[T3] Emergency Supplies Checklist

[Max Welton]

Not a big believer in bringing along every part and every tool I 
own. I'd much rather bring a car I know well and that is not likely 
to need things out on the road.

My approach has been to first put plenty of miles on your car 
ahead of time. Include driving that is more like what you 
would expect on a long trip, i.e. highway driving. The idea is to 
expose any weak areas of your car before you are far from home.

Find out how much oil and transmission fluid your car uses on 
the highway. Bring what you will need.

Once you have addressed the cars week areas, your travel kit 
can be more like when these cars were young and in daily-driver 
use.

I have a gallon zip-lock bag full of general purpose wire, connectors, 
stuff to solder with by the roadside, shrink wrap, tools to cut strip 
and crimp. Fuses. This pretty much covers general wiring gremlins.

I have another zip-lock with 25' of 1/16" wire rope and some little 
1/16 ferrules that can be used to create a throttle cable for almost 
any ACVW. You'll need a wire cutter and something to crimp with. 
Make sure your wire cutter is up to the task of cutting that 1/16" 
steel cable. My little Letterman was not.

For actual tools I have a tool roll in which I carry the common (10mm, 
13mm, 15mm and 17mm) open and closed end spanners, a little 
nut-driver set (for things like hose-clamps and windshield wiper nuts),
screw-drivers, feeler gauge (for checking / setting the valves). Couple
of fresh valve cover gaskets.

Spare tire. Jack. Lug wrench. An LED light that straps to your head.

I actually don't carry a spare belt. If it breaks (and it really shouldn't) 
you can just keep driving. On a type-3 all you've lost is the charging 
system. And you can drive for hours on a healthy battery. Maybe less 
at night.


I've saved the most important for last. As you prepare the car, do 
your own work. Know your car and your tools. That way when you 
need to replace the throttle cable in the rain after dark with traffic 
passing three feet from your right elbow ... it will at least not also 
be the first time you've ever replaced a throttle cable.

Max Welton
http://www.maxwelton2k.net/