Touring In Your Classic Sports Car
A Few Reminders for Enjoying Long Distance Trips
Craig Cody, Santa Barbara, CA
With the summer season upon us, our thoughts turn to long motoring trips in our British cars. My "big trip" of the summer is a drive some 250 miles up the coast to the Monterey Peninsula for what has to be one of the most incredible automotive weekends on earth. It includes the Monterey historic races and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Without a doubt either of these events is enough to send any enthusiast into sensory overload, the combination is a sort of "motorhead's nirvana".
Preparation for an extended journey involves, as much as anything, plain common sense. I usually begin with a thorough inspection of the car as follows:
Engine compartment...
Check all fluid levels and top up as necessary.
Inspect hoses and belts for wear and cracking.
Make certain that all electrical connections are clean and tight.
Check carburetors for leaks, and if applicable, add oil to the dashpots.
Outside:
Inspect tires for cuts and wear and inflate to proper pressure. (Don't forget the spare!)
Turn on all the lights and check for burned out bulbs. Make certain that both high and low beams are functioning properly. Honk the horn!
Tools:
While many of our cars had factory tool kits, over the years they have either lost some of the tools or been removed from the car entirely. I carry a rudimentary tool kit in an original type tool roll. Requirements for different cars vary, but you will need at least the following:
Pliers-needlenose and regular
Screwdrivers-a couple of sizes of both straight and Phillips
Crescent wrench-call it an "adjustable spanner" if you wish to sound British.
Feeler gauge-I don't know why, but I always have a fear of my points closing up, and no way to set them. Indulge your own little idiosyncrasy with a favorite type of tool.
Jack and lug wrench or wheel hammer-are they really there? Better check!
File-I like to carry a point file, fuel pumps can be given enough life to get you home if you file the points.
Electrical tape and wire-these items are pretty self-explanatory and very, very useful.
Wrenches-a basic set of combination wrenches is an absolute necessity, make certain that they are of the appropriate type for your car. i.e. Whitworth, S.A.E., etc.
Spares:
The spare parts you carry will really be dictated by how recently things were replaced. If your fan belt is fairly new, it would be silly to carry a spare. I always carry spark plugs, points and condenser. Just use your own judgement here, based on what you feel you might need, how long the trip will be and how far your route will take you from civilization. A couple of quarts of oil and at least a gallon of water are absolute musts.
It has been my experience in that packing for a long journey, I usually take more than I need. We don't tend to have a lot a variables in the weather here in California, so clothing is a pretty simple matter. I just lay out what I think I may need, then put half of it back. Since the Monterey weekend is a camping expedition, of course I have a tent and sleeping bag, a cooler and some cooking equipment. The MG club I belong to usually has a group going to Monterey, and we all share our extra space. Any trip of this type is a lot more fun if you can arrange to do it with at least one other classic British car. The more the merrier. We always drive up along Highway 1 through the Big Sur on what has to be one of the greatest sports car roads in the entire world.
A final note, if there is any way you can arrange it, you owe it to yourself to visit the Monterey peninsula the third weekend in August. Whether you drive, or fly in, it is something that every enthusiast must do at least once in a lifetime. There is a campground right at the racetrack, and if you have never awakened on a Saturday morning to the sound of a Ferrari or Aston Martin or Jag or any one of a dozen other cars doing Hot Laps for practice, well, you just haven't lived. See you there, and happy motoring.
Craig will receive a gift certificate for his contribution.
(Remember that Moss Motors is open seven days a week, and can get you whatever you didn't take on an overnight basis, so at the very least, take your catalog-Ed!)
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