when owning a flattie powered car, what's the list of spare parts and tools you keep in the trunk and the most common prolems? never had one and need some schooling. Dont' ask me why....it's a secret for now....
If you look in my daily driven pickup truck now you'll find extra points & condenser, an extra inline fuel filter and a list of numbers for belts, fuel/oil filters, etc. Regular maintenance is the key. Tools - basics: pliers, screwdrivers, socket set and wrenches. Multimeter or test light for those pesky electrical quirks. Long trip, I throw in extra water pumps, spare generator, etc. The stuff you can't sometimes buy off the shelf at NAPA.
Always carry an extra starter bendix spring.New ones can be had for 8.00 and if you have it you likely wont need it.If not it will brake 100 miles from nowhere
Keep a complete set of tuneup ignition parts, as they might be difficult to get quickly in east overshoe. Old ones left from a tuneup are fine unless actually destroyed. I like to have carb gasket kit for any car I drive so I can mess with things if I need to, filters, and keep the old hoses and belts stuffed under the seat--you don't want to have to match up weird old parts at Pep Boys. On an early flatty, the '42-8 style distributor can be R&Red in 30 seconds without having to worry about timing, so that's the best way to carry ignition spares--ready to go. On a long trip, you might want to think about a serious parts kit, because anything like a water pump or such is going to be unavailable quickly wherever you are. Certain tools are good for roadtrips too--like a hub puller, something that probably doesn't exist anymore in 99 out of a hundred garages. Does anyone have the old American Rodder article on Vern Tardel's road trip kit? He traveled ready to camp out, live off the land, and rebuild whatever ailed him no matter what!
I would also carry either an extra carb rebuild kit or a total carb. Head gaskets are also a good idea. easy to change on the road. But don't ever go anywhere without your water pumps. You also may consider a starter relay. Even though the old low compression flatties are a easy start by just giving it a 15 mph push in 2nd gear.
[ QUOTE ] Also a small hammer the unstick the float when it starts running like shit. [/ QUOTE ] Use a plastic screwdriver handle. It wont screw up the carb body. Rumbleseat on the flathead site had some great ideas. For the big items like axle shafts, he'd put them out on the work bench with tags identifying them for his wife to UPS them to him. His trips were 4 or 5000 miles.
There's Street Rods and Hot Rods Street Rods have a Chevy in the front And a can of wax in the rear Hot Rods have a Flathead in the front And a toolbox in the rear Fred Offenhauser Seriously you should consider ignition parts, belts, water pumps, fuel pump, belts and tools.
I wrote the following article for American Rodder a half-dozen years ago. It covers just about any situation correctable on the road. ______________________________________ VERN TARDEL'S GET-YOU-THERE-AND-BACK TRAVEL KIT What the traditional old-Ford hot rodder carries instead of a cellular phone. While pursuing the thread and purpose of this how-to article--assembling a travel kit for traditional Ford hot rods--with Vern Tardel, we discovered some valuable serendipity we hadn't anticipated: How to make an old hot rod ride great, and how to be popular with other hot rodders. But before we reveal what that's all about, let's deal with the primary subject--a travel kit that takes the worry out of being away from home in your old hot rod. Odds are better than even that you've heard about 'Preventive Maintenance' and how it's the best ensurance against breakdowns on the road. That's 'ensurance' with an 'e,' and whether you learned about it during military service, in high-school auto shop or driver's education classes, or from your old man, there's no arguing against the wisdom expressed in this old ounce-of-prevention concept. But for all that, PM can't protect us against all breakdowns, particularly when lots of old parts are involved, which is invariably the case for an old traditional hot rod--or for a new one assembled with traditional technology. While breakdowns, arising from parts failures, are not necessarily more likely to occur with old traditional hot rods, that's certainly the way the smart money would bet. Even so, the potential for breakdown correlates much better with how long a given part has been in service, how it has been used, and how it has been maintained, rather than when it was made. Well, almost; Car componentry at all levels has come a considerable distance on the way to perfection since those much-loved old-Ford pieces were manufactured, and with all things being equal, the newer stuff has a much better chance of surviving. And even when it doesn't, the consequences are far less dire than they are for the old stuff because new and rebuilt current- or recent-technology parts are as close as the nearest autoparts store or distribution warehouse. It's unusual to have to wait for more than 24 hours for just about any car part made in this country in the last 30 years. The situation isn't nearly as good with hard parts for cars whose manufacturing ceased in the late '40s-early '50s, and that's why the traditional hot rod road kit is so important. It contains most of the essential pieces you won't find outside of the old-Ford parts hobby and industry--pieces that have shown themselves to be troublesome on occasion. All together, they're your insurance, with an 'i,' against those problems that even PM can't prevent. Vern Tardel offers some important suggestions that apply to the total kit. First, make certain all your replacement parts are correct for your car. For example, there are four distinct Ford rear axles for the V8 cars and they are not interchangeable. Aside from three different lengths, one length has two different tooth configurations--16 and 18 teeth. A good way to collect the necessary information about your car is to make a detailed written record of parts, including physical descriptions, when you put the car together or when you perform major work on it. Aside from putting a road kit together, this is also a big help when you're shopping or swapping for replacements. Before including a part in your kit, make certain it still has some life left in it, and then package it correctly. Parts that are prone to rusting or corrosion--which is just about any part not made of plastic or rubber--should be cleaned, then protected with a coat of WD-40 and enclosed in individual plastic bags. One of the most valuable items you can take on the road is the roster of the Early Ford V-8 Club of America. The names, addresses, phone numbers, and cars owned by each of the members are listed in this little book, and most members will gladly assist you in locating a part or tool you may need that's not in your travel kit. Just be aware that there are some hard-core preservationists in this organization who view old-Ford hot rodders as the enemy, and if your phone call for assistance turns up a person who would like to nail your hide to his garage wall, be courteous and extricate yourself from the conversation without turning it into a shouting contest in which no one wins. Still, if you're serious about this old-Ford thing you could do a lot worse than join the organization and get acquainted with the old Forders in your area. . . The concept of Vern's GYTAB--Get-You-There-and-Back--travel kit can be applied to hot rods with mechanical bases other than old-Ford parts. For example, we'd include a carb kit if we had a WCFB feeder or two on top of an early Chevy smallblock motor. And how about this little drama: There you are, cruisin' in your slammed and hammered '50 Merc midway between Salina, Utah, and Grand Junction, Colorado, when your vintage 331-inch Cadillac gets real quiet, thanks to a broken distributor driveshaft. What to do? Which door do you choose, A or B? Salina or Grand Junction? The lady or the tiger? One's as good as the other because no one has what you need within less than 72 hours anyway. For each of us, no matter what we drive, all the generic stuff in the kit described makes good sense in that it can allow us to play an active roll in our own rescue. It wrests our souls back from such lazy, quick-answer notions and encumbrances as cell 'phones--not bad in a life-or-death situation, but we're talking about something far more serious; we're talking hot rodding! For the old-Ford hot rodder, Vern Tardel's GYTAB road kit really does take the worry out of being away from home. While it might not necessarily give us all confidence beyond measure, it promotes considerable peace of mind knowing that there are most of the important Ford spares on board--familiar parts, old friends, even. And then there is the serendipity--those good things that came from all this that we had neither sought nor even known about, but you've probably already figured it out: Several hundred pounds of ballast, whether it's sand or it's tools and old-Ford parts, will make a light-tail Ford roadster ride like a Lincoln. And with all those good pieces and tools on board, you're at the top of everyone's list of road cruise pals! . . . Tools--In addition to a reasonable set of hand tools to take care of all the fasteners on your car, include vise grips, a long 1/2-in.-drive breaker to be used for wheel lug nuts and other large fasteners, a hammer, a soft-face mallet, and just about anything else you can recall using when you built the car! A large C-clamp can serve as a small press or vise. A few welder's clamps are handy for securing a rain tarp to the car. And be sure to throw a good tube of silicone sealer in the box. Finally, you can always find use for an entrenching tool, Vern says. Chemicals--This is pretty basic stuff--up to a point. Include a gallon of gasoline, a couple of quarts of oil and a funnel, and a gallon of water in a tough sealable container. (Old liquid detergent jugs are ideal.) And for an old-Ford specific chemical, include GL-4 SAE 140 gear lube for the transmission and the differential. You can find it just about everywhere other than where you discover that your driveline levels are low. Electrical--Carrying an extra distributor isn't a bad idea if your engine is equipped with an original unit. At the least, carry an extra set of points, a rotor, a condenser, and a cap. Some extra plugs are also warranted. A generator end plate with a good bushing and brushes will cover the most-common ailment with this unit, and if you have an extra armature toss it in; you're not likely to find one on the road. An extra Bendix drive for the starter is good insurance, particularly if your system is 12 volt. And don't forget fuses, tape, an extra ballast if you have an old 6-volt system, and a small meter to help you with tracing circuit troubles. Fuel system--You probably won't need a carburetor, although a good core can be a valuable parts source on the road. At the least, take along a kit for whatever carburetor model you're running. Back up a mechanical fuel pump with an extra one...same for an electric pump. If your mechanical pump just sort of peters out, forget about messing with the pushrod. Instead, remove the pump stand and check the base for warping. In time, the constant thrust of the pump rod pushes the stand upward, warping the base until the rod stroke isn't enough. Just flatten the pump stand flange and reinstall it. Rear axle--This could be one of the more important collections in your road kit. Make certain that the axle matches the axles in the car. Carry an axle key or two; all driveline failures aren't catastrophic and the trouble could be no more than a sheared key. And be certain to include an outer wheel bearing; you're not likely to find one at Kragen. You have little hope of removing the drum and hub without a puller so be sure to include one. (There's an excellent repro puller available from Winfield Tool Works.) Before you leave home make certain the axle nuts are correctly tightened to 175-225 ft-lb and you will have little need for these pieces. Cooling system--Instead of discarding a worn but unbroken waterpump belt, put it in the sleeve that came with the new belt and stash the old one in the trunk. Be sure to include some hoses and clamps, and if your motor is equipped with bushed water pumps, made certain you have at least one rebuild kit on hand. Wheels and tires--A mounted spare will get you on your way right away, and you'll need a tube for each tire size. If you get caught without a tube for a skinny 16-incher, stop by a local motorcycle shop. A super-low jack is a must so it will fit under the axle when a tire's flat. A Pinto scissor jack is tailor-made for old Ford hot rods. Remember to include a tire pump and a tube patching kit. Fasteners and expendables--A box of nuts, bolts, washers, and screws along with electrical tape, duct tape, tie wraps, cord, electrical wire, baling wire, and--most important--'roadster tape,'--3M 2-in. wide Scotchrap all-weather tape that will prevent wind and water from entering around windshield and door edges and can be pulled off without disturbing your paint. Garnish with a handful or two of hose clamps; so far no one has discovered all the uses for these wonderful devices. Soft goods--This one begins with a plastic tarp large enough to cover the car and includes lots of clean rags. Vern never leaves home without his snowmobile suit, an extra sweatshirt, and a long wool scarf. It's all carried in an easily reached dufflebag, making it a good place to stash the fire extinguisher and the lantern. Engine--This is a really serious segment of the road kit and probably necessary only if your motor is in the autumn of its present life. The basic group includes a connecting rod, a set of rod bearings, a main bearing set, a valve assembly with keeper, and a valve remover. A correctly sized piston and rings should also be included; the one in Vern's kit wound up in some other rodder's motor. Gaskets are carried under the seat with other flat items, and while this group won't solve all engine problems, it's a pretty good limp-home arrangement--and could preclude a big tow bill. Transmission--Even Vern admits that this one is a bit of a stretch, but there are times when a set of gears are worth their weight in gold. Bearings, seals, and synchro parts are carried in the toolbox. Entertainment/Survival--Vern says this one is for something to do while waiting for... A survival rifle is great for plinking at tin cans, and for a really long wait could be pressed into service to secure small game. Marshmallow-toasting forks are sturdy enough to support frankfurters or segments of small game over an open fire. Vern also carries along a pocket radio. Originally locked on station XERB, its tunable to other frequencies now that Wolfman is gone. SOURCES AXLE PULLER Winfield Tool Works 437 W. Broadway Port Jefferson, NY 11777 516-928-3316 $99.95 + $8.00 UPS shipping Includes wooden storage box MEMBERSHIP, DIRECTORY--EARLY FORD V-8 CLUB THE EARLY FORD V-8 CLUB P. O. Box 2122 San Leandro, CA 94577
I wrote the following article for American Rodder a half-dozen years ago. It covers just about any situation correctable on the road. AV8 that was classic
thanks for the info, wasn't there a link to a downloadable flathead "manual" pdf. file on here awhile back? I thought I downloaded one, but lost it when I had to redo my OS....
The Jalopy Journal
