What tools do you carry?

Some form of break down recovery card

Boring answer I know!

Spare aux drive belt would be my shout

Hi, back in the day when i was always in and out of breakers yards and driving lots of different less than reliable cars. I used to have a metal barn box with open and ring spanners and sockets of every size up to 3/4 and 19mm small, medium and large screwdrivers in flat and crosshead, pliers, cutters, hammer and cold chisel. Any fixings removed went in the box. All tools in the box were either old or cheap so it didn't matter if they got lost. I also had a canvas bag with long jump leads and tow rope. As said, anything I couldn't fix with that lot would need a workshop. Even now I still carry it in whatever car I am in. Each of my cars also has a few parts relevant to the car, fan belt, bulbs and point and condesor if appropiate.

Colin

small socket set, spanner set, stanley screwdriver that has a flip around shaft, pliers and a big screwdriver to use for leverage if needed

also an assortment of cable ties, duct take and a bit of neoprene sheet (comes in handy if you split a hose) also have a tow rope and jump leads

This is an extract from a piece I wrote for the Plymouth-Banjul Banger Rally so will not be very specific to your needs for a pure road trip but you'll get the drift......

Tools – At the end of the journey ALL the stuff is auctioned and only the spares specific to the car are left with it – so take as many as you can as you or another team may need them – Prior to the trip when working on the car try and use as many of the tools that you will take with you. If you’re not that way inclined don’t worry but you will need to be able to check all the fluid levels daily, jump start the car, change a wheel, replace a blown bulb, remove and clean the air filter / spark plugs. Try and take all or most of the following;

‘Proper’ Gaffer Tape (you can hold body panels on with enough of this)
Various sizes of zip tie (larger sizes can be carefully removed from lamp posts and telephone poles)
Araldite / Super Glue / JB Weld / Instant (head) Gasket paste / (bathroom) silicon sealant / Exhaust paste and bandage / tin foil / locking wire.
Solder Flux (it is possible to heat the wires to be soldered with a jet flame lighter)
Bungee cords, Tow rope, elastic bands, Pound shop ratchet strap(s)
Scotch-locks (wiring repairs), some car specific wire and a spare for EVERY size (rating) of fuse your car uses
Jubilee Clips (various sizes)
Jerry can, a funnel and some tights to filter fuel if purchased out of road side cans.
Jack – if you can get a small scissor jack in addition to the one in the car this can double as an axle stand and can also be used to push bent bodywork away from your tyres after crashing.
Spares – A clutch assembly, engine gasket set, fan and other belts etc. are all worthwhile additions – So if fellow travellers can’t help you, they are to hand if you need a local mechanic to fit them and the only thing you can be charged for is the labour.

Specific spares for old cars are not generally, readily available….in a country (say Senegal) where it is effectively illegal to enter with and then leave without your old car (however broken) how much would you be willing to pay for (say) a clutch assembly or a Head Gasket Set ?

Also check the various countries legal requirements as they differ with regard to spare bulbs, tyres, warning triangles, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, breathalysers and Hi-Vis jackets. The absence of any of these items may well give you certain financial difficulties with local law enforcement as many of them need only the shallowest of excuses to ‘fine’ you.

I always carry a 600mm long 1/2" drive breaker bar in the car, with a socket for my wheelnuts. The logic behind this is that you can then do the wheelnuts up TIGHT and still be guaranteed to be able to get them off on the side of the road with no fuss, even if tyre shop monkeys have buzzed them on with a rattle gun. Being long and thin, the breaker bar takes up no space at all and can easily sit in the corner of the boot.

I carry the following in my 205:

- Small socket set to suit most major things on the car
- Bottle jack
- Breaker bar
- Water
- Duct tape
- lots of cable ties
- Watertight Epoxy - I've cracked a radiator on a trip before, this stuff allowed me to drain, seal and re-fill the radiator at the roadside and lasted for the rest of the journey.
- Various size hoses - My top hose split on the 205 whilst out before, some random hose stretched to fit worked well enough to get me home!