MTFCA Forum

I saw this tool at the Iola Car Show and Swap meet last week.
It was on display with other tools for a 1936 Flathead Ford.
Anyone know where a ratcheting screwdriver would be needed on a Flathead Ford?

I have no idea but you know that the reason it has a FORD tool number on it is that it is a cobbled up band wrench, right?

if it was ever used on a T then perhaps it was used to adjust an APCO pan or tie rod cap (those things can be tough to just use a screwdriver on)

I have a couple of them here. One is new in the box and marked "Zim tappet adjusting tool for Buick, Chevrolet, and Nash overhead valve" and the other is Snap On.

Tim Moore

The reason it got my attention was it looked like a model T band wrench, but I couldn't figure out what the screwdriver blade was used for. The photo doesn't show it well, but there are indicators on the knob that align with the screwdriver blade. I don't recall if it had a Ford script on it or not, but now I know what it is used for. There are photos online of similar tools. Learned something new today.

I agree with Tim, it looks to me like a tool for adjusting mechanical valve tappets. The screwdriver part turns the tappet and the wrench part tightens the locknut.

No, I don't know what it was used for, but going by the size of the band wrench part, the whole thing looks too big to adjust most rocker arms. For adjusting the rocker arms, the screwdriver would hold the center after setting the gap and would need a way to tighten the lock nuts. The band wrench besides being too large, is in the wrong place for that, looks to be held in place by a lock nut. The wrench needed would be something like 9/16 or 5/8s inch for the setup I have been around.

How it works;

The "band wrench" part would drop down on the jam nut to hold it.