Your Driver
What to Pack in Your Driver
CrosleyCupCake - 05/06/2002
Do any of you carry some kind of basic tool box or
emergency kit when traveling or driving your Crosley? What should
be in it? (for example...a quart of oil, some fix-a-flat stuff,
belts, wrenches,
Please help me by making a list of the things you think are essential.
Crosley19 - 05/11/2002
If you break down with your Crosley, just pick up the front
bumper, and push it home like a wheel barrow! Just Kidding. I have
found to carry a spare fan belt, water pump coupling, condenser, and
some tools to change these parts. Other than that if anything else goes
wrong you will need to tow it home.
tmkldwwj - 05/12/2002
"Push it home like a wheel barrow" I love it. I
remember when I brought home a 50 Sedan for crosleyhotshot.
It had flats all around and was in pretty bad shape. I had
it on the back of a pickup. My father was standing there when I
arrived and asked "how are you going to unload that wreck?" My
son and I recruited 2 neighbors and lifted it off. Everyone was
amazed, including me. Anyway, don't forget to carry spare oil and
fluids in your possibles box.
Jim_Bollman - 05/12/2002
My FarmOroad doesn't have a lot of spare space to carry
extra parts and tools but I do have an adjustable wrench and a
screwdriver along with some bailing wire in a zip lock bag under the
seat, with some rags. Of course the lug wrench and a small piece
of plastic shaped like a pry bar to take off the caps with out
scratching the wheels. Not sure where to hide a jack.
Here are a few things I have carried in past Crosleys when I was
driving any distance. The first part sort of just stayed in the
Crosley:
Plastic jug with 50:50 water antifreeze
Engine oil
Known good or rebuilt fuel pump
Spool of electrical wire 14 gauge
Plumbers metal hanger strapping
(comes in rolls about 1/2 inch wide with holes)
Bailing wire
Seal All (comes in a yellow and red tube
stops gas and water leaks)
Electrical tape
Duct tape
Bag of assorted bolts, nuts and screws
Screw drivers and wrenches used normally on the Crosley
Wire cutters
Pliers
Vice Grips
Water pump coupler
Set of points
at least 1 extra spark plug and plug wire
Distributor cap and rotor
Coil
For longer trips (over 100 miles) I added the following because you
might find a place to repair the Crosley but parts would be a problem.
Clutch and pressure plate
Spare usable or rebuild carburetor
Gallon of Gas ;-)
Club roster so you have a friend to call.
I have never broke a Crosley fan belt they are so over sized for the use.
You basically should only take along stuff you are willing to change
along side of the road. I use Tillotson carburetors because in a
pinch you can work on them along side of the road (I have when a float
broke loose) I would never open a Carter anywhere but on my work bench.
Now that I'm older and have more sense, probably the most important
think to carry with you is a AAA card and maybe a cell phone.
I'm not kidding about the roster. Back in my young and foolish days a
Crosley friend in a Homelite powered 49 wagon and me in my 52 Super
Sports got the idea to drive the 450 miles to the Nationals one
year. Leaving early in the morning the SS ran flawlessly.
The Wagon had 3 or 4 flats (never use regular tubes in radials), some
assorted other minor problems and then had a blade let go on the fan
that went through the tank of the radiator and then bent forward and
through the core. We had spares of just about everything but a
radiator and fan. I looked at the map and the roster and made a
call to the closes member (about 25 miles away). Turned out the
member was a teenager, he and his father came out with a chain and
towed the wagon to his house. By now it was suppertime and we had
only gotten a little over 100 miles. They fed us then we went to
the garage where he dug out a spare radiator and fan to loan my friend,
help us put it in and offered us a bed for the night. We declined
and decided to go back home and start the next day in my modern car (72
Pinto). We made the 100 miles home in a little over 2 hours with
out one problem. Crosley people are great people.
timtmaker - 05/20/2002
When I was using my Crosley as a daily driver I didn't
carry too much around town... just some wrenches, pliers and a quart of
oil-- Just enough that it would fit under one of the front
seats. oh.. and the spare tire and jack. The one
time I took the Crosley on an overnight road trip i took a
whole lotta stuff, including:
grease gun
standard tool set including wrenches, screwdrivers, hammer, pliers
bailing wire and electrical guage wire
jar of hose clamps, zip ties, assorted bulbs
bolts and washers
portable air pump (bike pump)
extra oil, gas and a gallon of water
I brought a spare generator and extra brake pads and probably should
have had water and fuel pumps, although none of these gave me any
trouble. I can't imagine that you'd ever break an fan belt, although I
guess you might throw one.
CrosleyCupCake - 05/15/2002 11:11
Thanks everyone for giving me some hints for my tool
box. I printed everybody's list (including the wheel-barrel idea)
:o) and will start getting some things together. Our trips
probably won't be over 20 miles one way...but one never knows.