Cobra Tool Kit - redux

[Dan Case]

Originally Posted by my427cobra

Great overview Dan.

Do you know how many spanners and what spanner sizes were in the original 427 tool kit?

Cheers
Greg

A post above (#13 I think) shows the typical five pieces, the wrapping paper, and the box complete with the sizes printed on the box. Not shown, least I didn't notice it is the clip that holds the set in a bundle. I said typical because there are variations in everything, example three different clips in two designs. Cobra, 427 Cobra, or AC 289 Sports, the sets are not "Cobra" anything as they are right out of the Draper tool catalog and which version of which landed in what car seems to be a function of what AC Cars received and who took what out the stock room when to put in what car Aceca, Ace, RS2.6, Cobra, 427 Cobra, or AC 289 Sports.

Also bear in mind that both AC Cars and Shelby American provided replacement sets for years. Shelby American was still sending out replacement sets at least into 1970. AC Cars sent them out as replacements longer than that. I have been around and working on old cars since circa 1961. One of my first parts lessons way back then it that service parts are not always just like production parts. Depending on the item, sometimes no service part is like the original production part it replaces. I had a 2003 Ford that had a one part redesigned for service twice in one year after production because of repeat failures of the original and the first service redesign. Eventually, took years, the third design failed in the same manner as the first. Having been exposed to service versus production issues since 1961, having learned that very few service parts for anything from AC and lots from Ford in Cobras/427 Cobras/AC 289 Sports are exactly the same between service and production, I wonder how many sets in original cars now are actually the ones they left AC and or SA with. At least a few cars didn't make it to dealers with tool kits so what were they sent as replacements? I can imagine a lot of variables that can happen at Elora, Draper, AC, and Shelby between 195? (same brands/styles tools used in the 1950s) through 1971 or later. It would not have mattered back then . Example: Did the "Germany" sets creep into cars as replacement sets? When Shelby sent out replacement sets did they get them from AC, Draper, or some nameless bargain tool dealer via the pucrhasing department?