Re: old tool box

Now I use these mainly

with a few other bits by the same maker

Re: old tool box

I too had a clear out a couple of years ago, I kept the af set though for my old triumph 3ta, but dumped the whitworth spanners and I even had some bsp that I decided to part with, as I couldn't even remember why I had them in the first place....

Re: old tool box

I still have a timing gun and dwell multimeter
I think most ( men) on here learnt to repair their own cars through necessity, it was cheaper to fix your own car than pay someone else, then as with me, you probably enjoyed doing stuff with cars, we were young and foolish in those days, I remember taking off the cylinder head on my allegro, to decoke it, then in the afternoon me and my girlfriend would go for a drive, I’d be convinced it was running like a rolls Royce

Re: old tool box

Grinding paste on the valve seats and rubber sucker on a stick and turning it back and forward between the hands . Using the ear to hear when it sounded smooth good times kids today miss this learning about car engines

Re: old tool box

Yes rs, a skill fast disappearing as it’s all computerised and non repairable parts

Re: old tool box

Talk to kids today about pistion ring compressing tools and no doubt they think condoms

Remember using the redex trick to ease off a seized engine by pouring it down the spark plug hole and leaving it to soak through before using the starter handle to gently turn the engine over

I used to actually enjoy all that right down to a complete rebuilt of a 4 door moggie and getting a rear door from the scrappies to replace the one on the car. Even stripped the paintwork down with nitromore-prept. and respraying it .

My late father actually did his apprenticeship with Talbot cars, to pass out he had to design a tool to make work easier on the car
Got to know well the Healey family through dad. Dad used to be at Brooklands on the recovery truck for Talbots when they used to race, where he learned to drive. I knew Bic (Brian) Healey John and dad Don .
When it became Austin Healey they carried on with speed boat building

Re: old tool box

Thanks Percy (it was a long time ago) Great little cars and I always longed after the sports version.

Re: old tool box

I often used to smoke out my neighbours with Redex.

Re: old tool box

I bought a socket set in the early 70s from a place in Sydney called Nock and Kirbys They had three sets 80% off because they had missing parts I made one complete set out of the three and bought it at the very reasonable price.

It was all imperial of course and fine for working on my Holden Kingswoods over time I have bought metric sockets to replace the imperial ones and only this Saturday gave those sockets to my son in law who is getting an old Vincent motorbike.

It has a reasonable metal case rather than plastic so I still use the socket set but not as often as I used to.



I still have a lot of tools for older cars such as piston ring compressors, valve spring removers etc though the latter is too small to fit a Holden head, I think the last thing it was used for was a Morris Minor. Modern cars just don't need the work such as decoking that needed to be done on older cars

Re: old tool box

I still use an af socket set which I got in exchange for several hundred Embassy coupons back in the early seventies, still invaluable for working on my old motorcycles.