Tools for trip

[imjohnny]

I'd replace the 14 year old tires 1st

Already did. Set it up with the seller and a tire shop. The new tires were installed yesterday!

 

[DoubleDingo]

I'll look for it. Thank so much man. I am pretty new to the group here, but everyone has been so great. So much better than the other forums I have been a part of. So often they have nothing but egos and snarky comments. This whole forum has been great to me.

We have snarky comments here, too, so don't get too comfortable. It's usually just to have fun, so there's that.

You gonna start a build thread so we can see the rig after you get it and any progress made?

 

[DoubleDingo]

Your drive will be fine.

 

[imjohnny]

We have snarky comments here, too, so don't get too comfortable. It's usually just to have fun, so there's that.

You gonna start a build thread so we can see the rig after you get it and any progress made?

Definitely gonna start a thread for it. Probably start it with picking it up and updates on the road back before I start making it mine. Excited to get started. Lots of ideas in my head. But mostly want to make it stock. A driver grade resto.

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Okay it seems a lot of people have little faith in squares driving across country,trouble free. As for carrying an alternator with you I wouldn't bother ,a car will run an amazingly long time on just the battery. Long enough to get you somewhere to buy an alternator. I personally lost an alternator at night in kansas city drove home 50 miles lights on,on the battery,recharged it drove back to Kansas city in the morning and bought an alternator. The fewer accessories you run the longer your drive time.And seriously I've changed out engines with fewer tools than what is being suggested. Grab your basics and go,you'll be fine.

Agreed. Ive been driving my jeep for 3 years with no alternator, just carge the battery every 6 months or so.
My vette doesn't have a alternator hooked up and i havent had the battery die yet and its been running for a few months.

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

I'll look for it. Thank so much man. I am pretty new to the group here, but everyone has been so great. So much better than the other forums I have been a part of. So often they have nothing but egos and snarky comments. This whole forum has been great to me.

I got the same treatment when looking around at forums. Glad you like it here, i do too, haha..

 

[peats]

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned a leatherman. I never leave home without one. Don't try to take it on the plane, they will take it for sure. My favorite one is the "Blast".

 

[Cyrillious]

I would bring mechanic's or chicken wire in case something drags . As for spare parts wouldn't hurt to have a spare alternator and v belts

 

[Ricko1966]

A couple of you joints,an engine gasket set,rings and rod bearings,a couple of aluminum heads. An engine crane a compressor and a good impact,maybe a driveshaft a press and diff bearings, oh almost forgot front rotors,bearings,grease seals,and greaseA sleeping bag,a toothbrush,a tent,a portable generator,a bicycle he can ride to get parts,and I never leave home without a lucky rabbits foot. Geez this man's going to have to buy a truck to take all this stuff to pick up his truck. No way can anyone anticipate what's going to break,if anything. No way anyone can predict every tool he might possibly need. Not beating anyone up,but just this is just starting to get silly.

 

[imjohnny]

A couple of you joints,an engine gasket set,rings and rod bearings,a couple of aluminum heads. An engine crane a compressor and a good impact,maybe a driveshaft a press and diff bearings, oh almost forgot front rotors,bearings,grease seals,and greaseA sleeping bag,a toothbrush,a tent,a portable generator,a bicycle he can ride to get parts,and I never leave home without a lucky rabbits foot. Geez this man's going to have to buy a truck to take all this stuff to pick up his truck. No way can anyone anticipate what's going to break,if anything. No way anyone can predict every tool he might possibly need. Not beating anyone up,but just this is just starting to get silly.

Yeah, I am not planning on going crazy. Just my weatherman and small toolkit to do simple things. Gonna bring extra fluids and that's about it. The seller put on new belts for me, changed the fluids, and threw on new wipers. I had him put on some new tires too. I think it will be fine. My initial question was just to make sure there wasn't an achilles heal that I didn't know about and needed to account for on a trip in an unknown truck.

 

[Normmus]

I flew to pick up and drive home a 77 International Scout, 800km, I had a gerber multitool and that's it, and wound up not needing it. Check belts, fluids, tires, test brakes and hit the road. Keep a reasonable speed and pay attention for changes in the way the vehicle drives - new vibrations or noises for example - and check accordingly. Monitor for leaks at stops. If you can carry a small socket set and vise grip in addition to your multi tool that would be good just in case. Maybe a container of oil and coolant. That's about the extent of what I would do.

 

[imjohnny]

I flew to pick up and drive home a 77 International Scout, 800km, I had a gerber multitool and that's it, and wound up not needing it. Check belts, fluids, tires, test brakes and hit the road. Keep a reasonable speed and pay attention for changes in the way the vehicle drives - new vibrations or noises for example - and check accordingly. Monitor for leaks at stops. If you can carry a small socket set and vise grip in addition to your multi tool that would be good just in case. Maybe a container of oil and coolant. That's about the extent of what I would do.

Man, I had a 76 Scout about 20 years ago when I lived in New Mexico. Moved to Miami and sold it because who needs it in Miami. Have kicked myself ever since. I made money off it, but sold an exceptionally good scout for $3000 back then.

 

[Hunter79764]

I know Rick is joking, but that seriously sounds like the load my grandad carried in his motorhome on road trips... I remember one time I mentioned that the brakes were grabby on the hunting truck (which was a chopped up '48 Chevy truck) at the ranch, and he went to his RV, dug under the seat, and pulled out an NOS wheel cylinder overhaul kit and started tearing into it. I know he had a master gasket set for every vehicle he owned and often had it in the vehicle. Retired mechanics, this is what you have to look forward to...

I think I mentioned earlier, but I really recommend popping the radiator cap loose and leaving pressure off the system. That will limit a lot of potential issues, as long as you are driving in cool weather.

 

[DoubleDingo]

.......I think I mentioned earlier, but I really recommend popping the radiator cap loose and leaving pressure off the system. That will limit a lot of potential issues, as long as you are driving in cool weather.

I would not recommend this. I did this when I got my '81 running a couple months back, and the reason was to keep the pressure down to get up to temperature, and not have it leaking, as the radiator had developed a leak. That was a bad idea. Every time I came to a stop, and not slam on the brakes stop, just a slow roll stop, the coolant would over flow out of the radiator. I didn't realize this was happening, though, until after I got it smogged and was driving it to the home center. I was at a light and noticed drops on my windshield. I thought the driver to my right has tossed out a drink on my truck. Drove down the road some more and when I came a stop I saw fluid coming out from under the hood. Again, I didn't think it was the radiator doing that. Next light, same thing, except now it's getting hot. Oh Crap! Luckily I was at the front of the line. I put it in neutral, revved it for more air flow, the gauge dropped, light turned green I slammed into gear and laid rubber to get ahead of everyone and hauled a$$ to the next street a half mile down the road because there is no place to pull off the road on this road. I pulled off, left it idle, quickly grabbed the jug of coolant I had and poured it in. Still not full. I had another jug and poured it in, still not full but the temperature dropped back to normal. I made sure that cap was on tight after that. A pinhole leak is much better than losing fluid at high rate.

Granted, I have done this trick before on other trucks and never had the coolant come out like that, but those were older trucks with radiators that had caps on the very top and had top and bottom tanks, not the cap over over on the side and side tanks.

 

[Hunter79764]

Yeah, that would leave a bad taste in my mouth too... FWIW, I've done this on my 87, a '73, my 85 Monte (before and after an LS swap), a FWD Saturn, a '91 Toyota Cressida, and a 2013 Yukon without issues, but come to think of it, that Cressida did do something similar once the head gasket leak got worse (I drove it broken a lot longer than I should have, but life didn't slow down long enough to do it right.) Keep it in mind as a backup trick if needed, but that's a valid warning.

Fun tidbit, that Cressida had a cap on the overflow bottle with a built in whistle. When it started boiling over, I heard a tea kettle sound coming from under the hood that grabbed my attention pretty good, better than any idiot light or gauge needle, and didn't require a Body Control Module to run it. There were tons of little features like that, I really hated to sell that one...