jason@hp-pcd.UUCP (02/09/84)
A camping shovel does nicely. The better ones fold into three sections to a length of about 8". -Jay Su !hplabs!hp-pcd!jason
paveleck@ihldt.UUCP (Bob Paveleck) (02/10/84)
Some other items you might want to keep in your car for emergencies:
(1) Some kind of towel or rag (to wipe off a wet distributor or windows, if
your car is like mine and often smears them with washer fluid instead
of cleaning them)
(2) A couple of extra belts (I recently took an Out-of-Hours course
on Basic Auto Mechanics and one of the instructors recommended
this, as belts tend to snap when you least expect them and are
cheap to replace). Of course, the belts have to be the right
ones for your type of car.
(3) A box of spare fuses (These are also cheap, and sometimes, just driving
over a really bumpy road might cause some loose wires to touch
and short out a circuit. In my case, the circuits have been the
ones controlling the windshield wipers, the radio and the
dashboard lights, all of which are a real pain to be without!)
(4) Some extra windshield washer fluid (relates to the 1st item above)
(5) Some extra anti-freeze/coolant (in case you notice that your car
isn't getting any heat in the winter or it's overheated in warm
weather)
(6) A bottle of distilled water (if your battery is one which isn't
maintenance-free)
That's about all I can think of for now. Hope this helps!
Bob Paveleck
ihldt!paveleckbarbaral@tekig1.UUCP (Barbara Lee) (02/12/84)
What do you keep in your car emergency kit? I am trying to put one together and would appreciate any suggestions. (i.e. flashlight, electrical tape, spare fuses, bulbs, etc.)
harold@hp-pcd.UUCP (02/12/84)
There are three items I have in my trunk which get more use than
anything else. Listed in the order of highest use on down, they are;
1) Tow rope or cable or chain-- very good for gettng people out of
snowbanks, mudhols, etc. (espicially if you have #2 on)
2) Tire chains-- great for extra traction (needed when towing someone
out of a ms on slick roads)
3) Jumper cables
I also have flashlight, tools, spare belts, spare plugs, spare rotor,
anti-freeze, sleeping bag (try keeping warm when your car is stuck in
a snowbank and you can't run it for fear of exhaust fumes), and first-
aid stuff.
I have found it is a pain to pack all this stuff. Does anyone know of
a neat trunk organizer that can handle this stuff for a '74 Nova??
Harold Noyes
!hplabs!hp-pcd!haroldburt@axiom.UUCP (Burt Janz) (02/13/84)
I keep: 5 flares 1 can of flat tire inflator stuff 1 set of jumpers 1 GOOD flashlight (change batteries quarterly) 1 thing of Prestone 1 bottle of water (distilled) 1 Craftsman 19(?) piece tool kit (you know, ratchet, wrenches, etc) 1 3" folding knife. It's in my trunk all the time. When I use the flares, I IMMEDIATELY get new ones. By the way, if you act the good samaritan and help someone on the road, the staties may (if you ask them nice - I do) replace your flares!! Not bad, eh? Burt Janz
leiby@yeti.UUCP (02/14/84)
ihldt!paveleck: > Some other items you might want to keep in your car for emergencies: > > (1) Some kind of towel or rag (to wipe off a wet distributor or windows, if > your car is like mine and often smears them with washer fluid instead > of cleaning them) Bob Paveleck is one frood who knows where his towel's at! -- Mike Leibensperger @ Masscomp, Westford MA 01886 {tektronix,harpo,decvax}!masscomp!leiby
rsp@opus.UUCP (02/16/84)
This is a suggestion of *where* to keep an emergency kit. A common kind of accident is the "rear-ender". Many times the trunk of the car that was struck in the rear is jammed shut. So if practical, keep *first aid* supplies somewhere *inside* the car. I keep mine under the front seat... Russ Panneton NBI, Inc. Boulder CO
sew@minn-ua.UUCP (02/17/84)
#R:tekig1:-152700:minn-ua:3100002:000:502 minn-ua!sew Feb 16 09:43:00 1984 If you're going where there is snow (or mud?), your trunk should have a shovel in it. However, don't get one of those sheet aluminum things. If you need to shovel your car free of the roadside (as I have had to twice in the past two winters), you will be dealing with packed snow rather than fluffy driveway stuff. Get a steel shovel, one of the narrow ones with a grip on the end of the handle. From the analogue digits of: ...ihnp4!umn-cs!mecc-ua!sew Scot E. Wilcoxon, MECC Technical Services.