KR Wilson Essential Tools for Flathead V8's

As need arises, if I don't have specific tolls to perform and operation, I'll make them. Examples; a puller to fit seals in end of axles and torque tube, centre driveshaft bearing puller/remover, machining down the od of a standard six point socket to better fit con rod nuts; making it a thin wall socket, special big ring spanner to fit engine drain plug, a square wrench for removing/installing diff drain/level plugs, etc.
Thing is, how often are you gonna use this stuff? Genuine tools are all well and good to have, but necessity is the mother of invention.
I've also made my own hub puller, a copy of, but probably better, than one of those Wilson things...
I still maintain, my most used tool is a crankhandle.
 
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FYI on eBay now there is a Manzel 6306 timing gear puller which in conjunction with a step plate works wonders at removing the 4221 rear end carrier bearings in addition to the crank timing gear. I’d buy it if I didn’t already have three of them.



No disrespect intended, but why would you need three of these things? That's the thing with this great 'hobby',: it can all too easily develop into a bad habit!!
 
Brian said:
FYI on eBay now there is a Manzel 6306 timing gear puller which in conjunction with a step plate works wonders at removing the 4221 rear end carrier bearings in addition to the crank timing gear. I’d buy it if I didn’t already have three of them.



No disrespect intended, but why would you need three of these things? That's the thing with this 'hobby',: it can all too easily develop into a bad habit!!
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No disrespect taken.

For me it’s not just a hobby. I do early ford work for a living. I use KR Wilson and specialty tools daily. For example I use my sun machine at minimum twice a day. I have four of them so that when one goes south I have another to rely on. Unlike a 1/2” wrench some of these tools are hard to find and I rely on them for every day use

Brian you make a good point that many of these tools are easy to make if you own a lathe or a mill like the seal drivers, etc.


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I have at least 10 1/2" wrenches of various makes. Nothing like the right tool for the job. All the difference.
 
Thanks Michael, I respect and admire all you do for the early Ford movement. My 'suggestions' were aimed at the young fella who started this thread about what tools to get....basically, anyone working on any machinery is going to be constantly confronted with dilemmas on a regular basis...One must either 'buy, borrow,steal their way out, or get creative. Also, justify the cost and quality of such tools to how often it will be used.

I don't know the circumstances of youngun's fire, but could I be bold enough as to recommend a fire extinguisher?! Again, no insult intended....
 
Borrow or ask, never steal. Brian I know you are just using poetic license. Ask and you might receive. People on here are from all over, some don't post much.
 
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Brian,
Out of good faith I have lent KR Wilson tools to hobbyists that have needed them for single time use. The most recent experience was my one and only set of 32-33 Detroit lubricator tools and if a person has a good track record I would gladly continue to do such. I can certainly agree that for the price value these specialty tools are worth it doesn’t make common sense for most hobbyists to entertain the thoughts of spending extreme dollars to purchase a tool they may only use once or twice.

On the hobbyist side I cannot think of a single tool that is a must have or die item, with the exception of maybe a rear hub puller.
 
David, did Manzel start out by purchasing KR Wilson? I always thought they were somewhat competitors at the beginning as I have a catalog from both companies published the same year so maybe I assumed incorrectly??


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Mike, how much would one need to pay to come down and hang out at the shop for a day and watch you work on your sun distributor testers? 😉
 
I just assumed Manzel came later for they made a lot of OHV tools. Also, their boxes seem to state Ford, Mercury and Lincoln.
 
Brian said:
The only genuine Ford tool I carry in my vehicle is the crankhandle/lugnut wrench
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Brian

All the tools I carry in my car toolkit are genuine 34 ford. They work just as well as they did when the car was new . Makes sense as my car is about a stock as you can get it.

The most used tool I have in the shed is the KRW Hub Puller. Works
on both the Model A and V8 drums . You can pull the drums with other pullers but if you get a difficult one the KRW one won't destroy the drum like the others.

The next most used tool I have is a Bear Brand Distributor Tool for setting the distributor up (Similar to the KRW tool but less expensive )

The 3rd most used tool is the spring spreader you found for me at the Horowhenua swap meet -Thanks Karl
 
Good for you Karl. When I mentioned crankhandle/lugwrench, I only use the crankhandle....Should I need to remove a wheel etc, I'll always use modern tools; better fit, less chance off rounding off bolts etc.

In all honesty, I find I seldom need to put a wrench near my heap....probably the most used would be a 1/2" R&OE, used for r&r of distributor...
The most used tool would undoubtedly be a grease gun; I am big on lubrication....
 
Brian said:
Good for you Karl. When I mentioned crankhandle/lugwrench, I only use the crankhandle....Should I need to remove a wheel etc, I'll always use modern tools; better fit, less chance off rounding off bolts etc.

In all honesty, I find I seldom need to put a wrench near my heap....probably the most used would be a 1/2" R&OE, used for r&r of distributor...
The most used tool would undoubtedly be a grease gun; I am big on lubrication....
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Yep my grease gun gets used heaps. The fact that you lubricate so regularly is probably why you never put a wrench on your car.

I'm amazed at my old car friends who despite doing high mileage change the oil and lubricate infrequently. Despite the fact that modern greases and oils are infinitely superior to those in the day I still pretty much follow the original owners manual instructions for oil change and lube timings . Overkill ? - highly likely but I consider it cheap insurance .-Karl
 
I have just made my greasing job a LOT easier, a good friend works gave me a couple of connectors for the grease gun hose that have a little trigger on them and actually lock onto the grease nipple, now its a pleasure to grease the 33 and others.
Lawrie
 
Sorry about the thread drift....but last year I installed a two post hoist in my shed. My life just got so much easier. I don't know how I endured working under a car on axle stands for so long.
 
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