Snap ON KR-56

[Shelbylex]

Not too long ago I started reading garage journal, got interested and "got the bug". I would like to thank everybody for the wealth of great posts, information and advises that helped me start a new hobby.
After some late nights and a lot of internet search I just bought a first older Snap On tool chest (please see the images attached). I know, it's a little rough with some dents, rust, paint issues and will probably need a restoration in the future, but for some reason I really liked it (even the way it is). The key was attached and the lock works.
Since you will ask - $40 and around 1h of driving each way...

Can somebody help me with the production year of this box? My assumption based on logo is 1957-1969 with handle shape hinting towards earlier part of spectrum. Looked up information on collectingsnapon.com, but could not get any closer.

On left side, left lower corner has a stamp:
KR-56
3438
Made in USA 55

Does this mean it was made in 55?

Now is a fun project of cleaning it up, getting rid of all the dust, figuring out how to remove the draws (thank you for the threads). I might consider bringing it to the professional car body shop in the future to get rid of some dents and respray it. Does anybody know how much people charge for this?

P.S
I also have an unrelated question: there is a local MAC tools six drawer which I like. One of the drawers having a dent and extensive rust. MAC does not have the parts and I did not see anybody selling them. Can you recommend anybody who sells box parts? Is it expensive to professionally restore a 2-3 inch semi-circular rust spot with radius of around 1.5 inches and depth of 1-2 mm. I assume it will need some filler. (sorry, no pictures, owner promised to send but disappeared)

Again, thank you for this wonderful site and a new hobby!

 

[thehorse13]

You'll find that box in the 1955 Snap On tool catalog located on the collecting Snap-On website.

It's a great box that can be cleaned up without doing a full restore. That's the route I would take.

Great haul and welcome.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you!

 

[Packard V8]

Welcome to GJ. That is a nice user box. I have one and will buy another at $40.

I might consider bringing it to the professional car body shop in the future to get rid of some dents and respray it. Does anybody know how much people charge for this?

They'll charge about 10X what the box is worth. For those who enjoy doing body and paint work, a restoration is a hobby and doesn't need cost justification. Since OP asked about having it done professionally, that's a different question.

Wipe it down with WD40, lube the slides and use it for a while. At any time in the future, you can always choose to throw more time and money into the restoration than it would bring at resale.

jack vines

 

[thehorse13]

Agreed. It's too nice to go through a complete restoration.

This box is one of the early transition Snap-On logo boxes which still uses the old pull handle style. By 1957 they went to the chrome handle drawer pulls. I have a 1957 roll cab that has this chrome logo with chrome handle pulls. I would absolutely looooove to stumble upon a KR-302 roll cab from 56-58. I've never seen one for sale.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you for more advise and details, gentlemen

theheorse13: KR 302 showed up on e-bay around a year ago: https://www.ebay.com/itm/152171396049 It needed a handle, but looked not bad (remembered it because I spent a week educating myself). If I see one, I will let you know.

I think as time goes by I will be searching for K60/K200 combo. But given it's rarity (I want the original, there is one which looks like a chinese remake which I saw for sale - looks nice, but doubt the quality), will probably take me bunch of years to get one for a good price. Well, life is more about the road...

 

[thehorse13]

Thank you for more advise and details, gentlemen

theheorse13: KR 302 showed up on e-bay around a year ago: https://www.ebay.com/itm/152171396049 It needed a handle, but looked not bad (remembered it because I spent a week educating myself). If I see one, I will let you know.

I think as time goes by I will be searching for K60/K200 combo. But given it's rarity (I want the original, there is one which looks like a chinese remake which I saw for sale - looks nice, but doubt the quality), will probably take me bunch of years to get one for a good price. Well, life is more about the road...

I understand your desire. The knock off K260s are horrible. Here is the real deal. This one lives in my garage.

 

[Packard V8]

I think as time goes by I will be searching for K60/K200 combo.

Spend some time in and around that little beauty. And the operative term is "little" by today's standards. A friend loved the style and paid way too much for the pair. When he actually tried to put it to light duty use, he found it too small and considered himself fortunate to be able to sell it for what he paid.

jack vines

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you. I never realized they are small (I saw them only on the pictures)
I think for me K60/ K200 (or 260) is like a long term dream (for a good price. I assume if you offer 4000-5000, you can find it within a year). In my experience, dreams are always more fun to have than fulfill.
It's like looking for a dream car: you read about it, get all the details, all problems, all unusual things. You spend tons of time dreaming about it, looking for it, etc. One day you find one for a good price. You buy it, enjoy it, you feel great every moment you take it for a long ride on a highway. But it's not the same as anticipation ...

 

[Shelbylex]

thehorse13, LUCKY!!! Looks beautiful!!!

 

[Shelbylex]

Packard V8, silly question: why wipe it with WD40? (or you thought about HD40 degreaser). Would it help get rid of oils and dirt better? Or you are recommending more for the rust clean up and protection?
Would the smell stay forever? (I guess I will have to wait till better weather outside to use WD40 on it...)

 

[thehorse13]

I would clean it with Simple Green. From there, cut and buff the paint. After that, graphite lube, or bearing grease if you're a cheap *******, on the rail slides.

 

[Shelbylex]

Good morning. I have some Simple Green used on other project - tried it yesterday on several parts, makes a big difference. Will do a complete clean once I remove the drawers (could not use what I have, need a thin piece of metal; might end up buying from Snap On truck (see them sometimes)).
How do you buff paint and with which compound on those boxes? (sorry, I am new to this and do not have anybody to ask between friends and family)

I appreciate all the input - I decided not to restore it, but rather clean it up and use it for some time prior to potential repaint in the future. The only thing I will do is bring it to a body shop to hammer out 1-2 dents. The front ones do not bother me too much , but there was a push dent in the on the top (pictures attached). I am just afraid that I will not be able to do it right without hammer and dolly. Also, having no experience, do not want to overstretch the metal or create ripples...

 

[thehorse13]

When I get home today, I will post a picture of the most simple polishing compound that you can buy. It's available at Walmart or any other similar store.

 

[thehorse13]

Go grab a bottle of this stuff. It's around 9 bucks and does wonders to the finish. It's simple to use too.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you, thehourse13.

Visited several auto bodies today for the dents. On the phone everybody says "come on in, we work on any metal". Once you come in, they either try to sell full restore or say that they do not work on the boxes... What a waste of time.

Well, decided to stop being a modern wimp. Got home, pulled out some blocks of wood and a hammer and got to work. Now the side looks straight, one of front dents is completely gone and the second one is significantly smaller. Will try to work on it again later...

Then decided to remove the drawers. My neighbour made me a small tool (had no thin metal of proper strength). Well, should have considered buying a 1$ tool from Snap On (or whatever they charge). All went well except on one it managed to break inside and get stuck perpendicular to the release... took out the thing with the slide still attached... Several hours later I eventually broke it in tiny pieced and pulled it out (well, some dents on the side rail of the smaller drawer and some dents in self esteem : ) . Lesson learned: either make a great tool or buy it if it's cheap.

Will start cleaning it with Simple Green tomorrow if have some time. Once done, will clean the slides and then get to polishing. Thank you for the advise of compound - will be learning the process soon!

Thank you for the help!!!

 

[thehorse13]

You can make a drawer slide pull tool out of an old hack saw blade. There are several YouTube videos that show you how.

 

[SweetD]

You can make a drawer slide pull tool out of an old hack saw blade. There are several YouTube videos that show you how.

+1 I did this and it worked great

I have that same chest, I gave $75 for it and thought I got a pretty good deal, maybe a bit better condition that yours. All I did was clean and lube it, and I use it as is. Nice chest.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you. My last tool works well, but I will try to make a new one in the future.

I am currently cleaning the box and drawers with Simple Green. Should I use the same spray for the rails?

What would be the best way to slightly refresh the paint and get rid/improve some of the rust and oxidation spots? Would you recommend using sandpaper on the spots? If I want to refresh the pain, what grid of sandpaper should I use so it would not go through paint causing more damage. I hope to finish cleaning everything within a week and hopefully buff it with Meguiras (thank you, thehorse13)

I am sorry if I ask so many questions. Please let me know if this is excessive. This is the first proper tool box in my family and I just do not have anybody around to teach me.
I guess better late than never learning the skill.

As always, all the advises are greatly appreciated!

 

[thehorse13]

Hit it with the rubbing compound first. After that you can move on to more aggressive sanding.

You can use Simple Green everywhere on that box. You're going to re-lube the rails later anyway.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you, thehorse13. So, first I should use the rubbing compound, then light sanding, then buff it with Meguiars buffing compound? Would turtlewax work or you recommend another brand?

Will try to finish cleaning it this week and then will start on rubbing compound/sanding/buffing.

 

[thehorse13]

1) Clean the entire box top to bottom with Simple Green.
2) Follow the directions on the bottle of Meguiars rubbing compound.
3) Evaluate if the box has shined up to satisfaction. If not, report back here and await further suggestions.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you! Perfect! I will report in a while (between work and child will take me some time to do it properly)
Thank you for all your wisdom!

 

[VR6ix]

Don't touch it with sandpaper yet. Always start with the least aggressive treatment (soap & water) and only get tougher if it really needs it. Even something like 600 grit wet paper will leave a haze that rubbing compound might not clear out.

I have had good luck hitting rust spots with a stainless wire cup in a Dremel tool. Even that will mar the paint around the edges of the work area. But it's small and easy to control and the paint damage is minimal.

I've used a 3-step Meguiars car treatment on most of my old toolboxes: cleaner, polish, wax. It really brings a deep shine to the old paint but you are definitely removing paint all the same - a white cloth will quickly turn pink with the cleaner and polish stages. Don't get too aggressive with the elbow grease!

For the sliders I soak them in a container of degreaser and scrub them with a toothbrush or something similar, then rinse and dry. Next, check them for straightness both up-and-down and side-to-side. Often a "sticky" drawer is just a bent slider. You can carefully tap them back to straight with a hammer. Also check that all your drawers are straight & even, and the box itself where the slide runners are.

The old standard for lubing sliders was paraffin wax (like a candle), not oil. In a shop environment the oil would just attract dust and grit and make a horrible mess.

Have fun! And post more pics

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you, VR6ix
Great result on your box! Day and night.
I will do my best, but I have too many spots missing the paint. Will see though how it comes out: I straightened some dents (not ideal, but look much better). Now is the cleaning part. I think my box lived a real busy life in the garage: covered with layers of black dust substance (can not touch it without getting black on the hands), has some black condensed layers (may be dried grease), glue, paint (had to cut it off with the blade as it was relatively thick). Thus goes pretty slow.
I noticed that when I use Simple Green, papertowels turn a little pink. This I am doing a 2 stage: Simple Green Cleaning following with soap washing under hot water and then drying on top of heat vent. Once I am done with draws, main part will have to be a little tricky to wash and dry given the -8C outside...
I will lightly sand only the areas with rust - some is a little deep to polish out.
Thank you for advise on the slides - soaking in container of degreaser will definitely save me some time. I plan to learn more and use graphite lubricant as recommended earlier.
Will try to make couple of pictures once I do initial cleaning, then will see if I can bring some coloring back!

 

[Shelbylex]

Well, had an unexpected development:
Cleaned 4 draws: Simple Green spray, good wipe, then automotive soap with brush and rinse. Definitely everything looks better, though could not remove all the oils.
However, I tried to see how much dirt is left by wiping it with paper towel with light pressure and the paper towel turns pinkish. Tried several different surfaces, the same result.
Does it mean that paint is beyond salvation and I should sand, prime and repaint the box?
Any advise is welcomed!

 

[Oldtuleguy]

This one was covered in grime and decals. I cleaned it off with atf and got the decals off with pb blaster. Fortunately slides and drawers, as well as casters still in good shape.

 

[thehorse13]

Your box is fine. Keep cleaning and then do the cut and buff polishing. You can use PB blaster, WD-40 or something similar to attempt grime removal. You can even go much more aggressive and use Goof Off but be careful if you do. That stuff will take paint with it along with oils and hardened grime.

OldTuleGuy, that is a magnificent stack. You didn't happen to buy that setup from Baltimore city last month, did you? That exact same rig was for sale but I missed it by hours.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Apache junction swapmeet 2014. Had to bargain with the vendor for 3 hours to get him down to a reasonable price. I soaked it with atf for two days to loosen the old grease and crud. NO goof off. Too harsh.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you for advise. Will keep cleaning.
Still couple of draws to go. I am also slowly getting rid of sticker glue. Most likely it sat there forever and deteriorated some: slowly comes of with pressure and rubbing with just paper towel. Want to try the manual method to preserve as much paint as I can (well, it's like giving vitamins to a dying person giving amount of paint loss and scratches on the box...)

Please look at the picture: the initial color of the box. I guess Snap On paint deteriorates in the orange side of the red spectrum with UV light

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Don't touch it with sandpaper yet. Always start with the least aggressive treatment (soap & water) and only get tougher if it really needs it. Even something like 600 grit wet paper will leave a haze that rubbing compound might not clear out.

I have had good luck hitting rust spots with a stainless wire cup in a Dremel tool. Even that will mar the paint around the edges of the work area. But it's small and easy to control and the paint damage is minimal.

I've used a 3-step Meguiars car treatment on most of my old toolboxes: cleaner, polish, wax. It really brings a deep shine to the old paint but you are definitely removing paint all the same - a white cloth will quickly turn pink with the cleaner and polish stages. Don't get too aggressive with the elbow grease!

For the sliders I soak them in a container of degreaser and scrub them with a toothbrush or something similar, then rinse and dry. Next, check them for straightness both up-and-down and side-to-side. Often a "sticky" drawer is just a bent slider. You can carefully tap them back to straight with a hammer. Also check that all your drawers are straight & even, and the box itself where the slide runners are.

The old standard for lubing sliders was paraffin wax (like a candle), not oil. In a shop environment the oil would just attract dust and grit and make a horrible mess.

Have fun! And post more pics

Wow! That cleaned up like new.

 

[thehorse13]

Thank you for advise. Will keep cleaning.
Still couple of draws to go. I am also slowly getting rid of sticker glue. Most likely it sat there forever and deteriorated some: slowly comes of with pressure and rubbing with just paper towel. Want to try the manual method to preserve as much paint as I can (well, it's like giving vitamins to a dying person giving amount of paint loss and scratches on the box...)

Please look at the picture: the initial color of the box. I guess Snap On paint deteriorates in the orange side of the red spectrum with UV light

Correct. My 1957 roller used to live in the Florida everglades. The paint looks like Chevy orange after sitting outside in the sun for decades.

 

[Shelbylex]

Thank you. Slowly but steadily it will happen!