Anyone like robogrips ?

[J.A.F.E.]

The tongue and groove designation works but some water pumps are slip jaws. The Cobras are a variation of slip jaws although they work much better than standard slip jaws.

[john k]

Was taught they are Water Pump Pliers too.   Seen enough of the cheap ones delaminate that I just keep walking when these are spotted.   Don't have any in my shop. 

[bonneyman]

I'm thinking they were called "waterpump pliers" because they were originally designed for working on car coolant pumps. But maybe I'm getting several disconnected stories confused.

[john k]

I agree about the water pump designation,  Well into the 30s, the packing nut on water pumps was tightened as part of routine maintenance.   The model A ford was case in point. 

[goodfellow]

yup -- the design was originally a water pump designation. My grandpa used to rebuild his water pumps with new bronze bushings and fiber seals (later bearings and plastic seals) all with the aid of water pump pliers. The packing nut was often an odd shape and the piers made the job easier.

[Snaparxon]

A pair of MAC's I never use

[bonneyman]

yup -- the design was originally a water pump designation. My grandpa used to rebuild his water pumps with new bronze bushings and fiber seals (later bearings and plastic seals) all with the aid of water pump pliers. The packing nut was often an odd shape and the piers made the job easier.

Long gone are the days when mechanics took parts off cars and rebuilt them! Water pumps, distributors, fuel pumps, carbs. Now it's just remove, chuck, and replace. 

[hickory n Steel]

A pair of MAC's I never use

Interesting, I never knew these were ever offered by other companies and those are clearly the exact same tool.
Sad part is that I find the craftsmans an okay tool at Sears prices, but but at tool truck prices no way.

[Snaparxon]

Long gone are the days when mechanics took parts off cars and rebuilt them! Water pumps, distributors, fuel pumps, carbs. Now it's just remove, chuck, and replace. 

And in my experience you will replace it more frequently now that you put a cruddy china made replacement on it

[strik9]

Bman, spend a week in the shop with us.

  We are the nobody that repair starters and stuff from cars regularily.  My boss does it all but water pumps which are disposable items.  He is not the only one. 

    I prefer the ready to place replacements after seeing some of the crap we had to redo.  I could  get car in- car out in less than an hour instead of all day.  Struts too. 

[J.A.F.E.]

A pair of MAC's I never use

RoboMAC's?

[Cruiser808]

yup -- the design was originally a water pump designation. My grandpa used to rebuild his water pumps with new bronze bushings and fiber seals (later bearings and plastic seals) all with the aid of water pump pliers. The packing nut was often an odd shape and the piers made the job easier.

Long gone are the days when mechanics took parts off cars and rebuilt them! Water pumps, distributors, fuel pumps, carbs. Now it's just remove, chuck, and replace. 

[Uncle Buck]

As a kid pop had to do a lot of mechanic work on the cheap so as a result I did get first hand experience rebuilding a lot of different stuff. Things I would not rebuild today, though the knowledge of how to do so is still there like rebuilding wheel cylinders, or alternators, or starters for that matter. Back then drums and rotors were always turned as long as there was enough meat on them to do so. Blower motors that squealed had the rivets drilled out and the motor opened up and the thing was reworked and re-lubed then screwed back together and put back in service. The leaking exhaust system the old man would try to patch up and make work a little longer, with rarely any degree of lasting success regarding the exhaust.

Honestly, I don't miss having to mechanic the way pop did on the cheap, with a very limited assortment of tools to tackle the work at hand. Oh he got by, but many were the jobs that probably took many more hours to accomplish due to the lack of tools than would have otherwise with the choice of tools I have at hand now. I cannot imagine wrenching now with no deep sockets for example and the biggest 1/2" drive tool in the box was a 15-16" Craftsman breaker bar. He had two 1/2" drive extensions, a 6" one and a 10" one, that was it!

However, all that said, I must give the old man his due, he seemed to always fix whatever he went after even with his limited amount of hand tools, and in spite of all the additional hours that lack of tools cost him. To his credit he did not do shoddy slipshod work either, he did good work.

[Cruiser808]

Great story UB. And a good reminder of what still can be accomplished in a throw away society.

[hickory n Steel]

As a kid pop had to do a lot of mechanic work on the cheap so as a result I did get first hand experience rebuilding a lot of different stuff. Things I would not rebuild today, though the knowledge of how to do so is still there like rebuilding wheel cylinders, or alternators, or starters for that matter. Back then drums and rotors were always turned as long as there was enough meat on them to do so. Blower motors that squealed had the rivets drilled out and the motor opened up and the thing was reworked and re-lubed then screwed back together and put back in service. The leaking exhaust system the old man would try to patch up and make work a little longer, with rarely any degree of lasting success regarding the exhaust.

Honestly, I don't miss having to mechanic the way pop did on the cheap, with a very limited assortment of tools to tackle the work at hand. Oh he got by, but many were the jobs that probably took many more hours to accomplish due to the lack of tools than would have otherwise with the choice of tools I have at hand now. I cannot imagine wrenching now with no deep sockets for example and the biggest 1/2" drive tool in the box was a 15-16" Craftsman breaker bar. He had two 1/2" drive extensions, a 6" one and a 10" one, that was it!

However, all that said, I must give the old man his due, he seemed to always fix whatever he went after even with his limited amount of hand tools, and in spite of all the additional hours that lack of tools cost him. To his credit he did not do shoddy slipshod work either, he did good work.

Great story.
It reminds me of my dad using JB weld on the cracked radiator in his blazer, it worked for a bit but it wasn't too long before he just replaced it like he should done in the first place.