Many thanks Al. I’ve been looking for that tube spanner for a few years now. Most of the tools came with the car, but I’ve had to track down a few too. As you know, authentic original factory supplied tools are tough to come by and when they do show up, they’re expensive. There’s a guy in Pennsylvania that specializes in old British car parts, factory supplied tool kits and auto paraphernalia. I did buy a few things from him including the reproduction tool role. He sells nice stuff and he’s extremely knowledgeable about what he sells. But that comes with a price. If you ever do find that tube spanner, let me have the first shot at it if you don’t need it. I’m not looking for a freebie!!
I’ve collected some other Whitworth tools over the years, that I actually used to restore the car, and still use to maintain it. I don’t use any of the original tools supplied with the car. Back in the early 1960s, Sears/Craftsman offered a set of Whitworth wrenches and sockets. The sockets were all 1/2” drive. I collected the set in anticipation of eventually buying the car. When the time finally came to do some restoration work, I found that the Craftsman 1/2” drive stuff was too big to effectively use, and the wrenches were too long. In a mad scramble to find some Whitworth tools, I came across Koken sockets in 1/4” and 3/8” drives. Those were great to use and the quality was very good. They were a bit pricey but not as expensive as Snap On. I also came across a set of Whitworth SuperSlim wrenches that are okay and a set of Proto wrenches that I used and still use. The Whitworth tools are out there, you just have to find what works best with the British vehicle you’re working on.
Jim C.
