1975-vintage KRA-1437 tool box preservation questions.
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2020 8:17 am
Hi All,
Thanks so much for adding me to the forum. A good friend and mentor was a top-notch master dealership mechanic for a European car maker (the pictures give it away...) from 1974 until around 2000. He ran his own business on the side, so he had multiple boxes and sets of tools.
This summer he offered me an opportunity to buy his dealership tool boxes (circa 1975 Snap-On), and some of the many tools that he had extras of. OMG are Snap-On combo wrenches *amazing*. It was really an honor for me to accept these, as he is someone I really look up to me. Almost like a father figure. These boxes and tools meant a lot to him, and they mean the world to me. He took wonderful care of these boxes, and it shows, considering that these are 45 years old. Until he went flat rate, the boxes got a lot of TLC and regular waxing.
Based on the excellent catalogs on this site, it looks like this is a KRA-1437 package consisting of a KRA-59B top box and KRA-379 roll cab. I do have the handle that would go on the right side of the roll cab. There's also a MAC hanging cabinet. The paint has become a little oxidized and chalky, and is a little worse in the high wear areas. A wipe down takes some red paint "dust" with it. I was hoping you all might have some suggestions as to best preserve the paint that is here. The boxes don't need a full restoration, and it would mean a lot to me to keep them "as is" in terms of looks. A "patina" can be pretty neat, but mostly, I want these boxes to remind me of my old friend.
Thanks!
-Ryan
Thanks so much for adding me to the forum. A good friend and mentor was a top-notch master dealership mechanic for a European car maker (the pictures give it away...) from 1974 until around 2000. He ran his own business on the side, so he had multiple boxes and sets of tools.
This summer he offered me an opportunity to buy his dealership tool boxes (circa 1975 Snap-On), and some of the many tools that he had extras of. OMG are Snap-On combo wrenches *amazing*. It was really an honor for me to accept these, as he is someone I really look up to me. Almost like a father figure. These boxes and tools meant a lot to him, and they mean the world to me. He took wonderful care of these boxes, and it shows, considering that these are 45 years old. Until he went flat rate, the boxes got a lot of TLC and regular waxing.
Based on the excellent catalogs on this site, it looks like this is a KRA-1437 package consisting of a KRA-59B top box and KRA-379 roll cab. I do have the handle that would go on the right side of the roll cab. There's also a MAC hanging cabinet. The paint has become a little oxidized and chalky, and is a little worse in the high wear areas. A wipe down takes some red paint "dust" with it. I was hoping you all might have some suggestions as to best preserve the paint that is here. The boxes don't need a full restoration, and it would mean a lot to me to keep them "as is" in terms of looks. A "patina" can be pretty neat, but mostly, I want these boxes to remind me of my old friend.
Thanks!
-Ryan
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