Tools and Repair Supplies in Your Rig

[yorker]

I knew this was somewhere, just had to find it.

http://www.seriestrek.com/tools.html

I was trying to remember that URL before. Jim is definitely prepared. One thing to remember is you don't always end up working on your car- sometimes you end up assisting aless fortunate motorist. Not that there is thast much you cna do with modern cars but I don't think it hurts to have both a set of metric and SAE wrenches along. If you aren't careful though your tool box can accumulate 200#s worth of tools particularly for those who don't maintain a set of both garage tools and road tools...

[WilsBoar]

Wow! Thanks all who responded. A lot of great ideas from experience and I appreciate all the recommendations. Looks like I need to start pulling together some items here pretty soon. Will be moving the old girl from North Carolina to Northern Florida in April. Should be a lot of fun regardless of how it goes. I will just embrace the risks and joys of a old Rover!

[ThePhotographer]

Ideally, you only need two items.

[WilsBoar]

Hmm, fewer tools required according to that flow chart.

[cedryck]

You NEED to carry a humungous flashlight for when your lights fade away, But seriously battery cables, fuel and extra hypo a must.

[WilsBoar]

Gotcha. This is going to be an interesting trip. Once I get her down to Florida she will probably not stray more than about 40 miles from home. This will be a true test. Especially due to the fact that we are dropping a SIII gearbox in her the week before.

[greenmeanie]

Metric? On a pre 1980's Series rig? Been replacing stock bolts with metric bolts or swapping in different assemblies?

Break out your calculator and do some math. You'll find metric and imperial are almost exactly the same within the tolerances your tools/bolt heads are made to and are pretty interchangeable. Metric will also do Whitworth with a little persuasion. Saves carrying a bucket load of tools when only a few are needed.

[tmckeon88]

I see what you're getting at with metric sizes being close to SAE but I still think that using metric wrenches and sockets on SAE bolts is going to result in a lot of rounded off bolt heads and frustrations. I have a few metric wrenches in my tool box but I have seldom if ever use them - sometimes for oddball Whitworth stuff; and I should really get a set of Whitworths and do that right.

I am a little embarrassed to say my tool and spares collection sometimes threatens to overwhelm the back of my 88. I recently went through and took out a bunch of things I never use and put them away. I don't have a garage so I got used to carrying everything I needed in the back of the truck. I did a long Pan-American highway trip and also experienced relatively few breakdowns; I certainly used my basic wrenches and screwdrivers, fluids and sealers. I could have used spare axles, I broke one of those, and I broke the gearshift lever off, but there's not much you can do about that. (Found a nice Chilean welder to put it back together again.) I like my boxes of spares and will probably continue to carry them. Good luck on the road.

Tom

[Alk-3]

I carry both metric and SAE because my truck has been in Canada long enough to have picked up several metric nuts and bolts, and the truck lived in the states before that. Not only that, but often a nut that is say ½" will be attached to a bolt that is also ½" and so requires two wrenches the same size.. if you happen to have both SAE and metric, then you can get by using a 13mm and a ½". Basically you have two sets of wrenches, and none of them are really redundant. I use both metric and SAE equally on my truck, and would be frustrated if I didn't have both.

Just this past weekend I upgraded my e-brake to a disc brake, and had to remove the rear prop shaft. I could have used a socket and wrench, but that would require rolling the truck mid way through the job to gain access to all the bolts. by using two wrenches and not using the socket, I didn't have to roll the truck. it's not a huge deal, but convenient to have the tools on hand.

If weight or storage space was a real concern, I would rather give up the SAE sockets than give up the metric wrenches.. but weight and space are not concerns to me… yet..
I think in time everyone gathers the tools and parts they deem necessary, and once in a while should empty items from the truck that have seen no use in a long time.

[TeriAnn]

I often a nut that is say ½" will be attached to a bolt that is also ½" and so requires two wrenches the same size.. if you happen to have both SAE and metric, then you can get by using a 13mm and a ½". Basically you have two sets of wrenches, and none of them are really redundant.

Right one that fits and one slightly too wide and you count on the bolt not being too tight to round the edges of the nut or bolt the 13mm wrench is on.

Instead of carrying a complete second set of wrenches I have my basic combination wrench set plus three long handle combination wrenches: 7/16, 1/2 & 9/16. They serve your stated purpose plus can provide a longer leaver for bolts on extra tight.

3 long handled wrenches tend to take up less space than a complete second wrench set. But we all have our individual preferences. I just have more of a feeling of "rightness" when I have the correct tool for the job I'm doing.

I mean, 2 adjustable spanners should be enough for most jobs ... but.