Stockings, blue rizla and an egg

[otherman]

So lets imagine you're out in an MGB, or a Cortina, or pretty much any 70s/80s motor come to that. What handy things might you take with you in case a roadside fix is needed? I'll start you off with three:

A pair of stockings (ideally with some legs still in them at the start of the journey)in case of fan belt breakage

A pack of blue rizla in case of a sudden need to set the timing

A raw egg, in case of radiator leak.

Over to you good people for more. No actual proper spares allowed.

[Gary C]

Loaf of bread !

The wire tie repaired a fuel pipe leak

[NNH]

Some chewing gum so you can use the foil wrappers to replace blown fuses
Can of Coke you can pour into the clutch housing to get you home if it's slipping (honestly, people did this!)

[Fleckers]

Aa card and fully charged mobile

[iva cosworth]

Decent pair of shoes for the long walk home.

[paintman]

Condenser.
Set of points.

[otherman]

iva cosworth said:

Decent pair of shoes for the long walk home.

Slight change of subject, but I refer you to this fine tune decent pair of shoes

[daveenty]

A potato.

Ever had your wipers pack in? Cut a spud in half, smear it over the windscreen and the rain just beads off it.

We didn't have a plethora of polishes for anything and everything back in the day.

ETA: Struggle to see how the Rizla packet can help with timing? Points yes. I also only remember Red or Green ones, oh, and the liquorice flavoured ones. (yellow?)

Edited by daveenty on Sunday 26th July 21:59

[jas xjr]

A hammer for unstinting the starter motor. Or in my case an umbrella and a brick. Ahhh the good old days

[otherman]

daveenty said:

ETA: Struggle to see how the Rizla packet can help with timing? Points yes. I also only remember Red or Green ones, oh, and the liquorice flavoured ones. (yellow?)

Good shout on the potato, time was i didn't know that and could have done with doing.
Blue rizlas were the super thin ones. You put one between the points and pull it gently, turn the disi and when the points just start to open the rizla pops out. Like connecting a light across them only much cooler.

Edited by otherman on Tuesday 28th July 20:26

[wst]

Condoms and vaseline. For waterproofing electrical gubbins should you have to go through a ford/deluge/puddle/light mist.

[jas xjr]

wst said:

Condoms and vaseline. For waterproofing electrical gubbins should you have to go through a ford/deluge/puddle/light mist.

Remember something about the soda rally team using marigold gloves to waterproof the distributor. Remember those?

[wst]

jas xjr said:

Remember something about the soda rally team using marigold gloves to waterproof the distributor. Remember those?

I remember marigolds yeah. Those and duct tape might be good for hilariously sealing up boost leaks.

[Huff]

marigold glove for A-series engined Minis - distributor out front in the wet, so cut the tips of glove off and poke the leads through it, snapped tight over the dizzy base.

5w indicator bulb soldered to two leads with small croc clips. So cheap/useful I still keep mine in the glovebox of the e39 (never needed it, but you may come across a stranded beetle with its distributor out of time )

[SteveSteveson]

RAC card, fully charged mobile and a 4 pack of Hobgoblin for the wait for a lift home.

[Monkeylegend]

A can of petrol.

[backwoodsman]

jas xjr said:

A hammer for unstinting the starter motor. Or in my case an umbrella and a brick. Ahhh the good old days

Ford Capri, Mk3, 1.6, Signal Yellow. ALD 380Y

The above car had that above treatment 3 or 4 times a day, for a year.

I miss the good old days, of fixing cars with hammers.

[PositronicRay]

Emery board for cleaning points.

[Huff]

Reminds me - any postwar Morris/Austin car with electrical SU fuel pump - get your passenger to thump the bulkhead once in a while to free the sticky points. Click ...

ticktickticktick

tick

tick: now it will start
Vividly remember this in the E-series Morris 8 Dad ran when I was small.

(I also recall watching said pump being taken apart and fixed by a family friend - birth of a petrolhead aged 5? very possibly.)

[talksthetorque]

Keyring, the spiral type. To repair the braided earth cable between the Battery and the body on a Sherpa Minibus on the way home from a stag do in Nottingham.
Whilst the engine was still running. ( Altenator wasn't charging the battery so the lights were all slowly dimming - not good on the M1 at 3am)