Additional Notes (On How to Prep for the O.O.T.T.T)

Dave Raymond’s article on prepping for the O.O.T.T.T. is excellent, and if all the checks that are suggested are done thoroughly. your car should run the entire trip with a minimum of difficulty. It has, however, been my experience that no matter how well prepared a car is, vibrations will loosen unexpected components and things will slip, loosen, leak or fall off completely. The following is a list of items that I carry at all times when traveling in my T Type MG. With these, most emergency break downs can be repaired on the roadside.

Silicone seal – clear.
Misc. fibre washers.
(this combination will seal leaky banjo bolts, both oil & gas.)
Misc. nuts, bolts and specialty hardware such as banjo bolts for carbs and oil lines.
(The specialty items cannot be substituted
at the hardware store.)
Hose damps for radiator hoses and very small ones for such things as gas lines.
Spare gas flex lines.
Failing this, hose clamps and rubber gas lines can be substituted using fittings from damaged lines.
A quart of brake fluid and a golf tee.
Should a brake leak occur, the car can be driven with relative safety if the system is kept full of fluid. Topping up should get you to an overnight stop where permanent repairs can be made. If the leaks are excessive, the brake line can be removed and plugged with a golf tee and small hose clamp. This will reduce braking but get you rolling.
A complete gasket set
Such gaskets as water pump or thermostat gaskets from a complete set can be a life saver.
Fan belt
Even new belts have been known to fray and disintegrate.
Points, condensor, rotor, distributor cap and coil.
Spare radiator hose set, fuel pump and water pump with pulley.
Spare generator.
The generator does not need to have the tach drive set up. Any MGA or early MGB generator will bolt up correctly and is compatible with the regulator. A generator is needed if for nothing else than an idler pulley to run the water pump.

I carry all of these items except the generator in a sturdy cardboard box in the bottom of the luggage area. The generator is the only item that is a bit troublesome to pack.

Other items that I carry and make readily available are:

A roll of paper towels to wipe inside of windshield and mop up puddles during rain storms.
A roll of duct tape; this will temporarily seal a leaky radiator hose and can be used to seal bad rain leaks around the windshield and side curtains.
Rain-X (works better than the wipers at their best.)

In conclusion: have some warm clothing easily available. As soon as the sun sets the cold starts. In the high plains area and the desert, it gets brutally cold at night It would be advisable to include a water proof jacket as sometimes the cold mixes with the wet. Then life gets very miserable. Warm gloves are also a necessity.

You should be able to get all of this in the car with careful packing and have a great trip.

By Paul Johnson

Read Dave Raymond’s article on How to Prepare for the O.O.T.T.T.