I’m flying to the middle of nowhere, Australia — pretty much right now — to fix a 1969 Chrysler Valiant Ute that a reader I’ve never met bought on my behalf for $900. It’s a total of about 20 hours flying time from Detroit to Sydney, then some time on a bus to central station, then another seven-ish hours to the town nearest my Ute: Dubbo. Because I’ll have to carry my luggage around during the trek, and because I’m too cheap to pay a bunch for luggage, I’ve limited myself to just a single bag of tools to accompany my check-in of car parts. Here are the tools I strategically chose for this small “bugout bag” and why I think they’ll suffice for the vast majority of my wrenching needs.
As perhaps some of you are aware, I spend a lot of my time in junkyards. I’d say I visit a ‘yard, on average, twice a week. Has it contributed to a rather suboptimal social life? You could make that argument; but you can’t make the argument that I don’t score smokin’ hot deals on car parts. Because I do. Anyway, this junkyard-wrenching has forced me to have a “bugout bag” ready — a collection of only the most essential tools that can accomplish the vast majority of the wrenching I need to do, but that doesn’t weigh so much that I’ll pull a muscle on my way from my truck to the junkyard wheelbarrow.
After years of laying on my back at a salvage yard regretting having forgotten my shears or my pry bar or my cheater bar, I’ve refined my bugout bag to the point where I can snag whichever part I need without having to head back home for tools. So with that in mind, here’s a look at what I’m going to try to get through Australian customs. These are my bare essentials:
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We’ll first start with a can of PB Blaster, or “Cleveland’s Finest” as I like to call it. Whether it’s more of a placebo than an actual penetrating lubricant that makes it easier to loosen bolts, I don’t really know, but I will say that I love the stuff. Especially in the rust-filled ‘yards of Michigan, a can of “Jesus Juice” is something I can’t leave at home; given the state of my Utes, I bet I’ll have to use at least some of this (though I bet the rust in Australia, as bad as it looks, is mostly just superficial compared to Michigan rot).
Next up is a set of shears. These can do everything a set of wire-snippers can, but they can also slice things like brake hoses, brake lines, radiator hoses, and thin sheetmetal. The versatility of shears should never be doubted.
Possibly the second most important tool in a wrencher’s tool set, behind a good flathead screwdriver, is a set of swivel-head ratcheting wrenches. How I wrenched for nearly a decade without these is beyond me. There are so many occasions where a socket just won’t fit, and a standard wrench would take 500 years as you twist, remove, rotate, install, twist, remove, rotate, install, twist, etc. The swivel-head ratcheting wrench takes care of this; it’s an amazing contraption.
A tool that I probably could have just bought in Australia, but that I bring with me anytime I’m fixing something (I don’t bring this to the junkyard) is a roll of friction tape. Electrical tape is crucial when fixing an old car, but the problem is that it’s adhesive-based, and therefore doesn’t really work to fix a leak. Friction tape adheres to itself; stretch it tight and wrap it around itself, and it forms a great waterproof bond.
Speaking of electrical tape, I always bring a set of wire strippers/crimpers when I’m mending something. I’ll snag some splice connectors when I’m in Oz, but something tells me this tool is going to see some heavy use as I try to get this ute up and running:
I could have bought these in Australia, but they’re lightweight and low-volume, plus extremely important: Zipties:
An underrated tool in any wrenching aresnal is the headlamp. Don’t waste your time with a flashlight, as you have to give up 50 percent of your hands to wield one. Headlamps are the answer:
Sometimes you have to service brakes, and that means bleeding. The cheapest and easiest way to do this is to have a friend step on the pedal while you — with nothing but a hose and wrench (and maybe an old coke bottle to catch the fluid) manipulate the bleeder screw at the caliper (or in my case, wheel cylinder). But when there’s no friend there to help, look no further than the Bleed-O-Matic bleeder kit. It’s small, cheap, and I use it often:
Sometimes you need to grip things really tightly and twist them or bend them. If you break a screw, for example, you might want to grab what’s left of the shank and rotate it out. There’s really only one tool for that job, and it’s the vice grip. I bring a wide one and a narrow one everywhere I go:
Also important are channel locks. I use them to get big spring clamps off, and sometimes to yank stubborn radiator hoses off of radiators/thermostat housings:
Line wrenches. Flare nut wrenches. Whatever you like to call them, these five-sided wrenches are must-haves for brake lines and fuel lines. They’re not all made the same either; especially for the smaller 3/8 and 7/16 fittings, you must make sure you have a high-quality one that fits tightly around the nut, otherwise you’ll strip it. Ask me how I know.
Speaking of brakes, I brought a drum brake tool, because using a set of pliers to compress the springs that hold the brake shoes against the backing plate is a pain in the ass. I don’t have time to waste, so I brought the right tool for the job.
I always have an assortment of extensions read to go, and I always make sure to have adapters, should I not have the right ratchet on-hand. Plus, I bring the standard spark plug socket-sizes:
Magnets have saved my ass far too many times for me to leave mine at home. If you drop a little bolt into a tight abyss, how else will you retrieve it?
I always bring a few ratchets with me. My current favorite is my 3/8-drive-1/4-drive combination ratchet from Harbor Freight. Not only does it allow me to use either 1/4 or 3/8-drive sockets, but it also has an extendable handle built in for extra leverage. I also ended up bringing a spare SK 3/8-drive ratchet because it’s just such a good tool. I could have left it at home, but ratchets are usually the most-used tools in any car project, and having a high-quality one on hand is just nice. I also brought a half-inch drive ratchet:
To go along with my ratchets, I always have along for the ride the tail end of a turkey baster. It’s thin sheetmetal, so it’s light, but its moment of inertia about its bending axis is large, so it does a great job as a cheater bar for extra leverage.
I also bring an adjustable wrench in case I don’t have the right socket on hand. Yes, they’re known to round bolts, but they’re incredibly versatile:
I brought my favorite screwdrivers. I could have bought some in Australia, but these — specifically “Big Orange,” which has helped me through some seriously arduous projects — are my favorites. Also, a tiny pick: Far more important than you’d think. Sometimes you have to manipulate something small, and a pick is the only thing that will do. The item shown below with a black handle is a trim removal tool; this is the ultimate solution to the problem of breaking plastic parts, though I don’t know if any of my utes even have any trim left:
I brought a small bag of 1/4-inch drive sockets and an extra small ratchet. Tiny sockets are important and easily misplaced, so having a set with me is just a smart move.
I also have a bunch of torx and allen wrenches with me in a small bag, along with Irwin bolt extractors for when I round a bolt on a rusty ute:
Pry bars fall on the other side of the spectrum as the tiny pick I mentioned before. It’s not about manipulating something delicate, it’s about forcing something to yield to your will through sheer force-multiplication:
I always have some gasket maker on me, should I have a leak somewhere:
And of course, I have in my bag a few spare English wrenches, since Valiants Utes are not held together with metric fasteners:
In addition, I snagged a few of the most popular 1/2-inch drive English sockets:
You’ll notice a few things missing (Of course, big things like welders I’ll have to borrow from my host, Laurence). There’s no hammer and no socket set. These I’ll buy once I’m in Australia, as the hammer is a cheap and ubiquitous tool that’s too heavy to justify hauling across the world. The socket set is large and also ubiquitous; I should have no issue picking up a 3/8-drive set in Oz. I’d also like to snag a gasket scraper (the ones that use replaceable razors are best), a roll of electrical tape, some wires, maybe some epoxy (JB weld), and a few other odds and ends, but I’ll snag all of that when I’m there.
Otherwise I think this 35 pound bugout bag of mine will set me up for damn-near anything my ute will throw my way.
Nice setup David. The only thing I would add or change would dump the channel lock and adjustable wrench and add a 3rd larger vice grip. I would also add a roll of 2″ Gorilla tape and a P-38 WWII can opener. With my 40+ years of road side / emergency repairs they come in handy. The P-38 works as a makeshift flat screwdriver and can work as a emergency hose cutter. It also is great when your hungry, don’t have time to eat and can open a can of beans or chili! As for your fear of suboptimal social life, just give a yell! I’ll come in from NJ and go grave digging with you. I enjoy it! It my live version of Raiders of the Lost Ark..
Ahh, the trusty P-38.
A handy little thing that lives at the bottom of some pocket of every camping pack I own.
It’s not just a tool, it can also be a game.
“Alright niece’s and nephew’s, Can any of you Open your imagination enough to tell me what this is for? There’s a clue in the question. Winner gets some chilli.”
I used to carry a P-38 around in my pocket with keys etc. Then one day it unfolded in that pocket and I nearly gave myself a vasectomy when I sat down.
I have no idea where it went to after that.
When I’m working on stuff 20yo or older, I always bring my impact screwdriver — you know: the chunky thing with interchangeable bits that you set, rotate ccw to take up slack, then smack with a hammer. Invaluable for drums with a holding screw. And you can put any 1/4” socket on it for those bolts you >know< are just waiting for you to breath on ‘em. In my experience, it’s well worth carrying for the little fragile bolts. It earned its keep on door-striker screws, and I’d say I owe it for all the brake drums.
Also, check the size of your spark plug sockets against the haft of your ratchets: my 2 plug sockets fit the round shafts of my old 3/8 & 1/2 Craftsman ratchets, so I tossed my ‘pipe extension’. If the baster tip doesn’t have any other use, you might could retire it.
Totally underrated tool! The heft: frequency of use ratio is a tad too high to carry in my bugout, but it’s borderline.
I look forward to hearing how many of these tools actually make it through 1) TSA, and 2) Customs.
David just remember everything rotates counter in the lower hemisphere. Most will work in reverse but for wrenches, pliers and such you will need left handed tools. LOL
You’re going to a country where even songbirds can kill you. You will need a lot more than hand tools and a tetanus shot this time.
I am always looking for a good headlamp recommendation. My current DD is a rechargeable Milwaukee. I am not in love with it, but it has been very reliable. David take better care of your tools you kook!
I might be going off-topic a bit here, but one thing I’d enthusiastically recommend to anyone that owns and wrenches on Japanese cars is a high quality JIS screwdriver set. You will experience nothing short of an epiphany when you discover that the Phillips tipped screwdrivers you’ve been using were the wrong tools for the job all along.
It seems that Suzanne C likes your style. And she seems to make a good bit of money that doesn’t even seem possible.
Topic IS tools: you’re right on it.
Up-thread, someone mentioned Whitworth sized fasteners. Having to acquire some British tools didn’t phaze me, but, somehow, finding out about JIS about made me lose my shit one night. Might have been because I had been driving Subarus for years-and broke many, many mostly emissions-related components-without knowing about this. Or, it could have been that damn fuel pressure regulator I had just the night before stripped out cause I didn’t have the proper kit. Still mad about that: no excuse except low-bandwidth in the ‘90s(at my house back then it took a couple min to download a single picture).
Everything I’ve read recently suggests that JIS doesn’t really exist anymore and quality screwdrivers do both
https://www.webbikeworld.com/hozan-jis-screwdrivers-review/
What set do you own?
Related tip: many automotive screws have a hex head as well as the more obvious phillips or slotted drive. Whenever that’s the case, don’t even fuck with the screwdriver. Go straight to the socket set or a nut driver.
You need one of these Breaker Bars: https://shop.snapon.com/product/Breaker-Bars-(Blue-Point)-(1-2%22)/1-2%22-Drive-12-24%22-Adjustable-Breaker-Bar/BLPBB1224
I got one and it goes in my little tool kit. If it breaks you just send it back and get a new one for free.
Honestly I was expecting a lot less stuff in that bag.
That’s a solid assortment. Good luck DT!
Mad Max levels of readiness. I first thought: no, that would be too much extra weight in the Autobianchi. Then I realized I don’t have the skills, so all is fine with my limited range of rather mint tools in the back. Good luck down under!
Mate! Great to see you here-hope you’re in negotiations with them about writing for us. Always enjoyed your take on things.
Thanks so much! I’ve mentioned the possibility to Matt, so we shall see in the future…
I also realized this look like a “I am totally not kidnapping someone” starter kit.
TSA: “Why do you have zip ties, tape, and various implements in this bag?”
David: “I am fixing a car I have never seen.”
TSA: “Riiiigggghhttt. Come with me sir.”
Especially if you tell them you plan to stay at the Saudi embassy for “just a few hours”.
Yeah he might want to pack some lube just in case. Parr of the story to leave out.
I HAVE TO HAVE MY TOOLS!
No duct tape? No bailing wire?
I’m disappointed 🙁
You could at least pack some corn syrup. I have it on the sketchiest of authority corn syrup can serve as automotive hydraulic fluid…for a short time anyway.
This is funny, I packed a similar load of tools for a 6,000-mile road trip last year. Since my car had 220,000 miles on it at the time, I figured I should take some just-in-case tools. (Note: I did replace a lot of potential problem parts before the trip, like radiator hoses, the water pump, and the alternator.)
I even brought my small floor jack and jack stands, just because the car’s scissor jack sucks. I brought most of the same stuff you did, although I economized on sockets by only bringing 3/8″ ratchets, but with lots of adapters so that I had every size, English and metric, covered.
Turns out I never needed any of them, but I was prepared.
Yeah, I’ve found the best way to avoid unexpected unfortunate breakdowns is to be over prepared. And to not drive janky rust buckets like DT.
If those tools could talk, what do you suppose they’d say?
clean me
I got ratioed.
“Say?” They scream.
“The guy’s an animal, I was dipped in rust and crud and put away wet.”
The same thing your wiener says… “put me in your hand and play with me”
David, please please buy some better tools.
Also, maybe don’t bring the vice-grips everywhere or when you do start dating one day you’re gonna get some strange(r than normal?) looks
YES PLEASE on the better tools.
Especially the crimpers; those wretched things do a terrible crimp. Bad leverage and so much flex in the handle.
Low-quality tools make extra work and lost time and I wish more people got that. You don’t have to buy Snap-on or the like but step it up over HF and other Chinese junk. Tekton, Husky and several other brands make nice middle ground tools that are great for people between householders and professionals.
Southwire at Lowe’s has some decent & affordable tools. Several of our electricians carry them now. They can afford the Kleins, but say they don’t really last any longer. I bought the crimper to replace one like that pictured, and it works the first time every time unlike the pressed steel thing it replaced. Does weigh more, tho.
Don’t shit on Harbor Freight universally. Some of their stuff is actually quite nice, especially their Icon line.
Seconded.
Even their electrical stuff doesn’t 100% suck if you step up to the higher price point in-store.
Jared on the “Wrench Every Day” YouTube channel has tested HF tools over a period of time and said the stuff was totally usable.
If you can nab some higher end stuff on the cheap, great. But most of us are never going to know the difference.
And there is no way the tool trucks can justify what they charge.
That’s my rule of thumb when it comes to HF. If they offer multiple grades of tools, you’re usually in good shape buying anything other than the cheapest.
Pretty much.
On the cheapest stuff, if it only works once then you got your money out of it, if it works twice you’re ahead.
I tend to go to Harbor Freight for tools I’ll only need to use infrequently or maybe just a handful of times for a specific job. Although my dad and I both have had good luck with the Pittsburgh floor jacks they sell there. His is still going strong 12+ years later. There’s some other HF tools I’ve had kicking around for a while that are still good, but I’ve honestly forgotten the origin of many of my tools so I’m nut sure which ones!
I always have a rule for HF tools: Always buy them. If it breaks, step up to a nicer brand.
“Especially the crimpers; those wretched things do a terrible crimp. Bad leverage and so much flex in the handle.”
How so? You have a long lever on the handle side and a short lever on the crimper side. That gives you great leverage. See also bolt cutters.
That said, a cheap version of that style of tool will make you regret your life decisions. I needed one a while back because I had to crimp a wire in a tight space, and the incredibly cheap ones that came in my incredibly cheap Harbor Freight toolkit (that I raided for basics like sockets and screwdrivers to keep in my car) folded over like cardboard and left me with a partially completed crimp. Got a nicer one from a name brand at Home Depot and it worked perfectly.
For crimpers, I really like the Irwins. They’re only a tiny bit more than the bottom of the barrel ones, but far nicer to use. The cheap ones often are mild steel with soft edges, so the cutter and stripper parts especially go downhill after only a few uses.
Are socket wrenches sold in Germany or other metric countries still 1/4″ and 3/8″ and 1/2″ or are they 6mm and 9mm and 13mm? Will US sockets fit on a wrench made in metric countries?
At least here in Australia, a metric county, sockets are still 3/8”, 1/2”, 1/4” drive. And we still encounter plenty of fasteners day to day that aren’t in metric sizes and hence have both types of socket.
I like how you say English sizes vs metric. I was always under the assumption, English was slightly different than Standard (American) and Metric. I remember working on my 67 MGB and standard or metric didn’t fit completely right and tight.
Does the name “Whitworth” ring a bell?
IIRC, U.S. sizes would mostly fit fasteners on my ’56 Austin-Healey, but not always firmly, while all the nuts and bolts on my father’s ’60 Healey were good ol’ American-size.
Not even sure anyone makes British Standard sockets and end wrenches these days.
Yeah, most of the stuff fit ok, but when it came to rebuilding the engine when I noticed the size difference, and thanks for the Whitworth reminder. Think that’s what my dad told me at the time
You can get Whitworth tools plenty of places, because people still work on old British cars. If you feel wealthy, you can even get them from Snap-On:
https://shop.snapon.com/categories/British-Standard%2C-Short-Handle/675029
Here’s hoping you don’t have to play knifey wrenchy with Aussie Customs.
It might be a bit too late now, but, uh, leave the brake bleeder at home.
Brake fluid will set off false positives both for explosives and drug sniffing dogs (which really only trigger on strong scents, but gotta make the police state look all-knowing.) Especially old and contaminated brake fluid.
He’s gonna want to leave that can of PB Blaster behind too. The last time I flew with tools they made me toss my WD-40. Something about flammable liquids on a plane, even in checked luggage, makes the airlines squeamish.
One time I checked a chainsaw as luggage and they wouldn’t take it if the tank even smelled like gasoline.
Now we need to know the story behind this. Do tell.
People frequently take expensive things they need for work or play?
A high level trap shooter I know was called back to the security counter to remove the bottle of cleaning fluid from his checked shotgun case. The 500 rounds of reloaded ammo and shotgun was fine, but the 2 ounce bottle of cleaning fluid had to go.
It’s even more fun when you’re in IT, because there is an absolute rule that you cannot have any lithium based battery larger than 100Wh in any aircraft. Period. Not “in any passenger aircraft.” UPS finds out you’re trying to do that, you get a free upgrade to Ground plus Same-Day Process Service. Plus you cannot have ANY lithium ion battery larger than I think it’s 1Wh in checked baggage. Because in the unpressurized cargo area, slightly leaky batteries turn into literal explosives.
This leads to a LOT of flights that go like this for me:
Gate Agent: “The overhead is full. You’re going to need to ch-”
Me: “You’re going to have to make room.”
Gate Agent: “Sir, tha-”
Me: “This bag contains SEVEN lithium-ion batteries, three of which are the largest allowed on any aircraft by law. If you put this in the cargo hold, I’m pretty sure the FAA just cancels your entire airline.”
Excellent Clint Eastwood voice!
+11
“Do you feel lucky?”
Nitpicking- but the cargo bay in an airliner is still pressurized, which is why you can ship little Fido in a dog crate on a plane. The regulations against putting LI batteries in the cargo bay is for fire safety- there’s a lot of crap in baggage that burns really well if next to battery fire. While the cargo fire suppression system is ironically a lot better than the one in the passenger compartment (flooding the compartment with Halon), it’s also kind of terrible for the environment, and means the flight has to divert immediately and do an emergency evac, instead of just shoving the burning laptop or toy into a fireproof bag.
Yup, but as you pointed out, fire hazard. And Halon is ineffective against many types of lithium fires. Sure, you’ll put everything else out, but the stuff I travel with is Class B From Hell with a reignition potential of “absofuckingloutely.” Plus at the size I’m carrying, you have significant explosive risk from hydrogen outgassing on top of thermal runaway. To say nothing of chained ignition. (Airliner has single shot halon I believe. So if another battery cooks, that’s it.)
Mind, if my carry on starts burning? The fireproof bag is not going to help. I travel with 3x 99Wh, 2x 75Wh, a 65Wh, and a 55Wh. To put that into perspective for others: a single 99Wh is 3 to 5 of the big iPads. And that’s excluding the occasional ancillaries. Some trips, I’m may be packing over 650Wh of battery on me.
This reminds me of the importance of flying with a cheap starter pistol if you’re checking a bag with anything a wannabe special operations kleptomaniac might be fascinated by. You get a locked bag with content audits at each end of the flight instead of TSA notifying a baggage handling buddy which bag to go fishing in.
Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing about the aerosol can – no chance they’ll let DT fly with that. I didn’t even think of the break bleeder but that’s a great point too. My cousin got strip searched at Brisbane airport because his jeans were contaminated with transmission fluid which set off a false positive for explosives!
Oh, I was gonna let him figure out the “you can’t take flammable explosives on airplanes especially not international flights” on his own.
hahaha, I debated posting about the aerosol can as well. He should really leave most of that crap at home and just hit up a supercheap auto when he gets over there.
I’m pretty sure a bit of Vegemite will do in place of any of these.
I guess the TSA would frown if you had a gas wrench in your bag. I’ve found it essential — usually with at least one spare bottle when you use the first one up — in working on old cars. It’s also the perfect Doomsday Weapon when you realize that rotten old hulk you’re flailing away at just isn’t going to become a Real Car, ever.
¿ A big hammer and a bigger hammer.
A Bowie knife?
You call that a hammah? Now that’s a hammah!
Oh, I see you want to play knifee/spoonee…
We all knew it would come to this eventually
My yard bag always has a hammer, chisel and hack saw. In case you need to do some persuasion.
True to form even your tools are covered in rust and grease.
Assuming that is checked baggage, lots of no no items in there.
Pick up this while you are there -> https://www.nulon.com.au/products/aerosols/start-ya-bastard-instant-engine-starter
That is awesome! +10 internets for you today for finding that gem!
My new favourite brand name for an automotive product.