Tools of the trade

[casaleenie]

Need some help from the veteran Cobra owners about what to pack for a road trip...(no support vehicle) Tools, covers, lugwrench, jacks, etc..
What are the absolute necessary items to have with you. I usually do all my mechanical work with a cell phone but on the road is a different story. I may have to actually fix something.
Can a Cobra be pulled onto a flatbed vehicle with no problems?
I know every situation is different and every car is a little different but I need some "carved in stone" rules to be aware of...
I'm sure a lot of you guys have seen it all along side the road...
Appreciate any input....
regards,

[Steve Dickey]

Casaleenie,
I found getting a cobra on a flatbed rather difficult if you go in forward. Backward was much easier. You have really got to watch these guys as they will tear your oil cooler off with out a second thought. It also helps if they have some 2X's to ease the transition from the pavement to the flatbed. With any luck you won't have to worry about any of this.
Good luck, Steve

[cobra427mnsi]

most cobras don't carry a spare. I find that a can of that "spray inside the tire" repair goop and one of those cheap small 12 volt air compressors work wonders.

Paul

[Excaliber]

,,,flashlight if you have Lucas wiring,,,,,,

Ernie

[petek]

Another flashlight if you have a Lucas flashlight...

Cell phone and AAA membership.

[Ron61]

Al,

Carry an extra water pump belt, basic wrench set, some extra hose in case of a radiator hose or other hose failure. I always keep the belt close as they have been known to fly off or crack. A can of spare tire as mentioned above and I also carry extra sparkplugs, an extra coil wire and a cheap coil in case. Also a small plastic container to use in case you lose water and have to add some from a stream or something. And definately a lug wrench and jack. I have a small plastic tool box that is strapped on one side of my trunk which holds all these things except the jack and it is a sissor type that takes very little room. I use a deep socket and rachet for the lug wrench. I also have a folding one that works well. These are always in my car even on the short trips around here. That should pretty well cover any repairs that you might have to make to get into a town. I also carry a can of gas additive but living in Calif. almost makes that mandatory as the pump gas is terrible. Good luck on the trip and the odds are that you will never need any of that stuff. I only needed the belt once when the one on the car broke about 10 miles from town.

Ron

[casaleenie]

Thanks gang- lots of good ideas to think about.
I especially like the one about the Lucas wiring and the flashlight...

[CRZN427]

Casaleenie,

I took several extended road trips in my LAE before I sold it.

Here is a list of what I always carried.

I had a spare tire, jack and lug wrench.
Extra fuses, at least one of each size .
Fan belt. My water pump and alternater were on one belt.
Spark plugs, gap set already w/ wrench to change them.
Points and condenser, if so equiped, and a feeler gage and screw driver to adjust them if necessary. After a couple trips I replaced the points with an "Ignitor" electronic module, much nicer.
Small wrenchs and sockets, to tighten anything that might vibrate loose.
Tow strap, even automatics can be towed short distances, at low speeds.
One set (one side) of front wheel bearings, packed with grease, a new seal and cotter pin.
Light coveralls, gloves and some hand cleaner.
Paper towels.
Light bulbs, for the turn and brake lights.

Also consider a light (both in fabric and color) long sleeve shirt (button down collar), sun screen, extra sun glasses, driving gloves, cap, ear plugs, light jacket and something to cover your ears, to keep from sun burning the back sides.

These trips are very enjoyable, have lots of fun.

[Turk]

and a trailer to put all the above listed items!

TURK

[Roscoe]

AAA and a cell phone!

Roscoe

[Neal Jackson]

A roll of Charmin, 2 ply.

[Excaliber]

Ron61,,,,,you sound down right paranoid man, LOL. Tell me, did you drive a lot of English cars in your youth?

Ernie

[Bumpster]

A couple of other things to carry that don't take up much room, but you'll wish you had them, would be some work gloves, a small squeeze bottle of waterless handcleaner and some rags, a piece of cardboard large enough to kneel on to chance a tire, and a 6"x6" piece of wood to put under a jack if you're stuck on soft ground to change a tire. It's hard enough working on a car on the side of the road without having to get back in it all dirty. As for tools, I say carry anything you can think of that you might need and have room for. I have seen tape in Home Depot to repair leaky pipes that is double stick that might fix many types of leaky hoses. How about a repair kit for tubeless tires, the kind that you push a cord through the puncture, or a few screws of various sizes to push into a puncture, anything to get you moving again toward some real help. I've been stranded enough times so experience has taught me.

Bumpster

[Excaliber]

,,I use an old and BIG towel instead of the cardboard. You got to think in terms of "double duty". Every item should have more than a single use if possible. Duct tape is a must! Might have to tape that flashlight somewhere....

Ernie

[Roscoe]

Bumpster,
A bit of advice to a 'soon to order' Cobra guy. No jack.....got it?
No jack...Why? Because there is no spare....got it? A Cobra with a flat tire allows you probably 2" of space under the car.

Try a couple of aerosol cans of FixaFlat.

Revised list:

AAA
Cell Phone
FixaFlat cans
Duct Tape

Roscoe

[casaleenie]

Roscoe,

I know storage space is at a premium, but would a very thin scissors jack be a good thing? Something that would fit in that two inch space. I doubt if anyone who shows up to fix a flat would have a jack that would work on the car. Saw one in the California Cover catalog but much more than I want to spend.

The fixaflat sounds like a good idea!
I like the double duty towel!/ hand cleaner
Duct tape!
Flashlight!
AAA
Cell
and the list goes on!!!

[Ron61]

Al,

I have a sissors jack that is 2 inches high when cranked down and will fit under my Cobra with a flat tire. So far I haven't had to use it on any soft ground but it has a wide flat plate on the bottom. It also has a gear that makes it easy to raise so you don't have to crank hard. I don't even remember where I got it or how much it cost as that was back in 1998.

Ron

[casaleenie]

Ron,

The one listed in the Calif.Cover catalog was a"Low Profile Billet Jack" for $250.... Although, it did come in its own "black canvas bag"... Seemed a little high... actually, it seemed real high....
I'll have to get off my lazy butt and go shop one out....Anybody got a line on a good model - inexpensive and low profile???

[Ron61]

Al,

I went out and looked at my jack and it is 4 1/4 inches high instead of two. It just says E-Z lift sissor jack on the box it came in and has a 3,300 pound lift capacity. It isn't a billit jack and has a baked on enamel finish. I got it at Sears and I did have to dig out a little gravel one time and set it in the hole to get it under the frame. It has a lift of 14 1/4 inches and has a reduction gear that makes it easy to use.


Ron

[Roscoe]

OK, so now we have the car jacked up. Where is the spare?
Oh? You have one? Is it a front size or rear size? How about one of those inflatable jacks? Y'know the heavy duty rubber bladder and a small compressor off the battery?

Naw......FixaFlat for me is just fine.

Roscoe

Roscoe