7 more old tools almost no one uses anymore

[FL SAAC]

3


Bumper Jack

In a world of bumper covers, the thought of attaching a lifting mechanism to the exterior of your car and using it to lift the vehicle is some type of strange fever dream. It wasn't always that way though. Flat tires have been around longer than the automobile and the need to pick up the car followed right along. Bumper jacks are good in concept but the lack of any safety catch or stabilization to keep from tipping over makes them treacherous to use. They still have utility in off-road situations but that can also make use even more dangerous.

Verdict: Keep as a reminder of how far we've come.

Brake Pliers

Somehow in the history of cars, there have been just two types of brakes commonly found behind the wheels: Drum or disc. Drum brakes can provide all the stopping power needed while also wearing like iron thanks to the enclosed and thus relatively debris-free nature of the design. That same design also has a handful of tension springs stretched carefully over small studs that can be serviced with groove-joint pliers and a screwdriver, but there are also brake pliers that rose and slipped from popularity right alongside drum brakes.

With modern materials and the relatively limited use of drum-brake cars, servicing drums has gotten less common to the point that while special tools can make the job easier it is only marginal and certainly not required.

Verdict: Keep them if you've got them but can likely pass if building your toolkit.


Growler

We aren't talking about that curmudgeon of a mechanic who seems to only communicate in grunts and growls as the ratchet clicks to remove parts. No, the growler here is used to test the windings of a motor or generator. The armature is placed on a bed that flows alternating current into the windings. Using a ferrous rod to locate the magnetic field that will be created by a short makes for easy diagnostics. The price drop that came with the mass production and parts sharing between various models relegated these to hobby benches or the back room of specialist shops. Since rebuilding motors or alternators has become rare, these are practically a novelty.

Verdict: Keep if you've got the space, but often these find problems that are difficult to source parts to fix.

Vernier Caliper

The increase in affordable precision has been quiet but amazing for at-home DIY projects. Good precision measuring devices used to be limited to the hands of skilled technicians and specialists in machine and fabrication shops. It took skill and training to properly use and read items like the vernier scale on calipers used in fabrication and precision machine work. Then digital calipers entered the market and the prices dropped year after year to the point that now a set of calipers accurate enough for most home use can be had for under $50.

Verdict: Use what you like and what works best for you. Regardless of what that is, be sure to keep any and all precision tools stored carefully to prevent damage.

[FL SAAC]

2


Timing Light

When we first wrote about tools that were fading from popularity last year, the comments section lit up with the suggestion that timing lights were left out. It's been decades since a car rolling off the assembly line featured a tunable distributor, as the ignition is often now controlled by a computer working off data provided by a crankshaft or camshaft position sensor (or both) to control the firing of individual coils for each spark plug and cylinder. Adjusting the timing of the spark in the cylinder is changed with a laptop rather than a wrench and strobe light. Timing lights have been relegated to specialist shops and DIY garages.

Verdict: Keep it if it works, but consider a modern digital light if building a vintage-focused toolset as the features and capability have come a long way since the strobes of old.

Point File

Another from the ignition side of things. Even before computerized ignition was the advent of electronic or non-points-based discharge. Long gone are the days of having to swap a set of points on the side of the road or scratch off the char of the small faces to allow the coil to charge. A points file was handy for if or when a condenser would fail or the points would otherwise get crummy enough to not allow enough current through.

Verdict: If one is already in your glovebox, keep it for nostalgia's sake and just in case. You never know who it might help.


Brake lathe or shoe arcing machine

Drum brakes often have more swept area compared to disc brakes, but that additional friction material is useless if it is not in contact with the brake surface. The heat retention characteristics of drums can sometimes lead to warping that would previously be cleaned up by "turning" the drums to create a nice concentric surface around the shoes. While drums can still be found on modern cars the drums are often cast so thin that turning them is no longer an option and instead we must skip straight to replacement.

Shoe arcing machines do the same thing as brake lathes but set the radius of the friction material to match that of the drum. It's critical for good brake performance on some vintage cars but has faded from popularity significantly due to the health concerns of grinding friction materials—especially asbestos.

Verdict: Save if you've got the space, or sell to a vintage shop if you don't. We likely won't see new versions of these tools made and they so help keep our cars safely going down the road. 

[TA Coupe]

The only growler i'm familiar with is this one that is used for beer:

A growler (US) (/ˈɡraʊlər/) is a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bottle (or jug) used to transport draft beer.[1] They are commonly sold at breweries and brewpubs as a means to sell take-out craft beer. Rarely, beers are bottled in growlers for retail sale. The significant growth of craft breweries and the growing popularity of home brewing has also led to an emerging market for the sale of collectible growlers. Some U.S. grocery stores, convenience stores, bars and restaurants have growler filling stations.

       Roy

[ssagitar]

3


Bumper Jack

In a world of bumper covers, the thought of attaching a lifting mechanism to the exterior of your car and using it to lift the vehicle is some type of strange fever dream. It wasn't always that way though. Flat tires have been around longer than the automobile and the need to pick up the car followed right along. Bumper jacks are good in concept but the lack of any safety catch or stabilization to keep from tipping over makes them treacherous to use. They still have utility in off-road situations but that can also make use even more dangerous.

Verdict: Keep as a reminder of how far we've come. Also advice Fence company in Los Angeles globusgates.com in really nice thing

Brake Pliers

Somehow in the history of cars, there have been just two types of brakes commonly found behind the wheels: Drum or disc. Drum brakes can provide all the stopping power needed while also wearing like iron thanks to the enclosed and thus relatively debris-free nature of the design. That same design also has a handful of tension springs stretched carefully over small studs that can be serviced with groove-joint pliers and a screwdriver, but there are also brake pliers that rose and slipped from popularity right alongside drum brakes.

With modern materials and the relatively limited use of drum-brake cars, servicing drums has gotten less common to the point that while special tools can make the job easier it is only marginal and certainly not required.

Verdict: Keep them if you've got them but can likely pass if building your toolkit.


Growler

We aren't talking about that curmudgeon of a mechanic who seems to only communicate in grunts and growls as the ratchet clicks to remove parts. No, the growler here is used to test the windings of a motor or generator. The armature is placed on a bed that flows alternating current into the windings. Using a ferrous rod to locate the magnetic field that will be created by a short makes for easy diagnostics. The price drop that came with the mass production and parts sharing between various models relegated these to hobby benches or the back room of specialist shops. Since rebuilding motors or alternators has become rare, these are practically a novelty.

Verdict: Keep if you've got the space, but often these find problems that are difficult to source parts to fix.

Vernier Caliper

The increase in affordable precision has been quiet but amazing for at-home DIY projects. Good precision measuring devices used to be limited to the hands of skilled technicians and specialists in machine and fabrication shops. It took skill and training to properly use and read items like the vernier scale on calipers used in fabrication and precision machine work. Then digital calipers entered the market and the prices dropped year after year to the point that now a set of calipers accurate enough for most home use can be had for under $50.

Verdict: Use what you like and what works best for you. Regardless of what that is, be sure to keep any and all precision tools stored carefully to prevent damage.

Hey! That's a fascinating topic. I think there's definitely a charm to these older tools, and they remind us of how much technology has evolved. For instance, the bumper jack might not be the safest option today, but it's a testament to the ingenuity of the past. Brake pliers, on the other hand, can still be useful if you're dealing with drum brakes, which are less common now but still around. The growler, while mostly a novelty today, shows how diagnostics were done before digital advancements. And vernier calipers have mostly been replaced by digital ones for ease of use, but they still have their place in precision work if you know how to use them correctly.

[TOBKOB]

I still use the brake spring pliers, in fact I've already used them this morning. They work a lot easier than vice grips and screw driver. 

TOB

[mark p]

well... getting the T-bird tuned up a little better - we just used a timing light yesterday, along with the "Dwell / Tach" from days of old.
(returned that car to points/condenser - after some sort of Pertronix failure  )

[trotrof1]

The last time I used a grid growler was in tech school early 80s. We had a local specialty shop that used it daily. You would be surprised how many old pickups out there with Bendix rears. Vernier caliper is a tool that can be used most anywhere, very handy with scale modeling.

[Lincoln tech]

Full version for your entertainment        https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/7-tools-almost-no-one-uses-anymore/

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I own a Model A and use all of them.
Bumper Jack to spring frame apart to get engine in easily.
Brake Pliers - Anyone without 4 wheel disc brakes will be using these
Growler - a guy gave me a couple starters. I'll use a buddy's growler to check them out before turning the armature and putting in new brushes
Calipers - accurate enough for most jobs and easier than getting the micrometers out - used them yesterday to check the bores on 3 B blocks and cranks I got with the starters. I keep a set in the car to check out parts - old school no battery to fail. Got Starrett 12" and 24" inch ones also - I'd hate to see what they cost dad vs what they are worth today.
Timing Light - used one a couple weeks ago when we upgraded an engine to centrifugal advance
Point File - Got me there even my A has electronic ignition - but I've got a spare with points in case it dies
Brake Lathe - The brakes on my car suck. They're coming off and the drums will get turned and shoes arced.

[TOBKOB]

Brake Pliers - Anyone without 4 wheel disc brakes will be using these

I'm working on the brakes on one of my Model A's now...Fun cars...

TOB