Redline Tune-Up Wrench – Deluxe REDHEAD Brightvision Tool – The Famous Axle Tool

The Famous Tune-Up Tool

For Use On Redlines from 1968 through 1972

SUPER SPECIAL “REDHEAD” EDITION!!

DIPPED IN RED PLASTICOAT FOR A SURE GRIP WHILE STRAIGHTENING EARLY REDLINE WHEELS!

Tired of looking at cars on display with bent axles? Want your cars to roll straight so you can win that downhill race? Then this tool is for you. Designed specifically for Hot Wheels from 68-72. This indispensable tool actually works to help you straighten bent axles and removing wheels!

If you’re familiar with the Tune-up Wrench that was included in the Tune-Up Tower Set back in 1969, you will recognize this tool. It’s a beautiful recreation of the tool. Faithfully reproduced, all the way down to the zinc plating, durable steel material and like manufacturing method. This tool is just spot on! Even the small eyelet at the end is there! I guess someone back in the 1960s thought the kids would wear the tool around their neck so they could repair the cars frequently as they blew through the superchargers!! Rumor has it that this tool was used by factory workers to salvage bent axle cars that were damaged during production.

Two important improvements were made to increase the functionality of the wrench; The thickness was increased slightly and the blade support was extended on the bottom of the tool. Both changes make the tool more rigid, so when you’re actually using it, it gets the job done without bending. The originals bent very easily.

Each tool is made of high-grade stamped steel with bright zinc plating. The finish is what the cars looked like before they were painted. Both the front and back sides are blank. The finish looks a lot like the finish on the bases of the early cars from 68-72.

Please note the original shown on the top in the picture is shown only for comparison purposes. The original is not included and is not for sale.

How Does It Work?

The tool is 2 ¾” long and a little over ½” wide, so it’s very easy to manipulate with your fingers. It’s actually very useful for two things: Straightening bent axles and removing/installing white bearing type wheels. The small cut in the tip slips over the wire axle in between the wheel and the base of the car, allowing you to have direct force on the bent section of the axle without just putting another bend on the already bent wire. It’s quite effective after you get the hang of it. If you are used to prying off the wheels with a small screwdriver, this tool does the job just as well if not better. When reinstalling the wheels, you place the tool on the axle behind the white bearing, and then the force you apply to the wheel is isolated to the wheel and the bearing. If you’ve ever bent an axle while putting a wheel back on, you know how frustrating that is! This tool eliminates that risk.