What's the right name for a kind of box wrench

Sorry if this is a duplicate post. The one I did yesterday seems to have evaporated.

I'm going nuts trying to think of the right name for these things.

They are not offset wrenches, they bend the other axis. They are like S shaped wrenches but they are U shaped. (U shaped doesn't Google but S shaped does.)

Picture a common flat box wrench. You turn it so hard the shaft bends. Do the same thing at both ends so you get a U shaped shaft where you can look through the two boxes while you see the U shaft.

I 'think' one use is adjusting alternator/AC/etc mounting on a car.

Thanks

-- W§ mostly in m.s -

Distributor wrench? The exact shape of the wrench will vary with the distributor to be adjusted.

Ned Simmons

I second the distributor wrench answer.

Could be what we used to call a "starter wrench".

9/16 & 5/8 was common.

The official name is "obstruction wrench"

Snap-On has one they call a Half Moon wrench:

They're more of a 'C' shape than a 'U'. I've seen them that looked more like a 'U' but don't remember where.

Best Regards, Keith Marshall snipped-for-privacy@progressivelogic.com

"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

Winston Smith wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

"Half Moon Box Wrench"

I've seen them called a manifold wrench, also a starter wrench.

Starter wrench. Box end made for the hidden bolts.

Over the years, I've accumulated a number of "Frankenwrenches" that started life as standard box or open ends. A torch and a welder and they get twisted, ground and bent to get specific bolts or nuts. The trick is to attach it to the machine it fits with a powerful magnet.

We used to call the smaller ones (3/8-5/16-1/4) brake bleeder wrenches.

Cheers! Dave G.

Thank you everyone for your ideas. All them are similar to the set I saw, this is the closest. I've Googled your various names and that is an education in itself.

I've been hanging out here for a couple years in lurk mode. So far I'm not too sure how to plug my hammer in but I'm working on it. It's better to keep you mouth shut than open it and remove all doubt, as they say. This group is a treat for a mechanical noob like me. Thanks.

-- W§ mostly in m.s -

The actor becomes the part!

of U shaped. They get used quite a bit doing auto work.

I've always heard them called an obstruction wrench.

Manifold wrench. (I think) I always thought they were designed to work on the nuts holding on the exhaust and/or intake manifolds on in-line auto (and others, I suppose) engines. They were also "some" help with carburetor mount nuts. @#$%^&*() things, anyway! Old Chief Lynn

I suppose that's why we used to call them 'alternator wrenches' (:

Obstruction Box Wrenches, mscdirect.com catalog page 2216 Paul

Hey, we all started with blank slates.....If you've got the will, you'll find the way...

Welcome aboard!

Jeff