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Even though I haven't started the compressor shed yet, and I still have 2 compressors in bits and an old foot pump I haven't finished yet, I decided the best way to tackle my dumping ground of a garage was to buy a new tool box. Looked at many, new and used. Checked out halfords, Clarke, snap on etc but nothing was really talking to me. Then I found this on ebay  That was the only picture. Bit of research told me it was made in Canada by a company called beach. Internet tells me they were on a par with snap on, if not a little better. It was an hour away so had a bid and bought it. Facebook market place then turned up 2 top boxes! Didn't need two, but buy them when you see them right? I then found a mid box too! These were scattered all over the Midlands so today was spent driving. 8 hours driving picking them all up. The spoils  This top box is a bit rough, the middle 2 drawer is decent though. The seller swore blind it was a snap on box "look at the sticker" he says. Yeah, Iit wasn't made by Weber either 😂  This top box is alot better, just missing the lock. This one is branded Gray. Beach made these but they were branded beach, gray, mastercraft, or in the UK, autopro. The roll cab doors turned out to be quite decent, with autopro branding.  The Gray box was brought over from Canada by a relative of the guy I bought it from. While touring the Midlands I stopped off in Walsall and picked up 17 square meters!! of 5mm neoprene closed cell foam for drawer liners. I think that should be enough! Cheapest decent draw liner I found was £30 for about 2.5 square meters. This was £14!  Tomorrow's plan is to take all the drawers out, clean thoroughly (the roll cab is caked in oil/dirt) and see exactly what they are like. |
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Last Edit: Oct 1, 2021 20:08:17 GMT by VW
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I know they made a 12 drawer top box, which I'd really like to find. Side drawers and a cupboard too.
I don't know how much of it was imported though, autopro may not have sold the whole range in the uk.
I'll be keeping my eyes open though. This stuff feels really well made.
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That lot will keep you occupied for some time, and out of harm's way.
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That lot will keep you occupied for some time, and out of harm's way. No doubt. Especially if I end up painting them! |
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I had a floor jack sold by gray manufacturing, they still sell school bus and fire truck lifts over here. I used that jack; 22ton, twenty times a day for twelve years lifting semi trucks to grease king pins and it never let me down. It’s still in use; while the other brands failed in that job after a year or two.
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I had a floor jack sold by gray manufacturing, they still sell school bus and fire truck lifts over here. I used that jack; 22ton, twenty times a day for twelve years lifting semi trucks to grease king pins and it never let me down. It’s still in use; while the other brands failed in that job after a year or two. Well that bodes well! I've just cleaned the Gray box down. I'll straighten a couple of bits, polish it, then put it back together. It's a shame someone ripped the lock out and drilled it for a padlock. |
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You Sir are a gentleman,
I inherited my Dad's roller cab and top box marked "Autopro", found it was Canadian but couldn't find anything else, (I need a drawer handle as a 20 ton Scania versus a toolbox drawer, I'll let you decide the outcome !!)
Don't suppose you found any contact details for Beach ??
I'm into old toolbox's also so will follow this thread with interest,
Nigel
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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You Sir are a gentleman, I inherited my Dad's roller cab and top box marked "Autopro", found it was Canadian but couldn't find anything else, (I need a drawer handle as a 20 ton Scania versus a toolbox drawer, I'll let you decide the outcome !!) Don't suppose you found any contact details for Beach ?? I'm into old toolbox's also so will follow this thread with interest, Nigel Dead and buried I believe. They resurface for a while with a similar range of boxes, then I think dissapeared again recently. They don't seem easy to find. I have heard that maybe britool dealers carried them, but britool had their own boxes so maybe not. All these were in the Midlands, where was your dad based? Possible they had a bigger prescence around Birmingham. I've cleaned the Gray box and I've just cleaned the middle box. Hopefully have these two straightened and polished tomorrow and maybe the roll cab cleaned. I'm keeping my eyes open for anything from this brand so if I find any spares I'll let you know. I joined the garage journal forum purely as there is a bit of beach info on there and quite a few catalogue pages. Do you remember how many drawers your dad's old one has? |
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We were Midland based, (at least when Dad bought them,)
Have to double check how many drawers but will be a few days probably before I can,
I'm already on the Garage forum so I'll maybe try a post on there at some point,
Good luck with yours and thanks for the help,
Nigel
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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Took the snap on sticker off. It may have been old, and it may have been nice, but the autopro badge was underneath.  |
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Started to have a look at the roll cab. I knew it had some stuff in it, but I didn't even open a draw when I picked it up, just chucked it in the van. I had alot of stops to make. Some rubbish in it, but an entire trug of stuff to keep!  Apart from the oily cable ties on top, and some euro air hose fittings, there is a handful of sockets, a load of old files, some new file handles, some big screwdrivers, a few pairs of grips, some nice old adjustable, scrapers, a drill powered nibbler, some decent wire strippers, a load of hammer heads, some nice, a nice dolly, a new hatchet handle and various bits n bobs. It is absolutely minging though! Usual story, to beat the gritty slides folk just keep pouring more oil in!  I've had to douse the whole thing in degreaser and jet wash it just to get it clean enough to take the draws and slides out so I can clean the thing properly! A few bent slides and the odd bent bit of drawer to straighten, but it seems decent. I'll get all the boxes clean and straight, then polish them all and see how they look. I'm 50/50 on whether I'm going to paint them or not. Will be a load of work to do it properly. I'll see how bad they look. |
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Interesting thing about that is both swivel castors are on the front!  |
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Cleaned, runners straightened, and slotted back together.  Not all the drawers open nicely yet though, but more tweaking maybe, or maybe just something better than furniture polish as lubrication will help. Still need to straighten up some bent areas too. Pulled all the locks out as I have no keys, I'll fit new ones. And closed up  It didn't really work trying to mop it so I'll give it a go over with some panel wipe for now, get the last of the dirt off it. Then when I've got my mini polisher, try it with that. |
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Seeing it in those last pics, it looks very similar, if not the same (from memory) as the set-up that a friend has in his works. Pretty sure that his is branded Beach too.
Certainly something I am very jealous of, along with all the machine tools he has, some of which I am slowly learning how to use!
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Last Edit: Oct 3, 2021 18:05:52 GMT by Paul H
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Seeing it in those last pics, it looks very similar, if not the same (from memory) as the set-up that a friend has in his works. Pretty sure that his is branded Beach too. Certainly something I am very jealous of, along with all the machine tools he has, some of which I am slowly learning how to use! If he doesn't mind, and you get chance, can you take a pic? If his is branded beach, did he import it? Does he know the history of it? I'm quite interested in what exactly was imported to the UK, where, when, and by who. Oh, hang on, I'm assuming your UK, you might not be! |
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bazzateer
Posted a lot
Imping along sans Vogue
Posts: 3,653
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Gotta love old tool chests!  |
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1968 Singer Chamois Sport
1972 Sunbeam Imp Sport
1976 Datsun 260Z 2+2
1998 Peugeot Boxer Pilote motorhome
2003 Rover 75 1.8 Club SE (daily)
2006 MG ZT 190+ (another daily)
2007 BMW 530d Touring M Sport (tow car)
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Oct 10, 2021 16:31:23 GMT
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It comes to something when even your tool boxes need patches letting in! The whole corner had rotten out, from the outside by the Looks of it.  The roll cab and mid box have been cleaned, polished and waxed. They look good enough not to re paint. Ive lined them all now too. Now the worst top box has been welded up and a few paint touch ups done, I'll polish and wax it and see how it comes up. I'll post more pics when the garage is less of a state so I can actually get to it all! |
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Oct 11, 2021 15:12:50 GMT
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Puffed a bit of halfords ral3001 enamel on the welds and polished/waxed the top box. Had to weld the rear corners of the lid and the front corners of the box too. It doesn't look too bad now I guess, a little tattier than the other 2 boxes, but it's autopro so matches better than the Gray box, even though that one is in much better condition. Might sell the Gray box, haven't decided yet. A few pics, best I could take in the current cramped conditions. Just need to line the top box drawers now. I've rubbed paraffin wax on the outside of the slides and run 1964 US military moyl grease in the slide grooves.      |
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Last Edit: Oct 11, 2021 15:19:59 GMT by VW
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Oct 11, 2021 15:15:44 GMT
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EBay company sent the wrong size locks.
Seems they have a different idea on how to measure cam locks than anyone else on the planet.
Hopefully that situations sorted now and by the end of the week they should have all new locks with matching keys 🙂
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Oct 11, 2021 15:18:39 GMT
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I'm tempted to decant some of the halfords enamel from the aerosol into a jar and use my airbrush to puff in some of the worst damage, but I've a suspicion they are probably best left alone.
They look better in pics than they do in real life but that may just be because ive been up close and personal with them.
I'll live with them for a while and see if the urge to repaint them goes away.
The main issue with repainting them is I'd have to sort out the stuff to replace the semi tubular rivets holding the handles on.
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