Bob Marlow's "Necessities Tool Box"

Robert Marlow posted the following tool kit to Virtual Vairs for an "on the road" set, this an excellent set to take to an autocross. You should have some basic tools with you for minor adjustments and in case something lets go at an event, or breaks on a friend's car. Jim Davis made a few additions based on his experience on road trips.

After my post about carrying a spare axle and bearing assembly and the related tools, several persons asked me to post the contents of my "on the road" tool kit for Corvairs. This is it:

Please note, this is not a list of essential tools for performing Corvair work at home or in the shop; rather, it is my recommendations for a tool kit that is as small as possible while enabling you to perform virtually any Corvair repair (short of catastrophic driveline failure) at the roadside.

In addition, my idea of roadside repair is that which is necessary to get you to the next exit or to the nearest source of "real" help, not necessarily permanent repairs that let you resume your journey. This is why there are very few "specialty" tools in this kit (such as brake tools). Nor are these tools necessarily the best tools for doing some jobs. Again, the goal is roadside repair out of the smallest possible box.

This kit fits in a small plastic tool box that in turn fits neatly in the trunk of a Corvair (in front of the spare tire in wagons and A/C cars) and under the back seat of a Greenbrier. It can even fit behind the seat in a Rampside, with the seat fully rearward.

For on-the-road problems that can't be patched together using these tools, you need to carry a AAA card and a cell phone. I do.

Jim Davis wrote the following response:

Robert,
A great list. I think I have used every tool on the list on mine or other Corvair away from home. I add:

Wrap in a oiled paper towel, in a zip-lock freezer bag (place in crevice above the right wheel well by the heater resister (lates)). Hope you never need it, but carry it to help some less prepared soul.

On long trips (2,000 miles or more):