Kit in the boot

[andymaslen]

Hi all,

Just wondering what other members carry in the boot in terms of safety equipment and also spares/tools. Still v new to all this classic car business and eager to know more!

Cheers!

Andy M

[Phil Nottingham]

Trust your instinct - classics if well maintained are just as reliable as modern but must have their regular attention irrespective of useage.

Subject to jacks - see other threads - I only carry extra spares/tools on long touring trips.

I do always keep in both cars both drivebelts and points/condenser + spare plug and old but good rota arm and dizzy cap. Also spare bulbs/ hose clips,tape, wiper switch, 4TR, and elec cable + jump leads. All this lot fits easily under the back seat.

I also carry the old manual petrol pump, temporary windscreen, warning triangle and high viz vest and a pint of ATF & 20/50

On long trips I just take a few extra tools.

When we first went to Ireland I also carried an extra spare wheel/tyre , alternator, dizzy,starter motor as well as a comprehensive tool kit. Never bothered since

I have fitted hazards as well

Never had to use any of them other than the hazards, warning triangle, vest and wheel brace/jacks for tyre punctures!

[dorsetflyer]

Andy, the words come to me like 'everything bar the kitchen sink'.
Seriously though you need engine oil, brake fluid,transmission fluid, antifreeze/water mixture, ordinary water, screen cleaner, rubber gloves, coverall overall, cloths and wipes.
Then a full set of A/F combination spanners, BA spanners, assorted screwdrivers slotted and phillips, pliers, sidecutters, footpump, multimeter, torch, set of socket spanners preferably 1/2 drive so you can get the wheelnuts off, and a small hydraulic jack.

With this list it's a good job the boot is large.

[Allan NZ P5b]

My reasoning is this when the car was new in 1970 they didn't expect you to carry anything special.
If it breaks down so be it the AA will come to your rescue. In 3 1/2 years of daily use I have only ever had one incident when the water pump failed totally and then unless I had had the kitchen sink I would have been stuffed anyway. If the car is well maintained and used daily it will run as reliably as a modern car especially when you consider most modern cars are not maintained to a high standard. When your modern car ( post 1988) fails do you expect to fix it at roadside NO.
Why should you not treat your classic the same. If it fails get it towed. It will not fail if you use and maintain it regularly the problem is more likely to be with cars driven infrequently or less. As I drive mine daily I am aware of every little change and things are constantly serviced and checked for condition and as I am intimate with its condition I notice every little change. If you drive it rarely you will not necessarily spot small changes in performance or sounds and so expose yourself to more likely incidence of failure.

Regards

[Deleted]

I travel in excess of 250 miles per week in my 'everyday' Vectra - apart from the standard wheel changing stuff I have no tools or spares in the car. Only breakdown with this car was terminal water pump / cam belt failure resulting in bent valves and a scrapped head! No amount of spares and tools would have helped me. (cam belt failed at 33,000 miles and Vauxhall was not interested)

In the Rover (apart from the standard tyool kit) I carry spare belts and jump leads (in left hand side of boot with the jack) and a small plastic tool box with pliers, spanners, screwdrivers, etc just in case.
Only time I ever needed them was to adjust the distributor to stop pinking after setting the timing for unleaded fuel.
Good maintenance and fully servicing the car every year is vital to happy motoring.
I would say that the best things any classic motorist should carry is a mobile phone and membership of a recovery service!! ;D

[p5tgc]

What one carries around in the boot is obviously a matter determined by personal experience, but let us also consider the manner in which we carry our personal clutter. P5 ownership should reflect style as well as substance I think.

I keep my kit as shown in the photo:

In the picnic hamper are spare bulbs, an electric tyre pump, a tow rope, jump leads, Barrs Leaks, rags, polish, First Aid Kit and spare hoses and belts.

The flight bag contains wet weather clothing, gloves, and Hi Vis vest.

Wicker picnic hamper shells can be picked up for a few quid at boot sales and antique fairs, and they look much better in the boot than a cardboard or plastic box. They can swallow a suprising amount of stuff if packed correctly. "Period" style flight bags may be more difficult to locate.

I also carry a fire extinguisher on the tool board under the vinyl flap, and a RP5C umbrella (this is Scotland after all!)

[Deleted]

The picnic basket for the tools and spares sounds like an excellent idea - wish I'd thought of it.

I also carry a large umbrella - useful at car shows etc.
My car came with a styrup pump type tyre inflator in the left rear wing - would that be original?

Cheers

Adrian

[Phil Nottingham]

I like that idea too!

[andymaslen]

That's what I like about this club (and this board) - you post a little enquiry and you get seriously good feedback! So, do I go with the bootful of workshop kit or a mobile and a fruit bar to munch while I wait for the AA?

Maybe somewhere in the middle - but I HAVE to find one of those BOAC flight bags! How cool is that?

Thanks guys.

Andy

[Smallfry]

Another thing you could use is one of those old fashioned leather suitcases........maybe with some old shipping or railway company stickers ?

Be realistic with what you might be able to do by yourself at the roadside, and carry a few appropriate tools to suit. No point in taking half the garage along with you if you are not inclined to go grovelling about underneath.......especially if its raining !

I have RAC recovery membership which will recover the vehicle to any UK destination you choose if the worst is to happen, but whichever you choose, make sure you have points, condenser, spark plugs, belts, and maybe hoses with you, as you can bet the service will not have ANY parts on board.

[dorsetflyer]

Adrian, I would have thought it would have been original to have the old style stirrup tyre pump fitted on the board. I can't remember now but I think I have one too. I must check sometime.

Nice idea using a picnic basket for camoflage though. I'll have to wait until my small wooden box wears out though.

It's alright having roadside breakdown cover, but with some if you are unlucky enough to call them out more than three times in a year you have to pay for the callout, and that can be very expensive. If I can fix it I will and only as a last resort will I call them out.

Not only that I do carry extra tools at times just in case someone else is unfortunate to get stuck and I can assist them if possible.

The flimsey jacks supplied with the cars were alright when the cars were new but after thirty or forty years there's no way I would trust it for lifting the car.
The small trolley jack can be positioned very easily and is much quicker at raising the car.
I do have a large three tonne trolley jack but that's only for work at home.

[Phil Nottingham]

The car's jack is quite substantial but is certianly not meant for anything but emergency use. Only very early P5's had the stirrup pump on the toolboard though - are are not much use on P5 tyres anyway.

My P2 has one and its only for show. No problems with jacking points on that as the jack goes into the main chassis tubes accessed through little trap doors in the floor boards under the front carpets - very neat

[dorsetflyer]

Lots of early cars (pre 60's) had the stirrup pump as part of their toolkit. From my memory they weren't much use for any size tyre, only giving you backache.

The only good thing was at least you could dismantle it and fit a new leather washer to bring it back to life.

[stantondavies]

I have a stirrup pump and they are %^&&* hard work. Keeps the stomach toned though.

[andymaslen]

Just wondered ... what are the necessary spare belts and hoses to get and where's the best supplier please?

Cheers.

Andy M

[dorsetflyer]

I would have thought that JRWadhams would be the first point of call for fan belt together with top & bottom hoses.
They would be the main items to carry.
All other hoses you shouldn't really need to carry spares of in the car.

Having said that I don't carry any spare parts in the boot of any of my classics.

[lagain]

Check that the 'nut spanner' actually fits the nuts on the wheels. Mine does not as they are replacements. I carry a socket with long bar.

[chazmac]

Hi I would definitely keep a fire extinguisher in the boot.

I have one in my P6, mk 2 jag and the p5b coupe only through bitter experience. A lesson learned.

It would be awful to see your pride and joy going up in smoke

It's not just the money but your time and of course a lovely car being damaged or lost.

My coupe would not start one night at a petrol station. I was trying to drive it across town back to the lockup

There was a problem with my fuel pump and the car would not start.

I phoned Tom Wilson who arrived in his rover.

The fuel pump was removed and the pipes blown through.

Petrol was coming through the feeder pipe to the pump.
The pump action was checked and seemed fine Tom reckons that the actuating cam was worn and not pushing or cranking the pump properly.

Anyway some petrol had been spilt on the ground.

When trying to start the car again the main positive feed going from the solenoid to the starter was rusty and therefore providing resistance. This was glowing white hot and either a piece of white hot wire or a piece of the insulation hit the ground and set the petrol on fire. My father saw this while looking under the bonnet with Tom. I was in my car trying to start it


The result was terrifying my car was on fire.

Thankfully I was at a petrol station which had plenty fire extinguishers and the fire was put out very quickly.

The fire seemed to be coming from underneath the car as the road was on fire but it would not have been long till the car was lost

If this had happened anywhere else then I had no fire extinguisher on board and my car would have gone up. This would have been a nightmare from hell

Ok my car is not pretty at the moment ( not as pretty as it was picture gallery callander chaz's rover posted by davie r OEL 44G zircon blue / silver birch) it is in red primer after a full body rebuild but is fully road legal. I still think it looks great and I love it

The police and fire engine were called standard procedure by the petrol station. The police were very nice as were the fire brigade the main man saying ah a rover coupe I always wanted one of them admiring the car. The police even gave us an escort home during the tow lights on, thanks dad, my parents house was not far from the station.

Tom Wilson did not enjoy the experience either as it brought back very bad memories of his lovely almond P6 3500 which went up in smoke and he lost the whole car.

My dad cleaned the car which was white with powder and washed down the engine bay

I checked the car the next weekend and took the offending wire off it was very rusty and just fell to bits when I stared flexing it. I changed the cable very short with two eyes and had to sort some wiring to my oil pressure sensor and switch which were damaged.

I had also bought a new electric pump from ebay which I fitted I then nervously started the car and checked everything. everything was fine

The car was never the best at starting and now I know why it turned over OK but took a long time to fire up.

The car now has a vittesse engine fitted and I wire brushed the engine bay and subframe and repainted them when I had the chance

Sorry about the length of this reply but an extinguisher is a must

Lets face it the cars are getting old and unless you have rewired it completely then you need to be very careful

I have a battery cut off switch as my car lies in a lockup most of the time which is probably a good thing ( peace of mind).I do try to move it frequently

I have spent a lot of time and money on the car as I'm sure we all have and have a long way to go

thankfully it's still here

I dont think it's that common for this to happen and I dont want to alarm people but it can happen and surprisingly easily.

cheers chaz

[glennr]

I'm off to Halfords!!!

[stantondavies]

I have been pondering for some time over whether to fit a Richbrook dis-car-nect but am unsure whether it will fit under the battery cover. Is anyone using one of these who can comment on them. Here is an ebay link which shows the product.
cgi.ebay.co.uk/Richbrook-Dis-car-nect-Immobiliser_W0QQitemZ300042761018QQihZ020QQcategoryZ75329QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

[dorsetflyer]

I think they are a good idea, simple but effective. However I share your doubts about whether they will fit or not, especially as we try to get the largest capacity battery that can be fitted. In essence it will all depend on the battery size fitted.

[Phil Nottingham]

::)I very much doubt the average car fire extinguisher will be much good on a car fire unless you are very quick. Its not till you try it that you know whether it will work either.

I suppose its better than nothing though and I do carry a powder one.

I regularly remind viewers to check their wiring -especailly on those cars up to 1970-71 that used all or some of the old fabric covered stuff. House wiring from that era would have been condemned years ago

The console light switch is a prime candidate for self ignition as is the main alternator wiring and fuel pump wiring on 3 litres

Car fires can occur in any car but old cars particularly those not often used are very prone - glad yours survived anyway.

[glennr]

I have the immobiliser on my battery. Turn the plastic key and all the power is off. Very good and very simple.

[Deleted]

Phil, just as a matter of interest, why do you think cars that are not used very often are more prone to fires?
On that basis, my car should have self combusted years ago!

[Phil Nottingham]

Connections/switch contacts tarnish / corrode unnoticed thus overheating - cars regularly used are less prone as the warnings of imminent failure (eg intermittent working and warm/hot switches) are noticed far more quickly. Many occasional use P5 owners rarely use their headlights - when they do they could get a nasty surprise!

Wiper/heater motors and lights draw very heavy currents - see what happens to a cable (old or new) if its touched only a couple of seconds across a charged battery but make sure you do this is a ventilated space with grips not bare hands!

The old fabric covered cable just decomposes in air and can set alight particularly if soaked in oil or worse still petrol.

The first thing I did on my P2 when bought years ago was to fit a battery isolating switch, as Chazmac/Glen suggesed, this is a good anti-theft device as well and its one of those jobs that I intend to fit to all my cars one day but the ones with electric clocks have to be reset of course. The P2 has an 8 day windup mechanism so no problem.

You can easily fit a line fuse across the terminals which will blow as soon as the starter motor is operated - I am bound to forget every time!

Check/inspect your wiring/switches - yours may be on borrowed time