Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

[Valeria H.]

I went on my first long cruise today with my 60 Corvette that I've owned for 30 years and really wanted to post this thread before I left for the cruise but it did not happen.
What items do you deem necessary to take this old car out for about 150 - 200 miles besides a full fuel tank?
I took a jump box, first aide box being a medical professional, and my cell phone.
What else should be seen as vital equipment?
Valeria
PS: I had the time of my life today!!!

[Peter B.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

Valeria,

I've enjoyed the posts on your '60 and glad to hear the first trip out went so well...it's always a rush. The only thing I would add to your list would be a AAA card, or equivalent, and a set of fan belts.

Pete

[Gary B.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

I alway took a small tool box, fender covers, Heavy gloves in case I had to touch something HOT, and a pair of glasses to see better.

[Jim L.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

Nothing is more unpleasant that working on your car on the side of the road. So I approach long drives with the idea that the most important thing to take is a well prepared car.... good tires, belt & hoses in good condition, well tuned engine,.... that sort of thing.

However, being a practical person I also take:

Cell phone
Glasses

Fan belt
Couple of spark plugs
Couple of plug wires
Points, condenser, rotor
Pump drive cable (for my fuelie)
Fix-a-Flat, couple of cans
Short length of wire with alligator clips

And sometimes I remember to include enough tools to actually use the spare parts.

I figure that if something goes wrong that can't be fixed with this handful of parts, I'm towing the car home.

So far, so good.

Jim

[Bruce B.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

Valeria,
One potential item that will stop the car dead is the ballast resistor, a spare is a good idea although I have never had one go bad. A small tool box, some wire and a few spare nuts and bolts always come in handy in a pinch.
I have driven my 62 about 20,000 miles in the past 17 years and never had to call AAA. I did have a coil go bad but after an hour it cooled down and worked for the 10 mile trip home.
My wife and I have made many 600+ mile trips, Effingham IL, Bowling Green KY, Detroit, Chicago and always enjoyed them.
Good maintenence will keep you on the road.
And of course don't forget the towels in case of rain..

[Valeria H.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

Thanks so much for your advice. I am making my list and will fill it like I'm on a tresure hunt. Another item I need to purchase is a set of walkies so that I can communicate with the others on the cruise. Does any one have experience with any of them on the market and have any opinion regarding quality? Others on the cruise who had them complained that they could not hear well. As I am hard of hearing already I don't want to just make a random purchase.
Valeria

[Gary B.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

In my opinion the 'new' walkies do not work that well in the car... period.

I like the way NCRS used to use CB radios.

[Michael G.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

Lately I've found that there's nothing like one of those "Head Lights" when working on dark areas of the car. Might be a good idea to keep one in the car in case you need it to see all those tools and supplies you'll be carrying.

Mike

[Valeria H.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

Lately I've found that there's nothing like one of those "Head Lights" when working on dark areas of the car. Might be a good idea to keep one in the car in case you need it to see all those tools and supplies you'll be carrying.

Mike

Thanks for your input. I really needed one last night. I proceeded to check the oil level last night after the cruise and after I pulled the dip stick out I couldn't find the hole to replace the dip stick???? I thought, This is odd, I've checked the oil hundreds of times over. It should be right in front of my nose. Then I really looked at the stick and found that the long cylinder that goes into the engine was attached to the top of the stick.
Finding the hole to replace the cylinder was not easy. And yes, I have several pairs of thick leather gloves in the gargage and doned a pair to protect my hands from the hot manifold.
Thanks,
Valeria

[John F.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

With our gas gauges as they are I always top off with fuel at every long stop.

John

[Russ U.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

Nothing is more unpleasant that working on your car on the side of the road. So I approach long drives with the idea that the most important thing to take is a well prepared car.... good tires, belt & hoses in good condition, well tuned engine,.... that sort of thing.

However, being a practical person I also take:

Cell phone
Glasses

Fan belt
Couple of spark plugs
Couple of plug wires
Points, condenser, rotor
Pump drive cable (for my fuelie)
Fix-a-Flat, couple of cans
Short length of wire with alligator clips

And sometimes I remember to include enough tools to actually use the spare parts.

I figure that if something goes wrong that can't be fixed with this handful of parts, I'm towing the car home.

So far, so good.

Jim

I take 200 mile trips in my 53 and 59 cars every now and then, and Jim's list is pretty good. I also carry a battery - jump starter unit. That's a must have for a 6 volt car, and a probably should have for your 59.

Jim is dead on about keeping the car well prepared before starting the journey. I also grease my cars frequently, although not every 1000 miles per the owner's manual schedule.

Russ

[Tom P.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

On a REALLY long trip with the 56, I simply "enlarge" the size of the trunk to prive enough room for whatever may be needed, including a couple of 5gal cans of gas---------just in case!

[Jim T.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

On long trips in addition to my tools, a previously removed points/condensor are always in the glove box, spare fuel pump, and water pump. Do not carry an alternator, my 68/70 points ignition system will last for more than 100 miles running during the day, using hand signals, no radio/air conditioning without an operating alternator. I know from experience, as I have done it. Auto Zone will charge a battery for free.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

I'm amazed by how many things most people here take on trips. When I've driven my 72 to events, I've taken whatever ordinary hand tools will fit into a tool bag I own, a 1/2-in drive socket set (in case I have to change a tire) and that's it. Yes, cell phone and AAA card come along but my goal is to be sure before I leave that all the "stupid stuff" that might go wrong has already been addressed. I can't think of why a plug, wire or similar stuff would "suddenly" go bad but maybe I'm either naive or incredibly lucky. Other than rarely having a tire go bad or losing one transmission (long story) I don't ever recall anything going wrong on my parents' car when we took long vacations as a kid. Why would my far-better-maintained car fail now? I've done more to it in the last 6000 miles than my parents ever did to their cars. That's probably why I now maintain Dad's Corvettes too.

Just my random thoughts.

Patrick

[David L.]

Re: Long Cruise in a C1 - necessary equipment to take

In 1981, my good friend Ken Edmunds, now deceased, and I left Miami, Florida on a humid August evening at 8:00 p.m. for a "long cruise." We had no tools, towels, condensers, cell phones, flat tire in a can, spare tire, wire with alligator clips, etc. We had spent the day along with the Vintage Vettes of South Florida Corvette guys preparing the '58 car for the 1800 mile journey to Maine. Jim Davenport, my good high school friend and I worked on the car in his shop during the summer. He said we'd never get the car that far. Jim, God Bless him, died in the late '80's If you want to read about a long cruise in a C-1, check the Restorer for an article by Ken Edmunds titled "Miami, Florida to Bangor, Maine." I believe it was published in late 1991. Now that was a cruise with limited take-alongs. The only tool we had was a dime to adjust the choke. I don't know how we made it, but we arrive Tuesday morning at 2:00 a.m. Bangor.

David Lyon