Junkyard Box

[shoggoth80]

So, this is a twofold concept.
First, I occasionally go to junkyards for parts, because cheap...and sometimes that's the only route for something I need. I also on occasion have helped friends with their machines. So, I decided that my usual home toolbox is A)too bulky, and b)too expensive for these kinds of environments.

Purpose #2: We are looking at selling our house and moving. It's a bit of a story... but we stand to gain more in the move than if we stayed where we are. This generally means open houses at some point. Open houses are notorious for people stealing stuff. If I keep my tools stored at home to a minimum, and keep them cheap... they are less likely to walk away... or if they do, it really isn't much of a loss. Everything in the jankybox is a duplicate, and a lesser quality one (because many of these are tools I started with when I was younger).

Do both these reasons make sense? I know the junkyard/helper box does.
It's built on a cheap little 12" HF tote box. Contents are:

Deep well metric from 10mm-19mm, shallow metric from 9mm to 19mm...3/8" drive.

5-8mm 1/4" drive shallows. For rather small stuff (dash work, starter wires)

Phillips and flat head screwdrivers.

Combo wrenches from 7mm-19mm

Stubby wrenches in 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19mm

10" adjustable wrench

3" and 6" extensions for 3/8"

Spark plug sockets

3/8" drive ratchet (old Thorsens that I have 2 of)

1/4" drive ratchet. I bought this with the box. HF low profile with comfort handle. Kinda nice for a cheapie. This is because my other 1/4" rats are a Snappy and a Cman (and that is part of a set).

I plan to toss in my test light, scan tool, and multimeter because you never know.

Just real basic. Not a "road box" or for anything bordering on complex. Just a lightweight, quick grab and get parts or help a friend... maybe do some very basic maintenance on my own stuff over the next few months.

Insane?

 

[markbugno]

I hope you're moving to a better neighborhood. I've never had or heard of a theft during an open house.


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[shoggoth80]

I think it will be a better neighborhood. I had a friend lose a (what is to us) very costly knife in an open house (Benchmade Balisong). I occasionally hear news reports of theft, people getting caught in the act etc. Just not something I want to risk on anything more than necessary. The action is likely overkill.

 

[ex-x-fire]

I'd add one of the hf extendable socket driver handles.

 

[Lyptix]

I totally understand where your coming from. No reason to tempt someone. Or all it takes is someone that attended an open house eating at a diner later that day having a conversation and a scumbag overhearing..
"that open house today on Park Ave was so great, and can you believe all the tools that guy had? If it was me I would surely have an alarm system!"

And yes I am also paranoid but better safe than sorry. When we moved I took all my boxes to my father in laws garage until everything was in one place. We were back and forth between two places.

 

[Ratchet Guy]

you might want to add a impact driver on your yard tool, I got one and it is very handy for stubborn screw and bolts

 

[M6erfan]

Good kit...I'd add a headlamp or flashlight and a ratcheting 1/4" driver

 

[JR 42]

I hope you're moving to a better neighborhood. I've never had or heard of a theft during an open house./QUOTE]

Years ago I worked "security" (ie, read a book or did homework) for a friend's dad's real estate office for just this reason (apparently a solitary agent had been murdered during a showing somewhere, and the house robbbed) . All high end homes with lots of stuff in them.

OP, maybe add a can of penetrating oil, some rags, and a stubby combo screwdriver.

JR

 

[Fedwrench]

I've never had or heard of a theft during an open house.

It's fairly common. It's also when thieves case the place as they walk around during the open house and return later to rob it. In fact there have been more than a couple of realtors killed during open houses across the country.

Back to the Junk yard box, I would add a long handled flex head ratchet for some umph in breaking fasteners loose along with a small can of penetrating fluid. A pair of dykes, and a pair of alligator pliers.

 

[Brad54]

There are two ways you can go with this, and I've got both:

The cheap and dirty one is surplus a 50 cal ammo can. $10-$15 at just about everywhere. I've got a grab-and-go with a full set of wrenches (3/8-15/16), double box set (3/8-3/4), three adjustables, vise grip, pliers, full set of screw drivers, ball pien hammer (with the handle cut down so it just fits in the box diagonally), basic set of Craftsman 3/8 shallow and deep sockets, ratchet, chisel, shop rag and small can of WD-40.
When it was in my wife's Corvair, it also had a spare fan belt, coil and points.

It'll hold more, too.
I'm outfitting one with trays, and will carry it on the runningboard of the '61 Chevy 4x4 I'm building.

The "Go Big or Go Home" junkyard box is a Montezuma chest, their small portable. I use this for big junkyard trips where me and my buddies are going to pull a bunch of stuff during the day. It weighs about 100 pounds loaded, and we carry it in a red wagon. It's pulled multiple transmissions and rear ends, an engine, interiors, body panels, chiseled off quarter and rocker panels, two dash boards from '50s and '60s trucks... everything. It's also a good race box. It has two of every size wrench from 1/4-1 inch, FULL sets of shallow and deep sockets in all three sizes, along with a couple ratchets and breakers for each size, full set of extensions, hammer, chisels, brake tool, small bolt cutter, small pry bar, multi-meter, full set of screwdrivers, full set of pliers, vise grips, some metric sockets, a set of metric wrenches, set of standard stubbies, safety glasses, shop rags WD40, and the kitchen sink.

If I was starting my tool collection all over again, I'd get a bigger front-load Montezuma top box for my main garage box and work out of it. As it is, I frequently work out of this road-trip box.

It has enough tools that I can be on one side pulling a rear end, and my buddy can be working on the other side, and we aren't waiting to pass tools back and forth because we each have what we need.

The prices of the Monty boxes have come WAY down in the last couple years.

-Brad

 

[General Geoff]

Lately I've found myself tailoring a kit for junkyard walkabouts. I'll bring plenty of tools with me to the yard, but leave them in the vehicle except for a small kit of tools which I know I will need to pull the part or parts I'm looking for. If I stumble across something else I want, I can always come back to the vehicle to get the proper tools.

My back thanks me every time I go to the yard!

 

[davethorik]

I would get some sort of mini sledgehammer to add in. My friend has an old Vaughan 2.5 lb engineers hammer with a shortened handle and it is quite handy.

Maybe a cold chisel or two as well.

 

[shoggoth80]

I have all that stuff that I can add in. I have an impact driver. It's HF, nothing fancy, but it does work. When you need an impact driver, pretty much nothing else will make it move. Lol.

Mini-sledge... 3lb drill hammer.

Cold chisel... I think I've got a Bostitch? Again, nothing fancy, or overly expensive. Easy add ins.

 

[Brad54]

I would get some sort of mini sledgehammer to add in. My friend has an old Vaughan 2.5 lb engineers hammer with a shortened handle and it is quite handy.

Maybe a cold chisel or two as well.

A short sledge would REALLY help... I wore myself out one day chiseling an intake bolt on a 390 Ford truck... it was an Edelbrock intake, and one bolt head was corroded away from coolant puddling there. The small ball pien just didn't have the *** behind it to cut through the bolt. (on an FE, the intake is weird, in that it is part of the head, and the body of the bolt is seen when you remove the valve cover)

-Brad

 

[zkling]

Lately I've found myself tailoring a kit for junkyard walkabouts. I'll bring plenty of tools with me to the yard, but leave them in the vehicle except for a small kit of tools which I know I will need to pull the part or parts I'm looking for. If I stumble across something else I want, I can always come back to the vehicle to get the proper tools.

My back thanks me every time I go to the yard!

I've come to conclusion it is near impossible to have everything you need at all times. Typically when I go to the junkyard I know what I am going for and will have a good idea of what tools will be needed to remove my target part.

Redundancy is not your friend in this case. I'd drop the test light and the stubby wrenches. Having to much to carry, sort and keep track of can be daunting.

 

[newspeed]

lose the stubby wrenches and add a good hammer and a 3/8 hand impact driver

 

[fourjeepin]

My junk yard box is actually a small canvas bag. It stays in the car at all times because you never know. Last time I used it was for an emergency battery change at HD during a lunch break.

Bag contains SAE and metrics sockets. Most combinations wrenches. Hammer, screwdriver, needle nose, vise grips. I think that is about it. Also keep jumper cables, voltmeter, scan tool, and tow strap in the Jeep (2008 Grand Cherokee with the Mercedes diesel).

 

[Brad54]

I've come to conclusion it is near impossible to have everything you need at all times. Typically when I go to the junkyard I know what I am going for and will have a good idea of what tools will be needed to remove my target part.

Redundancy is not your friend in this case. I'd drop the test light and the stubby wrenches. Having to much to carry, sort and keep track of can be daunting.

Not to split hairs, but the OP said "Junkyard walkabouts."

My buddies and I will go junkyarding in the fall and winter months, hitting some yards that are full of old cars. When we do that, we aren't looking for anything specific, and my "war chest" always comes--might find a steering box for a Corvair, a good intake manifold, or a Ford 9-inch out of a '57-'58 wagon.

For specifics, like grabbing the oil pan and filter adapter off the big Ford trucks last month, the grab-n-go ammo can box is what I take.

-Brad