Long Haul

Hello,
We are considering a 10 hours drive in a speedster (JPS)..please help me to make a list of things to take. We just bought one on the east coast and are flying in tomorrow to drive it back..
Here is the start of the list;
1) Paid up AAA membership, done.
2) When there get a small gas can (plastic) and have a gallon or two..just in case.
3) A Bible, just in case.
4) Map.
5) ?

Also, what should I ask about...is there any maintance items that I should be concerned about prior to the long haul? The car is a JPS.
Anything would be appreciated!

Fan belt cell phone can of flat fix standard magic tool box of misc metric tool related items rags small roll of wire electrical tape and most importantly duct tape ( all must be checked cannot be in carry on luggage)

Have a good trip take it easy till you get to know the car

Alan M

couple of bottles of oil
Cell phone
sun screen, top down of course
road atlas
several bottles of drinking water
several bags of corn nuts, need the drinking water above after eating.

Quite seriously you should be fine but the cell phone, credit card and the oil is a good idea.

Sounds like you are driving from the East Coast to the Midwest?

Have a fun trip

Bruce

Wow I'm jealous.....

All of the above.

Small tool kit, metric wrenches, screw drivers, electrical tape, electircal tester, flash light, extra fuses, small hammer.

And.......of course.........some cold beer.

All of the Above, and I usually borrow Paul Harfords inflatable right seater for companionship. ( If of course she's free that day!)



Gclarke "The Vacaville guy"

great list....I will try to check all of those things....think I will buy the oil there. I didnt want to make the fly/ drive trip and checking out the alternatives...for the knowledge base here were the options and prices;
1) Rent a truck and a 4 wheel trailer...UHaul...$2000. (no kidding)
2) Pay to have it hauled...$1000 enclosed and they cant get it to me for 17 days...I am in Ohio for Gods sake and there will be snow on the ground again in 17 friggen days!

The fly drive option is actually the least expensive way to get it here the quickest...$600 for both of us.

I spoke with Jon and JPS and he tells me that the car we are buying had a 1800 cc (actually 18 and some other numbers) that has 100hp. The car has 8000 miles. Should make for some interesting top down cruising.

Nervous and excited!

Thanks for the tips anything else?

Sunglasses. :) And, if it has a radio, some good cruising tunes.

Tim,

You'll be fine, have a ball. Be prepared for lots of thumbs up on the trip. What color is the JPS? I've got one also and love it.

Bruce

Tim you should stop in Des Moines if you are coming through. I am also trying to organize a Midwest Replica Reunion during a car show here on July 17th. Would love to have you if it works out.

Paging Jim Ward, please report to the computer keyboard.

All of the above and a large Fire Extinguisher...............
Don't leave home without it.....

The only thing I would add to the list is a spare fan belt.

Doh. Maybe I should read better. Alan's first item...

Throttle and clutch cable... just in case.

A quick stop at the auto parts store for a Haynes VW manual wouldn't hurt.
Better yet a Bentley manual, but you usually have to send for them.

BD

I also did a "fly and drive" when I bought my car last year. I opted to buy tools after I got there, just because I didn't want to raise any eyebrows at the airport. I recommend you discuss your plan with the airline before you show up at the ticket counter with a bag full of tools and not much else. About books and repair manuals; there's a good one by John Muir, easy to understand and even entertaining for anyone who doesn't have any experience with VW-based cars. To the list I would add; a pair of leather utility gloves for handling hot things, and I'd carry at least 2 cans of fix-a-flat. Have fun!

Dont forget the young blonde with big hooties in a bikini to sit beside you the entire way

Good call - if for some reason you break down, make sure she has a bikini packed. It'll make passersby a bit more willing to stop and help.

Remember there is virtually no trunk space. Fan belt, flashlight, screw drivers (flat and philips), 10, 11, 13mm wrenches, large crescent wrench (for fan belt), vise grips, fire extinguisher, fix-a-flat, cell phone. Check oil at every fuel stop. Be ready to get wet in the rain (rain pants?).

I like the mechanic gloves idea.

Good driving. Be ready to discuss your cars story at every stop.

Eric:

The mechanic's gloves are for 'handling hot things'.

Eric summed it up pretty well, but instead of a bunch of screw drivers, get one that has changeable tips that store in the handle. Also:
Distributor Cap, rotor, a set of points (I assume it has points and not electronic ignition) a condensor and a set of feeler gauges (to set the points at .016"). One extra plug wire (the longest) if you feel lucky, a full set of plug wires if you don't (they don't take up much space).

Everything can be bought at a foreign auto parts store and/or Sears Hardware/tool department where ever the car is, so don't try to take it all with you on the plane.

If you get everything mentioned in above posts, you'll be ready for just about anything, and it should all fit under the hood.

Pre-trip maintanence: do a tune-up: Set the valves, new plugs/points/condenser, change the oil and hit the road.

gn

Thanks guys.
Wrote everything down.
I hope there are no on the road mechanical issues because other than the super easy fixes...I am clueless.

Hmm, not sure what happened, I mentioned "hot things" and guys start talking about women in bikinis.

Right Robert, the gloves are for handling "hot things", no gloves needed for "hot thang".

Tim,

Most of the items you should consider however I carry a spair Fuel Filter, VW Repair Manual and Fuel Pump.

Most of the Speedster Owner don't want to "Leave" their car alone on the side of the road and with the suggestions provided you should be able to continue on your trip if you can identify your problem if one happens.

Good Luck,

Jack Blake

Tim,

What route will you be taking. I will traveling the east coast this weekend from Florida to New Jersey with an empty 16ft trailer. If something happens, I might be able to help you out. E-mail me if you are interested and I will give you cell phone number to reach me if you need to.

Jim

Jim .....what a great offer ! This group is t*ts!

Alan

If anyone needs help this weekend between Florida and New Jersey, give me a holler on cell phone. Hate to haul an empty trailer from Florida. 850-217-8947.
Jim

RAIN-X I can't believe I didn't mention it earlier. VW windshield wipers are a joke, avoid the hole mess and use rain-x on all your glass so that when it rains you won't even need windshield wipers. It works extremely well and you will most definitely appreciate it after the first rain. You must apply it ahead of time (before you leave JPS) and buff it off like wax after it drys.

Oh it also makes debugging easier

Having done many cross Canada trips with the first 500 kms with "no services" I'd suggest bringing everything you can and plan on using none of it.

I take everything from spare alternators to wheel bearing kits to starters and I have yet to use any of it. But, I know that if some day I don't bring something...that will be the time I wish I had.

Good luck, safe driving.

Brian

Jim:

Mel Cardenas bought a Speedster in (I think) Pensacola that he needs transported up to New Jersey (sounds like a match made in Heaven!)

I've called him on his cell (917-450-5458) but haven't caught him yet, although I left your cell number for him to call.

Hope you guys can hook up - Mel's been trying to get his car home for a couple of weeks!

Gordon

Gordon,
I have been talking with Mel. He actually bought the car from a guy who lives in the same town as me. I am heading about 70 miles south of where he lives to pick up a CMC kit. Would have been perfect, but we weren't able to arrange schedules. I am in the military, so I didn't really have any flexibility with schedule.