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MG TD TF 1500 - Spares Survival Kit?

Wow!
What a wealth of information from a great bunch of folks on this board!! Really appreciate becoming a part of it...

So, I am prepping the TD for our Great Adventure in October, a 35th wedding using wedding cars tonbridge Anniversary tour through the Smoky Mtns and Western Carolina for a week.

Four angry cylinders attacking the hills!!! Getting the brakes checked over next week by Neal at Neal's Restorations. Also will have him check the starter issue.

But, I got to thinkin' (Yep, dangerous, I know...) about a spares survival kit? I noticed some have a great kit but my brain is not functioning beyond the following:
1. Fan belt
2. Fuses
3. Points, condenser, rotor, rotor button.
4. Jumper cables

And that's where I am stuck. What else do ya'll recommend?

Again, thanks in advance!!

Best regards,

Dave L
dave lackey

Tool Kit
Set of Spark Plugs
Jack and Handle
Lug Wrench
Spare fuel pump
If the condition of the rear axle half shafts are unknown, I always carried a spare half shaft with a bearing pressed on. Fits nicely behind the seat back on the floor.
You probably won't need these things but sure is nice to have when far from home. Have a good, safe trip.
Jim Merz

Jim correctly mentions axles. Your guy will almost be to them when he check the brakes. Have him pull the shafts and check the inside ends for twisting. Rain-X for the windshield, towels to mop up leakage/keep wife dry, and clean/dry the windshield, Big plastic trash bags to put stuff you don't want to get wet in. Most important: cell phone and AAA card. I would try to get a list of T-series owners on the way- maybe Don Harmer has a list. My car was in the family since the mid-70s- towed home twice- once broken axle, once broken crankshaft. What a great trip in October! George
George Butz

Bulbs.
Hand cleansing solution/paste/cream.
Rags.
Quantity of water.
Quantity of oil.
Digital multimeter.
HT lead.
Plug caps.
Feeler gauges.
Wire coat hanger (to cut up and resupport the exhaust system if it drops down).
Radiator hoses and clamps.

Also, just a thought, is the diff ratio high enough for easy cruising, although probably too late to change.
Roger Wilson

Ahhh...all good stuff!!! Some I had not even considered.

Keep 'em coming and thanks!!!

Best regards,

Dave L
dave lackey

Duct tape, spare carb gaskets, and a spare generator with pulley/fan pressed on.
Good Luck
Rob
Rob Silverman

I was stranded when the nut that holds the throttle linkage to the lever on the carburetor fell off.
Larry Ayres

Dave - are you a member of the SEMGTR there in Atlanta.. a good buch of folks... We joined in 1976. I was 14 at the time and am now 44...it has been an excellent club. My dad just turned 80 and is still putting around in his 50 TD.

Jeff
J Delk

Dave
For years I carried a new deck of playing cards. Used them to make new emergency gaskets,and to kill time while waiting for AAA to send a tow-truck. A tube of gasket maker. Safety wire is very handy. A lenght of 16ga. wire. A small flask of fine Irish.

Tom
T. L. Manion Thomas

A quart of 20/50 and two fuses and your CAA/AAA card!
gblawson - TD#27667

Torch.
If broken down by the roadside, are you obliged to show a warning triangle and a flashing red/orange light.
Roger Wilson

I would subsitute the hand crank for jumper cables.

I've been lucky and never busted an axle half shaft. In caravans someone carries one, but I think the best defense against a busted shaft is too know your splines are good on the drum and the shaft, and to make sure the nut is torqued down to 150 ft-lbs. If the cotter hole doesn't line up, lightly sand the shim down to allow a retorque with the holes lining up. Honestly? I used a couple of football players to help me with that one as there is no way my back will allow me to put that much torque on the wrench!

A u-joint is an easy addition, but the u-joint from an MGB is the same thing and still very available. A match book cover is a good substitute for a feeler gauge when setting points.

A blanket to lay on if needed under the car.

Here is my spares box: http://www.travelaire.photosite.com/MGTDRebuild/spares/spares_pan_2.html

warmly, and have a safe trip,
dave
Dave Braun

Wiper blade and rubber holding plug.
Small quantity of brake fluid.
A few clevis pins and split pins.
Plastic cable ties.
Roger Wilson

Creditcard and yes a spare waterpump !
Marjori Prikett

,,,,cell phone,,,,,credit card,,,rabbits foot.
alan

Well guys, i've done several trips in excess of 4500 miles through some of the most uninhabited country you could imagine with no possibility of cell phones or roadside assistance. We were away for periods as long as a month at a time. Now if we had taken all the spares mentioned in this post there would have been no room for luggage and other essentials.

I always carry a spare fan belt and a set of ignition points, tools, a nylon tow rope and that's about it. The fan belt lives in the sidescreen box.

In all my travels I have never needed any of the above.

Maybe Matthew Magilton will tell us what he takes along as he has driven his TF around Australia once and through the central desert at another time.

Cheers,

Paul.
Paul van Gool

I've always found that if I take it I usuaslly don't need it but I would always take in anyway as insurance. I would also add a piece of heavy plastic sheeting to put on the ground to lay or kneel on if the weather is "damp". I also carry a set of wheel chocks in all my MG"s. I made them out of a 4 x 4, x 6 inches cut on a diagonal (on the 4 x 4 face) and then hold them together with a rubber band so they aren't flying around loose. I've also u sd those as insurance when parking on a hill or steep grade.

George Herschell
George R Herschell

in the states we have fed ex over night anywhere so i carry just a basic tool kit with the whitworth wrenches and sockets a crescent wrench and a multi tip screw driver. it all fits in a tool kit the size of a shaving kit. the car has a jack and handle. if you looked over ALL of these lists and took everything some one thought was indispensible, either your car would not move or you would need a caravan. regards, tom
tm peterson

Jeff,
Haven't joined the club yet but fully intend to do so. We picked up the TD on the day our third grandbaby was born in June! Needless to say we have been busy ever since!

Will try to fill out an application this week...btw, when is the next Noggin & Natter?

May get some good advice on spares and such there, huh?

Best regards,


DaveL
dave lackey

I carry a mobile phone WITH programmed numbers, all the fluids and a rather complete toolkit with the usual tie-wraps (or whatever they are called), tape, sanding paper, wires and strings to "McGiver" most problems. And a spare rotor!

I don't really believe in carrying bulky spares like generators and waterpumps. If you know f.i. that your fanbelt is suspect, you should fit the new one?
Willem van der Veer

Dave Lackey,
If you will email me your snail mail address, I will send you the September mgTalk which has a bunch of local events listed for September. The next Natter is the 2nd Wednesday in October.

Get your application in ASAP so you don't miss out on all the stuff!!

Don Harmer
Editor mgTalk, Southeastrn MG T Register
Don Harmer

Dave,
I carry a bunch of spares.
(Check "T-talk" for pictures of what is stored in my bonnet & boot)
Half-shaft,dizzy, points, wires, plugs, fuel pump, H20 pump, fan belt ect. All neatly packed in sealed bags.
(Wife got one of thoses neat "seal a meal" deals for Christmas one year...great for my spare car parts!)
So far what I have "used" ...once or twice:
Nuts & bolts from my "assorment box" in boot.
Bailing wire / coat hangers.
Duct & Ele tape.
Zip ties & Fuses.
More than twice:
Hose to syphone gas.
JB Weld. (Loaned to others many times! ...ammazing what can be temp. "fixed" with this stuff to get you on your way!)
Spare "fluids" (oil & brake fluid).
Simply stated ..follow "Murphy's Law":
"If you have it, and don't take it with you, you will need it....if you take it with you, you will never need it~!"
Cheers & Have a Great trip!
David 55 TF1500 #7427

David Sheward

Not yet on the road, but after seeing this, I'd plan a trailer. Dave 52 TD
mgaviator

I'm probably going to get myself in trouble here, but I have seen list of required spares for trips that would have necessitated a U-haul van rather that just a trailer to carry. My thoughts on that subject is that if people are that lacking of confidence in their car and the level of maintenance that the car has had, then they souldn't be driving it. We have taken our TD twice on 5000+ mile trips through the western US with nothing more than a spare fan belt, set of plugs, points and condenser. This was before we had a cell phone so to the above, I added a Moss catalog. Let's face it, it a water pump goes south or a half shaft breaks, you are going to need more than just a couple of hours to fix the bloody thing. Whatever is needed to fix it can be express ordered from Moss and then start disassembling things.

Water pumps, generators, starters, etc. don't just fail all of a sudden. Water pumps start making noise or leaking, generators fail to keep the batery charged, starters start getting flakey (besides, all TDs camd with a starting crank). Half shafts don't break without provocation. If the car is pointed up hill, use the hand brake to hold it when starting instead of coming off the brake, hitting the gas and popping the clutch - that's a sure fire way to break a half shaft. If you have been doing that for the past however long, then take the time to pull the half shafts and inspect them, you'll probably find that they need to be replaced. I never, ever allow the TD to roll back when I am starting out, no matter how slight the grade might be, its just too easy to use the hand brake when starting.

Now to the part that will get me in trouble, if people would drive their T cars regularly and hold regular maintenance on them, they would know when the car needed work. They would also have the confidence in them to take them on long trips with no more concern than if they were taking their everyday car (since the TD and our MGB are our everyday cars, this is one in the same to us). On both of the above trips combined, the worse that befell us was a fouled plug on the last trip, a 10 minute fix on the side of the road. We have never had either of our MGs let us down on any trip that we have taken, but that is because I know if there is something going wrong with the cars long before it becomes a real problem. Anymore, I don't worry about any spares at all because, 1) I have permanently installed a backup fuel pump that is on a switch so I don't even have to pull to the side of the road to change pumps and 2) now that we have a cell phone, we also got a AAA membership and I have Moss' number programed into the cell phone. And yes, I do carry a set of tools, primarily because I'm not going to find a set of Whitworth wrenches at the local NAPA, but also because I always have carried tools when we are traveling, regardles of what we have been driving. So folks, drive the cars, get to know them, maintain the properly and go ahead and take the long trip in it with confidence that yoe are going to be ok without that van full of every spare part know to man following you. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Dave,

First, congratulations of 35 years of blissful survival.

However, Newman to The Smokies and back, is really like a trip to the corner store.

So empty the tool box and put in a bottle of vintage port and a bottle of good cognac. Now any tools that can fill the remaining space can be put in so you can show the lady that you indeed, are taking precautions.

I'll bet she'll be greatly impressed!

Name withheld
for fear of recriminations
Gordon A. Clark

david dubois, hear, hear!! could not have said it better. regards, tom
tm peterson

Gord - I probably should add that the times that I have had problems were of my own causing, like using the incorrect oil filter housing gasket, loosing all the oil and hammering a couple of bearings or over torquing teh wrist pin pinch bolt and having it break at 4200 RPM. In both cases, there were not enough tools and spares available anywhere that were going to get me going again. That is where the cell phone and AAA card come in. But these failures were ones of he owner rather than the car and were easily rectified (I have learned how to kick myself in the arss rather nicely over the years. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

You should always carry tools to help others.

Years ago we encountered some Dutch motorcyclists in Yugoslavia of which one drove over a cliff. With the towrope we got the motorcycle on the road and when we opened the full toolkit those guys almost wept with joy. With our hammers, strings and wires they got the motorcycle running again.

Last Sunday an MGB-owner was very pleased at the sight of my toolkit....
Willem van der Veer

Dave DuBois,

All kidding aside (re above comment), you are spot on. I, like you (collectively, that is) consider my TF as my daily driver from May to early November and usually put on about 4,000 miles per summer (this year - an exception because of Gatlinburg). I have a Chrysler Intrepid and a (rare 5-speed with clutch) Dodge Caravan, both of which are right now, surrounded by pig-weed, chicory and other farm growth.

I'm in total agreement that using the car regularly is a major benefit to reliability. I haven't looking in my tool box for some while, but I know there's always a container of 20-50 Castrol, points, springs and bearings all for the starter and alternator, and a water pump seal and gasket, and the absolute minimum of tools.

Having owned my TF from new for 52 years, one becomes accustomed to even the slightest unfamiliar noise, and I deal with it immediatly.

You have given some sage advice. I hope others can benefit from it.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

*Check expiry dates on AAA/CCA, Credit and Debit Cards
*Cash - both Folding 'n Coins - there really are places out there that don't accept plastic ... or their computer's down ... or have pay toilets ... or you're out of cell phone range and have to use a pay phone ... or use a vending machine ...
*fire extinguisher (2 or 2 1/2-lb., ABC Rated)
*Aerosol "Spare-in-a-Can" flat-tire sealer/inflator
*A foot-square x 1" thick (preferably) marine plywood to place under jack when shoulder of road is soft/muddy
*4'x6' poly tarp to cover soft/muddy shoulder if you have to get under car ... Can also be used as a fender cover
*Pair of small metal "fold-flat" wheel chocks
*Allen wrench for wind-wing mounting brackets
*Strap-wrench for radiator cap ... or oil filter
*Two Vice-Grips - one "regular", one thin "long-nose"
*Two "Hillbilly" toolkits (Crescent wrenches), one 6", one 10"
*Swiss Army knife, or even better, a muti-tool with all the neat things that fold up into the handles
*Pair of leather work gloves
*Pkg. of Band-Aids if you forgot to wear work gloves
*Aspirin, or pain-killer of choice (see above)
*Two flashlights - small LED on keychain, one preferably with emergency flasher
*NEW batteries in flashlights ... and in cell phone ... and in camera
*Spare ignition key - or know how to hot-wire (or hot-fuse) a TD
*Battery cut-off switch - permanently pre-installed
*Roll of heavy-duty paper "shop" towels
*Radar Detector - uh, just kidding ??
*Six-pack of emergency flares
*Non-perishable "road food" ie, trailmix, energy bars
*Container of fresh water for driver, passenger ... and maybe radiator
*CB Radio - interesting to listen to ... and cell phone backup
*AAA Tourbook(s) - Priceless information source ... a ton of stuff can also be downloaded ... Also check out the "Plus" Membership (I assume, but don't know, if this is available at all regional affiliates across North America). Locally, the additional $30/year fee increases the free towing from 5km (3 miles) to 160km (100 miles) from point of breakdown. When one spends most summer weekends touring the foothills of the Rockies trying to reclaim pristine territory being lost to the increasing hordes of SUV's, this may just be the ultimate survival kit ingredient!
ron Linden - TD24972

Radar Detector???? hmmm... "Hey Jud...there goes another one at 52 mph...ayuk, ayuk, ayuk"
gblawson - TD#27667

This thread was discussed between 31/08/2006 and 21/09/2006

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