Owner: Jeff Milburn
Shop: Automotive Fabrication
Location: Dallas, Texas
They say everything’s bigger in Texas. In the case of Jeff Milburn’s toolbox, that saying rings true.
Based in Dallas, the professional stunt driver and owner of Automotive Fabrication utilizes a Snap-on EPIQ toolbox that stands 8’ tall and 22’ long.
“According to the distributor and their reps from this part of the country, when I ordered that box, they had never sold anything that big, or like that. They had sold some with hutches on them that are that wide, but not that were all toolbox,” proclaims Milburn, who has owned his new box for a couple years.
Milburn’s business performs work on vehicles used in movies and car commercials, and prior to that he worked at both a body shop and a dealership. Plus he does some fabricating work and repairs motorcycles. Needless to say, Milburn’s tool collection has grown and become incredibly diverse over the years. That’s why he upgraded from an already-large toolbox to his current EPIQ set-up.
“We have to be able to work on, literally, anything,” he says, noting Automotive Fabrication has seen vehicles ranging from 1910 Oldsmobile models to prototype Toyota vehicles and even 18-wheelers and racecars. “Any kind of car you can think of. So I have all these special tools.”
With his tool collection growing and space in his former box shrinking, Milburn became intrigued by the EPIQ’s option of having dual lockers with a cabinet on top. He keeps his commonly used tools in one cabinet, so he can grab them quickly when he leaves the shop to go on set.
He also custom-ordered all the drawers in the box because he devotes one side to metric items and the other side to standard size tools. The custom drawers accommodate the thousands of tools he owns, including more than 20 air die grinders, approximately 300 vice grips and multiple drawers of drill bits, taps and dies.
“I have one drawer that just has old Proto screwdrivers in it. I love Proto screwdrivers that have the original handles on them,” Milburn explains, adding the overwhelming majority of his tools are made in the U.S.A. “I have a crazy thing for different types of body hammers. I have a drawer full of body hammers that is insane.”
With a tool collection like that, Milburn needs a Texas-sized toolbox that can store it all. His Snap-on EPIQ gets the job done, but it’s filling up quick.
