Grand Cherokee.The 13mm,to get to one of the neutraul safety switch bolts on a 4L60E since the plug ins are glued in.The 15mm,could not get to one of the mount bolts with one of my good 15mm wrenches and ground down the box end until it fit in.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

Disposable wrenches come in handy.

 

[HookWorse]

The cheapest wrenches have such poor metal, if you heat them up red hot, they'll still snap when you try and bend them

 

[GoBlue]

I hate to see people grind up a nice craftsman, snappy, mac, matco, sk, etc...wrench for one time use. With so many no name, foreign wrenches floating around...for Gods sake...USE A PITTSBURGH! I have a coffee can filled with nothing other than no name garbage wrenches...just for this purpose.

 

[Indy_500]

Had to grind a 7/8" HF wrench skinner to fit into a tight space. I have the whole set for this purpose.

 

[Steevo]

Grind, cut, bend, weld, whatever it takes.
I have a drawer full of modified wrenches, and a few ground down or welded socket, too.

 

[GoBlue]

I know a guy with a total hodgepodge of a wrench drawer. Im talking stuff you have never heard of, stuff that is not branded, stuff you dont want to hear of, and Snappys, Macs, Matcos, Craftsmans, Sks, etc... You guessed it...every wrench thats chopped or bent is a damn Snappy or a Matco...hard to believe

 

[JC23]

Back when I wuz racin' stock cars, there were no cheap tools so I ground down a 7/16 Cman open end to get into the tight spots around those pesky header bolts that always needed tightening.

Still have it...

 

[GoBlue]

stage 8 bolts my friend

 

[rockchucker]

Do it all of the time. Especially Turbo Manifold and Flange Bolts. 22mm Closed End Wrench with a groove cut in it for Oxygen Sensor removal. Cut in half for Stubby. Anything it takes to get the job done.

 

[RangerDaleXp]

I had to make a 35 into a 36 because I had a fan clutch that was stuck and it broke the tool that was meant for it......

 

[Super Sport]

Right, we've all been there with tool modification. Keep in mind the point here is that where most chintzy tools are usually grossly oversized crummy castings, these are unusually thin and saved my azz without any grinding.

I think everybody missed your point.



As for grinding down Cman...I know people who have done this and exchanged them under warranty for a new one. I have one here that's been modified and I'm going to try it. They usually don't even bother to look at the tools when I take them in...

 

[Olafur]

Shot this pic few days ago. These are not mine, I cannot find it in me to grind down a Beta, let alone Stahlwille, Heyco and Rheidco.

 

[Super Sport]

Shot this pic few days ago. These are not mine, I cannot find it in me to grind down a Beta, let alone Stahlwille, Heyco and Rheidco.

I purchased a lot of vintage SO tools a few weeks ago and there were probably a dozen tools that had been modified. Why the owner used expensive SO tools is beyond me...

 

[GoBlue]

I think everybody missed your point.



As for grinding down Cman...I know people who have done this and exchanged them under warranty for a new one. I have one here that's been modified and I'm going to try it. They usually don't even bother to look at the tools when I take them in...

no offense but don't you see an ethical dilemma in this? People wonder why some company's are getting strict on warranty claims

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have few that have been modified. I still have the first wrenches I bought, some Alltrades, for the specific purpose of if I need to make another mod wrench.

 

[sscustom]

mu boss kills all his good tools to make em fit sockets to wrenches he cut up a 27mm wrench that he just bought and had for 2 days lol

 

[hofferwood]

Wonder if they will Warranty this?

Chuck

 

[Kev442]

I think everybody missed your point.

No biggie, I doubt anyone grinding up a Snappy wrench is going to buy Akars instead! Some of this tool carnage is neat to see.

 

[2oolhound]

1st tools I ever ground were a Hazet 5/16th whitworth wrench and socket to fit my norton motorcycle. They are ground so thin I'm sure a cheap import wrench would have broken long ago. If you don't want to buy cheap wrenches because you don't think they'll stand up to hard use like quality brands what makes you think they can be ground down and still do the job. Unfortunately I've lost my hazet wrench but still have the 3/8 drive socket after 35 years. It's real thin too but can still torque head bolts to 30 ft lbs. and I'm sure it's broken loose some that were tighter.

If it's a one time thing, I'm with ya, buy a cheapo but if you're going to need it often spend the money and do it right the 1st time.

 

[treasureseeker]

On eBay there is a seller that has sold all Snap On modified wrenches on many occasions. Most the thickness of (the tall sides with the name and size) the box end were ground. I have modified a few Craftsman’s wrenches both times to save from taking something apart.

 

[crewchief888]

most of my ground down, bent, and cut off wrenches are cm & sk


tried it with the elcheapo's , and ended up with a broken, ground up wrench

 

[TozziWelding]

I have ground them, cut them in half, welded on to them, anything in the name of making$$$$$$$

 

[back2class]

I had a set of otherwise excelent 1/2-7/8 snap-on combo wrenches that someone ground the open ends on all of them to about 1/4". Such a waste. I can see doing one to get the job done, but to damage a complete set...just did not get that one!

 

[oldgoat]

I have bought from people different brands that sometimes included some thin wrenches. Also I have a couple sets of HF wrenches that I keep for the purpose of having if I need to even modify one to fit the need. Would hate to do it with some more expensive wrenches and actually the quality of the HF tools aren't all that bad. I once had a set of HF obstruction wrenches sent to me as part of an order and they said to just keep them. More than once they've came through in a pinch.

 

[GoBlue]

oddly i will agree with their obstruction wrenches. I have the U shaped wrenches as well as the S shaped wrenches and they are actually pretty good. They have never let me down! Perhaps a different supplier than their combos because i have tried several wrenches from several sets and have found them to be of the lowest quality. Low strength, sloppy...you name it. Odd that their obstruction wrenches are nicer. Anyone else notice this?

 

[larry_g]

Back when I was working industry down time cost $9 to $15 per SECOND. Didn't think twice about the wrench that had to be modified. And I had a few custom wrenches made just for one particular fastener, or adjustment.

lg
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