I Want To Drive To The Lonestar Roundup, BUT...

Yes, he may have something on board to help someone else.

 

cell phone,a couple credit cards,get in an go

 

I agree with John, its America not some 3rd world country, pack a few tools and get to Austin!


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make sure you check your rear diff fluid level before starting

 

having owned a 63 and 64 .....or any other car....the small stuff you can change - you're bringing a small tool box right - a spare altenator - fuel pump - regulator and water pump just in case....points - cap - rotor and condenser...oh a coil....and just maybe luck you won't need it.....but maybe another HAMBer will....

 

Make sure and put a few miles on the car a couple days before you go then leave it alone .I have seen many guys that are worried about there car create more problems by tinkering with stuff.Just drive it.

 

It is also America in 2013 and he is driving a 49 year old car. You can't just expect to walk into any auto parts store and score some of the parts that might go south on you. By being prepared with parts numbers and some simple items like spare belts, a hose or two, some extra oil and water, plus the normal duct tape and baling wire, you can solve a lot of roadside problems.

You always hope for the best and plan for the worst. That is how you survive most problems in life.

Don

 

The rewards outweigh the risks. It's an old car. You can fix it. Get out there and do it.
Here's my thread from my road trip last year. Great experience.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=691497

 

maybe get some phone numbers from HAMBrs along your route in case you need some help.I'm on the SW side of Houston. You can have mine....but by the time you get close to me your practically there. Post a pic of the car and If I see it on the side of the road I'll stop.

 

Definitely plan for emergencies, but Murphy's Law dictates it will be something totally unexpected that will bite you. Last year I thought I had a fuel pump go south but I was carrying a spare. Installed the electric spare and it was froze up. Re-installed the original one after looking at the vanes and we got back on the road. Truck was still running lean, I thought it was the regulator, but made it home. Turned out later that the fuel line off the tank vent I had installed got pinched between the frame and battery as it shifted a bit. Loss of venting caused the fuel outage and lean conditions.

 

Thanks everyone!
I'm so glad I started this thread. This will help. Tonight I'm going to take what I got from here and sort through and make a reasonable list.

 

ditto

 

From Ryan:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=1360

 

Not sure where this list came from but it is great and I have used it to create my own road side tool box:

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 roll of quarters to 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.

　
Ps: I shold add a pair of pantyhose for a fan belt, and a small roll of duct tape, just in case.

​

 

and condoms......don't forget the condoms

 

I wouldn't load the car down with a ton of extras but if the belts haven't been changed in the last couple of years put on fresh belts and put the old ones in the sleeves the new
came in and stick them in the trunk.

Check all of the hoses and replace any that even begin to look suspect especially the bypass hose.

A fresh tune up doesn't hurt and may help gas mileage a bit.

Inspect and pack the front wheel bearings and check the brakes.

Along with checking or changing the fluids check the ujoints and suspension and steering.
Check over the whole cooling system and if something looks suspect fix it before you go. It's better to have your regular radiator guy test and clean your radiator than spend and extra day half way to Austin getting it done.

Pack an extra set of points and condenser and a spare fuel filter. Pack enough tools to fix what you might have to fix on the side of the road but don't go nuts loading up a big box of tools.

If the car gets driven regularly and has made some recent three or four hour one way road trips I wouldn't worry too much. It's the cars that sit all the time and have had little maintenance over the past few years that usually have issues.

 

and some paper towels, latex gloves, and an old t-shirt (long sleeves).

 

You forgot to add a G22. Remember that little issue in New Mexico??


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I have driven thousands and thousands of miles in my avatar with just a basic tool kit and a couple of well chosen spares that MIGHT be hard to get outside of my neighborhood. I have had to use overnight mail one time in all those miles when my slickety racy-race clutch puked it guts in a small town in Washington state, but that's it. After all, it's just a car when it all comes down to it.

 

A pocket knife or a muti-tool
I never leave home without one, but then again I live in the south.

A smart phone with the HAMB app, there is always someone on here.
and a cigerette lighter/phone charger!

Godspeed
safe travel
MrC.

 

A roll of toliet paper that is handy as in not packed away in the trunk.

 

Does your car have a generator or alternator? If it's still running a generator, I'd consider converting it to a one-wire alternator. In my experience, alternators have been more reliable.


Malcolm

 

Something that has saved my arse a couple of times is one of those cheap universal electric fuel pumps. You definitely need to 'install' it at least once so you have the proper fittings, fuel line, and wiring to make it work as a temporary repair. I use alligator clips to the battery - they're easy, and assure me that the repair is temporary. Seems that modern fuels are not good for mechanical fuel pump diaphragms, and repairing 50yr old pumps on the side of the road, at night, can be a little iffy.

Pack at least one spare fuel filter too, as they seem to get clogged at the most inopportune time.

 

Don't forget your camera so you can post on here !

 

It's my wife's car. She doesn't know it's going yet...

I'll post pictures on the other thread next week if I can. I've always had problems posting pics here

 

Watch out for the critters if you break down here in Texas !
Before you crawl under the car check out the ground real good.
Rattle Snakes, Scorpions, Fire Ants and Chiggers could definitely spoil your weekend.

 

I got a bunch of static (that's what we used to call verbal insubordination) from the guys at the coffee shop a few years back. I was driving my '63-1/2 Galaxie 390, (C6, 3.0 gear) to Texas. Nice round trip. Car was nice and tight, 12k on engine, trans was recently rebuilt.

I had to remind them that this was a top rate car when new, (no Falcon) and these cars travelled coast-to-coast back then. What was gonna go wrong?

I found out. Galaxie spit out a rear axle bearing 600 miles into the trip. WTF?!?

Turned out,That axle bearing had been installed by some 'good ol' boys' on a Sunday, no place open, no press for bearing or retaining collar: so, the bearing and then the collar were pounded on with a length of galvanized pipe and a sledge hammer!

Found that out when I got back. (grrrrr...) "Sure, Mike! Give us the bearing...we'll have it pressed on this afternoon, it'll be ready to go back in this evening!"

Live and learn. When you think you've seen everything, you haven't seen sh!t. LOL (or you'll see more!)

 

With a 64 Galaxie you have a trunk big enough to carry everything that has been suggested,,you shouldn't have any problems. HRP

 

I'll echo the sentiments of carrying spares of engine components. If I'm going on a long trip, I've got an extra water pump, fuel pump and alternator in the trunk. It's sad to think of how many times the spare fuel pump has had to come out to save the day.