Dunlap ignition wrenches

[Bill Houghton]

At a commercial sale yesterday - but just $2.00 for eight wrenches.  25 cents each isn't bad.  Dunlap was Sears' second line, the "I can't afford Craftsman tools" line, and these show where costs were saved and where investment made sense: clearly forged, and so better than the stamped stuff, but not much fanciness in the finish.  13/64" to 3/8" sizes.

I'm always intrigued by the ignition wrenches, on which the box and open end are usually different sizes, with the next wrenches over duplicating those sizes, but at at the other end.  And, of course, when we auld fahrts* die off, only a handful of our children and grandchildren will understand why they were called ignition wrenches.  I'm proud to count my younger son among that educated handful.

I don't use them for installing the points and condenser on my cars - I confess that I'm a convert to electronic ignition, even on the 1972 Chevy truck - but they're sure useful small wrenches.

Not sure what the dots of paint are about.   Maybe they indicate the sizes a previous mechanic found most commonly needed.
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*I'm not willing to call myself elderly - I prefer "advanced mature" - but, at 68 going on 69, I'm willing to accept that I'm an A.F.

[Northwoods]

The size overlap would let you have, for example two quarter inch wrenches--one in each hand in case of stacked taps?

[Bill Houghton]

A lot of ignition bits were held in place with wee bolts and nuts - so you'd need two of the same size to, for instance, replace the condenser.