What do you pack for spare parts on long trips

[195354]

In July I drove my 70 year old Buick to the meet in Spokane. The distance I drove was not very far compared to many of you in your cars.  I packed in my opinion  quite a few spare parts for the trip. Now the trunk is all but empty. As I drive around here in Eugene Oregon I am close enough to home. That I don’t pack much for spare parts. 

I am thinking of driving to the meet in July with the Buick. I am curious what everyone carries for parts or what they wish they had packed for a trip. I want to make a  list and pack accordingly possibly reduce the amount of parts. 

 

I had  a fuel pump water pump then belts and hoses. I also had a starter and generator and regulator. Tool kit small jack and two jack stands. Oil and coolant  first aid kit and fire extiguisher a batt jump box. Tune up parts points condenser rotor cap and plugs also plug wires.  I also carry  few other small items.  I am thinking over kill on a few items but parts for these cars are not in stock a the local parts house even here in Eugene. 

 

What would you recommend or wish you had brought along on a trip. 

When staying at motels do you worry about theft of the car. I am not thinking anyone could even start this car. I am sure the fuzzy dice will scare a thief away. 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions. 

 Steve 

 

 

[Machine Gun]

I carry only what I can reasonably replace roadside or in a parking lot. Small items like belts and ignition parts (cap, rotor, plugs, points condenser). Things like a fuel pump, water pump, starter, etc.? No. If they're old enough that I would want to carry spares on a long road trip I'd replace them before the trip in the comfort of my own garage rather than risk the inconvenience of having them fail many miles from home. Any failures more serious than that are probably going to require a flatbed anyway, so there's no point in carrying a parts warehouse in your trunk. Preemptive strikes like that are part of getting the car ready for a road trip. That philosophy served me well over the years. 

[EmTee]

I don't have any issue with what you carried, aside from the fact that all that stuff reduces the space in the trunk for goodies you find at the meet.  Maybe eliminate the starter and generator.  When I was prepping my '38 for the Glidden Tour in '22 I took a lot of day trips around my home area to sort-out any potential issues.  That included removing both the starter and generator.  I opened them up, cleaned and inspected all of the wear items.  With that, you can be pretty confident in their ability to perform on the trip.  It would take a catastrophic failure of the armature or field windings which is unlikely.  I also carried a few short scraps of 4x4 wood that can be used to chock tires or as cribbing under a jack if necessary for a tire change.  Points, condenser, oil and coolant go without saying.  One thing I had with me and recommend is an Element fire extinguisher.  If the worst happens, it can be used to put out a fire without the corrosive mess left by the common dry-chemical extinguishers.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Element-Extinguisher-second-discharge-MAINTENANCE/dp/B0BLTDLCRK/ref=sr_1_5?hvadid=365990913518&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9005075&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8170686443217158134&hvtargid=kwd-409733404298&hydadcr=15282_10334965&keywords=element+fire+extinguisher&qid=1703246286&sr=8-5

 

[Machine Gun]

4 minutes ago, EmTee said:

I took a lot of day trips around my home area to sort-out any potential issues. 

Yes, and that too!

[Caballero2]

Two water pumps. one of them was probably a piece of junk too.

[60FlatTop]

2 hours ago, EmTee said:

I took a lot of day trips around my home area to sort-out any potential issues. 

A trip to the next town over for lunch is about a 15 mile trip the way I go. Everything that needs to work on a 100 or 1,000 mile trip comes into play on that trip. The last time I felt the need to carry tools and parts was when I drove my '71 Ford to the Buick Nationals in 1977 and we included a trip to the Ford museum in Dearborn.

 

I guess I shed the final insecurities of my 20s and turned 30 in '78.

 

I do know people who run the risk of adapting themself to what one might call deferred maintenance. They tend to do reactionary repairs.

[old-tank]

10 hours ago, 195354 said:

I had  a fuel pump water pump then belts and hoses. I also had a starter and generator and regulator. Tool kit small jack and two jack stands. Oil and coolant  first aid kit and fire extiguisher a batt jump box. Tune up parts points condenser rotor cap and plugs also plug wires.  I also carry  few other small items.

That is about all I carry.  In addition:  volt-ohm meter, fuses, service manual or at least wiring diagram, voltage regulator, jumper wires with alligator clips.  In 150K miles I replaced water pump once (bearings...leaks you can nurse back home), generators, voltage regulator which is easy, but turned out to be the generator anyhow.  BCA roster turned out to be useless, but contacts to new and used parts may be helpful like when I broke an axle shaft that I had overnighted.

[Fr. Buick]

I did similar when driving my 54 from SoCal to Portland for that show.  But I left the Starter in abox with a friend, ready to be mailed just in case.  Oh, and I included a can of R-12 in case the AC needed it, and a small test light and fuses.  I needed one fuse for failed turn signals at a gas station stop...

[old-tank]

1 minute ago, Fr. Buick said:

Included a can of R-12 in case the AC needed it

Gauge set and refrigerant just to keep wife from buying a single airline ticket.

[195354]

Thanks for the info all. 

I have looked at the Element Extinguisher in the past this  looks like a good thing to have. I have  worked on a few trucks that had a conventional Extinguisher used they do create a mess. Driving the cars and keeping them sorted  will be the biggest thing. A car not driven is the tough on a car. 

Volt meter is in my test light it is  in a box with wire repair kit and few bulbs and fuses. I never thought about a gauge set and refrigerant I do use 134A. This would be  a slow leak in the system fix. So true about riding home alone in the heat if the AC isn’t up and cooling. 

Steve 

[NTX5467]

Head down to Home Depot or similar and get two of their plastic, folding top bins to put all of your car stuff into.  That way, it's easier to haul around and keep contained.  NOT to forget enough motor oil!

 

I concur with changing things before the trip rather than during.  IF you've kept decent records, you know how long (time and miles) the major items have been installed.  How old the spark plugs and ign points are, etc.  THEN put some miles on the car, short trips then highway trips of 100+ miles or so.  Look at the spark plugs to see if they are burning correctly.  Tap-out the air filter or put fresh oil in the oil bath, so you at least "touch" it.  Do an oil change and watch how soon the color changes toward "black".  When was the last time the transmission fluid was changed?  Check the level and go from there.

 

Look at the TIRE AGE on the sidewall.  IF they might be vibrating a bit, might be time to get some more, if the time is getting close to 6yrs?

 

To me, charging and starting system items should not fail "suddenly", but usually give some warning before they finally do.  These things can be changed prior to the trip.  Generator's and starters' brushes might need to be refreshed for general principles, or at least inspected for less than 1/2 wear.  Tune-up parts don't take up much room, but could be also changed prior to the trip, keeping the old ones as spares, in the "equipment box".  Voltage regulator, too.

 

Changing the water pump can be a good winter project.  Keeping the old one for a spare, in the box (once cleaned).  Plus any applicable gaskets!

 

LUBE the front suspension and steering, looking for looseness or wear in the process.  Maybe take the drums off to look at the brakes for leaks and wear, too.

 

The more you get done BEFORE the trip the better, so the less you should be worrying about things "not holding up", in theory.  Use quality replacement parts rather than otherwise.

 

At this point in time, you can delegate each winter weekend to accomplish ONE part of the car to look over and refresh as needed, mechanically.  Plus plenty of time for spring cruises and longer shake-down runs.

 

Just some thoughts and observations.

 

Happy Holidays, Y'all!

NTX5467

Edited December 23, 2023 by NTX5467 (see edit history)

[NailheadBob]

3 hours ago, old-tank said:

Gauge set and refrigerant just to keep wife from buying a single airline ticket.

Great idea old-tank

 

The Buick National in Lisle 2022, a member and his wife drove his 40's ish Buick a great distance and weather was really hot on his trip and car kept overheating, his wife was beside herself and complaining to him really bad, he was a true gentleman, kept saying "yes dear" "yes dear" and when she would walk away you could hear him mumbling as he was fixing the car, then he did say when she was not around, this was really bad trip with his wife complaining all the way to Lisle, she finally threatened him she was going to fly home, after she walked away he mumbled, that may be good for both of us, in the end she did not fly home and they both left together on the trip home with his car repaired, I hope the trip went well back home

 

Bob

[EmTee]

Another thing I pack is a small blue tarp (e.g., buy the smallest one that HF sells).  It doesn't take any space and can be placed on the ground if necessary to see what's going on or fix something under the car on the roadside or a parking lot.

[Machine Gun]

15 hours ago, old-tank said:

Gauge set and refrigerant just to keep wife from buying a single airline ticket.

If you shop around you might find an airline ticket that costs less than gauges and refrigerant. Takes up less space, too!

[avgwarhawk]

A set of points and tools to switch it out. A small floor jack because the original equipment widow maker is a well earned moniker. A qt of oil.  A cellphone. And water to drink while waiting for a tow. I never needed the water. Knock on wood. 

[JohnD1956]

An AAA premier membership card.  Leave the rest home for better gas milage. 

[EmTee]

Read your classic car insurance policy.  Many already include some sort of roadside assistance and/or towing coverage which may be upgraded if desired.

[alsancle]

11 hours ago, JohnD1956 said:

An AAA premier membership card.  Leave the rest home for better gas milage. 

 

This is a good plan.   I have magnetic flashers and the tools to change a tire also. 

 

On a tour you can argue for a lot more stuff, just in the trailer not in the car.

[JohnD1956]

5 hours ago, EmTee said:

Read your classic car insurance policy.  Many already include some sort of roadside assistance and/or towing coverage which may be upgraded if desired.

That is true. But back in 2014 the AAA Premier plan towed the car I was in from Battle Mtn Nv to Reno,Nv close to 200 miles. Would have been quite the expense for something that ultimately was not fixable on the roadside.