MTFCA Forum

Rather than drift in the screwdriver discussion, I'll start a new entry.

The 1917 wrench has survived in vast numbers, and most of us have it. You can adjust your bands with it, as intended.

The 5-Z-829 ratchet is much easier to use (quicker). You don't have to turn it over multiple times.

I discovered that the ratchet wrench(My preferred tool normally) didnt fit to adjust the reverse band on the early aluminum hogs heads.
So I had to scramble to find the "1917" band wrench in my stuff to make the adjustments for another guy's early T.
I have external band adjusters on all my personal T's. Makes the job fast & easy with no gasket reseals.

I have wondered what that T 1917 wrench was for. The end looks so weak it would not be useful for anything that needs to be very tight. That was for the bands. with my later cars the cover on the inspection plate is large enough to use an end wrench with no problem.
Norm

My favorite T tool. #645

Norman Kling wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 12, 2024 2:58 pm

I have wondered what that T 1917 wrench was for. The end looks so weak it would not be useful for anything that needs to be very tight. That was for the bands. with my later cars the cover on the inspection plate is large enough to use an end wrench with no problem.
Norm

Norm

The famous 1917 is for the band adjusting nuts and for the fuel line pack nut.

The end marked "1" is for band nuts, and the 15 degree opening is there so the wrench will fit over the nut flats at an angle, as that approach is needed inside the hogshead.

The "2" end is for the pack nut.

Steve, in order to accomplish your original statement, you'll need need a different tool:

I have 3 of the T 1917 band wrench’s and one of them is still pretty good. In other words the band nut end isn’t spread out really bad on the good one. The other ones I have I’ve used a hammer to get them back in shape.
This is one T tool like the T screwdriver that really got used over many years.

I have 3 of the T 1917 band wrench’s and one of them is still pretty good....the band nut end isn’t spread out really bad on the good one.

I have corrected spread-out 1917 wrenches by squeezing them in a vise.

Somewhere in discussions of the 1917 wrench there was a reason given for the apparent spread in the lightweight end of the wrench. It was deliberately made this way, for a reason that I cannot recall. That doesn't mean that they are not further spread by using them as a standard wrench on nuts and bolts. A word of caution. Do NOT try to correct a large spread without using red heat. The tool will break.

Allan from down under.

I've used both the 1917 Ford band wrench and the ratcheting wrench for band adjusting. I too found that the ratcheting version does have some clearance issues on the earlier aluminum hogshead, so I pretty much just use the 1917 wrench now, since flipping the wrench while adjusting the band nuts isn't a big deal to me.

After Dan posted about why the wrench is designed the way it is, including that the other end is for the fuel line pack nut, I use that end for doing that job too. Yes, you can use a modern wrench for that, but I enjoy using Ford, Walden or Blackhawk tools designed for the T when I can.

The 1917 wrench design was changed by Ford several times over years. Over time I ended up with most or all the variants. The chunky one on the top in the picture below came with the 1911 T that I restored, and I think it may be the earliest version of the wrench.

This is a modern version, created to make the job even easier. A friend had a batch of them made and I sold them for him at swapmeets.

The crank in the handle gets it well inside the side of the hogshead opening. On our RHD cars the first gear band is the only one with an internal adjuster. This tool would make adjusting your LHD brake band at the back of the opening even easier. Allan from down under

We used this to put in the nuts. No fear of dropping the nut in the abyss or need for dental floss.

I still would use stuffed rags just in case. Can’t hurt a thing. Force of habit I guess.

John, tell that to the guy who left a rag in there one time.

Allan from down under.