I was at lunch with my coworkers the other day, most of whom are also industrial designers. The topic of cars inevitably came up and we got to talking about the last car each of us owned in which we carried some sort of supplemental tool kit. Several guys had *never* owned a car for which they felt they needed emergency tools, but others of us had at some point carried enough kit to overhaul the engine right on the side of the road.
That’s my old ’64 in the pic above, and the tan bin contained enough spare parts and select tools to be able to handle most typical issues a vintage VW might experience (note the Idiot manual). I carried my whole toolbox in my ’71 VW ‘bus, and sometimes a floor jack and stands if I was on a longer road trip (had to use ’em once or twice, too!).
So what’s the last car in which you regularly carried a tool kit, and what’s the most interesting roadside repair you’ve had to make?
trunk of the 68 Electra
200 pc kobalt auto tool set
various vice grips
wire stripper crimper
tire iron
tire patch kit
air compressor
duct tape electrical tape
4 different sizes of vacuum hose about 20ft total
vac guage
mulitmeter
14 12 10 and 6ga primary wire
various eletrical connectors
3 spare bosch style relays
head mounted light with spare aaa batteries
carb cleaner
spray lubricant
machinists wire
about 6 ft of rubber heater hose and fuel line
3 qts oil
1 qt dex XI
2 qts distilled water
butane pen torch
4 spare spark plugs plus gap tool
emergency spare points set in case electronic ignition quits
spare vacuum advance
jb weld
3 different rtv sealants
things I removed from the trunk
no more spare tire
no more 80lb floor jack
no more motorcycle battery
im positive there are things I am forgetting
Depends on the vehicle, my motorcycle has a standard BMW airhead tool kit with a few extra pieces capable of any minor maintenance job, but not cylinder head or alternator removal. My car has basic hand tools, wrenches screwdrivers, socket set and because the “doughnut” spares keep failing I carry a trie plug kit and a can of sealer.
A coworker said he used to have a VW Beetle. It was very simple to work on and parts available anywhere. Also carried a lot of tools and parts under the bonnet for contingencies. One day he was driving on the freeway and noticed the engine wasn’t running right. He pulled over to the curb, opened the engine lid, looked around and ended up doing a complete tuneup, changing sparkplugs, points, condenser, adjusted timing, etc. while cars whizzed by him.
My stepfather and I rebuilt a ’74 Mazda rotary engine in the street in the middle of winter back in ’83. This was outside our apartment building, not really roadside, but I certainly grew up knowing to always carry a trunk full of tools.
Since my first car, I have always carried a small tool bag with what I consider a bare minimum: a set of socket wrenches, 4-way screwdriver, pliers, razor knife, tape, flashlight, etc. Plus an old jacket and sweatpants to crawl under the car in, and a sleeping bag and a toothbrush for those occasions when one of my old junkers would really strand me. And, of course, jumper cables. All of it has proven useful on numerous occasions over the years. The only difference is that as time goes by, these things are used less and less often.
Back in the ’80s, I also used to carry a crate full of all the spare fluids, parts such as belts, hoses, fuses and bulbs and a towing rope. Not anymore.
The last time I had a roadside repair was when my ’01 Forester blew a radiator hose three years ago. Pretty basic stuff. Cars are just vastly more reliable now.
Used to carry coolant, fuses, selection of screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, air pump and jumpers.
Drove a Mazda GLC for 12 years never used any of it on the Mazda, though used the jumpers on a couple of other people’s cars.
Drove a Civic for 15 years. Never used anything but the air pump.
Now I have a VW (cue Dragnet dum-de-dum-dum music), but since it looks like this under the hood, probably would not use anything on it anyway, so don’t carry the stuff anymore.
For you young’uns, “dum de dum dum” is the trademark opening of the series, and the music also played as Sgt Friday put the clinks on the perp at the end of each episode.
Thanx Steve ;
If you’re old enough , you used to listen to Dragnet on CBS Radio stations….
-Nate
Thank you for reminding me. And making me feel VERY old.
Gunsmoke and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (the latter was my favorite).
I really miss Radio Serials , they allowed your mind to create the pictures , said pictures always being better than the ones on TV or at the movies .
Plus of course , listening to the radio warm up….
My Metropolitan Nash’s tube radio still uses a vibrator for power .
I keep saying I’ll replace it but they’re so easy to service…
Too bad AM radio went to the dogs .
-Nate
Ive changed a gearbox roadside over a drain actually on a MK3 Zephyr the spare box and tools were there because we’d just gone to get it and removed it from a crashed car on the way home we lost 3rd then 4th so the decision was taken to do it now. I carry few tools these days preferring to make sure the car is up to scratch before leaving on any trips,