1997 Ford Ranger Radiator Replacement and all around lousy day

[AnsonJ]

So here is how my Saturday went... a few weeks ago I noticed my Ranger was spewing coolant from the side of the radiator, so I ordered all of the parts to fix it and replace the original 22 year old 187k mile water pump and all of the hoses.  started to work on it yesterday, and ran into a bit of 22 year old rust and fastener aggravation.

Broke three tools working on the Ranger. Two of them trying to remove the lower transmission cooling line from the radiator. That line is pretty much rust welded to the fitting. I soaked the fitting in PB Blaster every couple of days for over a week. I even got the blue tipped wrench out and could not break it free. So the first casualty was my dremel tool while trying to cut off the fitting. The bit quit spinning but the motor was running. So i grabbed a hand metal saw to cut it off. (Sawzall would not fit in the space available) after i had spent more than a few hours hand cutting a 3/4 inch fitting, i tried to pry the fitting out with a very stout Snap-On 3/8 inch flat blade screwdriver after I sawed through all but about 1/8 of an inch (figured it would snap off) and broke about 3/16 of an inch off the tip. Did i mention this was a Snap-On screwdriver? The last tool was the rent a tool from autozone to remove the fan clutch. The wrench is supposed to be 36mm but expanded to 40mm..basically useless and just spins over the nut.

So where I stand... I am making an order to RockAuto for a few more parts that need to be replaced (both idler pulleys and a broken wire connector) and I threw in a 13 dollar fan clutch wrench which I should have done from the get-go. 

The dremel tool can be fixed for less than 8 bucks, found the coupler that broke on Amazon.  and you get two of them.  so at least that wasn't a total loss.  the Autozone fan clutch tool is going back to them and I am getting my rental fee back.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E446M8C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A13H5QHGBAEUYH&psc=1

So fellow garage denizens... any recommendations for a 36 mm wrench in case the cheapo unit from Rock Auto bombs?  Cheapest I have seen is this one:'
https://www.amazon.com/Sunex-36-MM-Jumbo-Combination-Wrench/dp/B002YK7JIK?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B002YK7JIK

AJ

[john k]

Saw a guy in desperate need,  cut a 36mm opening in a bar of flat steel, 22 inches long, to hold the fan clutch.  That or he was going to have to wait a few days to find a tool.