Besides beer and extra fuel pumps and a AAA card, what makes the ultimate "ready for anything" roadtrip toolbox? -stick
tire patch kit! i was at a show about 400 miles from home, had loned out my extra "safety" air bag tosomeone else that blew a bag on their ride... yea, so mine blew after some scrap metal got lodged between my spindle and the bag. shitty. so i plugged it and put a tire patch on it. It was awesome. 390 miles on it at 80psi. i made it about 2 miles from my house before the patch blew off.
Mexican Blanket (for laying on the ground while you do your fixes and sleeping under when the fixes go longer than you thought).
There was an article in American Rodder years ago. I think it was written by AV8 on here. It was the road trip survival kit. Actually I think he has posted it on here, do a search you should find it. It might also be in the techomatic. Its a great list, geared more toward old Fords but can be adapted and changed to suite your needs.
If I build it, better have the Snap-On and Autozone truck follow it. If RadRides by Troy or Brizio does the build, a can of polish and a duster.
The perfect toolbox is the one that has the right tool you need when you breakdown. Which usually is'nt the case.
the billet guys say the perfect toolbox is a cell phone and a credit card. but I got a whole bunch of junk in my trunk...not enough to rebuild the whole car, but enough to make me think I might be able to fix what's wrong.
electric and duct tape, a set of standard box wrenches (just whatever your ride needs the most), a larger vice grip, fuses, 2 flat head screwdrivers (a big un to pry with and a littler un to use), 1 phillips, hammer, pocket knife, some heavier grit sandpaper- 60 or so, and a bag of weed.
Don't bother with anything except a jack and a spare tire because no matter what you bring, it will be the wrong thing!
Here is what I have in mine: Light bulbs and fuses------------Hose clamps Razor blade----------------------Small pry bar Small wire brush-----------------S/M/L flat and phillips screw drivers Test light--------------------------1' fuel line Twist ties and zip ties------------Lug nuts 12' tape measurer---------------Assorted nuts and bolts 3/8 ratchet and extentions------Saftey wire 3/8-3/4 shallow well sockets----Vacuum caps 3/8-7/8 deep well sockets-------S/L adjustable wrenches Spark plug socket----------------3/8-5/8 wrenches Saftey glasses--------------------10mm-15mm wrenches Allen wrenches-------------------Electrical tape Small hammer-------------------Duct tape Needle nose pliers---------------Gloves Slip joint pliers-------------------Vise Grips Oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and water are also good to have. A roll of paper towels come in handy also. Jumper cables or a booster box is also nice to have. I know there are many other things you should carry, but this is a good start.
Doesn't anybody bring a flashlight? Seems that no matter what time I breakdown....I never finish fixing it until it gets dark.
...............two things I always found handy........coat hangers and if you ever owned a Studebaker.............extra OIL!!!!
I also take the half gallon fuel tank that came on my test stand. I have tie wrapped it to my radiator stays and gravity fed gas to get home when the electric fuel pump puked. Various sizes of all-thread with nuts and a hack saw to make my own "bolts". Wayno
Me, the basic hand tools, duct tape, electrical tape, fuses, ballast resistor (What 60's Mopar doesn't have a spare in the glove box) roll of 16 gauge wire (You can sting a few together if needed) a good flashlight since every time I get stuck it's in the middle of nowhere and it's night time. Moving blanket to lay on, oil, ATF and a gallon of water in a clean container since you can use it in the radiator or drink it if you stuck and it's 100 degrees like last time. Cliff Ramsdell
Thanks everyone. This helps alot and since I just put screw-on Moon discs on my car I thought a couple of cans of Seal'n'Air just in case. Thanks again, -stick P.S. Pantyhose? For robbing liquor stores or what?
Craftsman 3-drawer portable box--the red one with the extra storage bins on top of the lid. In the 4 bins: fuses, electrical tape, a couple zip ties, about 6-10 foot roll of 12ga wire coiled up, a few hose clamps of different sizes, and several nut/bolt pairs with washers (fender and lock), and some cotter keys. Top storage area under the lid: a wire kitchen drawer organizer from Wal-Mart, cut down to fit in the area. Cheap Craftsman multi-meter, extra battery for meter. Small RED Maglight. Get red, because when you drop it at night and the bulb breaks, you'll be able to see it, not like a black one. Mag Lights also come with a spare bulb. Extra battery for MiniMag. Small cold chisel Small punch 3-ft tape measure Cheap plastic dial caliper in case Safety glasses inside an old tube sock utility knife with spare blade in the handle (red) Roll of gasket material Shop rag Couple packs of wet-wipes. Go for the ones sold at the auto parts store--they're better, abrasive and last longer. Even in the sealed container, the cheap baby wipes dry out. A buck in change to feed the soda machine or pay phone Bandaids Have carried a small container of orange hand cleaner in the past, too. First drawer: Home made drawer divider: On left side of drawer, full set of pliers; channel locks (Medium and small), wire cutters, lineman's pliers (heavy pliers), regular slip jaw pliers, needle nose pliers. On right side of drawer: full set of screwdrivers; all orange handles. This includes a very small screwdriver (like for dip switches or glasses), and small blade/full handled screwdrivers for tight areas where you'll need leverage. Also includes right-angle straight and phillips drivers. Second Drawer: full set of combination open/box wrenches, in holder, from 1/4-3/4 inch. Set of box wrenches. 4 of them, covering eight sizes: 1/4-3/4 inch. This gives you a wrench for the front and back of each fastener. The open end lets you get in limited access areas. Bottom drawer: set of metric combo wrenches, wire-tied together to store neatly. ball pein hammer 8-inch crow bar Big honkin' adjustable wrench to get on spindle nuts medium adjustable wrench to back-up metric set. Vise Grips Distributor wrench. On mine, I had to grind down the head to make clearance on the Nailhead, so check it before you pack it Mini hack-saw. The kind that's the handle with the blade sticking out. Great for limited access areas. 1/2-inch breaker bar Finally, a full socket set in it's own carry case. To this set I've added some deep well sockets (often doesn't come with deep wells) and a few extensions. The case is wire-tied closed through the little lock hole on it, and I wrote on the outside "THIS SIDE UP" and "BOTTOM" on the back side, because I was sick of opening it up the wrong way and dumping the contents all over the ground. If you're running something other than a "modern" engine that you can't get a hose, water pump, generator, etc. for at the local NAPA, carry a spare under the back seat. Also, line the drawers with sound deadener or drawer liners, to keep things quiet. Overkill? Maybe, but when I'm broken down on the road, I'm already not in a good mood, so I don't need to be cursing cheap tools, or wishing I had a specific tool. Just about everything listed is Craftsman, put together from swap meets and garage sales. The socket set was on sale. The two boxes aren't huge, and don't take up a ton of space. Bonus: They're killer junkyarding boxes, with just about everything you'd need short of a cordless Sawzall and come-along. -brad Ps: I shold add a pair of pantyhose for a fan belt, and a small roll of duct tape, just in case.
WELL... it starts with this........one of these cool toolboxes...for which i HAPPEN to have some for sale here....... http://motors.search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtimr1108
The Jalopy Journal
