View Full Version : Emergency Roadside Kits
scottiec
12-01-2017, 02:33 PM
Hi Guys,
My paperwork is now in the hands of the Virginia DMV. In addition to having AAA, I want to put together an emergency roadside kit to keep in the trunk. I see there are some good ones on amazon, but they also seem like they have a lot of stuff I don't need. So, what's in your trunk?
Thanks!
Gumball
12-01-2017, 02:38 PM
Every one of my old cars (including Mrs. Gumball's '67 Camaro) has a soft tool bag from Harbor Freight filled with around a hundred bucks of their "best" tools. Not stuff I'd use around the shop on a heavy-duty basis, but great things to have on the road. I also carry a spare fan belt (my car runs an old-school "V" belt), a water neck filler and some temporary flex hose in the event of a degas tank failure, a spare cap and rotor (old-school distributor), and a tire patch / inflating kit (I can even bring along the donor space saver spare in the event I want to have such a thing along on a road trip).
Combine all of this with some flares, a safety triangle, a cell phone and AAA membership and I'm confident I can handle any issue on the road.
scottiec
12-01-2017, 02:43 PM
Every one of my old cars (including Mrs. Gumball's '67 Camaro) has a soft tool bag from Harbor Freight filled with around a hundred bucks of their "best" tools. Not stuff I'd use around the shop on a heavy-duty basis, but great things to have on the road. I also carry a spare fan belt (my car runs an old-school "V" belt), a water neck filler and some temporary flex hose in the event of a degas tank failure, a spare cap and rotor (old-school distributor), and a tire patch / inflating kit (I can even bring along the donor space saver spare in the event I want to have such a thing along on a road trip).
Combine all of this with some flares, a safety triangle, a cell phone and AAA membership and I'm confident I can handle any issue on the road.
Great info! Thanks Chris!
Avalanche325
12-01-2017, 03:55 PM
AAA card is pretty much the number one item.
Spare belt and clutch cable. I also carry a belt that lets me bypass my P/S pump. I blew a seal on the rack on a 4 day rally. I bought the belt then. I'll probably never need it again, but I have it.
Tire plug kit.
Make sure you have the correct tools to go on pretty much every fastener in the engine bay. A few things may be metric.
Don't forget a basic set of pliers and side cutters. They both can go a long way
Electrical tape and duct tape.
PeteH
12-01-2017, 04:21 PM
In addition to the above mentioned items, add a volt/ohm meter, some spare bits of wire and various crimp ends, and a pair of wire strippers. I too just assembled a bag, am in the process of adding to it.
scottiec
12-01-2017, 05:46 PM
Good advice guys. Keep em coming
As an avid off-roader making trips to the back country where preparation and self-sufficiency is what keeps you from a long walk out I carry enough tools, parts, and supplies to take care of most any trail repair and can live out of my trucks for a couple days enjoying MREs.
For my highway driven toy that never gets driven in inclement weather my first-aid kit, cell phone, credit card and AAA membership should handle anything. Except for the first-aid kit, all these items are on my person so no special storage required to keep these things from flying around the cockpit as I carve the corners on the road down to Sedona.
phileas_fogg
12-01-2017, 08:22 PM
Pliers & allen wrenches are easy adds and often overlooked. Especially the pliers.
John
John4337
12-01-2017, 10:05 PM
All the above, plus spare relays and fuses, and a basic socket set. I also carry a quart of oil, spare coil, and a copy of my wiring diagram.
John
Dagwoods
12-01-2017, 11:24 PM
Half my breakdowns have occurred at night. A good headlamp and/or flashlight is a must. Has no one mentioned duct tape and bailing wire yet?
scottiec
12-02-2017, 12:11 AM
Ahh good call on the fuses!
Jeff Kleiner
12-02-2017, 07:23 AM
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=77350&d=1512217167
I've got all kinds of crap packed in the trunk! There is a cheapo socket set in the hard plastic box on the bottom. The red/black soft tool bag has a full set of combination wrenches, assorted screwdrivers, pliers, strippers, crimpers, allen wrenches, a digital VOM and test light as well as fuses, zip ties, crimp connectors and some wire. Most importantly is a copy of my wiring schematic and EEC-IV codes (and a pair of glasses so I can see the damn things :(). Also shoved in there is a TFI module, TPS sensor, coil and a couple of long plug wires. There is a set of jumper cables behind the bag and the whole mess is strapped to the upper floor. That round green top is a container of wet wipes wrapped up in a towel.
More than necessary? Yeah, probably. The only thing that has been needed on my car in twenty some thousand miles (knock on wood!) was an allen wrench to tighten up a windwing bracket that came loose on the way home from the London Cobra Show several years ago. Tools and some of my spare parts have been used on roadside repairs for others though.
Worst case---I've got a truck & trailer at home and a best buddy who knows where the keys are!
Not shown in the photo but always there is my waterproof car cover. Usually I drive through the rain but there have been times when the downpour was so heavy that I've pulled onto a side road, put the cover on the car then got back in and waited it out in my 4 wheeled tent!
Jeff
77350
JIMOCO
12-02-2017, 08:32 AM
In addition to most of the items I have a small 12v air pump and a tire repair kit.
scottiec
12-02-2017, 09:18 AM
Jeff that is a serious set up. Thanks for the heads up. Do you have two fire extinguishers?
Derald Rice
12-02-2017, 12:16 PM
I have a bicycle bag that is about the same size as a battery. The usual stuff, wrenches, allens, pliers, sockets, fuses, yada, yada.
In the 15 years, I have never had to use it. But, if I do not keep the thing in the trunk, I will absolutely need it.
Same goes for the fire extinguisher, although I did have it out on the way to last years LCS when a motorcycle crashed in front of us while we we parked at a stop sign.
Derald.
Jeff Kleiner
12-02-2017, 06:26 PM
Jeff that is a serious set up. Thanks for the heads up. Do you have two fire extinguishers?
No.
Jeff
ThickCobra
12-03-2017, 09:02 AM
Yesterday I sat down and prepared my emergency road kit list. Now I need to fill it. Thanks for all the ideas.
Note to Mark Reynolds, I would bet if put together a travel kit, you would sell a ton of them. Just a thought.
Jay
scottiec
12-03-2017, 12:42 PM
Yesterday I sat down and prepared my emergency road kit list. Now I need to fill it. Thanks for all the ideas.
Note to Mark Reynolds, I would bet if put together a travel kit, you would sell a ton of them. Just a thought.
Jay
Yes. This. Lol.
CraigS
12-04-2017, 06:30 AM
I have two cans of the fix a flat. I figure our tires are so wide the first can could miss the leak. I also have a few each of the crimp connectors (male and female spade, butt, eye) and a few pieces of wire in different gauges. I have used the electrical stuff to bypass a rad fan relay and a neutral switch.