VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION Meets, Tours & Events What to take on the Colorado trip ?

What extra parts & items should I take on my driving Colorado trip in July ?

From Southern Cal. to Grand Junction it's a 2 day drive. About 5-7 hr. per day. Since this will be the first long trip in my 1941 Special Deluxe I was wondering what extra parts or items I should/could have with me.

This question has been answered quite thoroughly by ChevGene and others. But I think so many other members can and will benefit from some responses.

So, what would you pack for the trip ? You can be as basic or detailed as you choose. Keeping in mind I only have one trunk.

Thanks
Michael41

In addition to the basic tools you will need a serviceable jack, spare tire with air, two chocks, lug wrench, set of points, a condenser, distributor cap, coil, fuel pump, hand cleaner, several towels (a roll of paper towels works well), small First Aid Kit, telephone number for your roadside assistance provider, digital camera, accident report form for your state, jug of water, ect

beside your tool box and i use a small box with a handle with the usual small tools i used to bring stuff i could overhaul a cat . not too many nuts and bolts over 3/4 and a adjustable will take care of that . you need a spare coil , condenser a few pieces of wire , test light or meter, oil, a jug of water , spare gas ,most of the other things like fuel pump water pump ,gen. and a lot of other things you can get at a napa parts store . idont know how many times on tours that people with 40& 50!s cars and trucks have bought pumps and other parts to finish the trip at napa . if they dont have it in stock usally the next day it is there . what ever you bring it may not be what you need . people drive the old chevys cross country with little problems at the tour in kenab utah a while back al and rita jumped in their 30 coupe and drove from ohio out to utah and back . you have to be careful where you stop as a while back a friend of mine had to go and when he got back to the car some chevy people had the hood up and working on the car and there was nothing wrong so out on the road usally there is someone to help as many of us travel the same roads .

Seems likely Murphy's Law could come into play here. Especially for a good Irishman like Michael 41.

Sort of like whatever you bring, you WON'T need. But, heaven forbid, anythng you don't bring, you WILL need.

Taking this to the extreme, I suppose you'll need to have a buddy follow along behind in a car hauler.

:( :(

Bill.

And a shotgun to fend off the uninvited mechanics.
Tony

This is what I carry in all my cars.
Points,condenser,rotor,dist cap, or a spare complete distributor,water and fuel pump,fan belt,fan pulley,inner and outter front wheel bearings, voltage regulator,1 each of the rocker arms,push rod, valve spring,timing gear,misc. bulbs ,a spare generator for long trips (room permitting),Head and pan gasket set,carburetor ( for parts),extra spark plug ot two,hose clamps, small gas proof hose and clamps to "patch fuel ine,misc. wires,connectors and brass fittings,nuts and bolts, and bailing wire.
Supplies-water jug,hand cleaner,A qt. of oil for each 1000 miles traveled (depends on car),brake cleaner,-necessary cleaners for when you arrive at the meet.Extra small bottle jack,small 2" X4" to place under jack,1/2" breaker bar with 3/4" socket along with complete tools, shop manual,and multi-meter.
Two Credit cards and VCCA Roster.............+ a battery booster pac.
This with my luggage (my other 1/2 brings the house along),my Mobility scooter and a full tank of gas and it becomes difficult to see over the hood.Put 35 pounds of air in the rear tires and about 27 in the front to improve handling.

Have a set of coil overloads that I hope will fit the '50 for the Colorado trip.

The '39 has a lot of room under the rear seat.Great for parts storage.On the '50 I remove the left cardboard trunk liner and stuff parts back there.......Most of the parts I carry have been required to fix the cars of other members that we travel with or encounter at the meets, tours, etc....also i you have it with you it will not be needed.

Thanks Chevgene. I want to tour with you. I will not have to bring anything but the wife and me. Sure makes It alot easier when I start packing. Tooth brush and a few clothes. HA Ha See ya In Grand Junction.

Boltz, I bet your trailer, unless you just drive your old car, Which one are you taking? will be worse than Fibber McGees closet, probably will be full of T-3 headlights and Budweiser beerand at least one bag or pretzels!

Don, with guys like Chipper, Gene, Push, and the others You and I probably won't even need a car, they can put one together for us after we get there! (one of them Johnny Cash jobs)

If you have a lot of room you can go by and load up the JYD, otherwise he probably will just lay around IGGLE PINT and scratch...

gene he said he had only one trunk. i have seen you arrive at tours before and thought you had lowering blocks on . now i know . if he was driving my 35 master coupe he could carry all that stuff as it has enougf room for two people to lay down and strech out and sleep in the trunk . some of the others you can bearly get a tool box in

Oh, I forgot, a U joint and an inner tube ( for '39 only)('50 is tubeless)....And the upper brake shoe pull back spring.Had to repair the hook on a spring for a guy one year.Used a piece of an old antenna rod.

Gave the inner tube to another member to use - two years in a row and the same person.
One year a guy had to send for a new U joint for his '50 to the tune of $125.00.(had my '39 on that tour).Gave a member my wheel bearings in Vermont. :)

Hey Mackie Wackie. From what I have heard about Chippers Bugle blowing, If he brings It to Colorado, The only extra thing I need to bring Is a case of ear plugs for everyone, And a giant cork to put on the end of It. Yippie?????????

Wow, lots of stuff.

But I sure do appreciate all of your experienced responces. And I agree with Mr. Mack, I hope to travel with or near ChevGene as he will have everything I and everyone else will need.

But I must come clean and say I'am like him because I believe in da-old slogan, "Be Prepaired" So I will probably follow his lead on what to take & pack. Of course I will need a U-Haul. But the good news is since Gene is bringing his 2 credit cards I don't have to bring any money.

My only question to ChevGene is, Do you mean Jack Daniels when you say, "Extra small bottle jack"

Any way, check back here next week and I will post a COMPREHENSIVE list based on every ones contribution's, including a "shot Gun."

And at the meet I will run a tally on who brought the most stuff. And da-winner gets a free dinner, on me, or 42Bill!!

Happy Motoring,
Michael41

Gene listed things I have in the trunk of my '48, but didn't remember I have them. Fuel hose and clamps, hand cleaner, extra plugs, carb parts, etc.... I'm looking forward to your list, Michael41.
Joe

For the '39 I have a inventory list in the glove compartment.This helps me know where to look for things.Box in trunk or under rear seat.

The travel lists comprised of suggestions & ideas from other VCCA members will be available late next week.

And as obvious or redundant as it might turn out I hope it helps in some way.

Michael41

A slight delay! Sorry.

I'm out of the office and will return on Tuesday, Feb. 21. And then I will post the lists and an email address.

And thanks to everyone for the ideas and contributions !
Be Happy
Michael

If anyone is coming from the east and plan on using I-70 out of Denver west to Grand Junction here is a couple of facts:
There is a lot of up hill (12000' at Loveland Pass) and down, so cooling could be a problem as well as brakes.
The speed limit is 75mph.
In the summer, vapor lock is common, especially w/campers and motor homes. Crappy 85 octane gas w/alcohol!
Be prepared.

That will make my car happy because its an alcholic.....thats what we have here.Is there a higher octane available in non-alcholic?The 85 octane is fine-have used that before.Some states/areas give you a choice.I thought there was the last time we were in Colorado.

Some stations carry mid-grade (87 oct) and premium (91 oct), but mid-grade is going bye-bye in some places in favor of diesel. Name brand fuel like Texaco, Conoco and Phillips don't use alcohol, but are 10 cents/gal. more than generic gas.

Our regular is 87.mid 89 and premeium is 93....and all contain up to 10 percent ethanol so we have no choice-also I have no problems with it.
I did have minor vapor lock problems with the '57 a few years back.Was on I-70 heading east from Glenwood Springs.The traffic was backed up on one of the up-hill grades in the Vail area and the engine was cutting out.Kept in in low and reving and once we got rolling is straightened out.Don't remember what I was using in the tank.t was the year the Middle West Meet was in Breckenridge...probably the last time I saw you.

On the way out I was planning on taking old Hy. 6 between exit 205 and 216(Frisco) as I wanted to go over the old Loveland pass.I usually pick out some exiting roads so this would be rather tame compared to some I have taken.....only 3 1/2 months away.

I was reading an article on gas mileage and found this fact very interesting (esp. if driving to the meet w/trailer).

The wind resistance on your vehicle at 70 MPH is double the wind resistance on your vehicle at 55 MPH.

Only problem is getting run over on the interstate if you are going 55; but it sure would save you some gas.

My problem in driving to Colorado from Wisconsin is that I am going from a 1000 foot elevation to 5200 feet in Denver - and haven't even reached the mountains.The steady climb plus the prevailing westerly head winds cut the milage by about 2 MPG on the way out.On the return trip the winds always seem to change to easterly or a stiff south/west cross wind and never get the full advantage.Plan on holding the speed down to 60 MPH and see if the milage improves.Gas will probably be back to over $3.00 @ gallon by then.

Gene, let us know the results of your experiment and if people tried to run over you.

Funny, I didn't like curise control went it first came out now I really like to use it.

Have a safe trip.

The '50 has cruise control - its called a hand throttle.Perhaps I can place a "slow moving vehicle" sign on the back

Michael! I think a person you need to get in touch with is a man named Al Severyn and his wife Rita. WOW, what an interesting couple. I talked to him a few months back and he said they are driving their 1930 Chevrolet to Grand Junction, Colo. for the anniversary Meet. They live in Cleveland, Ohio and both of them drive and are both some 80 years old. He told me they have been driving to various VCCA meets all over the USA and that if he couldn`t drive his old car he ain`t going. He is a long standing member of the VCCA and I`ve managed to lose his phone number so maybe somebody here knows it. I for one am looking forward to meeting them in Colorado this July.