What supplies should i get or carry around with me?

[craig32]

I think I should carry around a few phone numbers of CAC folks in case of emergency!

I'd be happy to give you mine to help you reason out problems. . .

Craig

 

[lnirenberg]

Does anyone else get the feeling that this thread is possessed as posts are popping up in a weird non-chronolgical manner, or is it just me? Oh well time to crack another bottle 'o beer. Good night all.

 

[Salisbury Steve]

Hi Lori,

The North Shore corvette club meets at the Sylvan Street Grill in Danvers every Tuesday from about 5pm to whenever (officially about 8pm). If you go there and mingle, you'll find all the contacts and answers you want. Join the club. They have all kinds of cruises planned that might be of interest to you. BTW, tomorrow is the Mega cruise at Skip's on rt110 in Merrimac. There could be up to 600 cars there if the weather is good by then (starts at 4pm). The North Shore corvette club usually meets somewhere on rt95 and pulls in as a group. The rain date is Sunday.
If you'd like a list of who to go to and who not to go to as far as corvette specific mechanics go, I can help you with that. My car is 11 years older than yours so i've got some experience in this area
Steve

 

[oceangal]

Hi Lori,

The North Shore corvette club meets at the Sylvan Street Grill in Danvers every Tuesday from about 5pm to whenever (officially about 8pm). If you go there and mingle, you'll find all the contacts and answers you want. Join the club. They have all kinds of cruises planned that might be of interest to you. BTW, tomorrow is the Mega cruise at Skip's on rt110 in Merrimac. There could be up to 600 cars there if the weather is good by then (starts at 4pm). The North Shore corvette club usually meets somewhere on rt95 and pulls in as a group. The rain date is Sunday.
If you'd like a list of who to go to and who not to go to as far as corvette specific mechanics go, I can help you with that. My car is 11 years older than yours so i've got some experience in this area
Steve

Hi Steve!
So far you are the closest in distance! I am glad you wrote! I kept trying to some info online for Skips as I remembered years ago seeing cars there but I had no luck. I would appreciate any info you have for mechanics etc. I have to most likely get the AC recharged so any leads you have are appreciated.
I would like to join the NS club but I was hoping to find a club not too far that has some Wed night meets as my son is at his dads then and that makes things easier. Have you heard of Granite State Vette club? They are listed in Seabrook, but my emails to them bounced back.
Lori

 

[Salisbury Steve]

I don't think the Granite State club is active anymore. Unfortunately for us, the closest cruise night is Skip's. The closest corvette specific cruise night is Tuesday's in Danvers. The place to go on Wednesday is behind the Liberty Tree Mall. It's not corvette specific but there are many vettes there.

You'll have an email coming shortly with some names and numbers of mechanics.
Steve

 

[WayneLBurnham]

You have a cavernous closet to store things compared

to me.....

But...nestled around the battery I have a quart of the "big four": oil, atf, psfluid (yes - they are different - ATF only in emergencies is for PS), brake fluid (pint), WD40, carb cleaner, RainX, funnel. In the other side I have a 1/2gal water, belts, 1/2" ratchet with extension and sockets and luglock key, jack, misc supplies and the control box for the Gear Vendors OD. (The center is taken up by a cheapy amp.) Behind the passenger seat I have a nice english/metric boxed set of those GearRatchet sockets and a rack of some kind of wrenchs - when things aren't broken down a lot that's a long and short set of those micro ratcheting combination wrenches.

I carry one other cloth bag just in the rear area - one of those 15" long x 8" or so diameter cheapy toolbags from the cheapy surplus tool stores loaded with: a set of allen wrenches, one of those screwdrivers with the removable inserts on each end, a compact set of a bunch of cheapy driver bits, a ratcheting screwdiriver and T-handle, a fixed T-handle allen wrench each for my MSD distrib cap and valve polylocks, spare distributor cap and rotor and a couple of long wires and a couple of plugs, pliars, needlenose, baby needlenose, medium channel locks, small hammer, large screwdriver/prybar, wire cutters, industrial scissors, box cutter, small files, sandpaper, and a small selection of wire, zip ties, connectors, misc nuts, bolts, other fasteners, tube of epoxy and silite, a half dozen freezer bags, several small rolls of various tapes. I jam in anything else I can fit in that bag, which is a surprising amount - it ends up weighing a good 25-30# and doesn't unzip easily!

I also carry the usual flashlight, tire pressure gauge, lighter, valve stem tool, gloves, pen, notepad, etc. in the little console "dish" or in the map pocket. Oddly, I don't know if I've ever carried a set of cables in the vette! I also haven't carried any fix-a-flat lately, but I usually do. Sometimes I have one of those combo jumpstarters and air pump things.

It's really no different than any other car - except you have a lot less room to get the stuff in and don't need to weigh it down with spare accessories like alternators, water pumps, distributors, starters, upper and lower hoses, etc. like you might a four-wheeler. Those kind of bigger breakdown items are a preparedness fetish for the back country types, but weigh enough and have enough volume to affect your sportscar or your enjoyment of it. (I have too many speakers in the rear compartment to hold all the silly crap I tend to carry. Sparee gas especially is pretty silly in your rear compartment on a vette.

If it's hot summer or cold winter and you're possibly going out of built up areas, as always, carry some water, compact junk food, compact warm clothes and a space blanket. If you're going way out or crosscountry and are so inclined, CB, GPS, pistol, ammo, another flashlight, compass, binoculars, flares, charger for your phone, etc.

When my heap didn't have park working right or p-brakes, "essential spare equipment" included a couple of bricks!!! :L

Carry what you think you'll likely use, but don't think your car is any more (or less) likely to break down than any other premium collector car almost a quarter century old. I have had few breakdowns not related to a system I was upgrading at the time or something I had not looked at yet - and, less than most vehicles I've owned.

 

[cptkirk32]

A basic tool kit. (fuses, etc) and a 6 pack of beer to give to the guy who has that one tool or part that you forgot to bring.

SGT Kirk

 

[oceangal]

A basic tool kit. (fuses, etc) and a 6 pack of beer to give to the guy who has that one tool or part that you forgot to bring.

SGT Kirk

LOL
Well ya know I don't know how much I can do myself, I am getting all these things in the hopes that someone knowledgable might stop and offer to help and then I can pull out all the supplies you have all been so kind to list for me. So maybe a case of beer might be needed ;-)

I do hope to get some pointers in person with some folks about where the fuses are and other things that are easy fixes, I would really like to be able to take care of the easy stuff myself and not have to rely on the kindness of strangers.

But AAA is a darn good backup - in fact I am going to increase my coverage because right now I only get 5 miles of coverage and thats not much.

Thanks all again for the ideas

 

[WayneLBurnham]

Count yourself lucky....

....my name is on the assination list of the militant wing of the AAA....

:L

 

[Guy]

Lori,

One thing you CAN do is install a battery quick disconnect, about $10 at an auto store. All Vettes at NCRS meets get "brownie" points for the quick-disconnect and the fire extinguisher for obvious reasons. I have a great Corvette mechanic, but he's way up by me off Rt3 in Tyngsborough.


Guy

 

[Vanity Plate Bob]

Oceangal.
Forget all former replies.
Get all these, guys, phone numbers.
Any problem. Ringy dingy.
(see if all phone batteries go dead at same time) LOL
You'll be set for any circumstance.
vpb

 

[craig32]

So maybe a case of beer might be needed ;-)

I do hope to get some pointers in person with some folks about where the fuses are and other things that are easy fixes, I would really like to be able to take care of the easy stuff myself and not have to rely on the kindness of strangers.

Unless you have a refrigerator in your Vette or you are in England, forget the beer! Besides, you know the game - offer to buy a guy a beer for fixin your ride and he ends up getting one for you. . .
The fuse box is at your feet, behind the brake pedal. Not really convenient by today's standards, you all but need to be a contortionist to get to the damned thing! At least they are the plastic plugs, as compared to the glass tubes they once were.
I've also heard, but never tried, that a pair of nylons will serve as a makeshift fan belt in a pinch. (I only use them as filters to fill the hot tub!!)
:gap
I hate to sound sexist, but if all else fails, start crying :cry and someone will rescue you, makes us feel like heroes. . . here's hoping you never need to try the last option

Craig

 

[lnirenberg]

Oceangal.
Forget all former replies.
Get all these, guys, phone numbers.
Any problem. Ringy dingy.
(see if all phone batteries go dead at same time) LOL
You'll be set for any circumstance.
vpb

I include myself in the group of "guys" who know a lot in theory but have barely any practical and appropriate skills to work on these beasts let alone the ones with a computer--basically blow hards all! If I see a Vette by the side of the road I will always stop and I am a good comiserator. I do what I can.

 

[oceangal]

Lori,

One thing you CAN do is install a battery quick disconnect, about $10 at an auto store. All Vettes at NCRS meets get "brownie" points for the quick-disconnect and the fire extinguisher for obvious reasons. I have a great Corvette mechanic, but he's way up by me off Rt3 in Tyngsborough.


Guy

Hmmm is that the same thing as the lever in the battery compartment that kills the battery?? right now with the broken door locks, thats my new theft deterrent!

 

[oceangal]

Calling all experts time to (as they say in Boston) pony up!
So far only one brave soul has offered up his phone number in case of emergency! If you wanted to be added to the list of heroes feel free to PM me and VPB if you send me yours I am going to make sure to call you first!

Craig:
1)thanks for the info on the fuses
2) what is wrong with a free beer ? ;-)
3) I will add nylons to the list of items, one thing I don't have to buy!
4) If necessary I can cry .... here is a practice one... :cry

I get the vette tomorrow night I can't wait! Today at stop and shop I bought my son a C3 matchbox and I ordered a '82 matchbox off ebay!

 

[WayneLBurnham]

Sounds like you have a high end one....

Mine is a green knob on the negative post that turns and disconnects the whole ground.

This lever you describe - is it attached to the battery or does it have a large wire going to it? In either case if you turn it off and lose door lights (assuming they work - mine don't currently) that's what it is.

Oh, those door locks are likely just out of adjustment and you CAN do that yourself. It's a bit annoying but kind of self teaching to adjust these little linkage rods until both external key and internal knob engage (and disengage - even more important!) the locks.

That's a fairly simple, if meticulous thing, to do - that will save you some not insignificant bucks. Some shops will charge you a bunch to set those, and they tend to bend back out of adjustment eventually. You only need a couple of tools to make the job of taking the door panel off easier, although a thin screwdriver or icepick thing can do it pretty well too.

PS: The actual 2-4 belts your car takes don't take up much more room than a long enough nylon, and I really have never seen those work. Belts are easy enough to change on your car should they break.

 

[Vanity Plate Bob]

9 hrs per Mapquest. Plus pit stops. No problem. Be rite there.

 

[oceangal]

9 hrs per Mapquest. Plus pit stops. No problem. Be rite there.

I will go out and get some beer! ;-)

 

[wishuwerehere82]

7 Hrs. from here. Send me a P.M. and I'll give you my number. In case you're in Upstate NY. I have tools and have taken my 82 apart piece by piece and even put it back together with no parts left over.:L

 

[Vanity Plate Bob]

U da gal.