Tools for a fly and drive?

I'm sure a few of you here have done a fly and drive at some point and I'm curious what you did with tools along the way.

Did you fly down with supplies? I can't imagine the airlines are too excited about me bringing duct tape, zip ties, and pliers in my carry on. Did you buy some cheap tools once you got in town?

I'm planning to fly to my parents house and drive my 45 year old car home on a ~400 mile trip. And while the car has had some miles put on it to shake out bugs I want to be prepared in case anything happens while I'm driving through the wilderness of Pennsylvania.

From your parents? UPS or FedEx ground is your friend and sign up for AAA.

400 miles? that's an afternoon of driving... make sure it's in good mechanical condition, change the oil, check the hoses, check the brakes, check the wheel bearings.. drive..

Leatherman. Wire. Duct Tape. GearWrench Set. Multi-Screwdriver. Done.

Nitroracer wrote: Did you fly down with supplies? I can't imagine the airlines are too excited about me bringing duct tape, zip ties, and pliers in my carry on. Did you buy some cheap tools once you got in town?

The airlines and TSA don't much care. There are specifics listed on the TSA website about what you can carry on. Nothing sharp and there is a max length. I've carried sockets and ratchets, brake tools, a suitcase full of tape (work related, don't put the GPS wires down the middle of a core, that looks real bad on the x-ray), spark plugs, plenty of stuff. I usually take it out of the bag and put it all into the bin to save the time. If it looks weird on the scanner they appreciate being able to peer into the bin and dismissing it and moving on to the next guy.

As long as you know the car and think that it is relatively road worthy, I wouldn't take much beyond a cell phone and AAA card. Because unless it is a super simple car, are you really going to bring along exactly what you need?

AAA card, Credit card, some cash and a sense of adventure :)

Flew out to OK to drive the 78 Colony Park back to NJ (about 1300 miles) with nothing more than that. The only roadside repair was able to be accomplished using a dime as a screwdriver.

When we flew to Utah to pick up the '69 96, we took a change of clothes, my AAA card, some cash and a credit card.

We stopped at a Wal-Mart and an auto parts store in SLC. Picked up fluids, extra fan belts, zip ties, some electrical connectors, a couple of screwdrivers and some wire strippers/crimpers.

It was fiiiiiine. Mostly. This was a 1700 mile trip. You'll be fine @ 400 miles. Hell, AAA Platinum includes free 200 mile tows.

When I did mine I just checked a bag that had my clothes and a tool bag in it. No issues that way.

I checked a cheap plastic tool box the last time I did anything like that, and then bought the stuff I couldn't take on the flight (oil, WD-40, etc.) when I landed.

this time of year i'd carry a blanket and a couple of road flares, in addition to the standard "cell phone, AAA card, spare tire, compact floor jack" deal.

AngryCorvair wrote: this time of year i'd carry a blanket and a couple of road flares, in addition to the standard "cell phone, AAA card, spare tire, compact floor jack" deal.

Yeah, I'm waiting until April to make this trip. The car is still mostly rust free and Erie is covered in salt and snow for a few more months yet.

I was thinking about getting AAA since I'm prone to purchasing cars older than I am that might need some work. That keeps me from getting locked out, and running out of gas, but they won't tow me very far, right?

The best tool to bring on a fly and drive is the one that doesnt mind pushing...

When I travel I like to take a small tool bag with me as I enjoy going to different self serve salvage yards in different locals just to see what they have. Now granted, it's not very extensive but it does include screw drivers, small socket set, pliers, wire cutters, a putty knife for removing emblems and a few other misc. items. Surprisingly, I have never been stopped or questioned going through security at the airport. Now I am not sure that it's because they don't care or that they are not doing a good job and just missing these things. It's hard to imagine it would be the latter as I have done this 15 or 20 times so someone must have seen them. Anyway, that's my story and I can't say you will have the same experience but good luck if you try.

Internet connected cell phone and a paper copy of a manual for the car. Tools can be bought for cheap at any town with a Walmart. What can't be bought is knowledge. There are posts on the board of me freaking out because I was 1000 miles from home in the 911 that I had bought from GPS and it wouldn't start. The whole internet told me to swap out a relay. The book showed me where exactly it was. I did those things and the car started and got me home with no more drama. A toolbox of tools would have been useless, but a book and the whole world of people to ask saved my bacon.

Nitroracer wrote: I was thinking about getting AAA since I'm prone to purchasing cars older than I am that might need some work. That keeps me from getting locked out, and running out of gas, but they won't tow me very far, right?

"AAA Plus" gets you 100 miles towing.

AngryCorvair wrote:

Nitroracer wrote: I was thinking about getting AAA since I'm prone to purchasing cars older than I am that might need some work. That keeps me from getting locked out, and running out of gas, but they won't tow me very far, right?

"AAA Plus" gets you 100 miles towing.

And Platinum or Premium or whatever the hell they call their top tier tows 200 miles. I've used it twice.

You can always call or text me if you have issues around the Allentown area. PM me for info. I don't have a dolly or trailer yet but I don't mind pushing if need be.