The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Tool identification help

For the back story. My dad graduated High School I think in 1956. From there a mechanic for several years until he was service manager for local Dodge dealership for as many years. When he passed, part of my inheritance was a very overstuffed toolbox. Some of the specialty tools, I know. Some I could use help on figuring out what they are. Obviously, the normal hand tools I know. This will probably take a few posts and I think it is smart to break it up to not get lost in it. I have and never will have any interest in selling the tools. I have "shared the wealth" in that I gave my neighbor R-12 AC tools that I would never use knowing I would have access to them if I ever did need them. Here are some pictures of some of the larger items I removed from the toolbox to make it easier to search. Enjoy and thanks in advance for any help. There is a coil tester that I know about, a dwell meter, and some others that I have some ideas on. Anyway, here is the beginning.

#2 looks like a simple vacuum gauge. Does it have a tubing connection? #3 is a multimeter, for volts & amps, and maybe a battery load tester.

Need a better picture on #6. Hard to see what's on the handle.

Part 2...

Part 3...

Part 4... and all for now.

Yes on the tubing connection on vac guage. The Snap-On pistol looking thing appears to be maybe a solenoid tester? It has connections for Battery, Distributor, Ground, and Solenoid. Also has an indicator light on top of it. I found this thing too. It will take a little stuying to figure it out.

I like the remote starter. Very cool.

John

Picture 7 of 9 has a 54-59 Chevy truck HydraMatic "which gear is it in" thingy that mounts on the steering column. (Nice technical description) Hard to find.

Your father was about as organized as I am.

He always knew exactly where everything was. I don't have his years of working out of that box though. It is kinda cool the tools that were more for the cars of 50s,60, 70s..And I am afraid that I put the H-M shift indicator there.

I think that thingy may be a test probe, assuming the brass tip is exposed and not covered with something non conductive. The alligator clip goes to ground and you touch with the tip to find hot terminals. Probably lights up just behind the tip.

It'd help if your photos didn't have everything else in the background.

That's an "electric pencil"- - - -used for marking tools. Attach the wire to a 12V battery and hold the tool onto the other post, or use a jumper lead as a ground. When you touch the probe to the tool (gently) the tip vibrates up and down and leaves a permanent etch mark on the item. It takes some practice to get it right, so use piece of scrap metal to develop your technique! I used Dad's electric pencil to put my initials on my first set of sockets- - -his Christmas gift to me at age 12.
Jerry

Part 3 picture 6 is what I refer to as my "I'm going to need that bit/part/piece (whatever) one day" drawer - LOL!

Your Dad's tool box is a treasure.

Yep. As a kid, I remember getting questioned if I had taken a bolt out of it to use on my bicycle or something. It turns out that in that drawer are 4 specific shouldered bolts that were actually carb stands. Who knew?

When my do-it-yourself Dad passed, my 5 brothers and I inventoried his garage and then held a "draft" to choose the items we'd like to have. There were serious woodworking and hand tools, an air compressor and lots of other things. But my first round choice was an old metal 5 gallon paint bucket full of hardware odds and ends that was full of great memories of the time Dad and I spent building a go cart, a minibike and countless other project. I still have the bucket. Some of the contents have been used and some added in the 30 years since he has left us,

Some of the funnest ones to run across are the specialty "Gold Tools" sets. In the pliers drawer, you may spot a gold pair of sidecutters that we liberated from its special case. I will be going through this stuff forever I think.

WOW! there is a lot of history in that Toolbox. I was in stationed in Germany when my Father passed away, my brother got all of his Tools. The one thing I did get was his framing hammer, it's 44 ounces ! I drag it out and let my Grandson complain about swinging it. My Dad swung that hammer daily for years, he had forearms like Popeye...

All the vintage Snap-On stuff is pretty cool.

My grandpa (dad's dad) was a little guy that had strength like your dad. He used to be able to squeeze any pair of pliers together until tip of handles touched or pliers broke. I got lucky in that I was the obvious choice for tools as my other sibling is my sister. She got the watch collection and jewelry. (another thing he was drawn to)

I know what many of the tools are but some are going to require a bit of studying. Lot of specialty tools that I see such as seal pullers and things like that. He used to run old tools past the Snap-On salesman sometimes to take advantage of the lifetime guarantee. He had a remote starter button that the cables pretty much rotted off of it. They gave him a new one. Maybe I need to look at some of those odd test tools that have old cables and let them identify and replace them with modern equivalent if they will.

Yes, there is tremendous history in that tool box. Funny, I will turn 66 next month. It feels strange asking for :old timers" to help identify some of that history.

Thanks again to all that have helped in the "name that tool" game.