Well as of 4 o'clock this evening I wish I'd have been hauling a transmission in the bed of mine LOL.

 

As Rodney Dangerfield once said, "I bought the perfect second car, it's a tow truck".

Best of luck with the transmission, just got mine back from the shop last week.

 

I added it to the list.

 

Or to get the IPR off hit the local hardware store for a shower socket set.



I knew I liked you for some reason.


Once upon a time I had to get a dead 73 MGB to a location 2 hours away. After discovering that twin SU carbs are pretty cool but Lucas electrics suck, it lived, but only with a good spare battery on the passenger side floor with cables worming under the hood, just like Chris' story. My buddy held the clamps on and I pulled the vice grip on the end of the broken throttle cable as we hit the freeway at midnight. I guess we were lucky the top was down since my buddy was smoking. We made it.

On edit: on reliving the memory the jumper cables did not go under the hood; it had twin six volt batteries behind the seats, cable went there. Can't recall why the hood was unlatched...

 

landmobile, that was a great story... and very clever. I hope that if I were in that situation, I would have come up with the same solution. Knowing me, I would have put a bicycle headlight charger on the wheels... or something stupid like that.

 

I often haul a trailer load of horses.

That way I have backup transportation.

 

A roommate in the .mil once told a funny story about a big party way out in the sticks down in Florida somewhere. Long story short - next day, just about everybody gone and one car has dead battery - no tools, no jumper cables. ... so he ends up jumping the vehicle battery with a tire iron and empty keg of beer.

 

Not sure I saw it (and it's probably already there) but how about spare fuses - including #30 for the PCM

 

Good call Dave. No fuses on my list yet. Now there will be.

What about relays?

 

You can always swap a relay from a less-important function... that's the Boy Scout way.

While there are a few things in my truck that may be clearly over the top (like the bug-out bag that's more like being permanently packed for going camping), there are some items that are just outside the fringe of "should have". I don't care what anybody says - I feel naked without tools onboard. Hell... every motorcycle and outboard I've owned came with a tool pouch, and the basic tools in the pouch. So... I say tools are flat just a good thing to have onboard, and I frequently use those tools on something other than Stinky. It's handy to have them with me wherever I go.

That being said, maybe some of this stuff can be broken down into a binary list (should have vs. would be nice to have), or a 5-star system - with 1 star being "If you're trekking into the wilderness and you have the space for it" and 5 stars being "don't bother turning the key without this".

I have the "Stinky Box". It has the carputer with AE, Hydraflash, the ISSPRO gauge programmer, GPS, electronic PC/ED, wiring diagrams, workshop manuals, 7.3L how-tos, and email/internet/Office stuff. I also have a laser thermometer in the carputer bag, the PC/ED, and complete wiring diagrams on paper within the box. While I can cross town without the Stinky Box, I wouldn't leave town without it.

 

I hear ya clux...matter of fact I told my wife I wish I'd have been hauling my yellow horse, he is fat as a Alabama porkchop & it would have been good for him to pull the truck on home hahaha

 

resubscribing..... I hit the stupid unsubscribe button....

 

Check back to the original post every once in a while, and make suggestions.

The original list has been radically re-edited since first posting, incorporating (I think) most of your suggestions, and is being edited continually.

 

One idea which can substitute for another, maybe-instead of the 1/2" breaker bar, include a 250 ft-# clicker type torque wrench. They are certainly long enough to do the serpentine belt and will ward off menacing critters too. A scrap piece of #14 stranded wire and some wire splicers like wire nuts or butt splices.
Where can you get the silicone repair tape?Larry

 

Self-fusing silicone stretch wrap (or tape). [LINK]. You can buy it in any hardware store, an online store, auto parts store, boat store, camping/fishing store, or even a booth at a bazaar.



As for wire splices (of the temporary kind to get you home), WAGO 221. [LINK] Guys, no kidding... get a box of these and load up some Altoid tins - leaving them in every vehicle and tool box.



One "portable" option for permanent splicing in a harsh environment (other than soldering) - 3M Scotchlok filled IDC connectors (filled with sealant). They come in different sizes for different wire gauges, so you have to carry more of these. [LINK]



Have a roll of trailer light ribbon on board. You can leave it as a ribbon, or you can peel a strand off to conduct your "wire stretching".