The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest What was the last tool you bought?

Steering wheel puller kit for 5 bucks at a garage sale, new in the box, 1910ish Disston 5tpi rip saw, and a Miller's Falls #74 miter box with 26" Disston/Miller's Falls miter saw.

Duct tape, if its considered a tool.

If it is used to fix something? It's a tool!

Don

It's not just a tool, it's an ESSENTIAL tool.

Picked up this Sun analyzer at a local community college auction. Now to learn how to use it. Let the fun begin.

Mark

Mark, looks just like the ones we had at the TG&Y Automotive Store I managed back in the mid 70s. Not too complicated if I could learn it.🤣

You lucky man, I would love to have a machine like that been looking for years for one of those Suns

I am looking forward to learning about it and how to use it. We used to see them everywhere, now just part of history.

Did you get all the leads with it? Operators manual?

I did not get the operator manual, but bought a pdf copy on eBay that looks promising. It appears that the leads are intact including that nice delay timing light. I have not had a chance yet to check it out, wanting to read up on it before I mess something up on it.

I’ll have to give it a good once over when I bring the polisher back.🛠

Baaaaaack on topic, please! Feel free to start a separate thread to discuss this analyzer.

Good catch Mark! I may just go out and buy another tool just to get us back on topic!
You can't have too many tools!
Coil spring clamps come to mind right now.

Don

I just bought a pair of 6-Ton jack stands. The 4 existing ones I had for my cars are not tall enough for our trucks. I got tired of putting stacks of 2x6’s under them to build them up. From NAPA on sale for $49.99. I ordered on line and picked them up that same day. On sale thru 8/27.

I haven’t used them yet but the quality looks good.

6-Ton Jack Stands

That's my last tool purchase as well. But it was to replace the harbor freight stands I have.

Bought a low cost Astro tools spray gun with 1.8 mm tip to lay down some primer on my paint stripped cab..that is once this beastly 90 degree heat subsides.
Saving my good gun for the topcoat

I bought several 10mm sockets in various drive sizes.

Why?? You can't use them on a Stovebolt.

You can if you find the right hammer!

Although technically not a tool, I scored a real nice fireproof cabinet at a garage sale a couple weeks ago and I finally got to install it. The funny part about this story is I saw it and dismissed it by thinking it would be out of my price range. My wife pointed it out and encouraged me to ask about it. The price was a bit more that I wanted to spend especially at a garage sale, but I have never seen used fireproof cabinets for sale anyplace. New they go for close to 1,000 dollars. I picked this up for $200. Couldn’t pass it up.

I had to relocate some equipment, remove an open metal shelf and shuffle some stuff around in order to install it. I’m happy with the results and I feel so much safer. LOL

We had to get rid of most of ours as the doors didn't automatically close. The current ones now close, mostly.

1/2” drive metric 6 to 19mm Allen socket key set. Handy when working on an LS style engine.

The last tool I bought wasn't vehicle related, but it would come in handy for re-wiring work. It was day before yesterday and within 2 hours of buying it, the thing may have saved my life. Or at least saved me from an unwanted shock. It was one of those combination wire cutter, crimper, stripper things and I was adding lights under the south part of our place in the mountains. That part of the house only has about 18 inches of clearance at best, is dark as a coal mine and I've grown tired of dragging a crawl light around with me when something needs to be done. There was a wire down there...probably left from when the place was built. Just laying there coiled up and when I tested it a couple of years ago it didn't seem like it had juice in it. I had decided it was connected to a switch somewhere (which was off) or which had been run but never connected at the breaker box. It was 14/2 wire, which I needed a bit more of, so I cut straight through it and POW. Large spark which was followed immediately by me banging my head sharply on the beam above me. Still holding the thing and seeing lots of little dots dancing in front of my eyes, I reflected on how nice it was somebody somewhere added rubber grips on the handles. The brand was Gardner-Bender and it was about $9 at the Foxworth-Galbraith store. One of these days I'm going to have to start wearing gloves.

I did that once, just not in a crawlspace. Still have the wire cutters with a notch burnt in them. Yeah, rubber grips are good. In my case the breaker tripped immediately (that was the one that I forgot to turn off ).
I think even without rubber grips, you'd have just suffered the dots in front of your eyes, as the electricity would go back thru the neutral, not thru you. In High School we had a crazy science teacher who set up a bulb in a receptacle with exposed terminals and had us put our fingers (of one hand) across the screws of the terminals with the power turned on. Not even a tingle, because the light was using the power. He did say not to try that without the light bulb screwed in, though.

Yes, Kevin but when you're in a cramped space and you see that big spark and the resulting POW, your brain stops processing logic for a moment.

When I was in high school our chemistry teacher discovered in an old railroad warehouse a sealed container with sodium metal inside. The container was thick glass with what looked like a bakelite top. As I recall it had to be stored in kerosene or naphtha...something like that. He brought it into our class...all agog with excitement because he knew it would react in water and wanted us to see it. The container was covered in red danger stickers in 3 or 4 languages and the piece of metal was about 2" x 3" x 4". It looked very old and covered in a soft whitish layer of what we supposed was oxidation damage. Maybe something brought up from a shipwreck. At the front of the class was an oak observation cabinet with arm holes/gloves on each side and a tempered glass front which slid down from the top. He poured about a quart of water into a plastic bucket and dropped the chunk of metal in...all of it. Nothing happened, so he closed the glass front, turned around to the class and started saying "well, I'm sorry class. Looks like this is too old and just a dud." A few seconds after he finished the sentence, an explosion blew glass bits, water and pieces of wood across everyone in the room and seemed to shake the entire school. The silence that followed was maybe the most remarkable part of it. I recall the girl who sat next to me just staring at me and blinking. His eyes were as large as golf balls and when the principal ran in to see what happened, he couldn't even make a sentence.

I understand Jon. I may have needed to change my underwear after my episode. I know a few choice words cut thru the noise.

Your story definitely trumps mine.

Back on topic.

I just picked up an over center, cam type of valve spring compressor tool. I can't get to all my springs with it, but the ones I can get, it makes life 10 times better! The little screw type works for the springs in the tight areas.

Gets delivered this Saturday...




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This is my “newest” edition to my arsenal...
1936 9” South Bend model C with a decent amount of tooling and a complete set of change gears for threading. I have not touched a lathe in almost 20 years but I always enjoyed using them in the machine shop in high school. Ironically the first part I made on it was a part for the lathe haha. Was missing the handle on the tailstock.

Very COOL.

Barmfind49, you will find that you will use that allot restoring your truck. My 12” yard sale Craftsman lathe has numerous hours on it making or modifying parts I have used on my ‘52. Great find!

Like you haven't had a 20 year gap!

Hahaha yea it came back to me. Im no machinist by any means but I have always been a “get it done” guy. Funny part is that lathe was already 48yrs old when I was born. 🤣

South Bend lathes are great lathes especially the old ones. American Made in 1938! Keep it maintained, don’t abuse it and it will last forever!

Come to think of it, when I got my lathe six years ago, it was also missing the handle on the compound and you guessed it, was my first job I turned on the lathe.

You guys got me thinking about getting some small machines.
Haven’t run any in over six years. Small lathe and mill would be nice.

Don

I have a milling attachment for my lathe. Clamps on to the compound and has a #2 Morse Taper collet in the head stock tightened by a hand wheel thru the spindle. Only has the travel of the cross slide and a few inches up and down. Limited but extremely useful.

In the photo, I’m enlarging the slots in a alternator bracket I bought online that were not big enough for the bolts that attach it to the block. I would love a Bridgeport but lack the room and the funds!

My home test light took a dive. Ain't nothin' like starting to diagnose an issue, when one third of the way through, you start thinking "Maybe my test light broke!" It did, Picked up a Power Probe for home. I haven't had a chance to play with it yet, but I'm sure I will soon enough. Also found a used Snap On standard tap & die set for home. Never seemed to have the right taps for home projects. Now I should be covered. Bought it off of eBay for a decent price compared to new.

An ULLMAN Mechanical Screw Starter.

I had one of these years ago and I was unable to find it. I have really missed this little tool. It is very useful for point screws, carburetor flap screws, etc.

I ordered it on eBay and it took it a month to get here. I am not sure how the USPS is everywhere else, but this little item is "well traveled". It started in Texas (two places), then to Birmingham, then to Memphis, then to Atlanta, then back to Birmingham, and then finally to Jasper, AL.

Yes, COVID was the problem.