spring is coming and i'm considering a road trip in my classic mini. what tools, etc do you think i should have in my boot for when the unexpected happens?

 

Spare engine? Tee hee!!! Spare tire(s), plenty of motor oil, spark plugs, good little jack, portable nav system, plenty of free time and $$$$!

I leave on my annual roadtrip April 9th. Where are you thinking of going and when? I'm heading, gradually, to the Dragon!


Clover

 

Flashlight, Toilet paper, space blanket, granola bars, and some sexy red 6" CFM heels

 

Yeah...those CFM heels are really great driving shoes!

I pack flashlights, blankets, teriyaki turkey jerky, mixed nuts, hard candies, plenty of bottled water.... not terribly "mini," but it is nice to be prepared!


Clover

 

Girls

I think Mike is talking about tools

Any chance of you going to the Dragon, Mike? You could hitch a ride with the rest of us

Lois

 

yes... im talking about tools. it would be too hard to drive the d3mon in heels.
no... im not going to the dragon. would love to, but im saving my weekends for track days!

what im looking for is what tools classic mini owners would suggest taking along for when the car breaks.

 

I always had a basic tool kit with the usual standard wrenches and screwdrivers, extra wrench for adjusting brakes, the big one for the oil drain plug, kit of seals and gaskets (rocker cover, by-pass hose ... little ones like that), 10 mm shorty for the little square end of the starter motor for freeing it when it jammed ...

... and a few key parts: get a second distributor and adjust up the points then keep it as a spare in the back seat pocket (with cap and wires) - if anything goes wrong (Lucas' Law), just swap out the bummer with the good one (this also works to let you be the Savior when your friend with the mgb gets stranded!). Also get a kit of spare bulbs for everything from turn sig's to dome light - just having it in the car means you'll never have to use it, and it doesn't take much space.

... and fluids: extra tin of castrol LMA, quart of oil, 3-in-one for the dash pots, jug of pre-mixed coolant, two bottles of guinness extra-stout ... the usual ...

Make sure the Spare is in good shape and the air guage and pump actually work ... and then just make sure you have the Visa card and the address and phone number of the guy with the garage full of parts that can FedEx whatever else you need later ...

Happy Motoring!

 

I take a cell phone, and a drip pad to put under the car when parked.

I leave the tow bar, lights, etc in the back of the tow car that my wife will use to come get me....

John
1978 Australian Clubman LS 998 CC

 

I have a military type ammo bag which I got on eBay a while back that said MINI on the side which I put as many tools as I can get into it when going on one of our weekend road trips. Inside I have a set of 1/4" sockets and 3/8" sockets. I leave the 1/2" sockets at home. An assortment of wrenches from 1/4" to 15/16". I always take 2 7/16", 2 1/2" and 2 9/16" wrenches which are the most common to use on a Mini. Vice grips, pliers and a crescent wrench. Small ball peen hammer and an assortment of common & phillip screwdrivers. A feeler gauge and a continuity test light, some plastic gloves, a can of fix a flat and a 1/2" breaker bar with an 11/16" socket to remove lug nuts and a couple of rags stuffed on top of all the tools to keep things quiet in the bag. Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention a roll of electrical tape. That should just about keep you out of trouble. Don't forget to take an extra set of ignition points with you also.

 

tool box must include
Duct tape
wire ties - assorted sizes
A nice bundle of bailing wire
minimum of two coat hangers
jumper cables
3-4 miniatures of Jim Beam
cell phone and AAA #
[if heading to remote clime's replace cell
phone with Iridium or Mini-M Sat phone]

{that's SAT knot BAT}

 

It's not so much what you need to bring, although it is important to have spares with you when something breaks. For me the key is allowing yourself enough time to properly prepare your Mini before you leave. There are some, like myself, that use to wait until the last minute to do the required maintenence before leaving on a road trip. Start the checklist a month before and check everything twice. Also not a bad idea to check the area your traveling to see if there are any Classic Mini clubs around, maybe you'd be able to contact someone in the club if you needed any assistence.

 

Thats it except for the BFH (Big ____ing Hammer, kite string, In Tow sign

If you don't have a pretty good idea of what you might need, then i'm curious if tools would help you. I don't mean this maliciously. Fuel pump points (older minis) carb float,needle & seat. Is it carb or fuel inj. Anything small,cheap...X-tra fuses...

 

well, i'm definitely a novice as you can see from my other posts. my goal is to be able to do something with the tools.

i have the AAA card. that was my first purchase and have already used it once.

 

One of these:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...ssearch=171110

 

before you go driving in the CFMs, try a pair of these:

much easier

 

bypass hose.....and some fuel line hoses.......a pillow and a snorkel

 

On the longer trips I carry with me all tools nesscary to preform any repair/maintenance that I have done or seriouly consider doing in my garage. (jack, stands all tools for brakes (pads and fluid), oil change, etc.)

Cell phone
CB Radio (Many highway patrols will monitor and some friendly truck drivers too), FRS radio
(you'd be amazed how many areas are acessable by road but not cell phone)
2 Flashlights, one small one large
Spare blankets if lows get below 50
2 Chem sticks (1-ft green glow)
Duct tape
zip ties
Leatherman
Air Compressor, at least one can fix-a flat
Basic socket set and torque wrench, screwdriver set
Spare oil
Spare coolant
Spare Wiper fluid
Invisible Glass window clear
Rain-x

It's been said absoultely ANYTHING can be fixed by what is in red.

This is a list of what I carry in any car on a long haul, not Mini or MINI specific.

 

Most of the problems I've encountered in my classic Minis that could be repaired on the side of the road have been from electrical gremlins, carb issues, flat tire, overheating, and stuff rattling loose & falling off. And that was just a one mile trip to the grocery store - Just joking.

Compact is good. Anticipate what could happen and whether or not it is feasible to fix it on the side of the road and then go from there. You don't need an entire socket set since there are only a few sizes that are actually used on the car and useful for a roadside repair - 1/2", 7/8, 5/8, 3/4, etc. No need to bring a flywheel socket and puller since it is very doubtful you will be able to fix a clutch roadside (although I've helped others do it!) I have a thin 1/2" open end in case I need to tighten or remove the carbs. I have a short extension in case I need to work on the exhaust manifold or exhaust clamps under the car. A small can of WD-40 to dry the electrical or loosen rusted stuff. A few screwdrivers. Vice grips. A wire cutter and roll of electrical wire along with some electrical tape. Rags and Nitrate gloves to stay clean. A compact bottle jack. One of those gas tank repair kits that look like a chunk of clay is an excellent thing to keep in a Mini. I've used that stuff several times for various temporary repairs. Jumper cables. A cell phone and AAA card. when I used to go on long solo trips I would keep a list of fellow Mini owners' phone numbers that live along the route just in case.