Owner:
Name Joe Monopoli
Dorn's Body & Paint Inc.
Mechanicsville, Va.
Box:
The red all-steel Snap-on toolbox in Joe Monopoli's garage stands 25' x 3' x 9-1/2' and features all the storage many professionals could want.
"I ended up taking out a few things and adding a few things," said Monopoli, an auto body tech at Dorn's Body & Paint in Mechanicsville, Va. "The box is about seven years old, and I've added a couple sections to it in the last three years."
Joe also tweaked the drawers to amplify the space. In addition to removing a lot of the original drawers, he "upgraded to larger-size drawers to get in some of the bigger tools [he] uses on a daily basis." Joe's arsenal includes everything from air sanders and grinders, to drills, wrenches, sockets, clip tools and everything in between.
"I have a toolbox that's almost the same size as this at home," said Joe, "and another one in a garage where a bunch of guys and I build race cars.
"I've been told I probably have the biggest box in Virginia."
Profile:
Joe's been at Dorn's for four years, and in the automotive repair industry for more than 30 years. The six-bay Mechanicsville shop maintains a pretty fast pace, according to Joe, who doesn't necessarily mind the business.
"I've just always enjoyed it," said Joe. "It's nothing and no one in particular … I just enjoy what I do and I try to do whatever I can to make my job go easier and faster … It's been a hobby of mine all of my life." And every hobby requires the right tools.
"I have an uncle that was in the auto body business," said Joe. "And he always told me 'make sure you have the right tool for the right job.' Because if you have the right tool for the right job, it makes your life a whole lot easier.
"I've lived up to that motto since I started buying tools in 1972, and I've been buying them ever since."
