Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

[John D.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

Ron, One of my wrenches is from a 65 and one is from a 66. Obviously made from different molds and the proof is one has the #5 on it and one has the #7 on it.
Both have the W01416 though as I said before. Just like the repro does. John

[James S.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

Just out of curiosity. Is the word "alloy" stamped anywhere on either or both wrenches?

Better yet, can you post a picture?

[Ronald L.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

Yes, pictures would be so much appreciated.

[Gary C.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

Did some more research on Vlchek wrench numbers after my friend JD said he had two original "WO" hard tio wrenches.

At some point in time Vlchek changed their wrench numbering system from "W" to the type of wrench it was. WO = wrench, open. WCB = wrench, combination box, etc.

Acquired a 1962 Vlchek brochure and price list. Vlcheck definetely used "WO" for their open end wrenches in 1962.

Hardtop Wrench-Vlchek Open End_122712.jpg

WO1416 is the correct wrench number for C2 hardtop wrenches. Vlchek stopped supplying tools for Chevy tool kits in 1966. Not sure if Vlchek still supplied hardtop wrenches for 1967.

Hope this helps clarify the use of Vlchek "WO" wrench numbers.

Gary
....

[James S.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

Did some more research on Vlchek wrench numbers after my friend JD said he had two original "WO" hard tio wrenches.

At some point in time Vlchek changed their wrench numbering system from "W" to the type of wrench it was. WO = wrench, open. WCB = wrench, combination box, etc.

Acquired a 1962 Vlchek brochure and price list. Vlcheck definetely used "WO" for their open end wrenches in 1962.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]43633[/ATTACH]

WO1416 is the correct wrench number for C2 hardtop wrenches. Vlchek stopped supplying tools for Chevy tool kits in 1966. Not sure if Vlchek still supplied hardtop wrenches for 1967.

Hope this helps clarify the use of Vlchek "WO" wrench numbers.

Gary
....

Gary,

Perhaps your research can reconcile some of the information below taken from the "Vlchek Story".

Vlchek didn't manufacture anything after 1958 and it appears that it's successor(s) used the Vlchek numbering designations indiscriminately.

Ersatz Vlchek In 1958 Vlchek Tool was acquired by Pendleton Tool Industries, the parent company of Proto Tools and other brands. Within a few years Pendleton had in turn been acquired by the Ingersoll-Rand Corporation, an industrial conglomerate. It's not known for how long Proto continued the production of the then-current Vlchek tools, but there are some indications that the acquisition may have been more for the Vlchek brand value. For example, it's fairly easy to find examples of relatively newer-looking tools marked "Vlchek", but otherwise closely resembling Proto or Fleet production. In addition, these Vlchek-marked pieces include or part numbers (e.g. WOxxxx open-end wrenches) that were not known previously. These considerations suggest that at least part of the late production marked "Vlchek" may simply be Proto or Fleet tools stamped with the Vlchek name. This is a significant complication for anyone wanting to study the design and evolution of Vlchek-made tools, especially since it's not easy to estimate the manufacturing date of any particular tool. The best guideline here may be "If it looks like Proto/Fleet, it probably is." The figures below give some examples of tools marked "Vlchek" that appear to be rebranded Proto or Fleet tools, and also an example of a Fleet-branded tool that resembles Vlchek design and manufacture.

W3236 Open-End Wrench The Vlchek W-series wrenches remained in production for many years, well after the acquisition by Proto. This next figure shows an example believed to represent the later production. Fig. 176. Vlchek W3236 1x1-1/8 Open-End Wrench. Fig. 176 shows a much later Vlchek W3236 1x1-1/8 open-end wrench, stamped "Alloy U.S.A." on the shank. The overall length is 12.1 inches, and the finish is a full chrome plating with polished ends. This wrench has a flatter and thicker shank than the earlier Vlchek models, and in some ways resembles the Proto open-end wrenches.

[Gary C.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

James,

The person who has built the website with wrench manufacturers history is unavailable and there's no way to contact him to provide the 1962 wrench model number information. This person has done a ton of research on wrench manufacturers.

As the Alloy-Artifacts Vlchek story states; Vlchek was acquired in 1958 by Pendleton and became an operational subsidiary of Pendleton. I have a 1958 Vlchek Tool add that lists the open end wrench model numbers as "W". Per the 1962 Vlchek Tool brochure and price list I acquired, WO1416 wrenches were being manufactured by Vlchek as a subsidiary of Pendleton in 1962.

The Vlchek subsidiary continued to supply Chevrolet accessory tool kits until 1966 when Chevrolet Parts discontinued selling accessory tool kits and removed them from the P&A catalogs.

Vlchek Tool catalogs/brochures are extremely rare and very hard to find. I was lucky with locating the 1962 brochure. Below is a copy of the Vlchek address, and Pendleton subsidiary note from the 1962 brochure. The Vlchek address is the same address Vlchek used before the Pendleton acquisition.

Vlchek Tool Co. history information from Cleveland http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=VTC "Vlchek was bought out by the Pendleton Tool Industries Co. of California in the wake of a 1958 internal proxy fight over the company's reporting policies. Pendleton itself merged with Ingersoll-Rand in 1964, and Ingersoll closed Vlchek's obsolete E. 87th plant, laying off 275 employees in 1969." After 1969 Alloy-Artifacts is correct that Vlchek tools were manufactured somewhere else and/or stamped with the Vlchek name.

Gary
....
Vlchek Tool Co 1962 Address_122812.jpg

[John H.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

WO1416 is the correct wrench number for C2 hardtop wrenches. Vlchek stopped supplying tools for Chevy tool kits in 1966. Not sure if Vlchek still supplied hardtop wrenches for 1967.

Hope this helps clarify the use of Vlchek "WO" wrench numbers.

Gary
....

Gary -

Great research/info, but I'm having a hard time agreeing that the "WO" are the only acceptable midyear hardtop wrenches. I have about a dozen images of Vlchek hardtop wrenches, and just put together a matrix of characteristics they share (or don't share), including "W" or "WO", "Alloy", "USA", and end-marked.

Half have "W1416", and all of those also have "Alloy"

Half have "WO1416", and none of those have "Alloy"

All have either "USA" or "Made In USA"

One has "Alloy" and "Made in USA" on the shank, and "Vlchek" on one end and "W1416" on the other end.

All have the dull nickel finish specified on the drawing.

I doubt if anyone went to the expense of creating forging dies to make a reproduction of a low-volume hardtop wrench; it's more likely that the various differing marking configurations simply represent variations in the original Vlchek manufacturing process/locations.

[Gary C.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

John,

The quest was to find out when Vlchek transitioned in their brochure from using "W" to "WO" open end wrench part numbers. Should've stated that more carefully.

Don't have any original C2 hardtop wrenches or knowledge about them to determine what was supplied.

Gary
....

[James S.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

John,

I am sure your matrix of characteristics is very accurate; however, since you are working from pictures, it is possible that the WO1416 without "Alloy" stamped is the reproduction that was configured that way and has been supplied for many, many years.

The reproduction wrench was, and perhaps still is, manufactured in Eastern PA. (name & email address available).

The possibility is extremely probable that this is another case of a old design of a reproduction part becoming accepted as the original. I have a similar quandry with the 67 Bolt-on Screwdriver - a subject for another discussion at another time.

Most Vlchek wrenches were stamped with the process "Drop Forge" or type of material such as "Alloy". If one can rely on the facts of the Vlchek Story, it points-out this procedure.

http://home.comcast.net/~alloy-artifacts/vlchek-story.html

All the above said, the question is: Does a period correct WO1416 Vlchek Wrench, which may be correct for a 63-67 hardtop wrench, have the word "Alloy" stamped somewhere on the wrench?

[Ronald L.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

How is it that some people are jumping over the fact that people have said they have the original wrench that came with their car they bought new? Their data points arent any good? Selective data gathering?

A pile of wrenches is great, but they are not in cars and you cannot conclude what was original for the exact reasons posted, being the repo has been out there so long.

What is needed are several people - one owner cars to say - this is the wrench and post a picture of it.

[Gary C.]

Re: Hardtop Wrench - Midyears

1967 Hardtop Wrench provided by original owner to the new owner. Comments ? Gary....

1967 Hardtop Wrench.jpg