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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - Ultimate MGA tool kit or a dead weight?

When I first started into MGAs I didn't have a great many SAE (imperial) tools as Australia went metric many years ago, so I put together a tool kit using Barney's list http://www.mgaguru.com/mgtech/travel/tp101b.htm
Over time my tool kit has grown somewhat - as I came across something I thought I may need I added it. This comprehensive kit has proved very handy to others more than to myself proving the old rule that "the more tools you carry the less you will need them".
Is there anything I am missing or should I start culling? It currently weighs in a 11.6 kgs (25.5 lb)!
• Polypropylene tool box (400H x 230D x 145H) – Fischer Plastics
• 3/8” drive sockets (on rack) 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4
• 3/8” drive deep sockets (on rack) 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4
• 3/8” drive 7/16” & ½” crows foot wrench
• ¼” drive socket (on rack) ¼, 9/32, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16, ½
• ¼” drive sockets (on rack) ¼”, 9/32, 5/16, 11/32,3/8, 7/16, ½
• 3/8” drive loose sockets, 21 mm spark plug socket, 3/8” 18 mm (sump plug), 4 mm hex head (hood screws)
• ¼” drive sockets (loose), No 2 & 3 Phillips head, 4 mm hex head
• ½” drive SEK 5/16 roller stud socket
• ½ to 3/8, 3/8 to ½, 3/8 to ¼, ¼ to 3/8 adaptors
• 3/8 drive accessories - ratchet, power bar, 75 - 150 – 250 wobbler extensions, ratchet spinner
• ¼ drive accessories - ratchet, sliding tee, 50 – 75 – 150 wobbler extensions, driver and ratchet spinner
• Ring open end combination spanners (on ball chain ring) – ¼, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16, ¾
• Ring open end stubby combination spanners (on ball chain ring) – 7/16, ½, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16
• Specialty spanners ½-9/16 offset ring spanner (inlet manifold/carbs removal), 2 off ½”, 3/8 x 7/16 flare nut spanner, 1 off 9/16 “ custom bent ring open ender spanners, 10 mm ring open end combination, Alden ratchet open end spanner ½ - 9/16, Moss ¼” long spoke spanner, 2 off 1/8 – 3/16 BSW open end (caby cable stops), main jet spanner
• 10” adjustable wrench (modified to suit crankshaft dog nut!)
• Screw drivers - 210 x 6 & 210 x No 2 PH (with 10 mm hex adaptor), 90 x 6 & 100 x No 2 PH, 150 x 3 insulated and 115 x O PH
• Files – 150 mm half round smooth, needle files 6 off 4 mm x 160 mm, thread file, internal external 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 24 tpi
• Pliers – 150mm combination, 150mm side cutters, 200mm long nose bent(along the axis), 150mm long nose bent (against the axis), 250mm water pump channel lock, 150mm vice grip curved jaw, 150mm vice grip needle nose
• 10” curved locking pliers stainless steel (hemostat)
• Feeler gauge set 0.001 – 0.035”
• Vernier calipers (plastic) internal external depth, metric/inch (210 mm)
• 8’ jumper wire (16 gauge) with alligator clips, and 2 off 24” jumper wires
• 230 mm single row wire brush (stainless steel)
• 12 volt test lamp and lead
• Mini digital multi-meter, Radio Shack (Cat No 22-820)
• Extendable, flexible inspection light and magnetic pick up
• Olfa L1 snap blade knife (original and the best)
• 140 mm industrial scissors and wire cutter
• Chisels – 32 mm butt wood chisel (scraper), 150 mm cold chisel sharp, 150 mm cold chisel blunted end
• O ring picks (2) Kinchrome
• Rigid E6 mini pipe wrench 140 mm
• Ball peen hammer (1 lb)
• 3m – 10’ Stanley tape measure
• Mini Hacksaw with 24 and 32 teeth blades
• 3”x2” mirror in plastic case
• Tyre valve tool
• 4 mm dia x 100 punch
• 12” (300 mm) and 6” (150 mm) steel rulers
• Pentel liquid paper marker
• Bic gas lighter
• Magnifying glass 10X
• Rolling head pry par 150 mm
• 10 mm shackle
• 10 mm dia steel drift
• 10 mm brass drift
• strip 180 grit emery cloth

Mike


Mike Ellsmore

Band Aids?
Art Pearse

Jack, tyre pressure gauge, pump?

Steve
Steve Gyles

An annual subscription to a towing service.
Gordon Harrison

Mike what you are missing is 2 of these, with these you don't need half that stuff, A.T


andy tilney

Do you carry all that stuff with you in the car Mike?

It almost sounds like you need a service van following you around to carry that tool kit :-)

I carry lots of stuff with me but looking at your list you could manage without some of it.

I have a 3/8 drive socket set with lots of odd sizes taken out that don't fit anything on the car. You probably could completely dispense with the 1/4 drive set.
I do have an AF set of combi-spanners in a tool-roll again with the non useful sizes taken out and replaced by the various cranked ring spanners that you need to fit into awkward places, like when adjusting the fan belt etc.
I dont carry a saw or any chisels and your pliers and knife will probably do everything that your scissors and side cutters can do.

I only carry a couple of pairs of pliers, a pipe wrench and a flat jawed Mole-grip[ wrench.

Im sure there is more stuff you could leave out if you look at it carefully.

I carry the tools in a few soft tool rolls so that I can distribute them around the boot so as to leave as much space for luggage as possible.

I have experienced a couple of roadside breakdowns over the last 6 years, the first was due to a blocked fuel filter and I needed just a screwdriver and some clean rag to fix it.

The second was last week when on my first run out of the year, the engine stopped just a few yards away from my sister in laws house where I had just dropped off my wife for a coffee.
There was no spark and so first I checked the 12v supply to the coil, this was ok and so then I changed the coil for the new spare I carry. Again, no joy and so I then decided to swap to the spare distributor I carry. It is a pertronix electronic one and so there is no easy roadside fix.
This fixed the problem and the only tools I needed were a 7/16 ring spanner for the distributor clamp and a screwdriver for the coil.

My wife said that it was the most civilised breakdown that she had ever experienced.
She was drinking coffee and chatting with her sister for the 40 odd minutes it took me to breakdown, repair the car and then walk back into the house to tell her where I had been.

She hadn't even realised I had gone out!

In my garage at home I have much more stuff than is on your list, but thankfully it is mostly used for planned maintenance.

I think I carry the other tools in the car mostly for my peace of mind.

Colyn

c firth

I feel to unprepared after looking at that list. I carry no more than the modern equivalent of the factory took kit when I'm daily driving. On extended road trips I carry a bit more, mainly additional wrenches, pliers, a multimeter, etc. Served me well for 25 years! Honestly, if I need vernier calipers and 4 to 5 sets of sockets, then I'm not taking the car out of the garage! ;)

The basics of what I carry are a set of combo wrenches, ignition wrenches, feeler gauges, pliers, wire stripper, bit of 14G wire, couple of screwdrivers, knockoff hammer and a quart of oil. Also a few small ignition and generator parts, inner tube and rim tape, etc. Mainly things that can't be easily found at any auto parts store. Anything that cannot be fixed with that, probably can't be fixed on the side of the road. And anything so serious that I can't fix it on the side of the road can be fixed in the parking lot of a hotel with an auto parts / tool store nearby.
Steve S

I have managed to get around the same territory as you Mike and I don't carry ANYTHING! Not even a spare wheel! Have done so for 42 years and never had anything go wrong bar a nail in a tyre. Our cars are very reliable.

(Yes Mr. Gyles, I did have to borrow a jack and trundle the wheel 3 miles to get it fixed)!

Barry.
BM Gannon

Mike, just make sure you bring all that next year, and the rest of us won't have to carry anything!
Gary Lock

Wow...I do a lot of driving in my A....All I have is 2 adjustable wrenches and a couple of screw divers.
I keepem in the door pocket.

I didnt even have a spare tyre till this year!


Steven Devine

I understand that you may possibly be driving in remote areas, but why on earth do you need multiples of the same thing at all.

I would suggest that most repairs can be done with:
A pair of reading glasses (sods law says they are otherwise at home)
1/4 inch ratchet and a matching set of sockets for the small stuff
1/2 ratchet and matching sockets for the big stuff
a set of combination spanners to cover both large and small stuff
A small selection of screwdrivers to cover the screws on the car (I use 1/4 drive sockets with screwdriver heads)
One hammer
a small LED torch
cable ties
A long and a short drift
a spark plug socket
a wire brush
a selection of bolts and the relevant nuts and spring washers mounted on them
two pairs of pliers, one normal, one thin nosed
and then any special tools required for modifications (in my case to adjust the HIF44 carb and to clear the Judson oil feed)
A hacksaw
a small round file, a small flat file
a lever bar
a few pairs of latex gloves
an old towel
and (maybe) a head gasket (which packs between the bootlid and its X-frame) and a torque wrench where I am a long way from anything resembling a breakdown service.
1 litre oil, 1.5 litre water, 1 pint Marvel Oil
A timing light (made of a sidelight bulb and two wires each with crocodile clips, great for static timing)
Spare bulbs (a legal requirement)
All this apart from the towel packs into a plastic shoebox with a lid. weight is around 10lbs.

And the spare wheel, because in 25 years of ownership I have only ever had a puncture when it wasn't in the back!

Dominic Clancy

Actually Dominic makes a good point there Mike...we all need flouro vests, warning triangles and spare bulbs for the trip next year.
Gary Lock

I know we are taking tools rather than spares, but a selection of tapes (electrical, duct, exhaust etc.), wires/cables, adhesives and sealers can be very useful too.
Neil McG

In addition to the stuff Neil listed, a spool of .041" stainless safety wire, plastic zip ties, and a selection of hose clamps are always good to have. Maybe even a few pieces of e6010 welding rod, since you are sure to have booster cables along, and they don't take up much space. With that and a couple of 12v car batteries in series, you can do emergency welding if you really have to.
Del Rawlins

I have to admit to being slightly closer to Barry Gannon on this one, especially about town. When further afield I just carry a scissor jack, the hammer, pump (only carry this as I keep the spare partly deflated to fit in the hole), swiss army knife, one medium adjustable spanner, test light, fuses, insulating tape and a cheap multipack of small screwdrivers bought from the Poundland shop. On the safety side a triangle, first aid kit, fire extinguisher (strapped to the wall alongside my legs), headlamp and other bulbs, a vest and overalls.

Steve

Steve Gyles

PS. Forgot to mention the tow rope for pulling other MGAs to the garage!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Neils mention of Duck Tape in his list just reminded me that I took a roll of it on our trip to the Alps a couple of years ago, I kind of threw it in last minute.

Temporarily, I put it onto the transmission tunnel under the dash and I noticed a couple of days into the trip that it hadn't moved one bit, the sticky edges of the tape held it in place on the carpet.
So I started using the hole in the centre of the roll for extra storage.
It alterately held my compact camera or my sunglasses or a can of drink etc and proved so useful that I have left it where it is.

You never know, one day I may even need the tape for something. :-)

Colyn
c firth

This thread was discussed between 05/04/2014 and 08/04/2014

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