Last Call- Reliance Tractors Edition
Here’s the product label for a part I recently recently received via UPS. The application list reads like a panoply of failed English (and one Italian) auto makers. With the exception of Ford, Land Rover and – surprisingly – Lotus, everyone else has gone the way of Elvis, and parts like this are become harder and harder to come by. I’m not going to tell you what was in the box, the part number is on the label, and you’ll just have to figure that out for yourselves.
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It's fitting that the only part I will probably ever be able to figure out is the one where all you can see is the box.
Too easy. MGB and Spridget distributor cap. Next.
OK, I cheated. http://www.google.com/search?q=Lucas+DDB106&i…
Ok hoons, I have a question for the hive mind. This Christmas, my list will pretty much be full of tools. I'm now a married man in my own house, and I feel as though I should begin to build a tool collection. The question is, which brand? I've grown up with Craftsman around the house, but I keep hearing internet murmurs that they won't stand up to repeated use like Snap-on, Matco, or SK. However, it seems that one can purchase two or three of any particular Craftsman tool for the price of any others, and all the hand tools have lifetime warranties. It would seem to me that Craftsman is the best value, but I'm unsure. Opinions? I know I can count on y'all for less fanboyism and more actual insight. Thanks for your advice!
Thanks for all the advice, fellas! Taking inspiration from Alff's Gear Wrenches, what are the oddball tools that make life so much easier that it would be silly not to have them?
A circuit-tester/test-light is a miraculous tool that can serve about fifteen different functions. It is what it is, but it's also:
2). A jumper, to get around potentially bad relays,
3). A Pokey, to get out sealed bearing seals so you can just put more grease in rather than buying a new bearing,
4). A Screw-Driver for those little tiny electrical screws if you can get the right angle,
5). Now that you've bent the tip attempting #4, you've got a Hookie-Pokey!
6). Roach-clip'
7). The roach-clip part also does the work of many electrical connections, (butt connectors, wire screws) if you make sure the test-light part doesn't drag on the ground.
8). Shiv/Garrote, Personal Protection Device,
9). The list goes on and on,…, at least to fifteen!
That might be a good QOTD, "What perfect use have you found for a tool that it's makers never envisioned?"
The results list gets a little more interesting if you leave off the "Lucas."
I don't have to look it up. The brands indicated are demonstrative. This is a package of replacement smoke.
<img src="http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/resources/2008/08/Lucas-Electrical-System-Jokes.jpg">
Holy shit, I just tried that and I guess it does! Still has something to do with electrical things and interesting parts and is mildly shocking.
I don't know… It seems like that is a commodity one would never run out of when working with Lucas bits.
There are brands that are nicer to work with than Craftsman but, as you have discovered, they cost considerably more for the lifetime guarantee. Having a somewhat limited budget for tools, I stick with Craftsman or even Rigid for staple tools so that I can stretch my funds and spend a little more when I go for specialty items. One tip – check out Gear Wrenches – ratcheting flex head box wrenches (they are also sold under the Craftsman brand). I recently acquired my first set and wish I had bought them years ago. For working in the tight confines of a Euro engine bay, there is no substitute.
I find it rather fitting that my ex/roommate (yeah, it's fucked up) have a cat named Lucas, who is a fucking douchebag. She never did understand why I refer to his slave name as that of the Prince of Darkness.
Fully polished stuff is the best. You might want to splurge on a professional brand for a good 3/8 ratchet and maybe some of the more common combination wrench sizes. Otherwise you can't go wrong with Craftsman. I'm still using some of my grandfather's stuff from the 1940's. I think I have returned one Craftsman 1/2 ratchet. But I'm not THAT hard on tools. The Husky (Home Depot) and Kobalt (Lowe's) stuff doesn't seem too bad either, maybe half a step down from Craftsman, lifetime warranty too. Of those three I think Craftsman is the only one with the majority of the tools made in USA. If I made my living with my tools I would probably have Snap-On, Matco, S-K, or Cromwell tools (pro brands). You can sometimes find good deals on pro-tools at pawn shops. Don't forget, if you ever see Blue Point, that is Snap-On's "economy" line, usually just not a polished.
I have primarily Craftsman in my toolbox with some hand me downs and a few Stanley tools. I am happy with both. With Craftsman, remember to keep your tools clean, I have heard tales of woe of rusty tools not being accepted on the lifetime policy. I have some pro-tools at work in the shop, but they probably aren't necessary for most things.
But they left off:
MG
Sunbeam
Triumph
Austin
Morris
Austin-Healey
Riley
Woseley
Nash (Metropolitan)
Hudson (Metropolitan)
AMC (Metropolitan)
The BMC A series really got around.
I had to know what a Reliance tractor was. I was picturing the plow pulling kind. They're more the pulling airplanes or warehouse carts kind. But I want one anyway.
http://www.autotruck.org/apps/photos/album.jsp?al…
Blue Point is indeed Snap On's "economy" line, but the difference has less to do with amount of polish than it does with country of origin (COO). The COO for the vast majority of Blue Point stuff is NOT the U.S.A. Still good tools for the most part.
And you're in AZ, right? Stay ALL the way away from that black-anodized/industrial finish stuff. The sun touches that stuff for a second and its like putting your hand on a fresh nuclear test-site. I watched my brother dump a whole set of S-K wrenches and sockets into a dumpster in front of a bunch of people, and nobody went in after it. Impact sockets have crappier anodizing on them, so just let them roll around loose in your traveling/car box for a while, and though they'll still be plain-metal hot, it's nothing like that black stuff.
Good to know. I always like chrome tools more anyway.
GearWrench and Craftsman hand mechanic's tools are primarily made by the same company, Danaher. They have similar designs but are typically not exact duplicates. I own both, and prefer the Craftsman "full polish ratcheting wrenches" to the GearWrenches. Another difference: Craftsman ratcheting wrenches are made in the U.S.A., while GearWrenches are made in Taiwan.
As is noted below, "professional" tools, i.e., Snap On, Mac, Matco, Cornwell, etc. are, in this mechanic's opinion, only necessary if you are using them to make a living. There is no other way to justify the price/debt. For the hobby mechanic, Craftsman is all you'll ever need for any kind of basic or intermediate-level tool. Craftsman's Professional line is quite nice in my experience.
If you really want to get a good dose of the tool sickness (and careful; you might get sucked in), visit the tool forum at http://www.garagejournal.com. Be prepared for frequent jingoistic rants and a wealth of real-world tool experiences and recommendations.
Hmm … I take it the Innocenti refers to the 950/1100 Spider?
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/uploads/cars/any/6…
Cool looking rebody … Honda S600/S800 lookin', which in this Hoon's opinion is high praise.
Yeah, Craftsman is the way to go. Snap-on makes beautiful tools that are a joy to use, but they're way expensive. I have a Craftsman ratchet handle that I bought used at a pawnshop years ago and has seen major use and it still works fine. If it ever breaks, Sears will replace it, even though I have no receipt. Most of my tools are like that, old stuff that I've accumulated over time. You don't need fancy shiny stuff, just things that will work for you. Nifty gadgets like Alff describes are nice, too. Handy.
I love how the label spells "Leyland" and then misspells it one line down. "Layland."
Maybe it's a reference to Electric Layland, the recording studio that's as famous for its blackouts as for the music recorded there?
/reaching
The Snap-On stuff stays in the big box/cabinet at home, the truck-box (that's the one that's about the size of a squished down milk-crate w/the lift-out tray that you take with you when the driver calls you but can't tell you what's wrong and you don't want to call a tow-truck for a loose wire) is full of Craftsman, but my favorite is the "money bag". Remember a while back Murilee had a poll on what tools you hauled into the Pick-Your-Part, whether you were a minimalist or a tool-ox? Because I drive different vehicles all the time and hate trying to figure out where the last driver hid the tool-box when all I need is a 1/2 inch or 13mm wrench, I carry an old Bosch drill bag that looks just like one of those bank bags for coins and stuff, except it's super-bomber and has a handle on top. It's amazing what you can do with just the bare minimum of stuff, and its small enough that you can't overload it so you don't mind taking it with you almost everywhere.
GearWrench and Craftsman hand mechanic's tools are primarily made by the same company, Danaher. They have similar designs but are typically not exact duplicates. I own both, and prefer the Craftsman "full polish ratcheting wrenches" to the GearWrenches. Another difference: Craftsman ratcheting wrenches are made in the U.S.A., while GearWrenches are made in Taiwan.
As is noted below, "professional" tools, i.e., Snap On, Mac, Matco, Cornwell, etc. are, in this mechanic's opinion, only necessary if you are using them to make a living. There is no other way to justify the price/debt. For the hobby mechanic, Craftsman is all you'll ever need for any kind of basic or intermediate-level tool. Craftsman's Professional line is quite nice in my experience.
If you really want to get a good dose of the tool sickness (and careful; you might get sucked in), visit the tool forum at http://www.garagejournal.com. Be prepared for frequent jingoistic rants and a wealth of real-world tool experiences and recommendations.
According to the Danaher website they also make Matco, Armstong, K-D, and Allen tools too.
I have a different kind of tractor I prefer…
http://www.lamborghini-tractors.com/UNITEDKINGDOM…
Wow, that's a seriously sexy tractor.
My question isn't about the part but about why you would choose to go back to Lucas to replace the part. Aren't there aftermarket manufacturers who will ship you an OEM-spec part without the added bonus of Lucas wire smoke?
But serious overkill.
I'd settle for this.
But serious overkill.
I'd settle for this.
This works for me <img src=http://www.cs.fredonia.edu/szocki/projects/spring_09/26/images/m_big.jpg>
Very nice.
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