Matt Gruber

i had 2 spares sitting on a shelf in my garage :rolleyes: they are stock pumps and they would not keep up once it passed 350HP. But, after reading about how propwash was stranded with a dead pump in his c2,i decided a small pump would look like a pot of gold, if mine ever quits. Propwash had offers of help and tools, but no pump. Ended up on a car carrier :rolleyes:
So do you have a spare $10 fuel pump in the car?.

76Frankenstein

If I carried a spare for everything that broke on my car at one point or another, I'd have to be towing a spare car ! :lol:
I just make sure my AAA membership is current and keep my fingers crossed.

My69

Matt your idea is a good one but you cant anticipate everything. I carry the basic stuff and also hope I dont need something special. There is only so much I can do on the side of the road. Keep my AAA and Hagerty card in my wallet and make sure I have a cell phone.
MIKE :auto:

Matt Gruber

doesn't AAA offer 15 minutes of mechanical assistance? Would be nice to have AAA show up, and hand him the fuel pump to put on.
.
sure you can't carry everything, but a fuel pump does not take up much space. But, if you guys don't want to carry one, reading your stories will still be entertaining. :yesnod:

i don't have AAA or a cell phone so i tend to think in terms of on the spot quick repairs


[Modified by Matt Gruber, 12:15 PM 9/21/2003]

JB

15 minutes?! Heck, it took me that long to get the bolts lined up and started (tight in there!).

JB

Matt Gruber

good point jb.
for a quick temporary fix, a universal electric would be better :cheers:

KenSny

Don't know about that! You'd have to have the lines plumbed to bypass the old mechanical pump, be able to cap them off and have them in a location that would be easy to get at. Seems like a major hassle to "prepare for" a "maybe if" situtation.

If I carried all the "maybe if" stuff around I'd be pulling a trailer behind me. Not to mention the size, and weight, of the tool box I need.

Matt Gruber

Ken
Why do you have to bypass the broken pump? This is news to me :confused:
If it was leaking? Yes i agree, but not if the valves failed open, as they often do.
.
Luck=opportunity + preperation
Do you carry tools? Parts? No? You are out of luck!

norvalwilhelm

On both my cars I have mounted twin Holley Blue pumps with complete seperate switches. I run on one pump today , the other tomorrow, like in a plane.If one gives me a problems I always have the spare to run home on. I even keep 2 spare blue pumps on the shelf. Having a spare is a sure way to make sure you don't ever need one.

KenSny

OK then, I'll play devil's advocate here.

If you are concerned that the mechanical pump is going to fail then pull it out, cap off the hole and install a brand new electric pump. Otherwise just install a new mechanical. There are plenty of other "small" things that can go wrong with any vehicle on the road - chances are you won't have that part to fix it on the spot either.

Do you have other cars? Do you carry a spare this-and-that for them? Why not - age of car? Things can fail even on cars a couple of years old...

Let me tell you a story. My brother had a 1970 Chev V8 that he put about 245,000 miles on over about 25 years. It was his daily driver, back and forth to work, running errands, grocery hauler, etc. you name it - he used it and the body looked like crap. Primer patches everywhere. He did hardly any maintence except change the oil/filter on a strict timetable, plugs, etc. He replaced the fuel pump once, fan belts twice, headlights twice. When he finally sold it to a high-school kid the engine still ran and that kid ran it back and forth to school without doing anything for over a year. Then he pulled everything and put in a big block once he got out of school and got a job.

The only tools we ever carried were phone numbers of people to call in case of a breakdown. Now-a-days it's even easier with cell phones and highway assistance insurance.

So again I say, I won't be carrying any spare parts, I do however carry enough to replace the fuses, and change the tires. Minimal at least.

Matt Gruber

Good story Ken.
Our early experiences shape our lives.
In 1970 i got a 66 chevelle a 4 year old car. One day it died and all i needed was a screwdriver to fix it, BUT MY TOOLS WERE AT HOME :rolleyes:
From that day forward, i ALWAYS carry my tools, which are divided between my 3 cars, 72, 61, 67. One day a friend comes over and asks me why i don't have any roll-a-way tool chest in my garage, like he does. At first i was puzzled :confused: then i opened the trunks of my 61 & 67 pointed to and opened the tool boxes and said WHAT GOOD ARE TOOLS AT HOME WHEN DRIVING?
Yes i carry numerous small parts in my cars, i store them in the cars. No i don't carry big heavy stuff, but all of my cars since 1970 have made it home with never a call or a tow.

KenSny

Ain't it the truth! Hopefully we all modify our behavior, when needed, as we pass thru those experiences.

And by the way, he's now got an 73 olds that has about 175,000 on it but I think the body will not make another 50k. It's got to be 90% bondo by now. It's embarassing to ride in it anymore. It runs good, and rides good, but at least he could buzz-bomb it with a couple of cans of spray paint once a year.... :)

Alwyn678

No I carry a cell phone and insurance that pays for towing...

Brettmc

When I ride the vette, I carry nothing but me, my wallet and my cell phone. I do preventative maintenance on this car and my daily driver truck. This is why neither of these have put me down, yet. If they ever do, I'll just call my wife to bring my tow strap and her truck.

Tools weigh too much to be totin around. I'd hate to get beat up by a ricer cause I'm totin 200 lbs. of tools and spare parts.

Brett :thumbs:

Matt Gruber

so now i need a wife :confused:
tool weight:
72, 15#
61, 40#(weight needed for traction anyway)
67, 25#
i use a small percentage of the savings from not having a cell and AAA to buy tools, parts, and stocks and bonds :lol:

Brettmc

Heck yeah, man, get you a wife. They come in real handy sometimes. My wife helps me bleed brakes. She's real good on opinion of paint shininess. Also, good on color-matching. She's real good on tellin me areas on which to work on my vette: "why does it sound like that?" or "why does it make that noise?". When she asked me why it was so loud on our last ride, I knew I had the mufflers right. She's great on moral support during long projects too: "How come you can't fix that?". Man, what would I do without my honey. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: