Possible restoration candidate?

[cmzwirner]

First off, a little backstory.

Im a 19 year old Mech. Eng. college student with a love for cars. Over the past years my tool collection has grown immensely, so i think its time to get a nice toolbox to store my stuff into.

I visited a few hardware stores, and all of the toolboxes that are sub $300 are flimsy, bad quality, and flex when you apply a large amount of force at 2 opposite corners of the box. That is something i DO NOT want.

My dad has an old late 1980's or early 1990's craftsman toolbox that has held up very well for the past 20 or so years. Besides the random problems that come with age, it is still in great structural condition. It seems like you can only get a GOOD solid toolbox for $3000+. This led me to the older stuff.

This led me to craigslist. I wanted to find a fixer-upper that i could grab for a cheap price, and restore. I have quite a few tools that would help me with this. I have a siphon sandblaster, powdercoater, angle grinder, assorted dust masks, drill mounted wire brushes, many paint strippers, and other miscellaneous items that would be useful for this. I sifted through the multitudes of annoying truck toolbox ads and found this one:

http://maine.craigslist.org/tls/2692218617.html

I called the guy and he told me it needs 10 drawer slides and paint. It was involved in a garage fire which bubbled up the paint on the right side of the box and ruined all of the right side of the drawers.

I have restored most of the suspension components on my car, so this doesnt really scare me as far as painting and rust goes. As long as there isnt any structural damage to the toolbox i should be fine, correct?

I guess the only question that i have for you guys is: How much would you guys pay for this old damaged unit, IF it is even worth trying to restore? How much do these drawer slides cost?

Thanks!

Colin

 

[tjmonsen5]

Drawer slides can likely be warranteed for free. At least snapon sent mine out for free. (they were broken from use, not a fire)

If all the drawers are there, i would maaaybe pay 75 bucks for it. Its been in a fire after all.

 

[Honda guy]

I'd get the model #, call Matco and see if the rails are available and how much. Does it matter to you that it's missing a drawer? It would to me.

If I was selling that box, I'd expect to get $50-$80 for it. If I was buying it, maybe $30.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Strouty]

Seems pricey for that size, I have a snap on that went through a fire. It is a much bigger box but I swapped a non ball bearing craftsman bottom and top box I had since high school for it. I can tell you the missing drawer will end up bothering you. Are you in Maine or just searching our craigslist? Good luck in the search. I would spend a little extra money on a toolbox, even when you think they are too big, they aren't.

 

[cmzwirner]

I actually didnt see that there was one drawer missing. Id assume that replacements arent available since it is such an old model. The guy said it was 15 years old. That may be a dealbreaker.

And im in maine. Windham to be exact. Im currently storing all of my car parts/tools/other **** on a table. Im doing turbo build on a 1997 BMW M3 so most of my budget is going towards that. I cant really spare more than $200 or so for a box right now. IF i can find an old box that is functional but can be fixed up, id rather pay with my time than my money. I have way more free time than cash right now.