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Re: Whitworth wrenches wanted -Reply

To: inchman@prolog.net
Subject: Re: Whitworth wrenches wanted -Reply
From: dmeadow@juno.com
Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 13:31:00 EDT
On Tue, 20 May 1997 09:36:20 -0400 Eric Petrevich <inchman@prolog.net>
writes:
>Is anyone currently using Metrinch tools instead of Whitworth?  How 
>well
>do they work?

I am.  And yes, they do work.  Be forewarned, however, that they take
some getting used to.  When you are conditioned to expect a nut to round
if you don't have your wrench tight on it, the "built-in" slop of the
Metrinch is disconcerting.   It is also requires a bit more trial and
error to make sure you have the right (smallest) sized wrench appropriate
to the nut.  It will seem that a larger one will fit, but it might be a
tad too big and round your nut.

In some situations, where you have very little space to turn a wrench,
the built-in slop can be annoying.  You might find yourself having to
manually move the ratchet vs. the socket to get it to ratchet back,
because  the socket will turn back and forth on the nut a few degrees. 
However, this is a fairly small price to pay to get a set of tools that
is useful for more than one application, IMHO.

The tool quality itself is very good.  At least equal to Craftsman
quality, and in many cases, better.  I am using a set to restore a TD and
I also toss it into the trunk of my MGA when traveling, since they fit
both the TD's Whitworth sizes and the MGA's SAE.  Recently I used them to
replace a fuel pump on the MGA, and the fuel lines, along with the brake
lines, are one of the few things that are BSF on an MGA.  The fellow
helping me insisted I wouldn't have a wrench with me (this was out of
town) to fit the fuel line nut.  I pulled out my Metrinch tools and
proved him wrong!

David Littlefield
Houston, TX

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