Folks Of Interest Saving a 60's Snap on tool box from the scrapper. And dealing with rotten or fossilized bondo...

So the other day ( friday ) i delivered parts to a local small body shop ( essentially the guy does body work outta a shack near his trailer ). I know the man well enough to get parts, off of him for cheap. Surrounding his shack is scrap metal and old cars in various states of rot or repair. Well in the pile of scrap i notice a tool box rough and rusty. I inquired to him of my interest in it and ask how much. This fella walks on over and says to get rid of it he was gonna send it to the scrapper. Kinda glad i asked about it because i saved a Old Snap On box from the 60's.
By now im sure your wondering where bondo comes into this story... Well as i was starting to strip it down with 80 grit. I notice a lumpa something on the top of it. So i start sanding and it smells like old gas but sands like body puddy would. Is it bondo or puddy im not sure. Either way i will post pictures of the after when im finished. But real quick where can i find the vintage snap on badges that were once on this box. Where can i find new ones to put back on it once i repaint it and yes im keeping the powered by dodge on there thats too cool for school in this young bucks eyes.

Sent from my LG-M327 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Snap On might still carry them...might...and perhaps Ebay or a vintage junk shop...There is a shadow of the former owners name there I see. Getter cleaned up, painted and oiled.

Maybe someone on Garage Journal may be able to help you.

 

That box has been through a few wars an has some stories to tell no doubt.
There are some SnapOn emblems on Ebay but they are a bit spendy. I'd think don't get in a rush and you might snag the right one for a decent price. I'd do some research and make sure it is correct for what you think the box is. Dealers can tell somewhat by the serial number on the box.

 

Snap on, craftsman, el cheapo i dont care its old and its cool!!! And i will have to check out or try to find seriel numbers. Either way its gonna have the easy life when finished its gonna house my drafting tools and other drawing and leather working tools

Sent from my LG-M327 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Where would the seriel numbers be located on this exactly ( if it were a snap on )

Sent from my LG-M327 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Something you could do is a web search of Snapon to boxes and when you see a match to your box observe the Logo. Again Garage Journal has threads on them (toolboxs)...Oh and here too...

Hamb Thread below...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hamb-vintage-tool-box-club.146631/

Garage Journal Thread below... You can login on Garage Journal with your Hamb login and sometimes pics that did not show up do...and of course No Ads...just sayin

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49743&highlight=toolbox

 

Are you sure it wasn't found in a river or some similar location?

 

Try the vintage toolbox thread maybe some info there.

 

Find pics of the correct badges, get a graphic artist to draw/edit them into 3D, and then have them 3D printed. They should be an easy print.

Sent from my SM-G950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Looks very similar to one I have. Will have to look when I get to my shop.

 

Nice find, wonder who Ken is?! At my last job, I rescued quite a few items from the metal dumpster. Metal tool boxes, a flammable waste can and a nice Speedaire compressor that needed a $6 fix. I miss that!!


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Look on the back panel of the box ...Lower Right side corner ...If its Snap On , all the model & year info will be there ...May need to sand the surface a bit to see it ....

 

Your local Snap On dealer should be able to help. Their parts supply goes back quite a ways.

I did stymie them though. I bought my Snap On tool box from my father in 1968 , he bought it used in 1947. I tried to buy a new lock and the Snap On dealer said "sorry my catalog only goes back to 1934 and your lock isn't in it". The tool box still works fine as long as you don't pull the drawers out too far.

 

LilBlue82, I looked at my box and it is the exact same one as yours. I found the model number . It is KRA534. Mine has the emblem and handles on it. I have several Snap On boxes and best I can remember their model numbers started with a K and the second was usually an R which I am guessing stands for road box as this style of boxes were meant for shop and on the road use. They are the heavy duty line , different from the in shop line made from lighter sheet metal and chrome trim added. Send me your phone number in a private message and I will send you pictures I took of mine. I would post them on here but I don't know how to post them from my phone to this forum.

 

​

 

Those are the older 1st gen Barbie and Ken!

 

Yes guaranteed period Ken and Barbie right down to the toolbox...they met at the races...

 

@LilBlue82 that Dodge plaque is hard to find online...it may be a rare handout at the dealer...perhaps 60s as well...

 

Pentastar was first used in 1963 and was featured heavily in advertising and on all cars right front fender. If I had to guess I would say that emblem comes from 1968. Definitely late sixties.

 

Cool! I have what looks to be the exact same box. I picked it up a couple weeks ago at an estate sale, with key and crammed full of tools (sadly not Snap-On, but some Plomb). As Gray Ford said, look on the back lower right for model number; last two digits are the year. If yours is the same box as mine, it dates to 1962. Here's a pic so you can see the badge.

 

Trust me. This is mild compared to the cars in the yard. Some cars are questionable others i would love to get off him before they return to the earth. Lets just say when Mad Max society takes hold i can gurantee i could build myself a gigahorse style car out of his yard and a few others in my county. The trick to getting stuff off this guy is ya gotta ask politely and he has to trust ya. Hes very old school. When i return ( which depending on the day can be 3 times a day because i deliver parts) i will snap a few photos of the yard and its state in which i scored this box.

Sent from my LG-M327 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Makes sense the guy probably used it as his pit box at the local dirt tracks ( namely port royal is where he and his wife raced)

Sent from my LG-M327 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Here's mine that looks to be a little earlier.

 

A lot of the older boxes that were sold by various tool dealers with their logo on them were made by MBC before the company's started making their own boxes.

 

Update found the seriel number.... And we have a bingo

Sent from my LG-M327 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app