Author Topic: Tools kept in the tailer  (Read 5568 times)

Offline MikenMpls

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Tools kept in the tailer
« on: January 09, 2017, 11:12:07 AM »
Quick question for those of you who do not travel long distances to race or race at 2/3 days events far from home. "What tools do you take with you (or keep) in your trailer?"  Are they from your collection at your race shop (garage) or did you buy them special for the racing operation? What are the must have's and what are the least used of the tools you keep in your trailer? Thanks!

Offline dusterdave173

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Re: Tools kept in the tailer
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2017, 12:37:07 PM »
I started out with enough stuff to swap engines etc--whatever--I had it--after a year and a half I do not plan on converter swaps, trans swaps etc--if she breaks I am loading up and drinking beer  Now I do have a couple spare lifters, pushrods, and rocker arms and lots of gaskets so.... but the tools I use the most are:
Tire tape to check tire diameter
temp gun ( have a spare they are $13 on Ebay now so duh)
feeler gauges
Tire pressure gauge
light weight aluminum jack
tie wraps, lots of funnels, lots of spark plugs
and in a plastic tote I have everything I need to mess with the injection and do after running service like spark plug socket and ratchet, all the allen wrenches, a lot of small wrenches like 3/8ths etc to service and tune injection, a 1/4 in drive set welded with extension and 7/16th socket to pull valve covers, oil filter wrench and sapres because they bend up when you have a tight one and a bar to go on said filter wrenches, lots of paper towels, cheapo brake cleaner, WD-40 and a box with spare injection hoses, fuel lines, AN fittings, lots of cheapo flash lights and a good drop light
and most important of all are GOOD folding chairs not cheapos and my gigantic cooler and...my folding table

You don't need much to match race--if you are really really racing for a purse big enough to do a tranny swap then more power to ya but those days are behind me--I am not working that hard to have fun LOL
I have always had a fascination with fast cars at the expense of more normal character development

Offline coupemerc

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Re: Tools kept in the tailer
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2017, 02:56:59 PM »
I picked up a cheap Husky roll around tool box that holds everything I need to service the race car. I simply roll the box out of the trailer and park it outside the trailer next to the car. The top of the box makes for a good work table too. The list below of "stuff you'll need" was put together by Jon Hansen and was posted a while ago. I think it is a good, complete list that anyone can use as a guideline. Simply delete those things that do not apply to your deal...

From Jon; "Well my 2 cents is, it depends on what kind of racing you are doing, ie, just racing for the fun of it, racing dial-in, or bracket , etc, BUT if you are racing for a series points/ championships, like we do. We have won 3 NHRA Heritage championships, so we don't plan on doing major work on the car, but we are prepared for it. You can't win events or championships if you don't make rounds.
So what we bring,[chasing points]  is two 10x15 easy-ups [ Calif Sun] that we install lights under the easy-ups for racing, working, eating at night, 3 outside trailer lights too, 4' fan to blow alky fumes away from crew and driver during warm-ups, four 3" ramps to get the Pro-Jacks under the car that raises the dragster to waist level [ our crew ages range from 54 to 74], of course generator , air compressor to operate that stuff, yes a small stool to get in & out of trailer and the driver to get in the race car for warm-ups [ it's a rule, no car can be running w/o a license driver] , gas jug for generator [ we seem to refill it everyday on the way back to the track from the hotel] a jug for water to fill the water jackets, five 5 gal jugs of alky in case we get 3 qualifying and 3 elim runs, tools to do between runs work, valve lash checking, valve spring checking and RR to replace springs, timing light, leak down tool [ for engine and barrel valve], torque wrench [ small & big], small air tank to take to staging lanes for last minute changes, air gauge of course, infra-red heat gun to check engine heat for warm-ups, and heat just before staging, track and tire temps, and engine and tire temp after a run, filtered funnel for fuel, drain pan to drain puke tank after every run, tune-up stuff, jets, shims, even nozzles, enough spark plugs to check for heat and jetting changes [ I change at least one new plug every run to see what's going inside the combustion camber & I will change all the plugs on an important race], 2 step chips, shift light chips, laptop computer to down load RacePak info to make tune-up and race car changes, spare, but different slicks on wheels, spare but different 3'rd member , 3 different converters [ we might just change one, but since I have them, I bring them in case a fellow JF racer needs them], of course oil, for motor, trans rear-end, pit scooter and generator, head and intake gaskets, spare rocker arms, push rods, spare mag and cap rotor, wires, spare pilot chute, burn-out screen, primer bottle, front end ballast, engine blanket to cover motor to keep heat in the motor between the pit and start-up lane [ I try to get the all iron motor up to 180° to 200° while staging] flash lites, and of course 4 tables, 8 chairs, 3 coolers, BBQ, lunch , battery charger, 24 volt remote battery for starting [ it weighs 10 lbs] and enough tools to do all this work. "


Offline MikenMpls

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Re: Tools kept in the tailer
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2017, 03:05:37 PM »
I will need to buy a bigger trailer than I originally planned to! Thanks for all the suggestions and things I did NOT think of.  Like Dave if something significant becomes and issue I will load up and enjoy the evening. I rather work 10 hours in the shop than 1 hr at the track. Just too old for that anymore and this is supposed to be fun ;D

Offline wideopen231

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Re: Tools kept in the tailer
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2018, 09:30:43 AM »
I try to carry everything except the bridgeport.I would carry it if not so dang heavy. Unlike some I don't plan to leave for anythiung less than a crashed car and don't plan on scuffing my vehicle.LOL
Relecting obama is like shooting right foot because it did not hurt enough when you shot left foot

Offline GlennLever

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Re: Tools kept in the tailer
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2018, 08:53:49 PM »
I started with a basic set of tools and have found I can get everything I NEED into this. If an emergency arises at the track help from friends comes running (right up to the time you pull up to the tree, then all bets are off). At this point I'm not sure I could get much of anything else in.
Glenn R. Lever
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My Cars https://www.lever-family-racing.com/