FEATURE ARTICLES
Survival Gear for Classic Car Parts Hunting Expeditions - Page 2
Shlepping parts around gets old in a hurry, so having a cart to tote your stuff is another item to bring along on your safaris. While I often see people with Radio Flyers or other wagons and shopping carts at swap meets and flea markets, I find these to be a bit too cumbersome. I prefer to use a lightweight, compact, folding luggage cart. It's quite small and only weights a couple of pounds when folded so it's easy to carry, yet it does an admirable job of transporting my treasures comfortably and easily. Having a couple of extra bungee cords to secure your booty to the cart is also a good idea and they can wrap around the folded cart when not in use, too.
| | A folding luggage cart is a real blessing to have for transporting parts, and a couple of extra bungee cords will make sure your newly-acquired treasures stay put on the cart. |
And while I'm on the subject of schlepping, a battery lifter is another good thing to have with you if your parts safari includes shopping for a battery. While you certainly wouldn't want to traipse around for hours carrying a battery, a battery lifter certainly makes toting one a whole lot easier than carrying it in front of you with both hands until you get it back to the parking lot.
 | | A light-weight battery lifter like this one sure beats carrying a battery around in your arms until you get it back to the car. |
A good digital caliper is essential for wear examination when tolerances are crucial, such as with disc brake rotors. You can also use the older style pincer-type analog caliper as well, although I personally prefer the digital units for easier readouts.
 | | A small digital caliper is very useful for measuring things like the thickness of disc brake rotors and other tasks where accurate measurements are important. |
There are also times when you may need to check out some larger items that may exceed the range of a smaller caliper, and that's when you'd want to have a bigger caliper available for use. A big 24" aluminum caliper is light weight and it can also be used for measuring everything from brake drum diameters to bumper height or any other larger-scale measuring chore.
 | | For bigger measuring jobs a lightweight 24" caliper is another very handy tool to have on hand. |
Paint can hide a lot of things, so if you're shopping for a painted part like a fender or a trunk lid, for example, it's good to know how much paint is on the part and also where the metal ends and the bondo begins. A magnetic paint gauge is invaluable for such tasks and it fits easily into your shirt pocket, so there's no excuse for not bring one along for checking out those painted parts on your safaris.
 | | A magnetic paint thickness gauge like this one tucks into your shirt pocket and let's you know how thick the paint is on parts as well as letting you know when you've hit a section with bondo on it. |
There are also times when you'll want to check if something is out of round – things like wheel rims, brake discs and pulleys are just a few that immediately come to mind – and a dial indicator that measures runout is just the ticket for doing this. Be sure to bring one along if these or similar parts are on your needed list.
| | This pocket-sized dial indicator is great for checking runout on things like pulleys, wheels and such to let you know if things are out of round and, if so, by how much. |
If you buy an engine block at a swap meet, car show or flea market without checking it out with a dial-type cylinder bore gauge you're asking to be taken to the cleaners. Remember that cylinder bores wear unevenly due to power stroke crank rotational thrust and ring momentum. These conditions create out of round, tapered bores, and you can measure the severity of this condition with a good cylinder bore gauge.
 | | This dial-type cylinder bore gauge set has a 2" to 6" range that can cover most motorcycle and automotive engines. Don't even think of buying a used engine block or jugs for your bike without using one of these babies to check things out first. |
If your parts safari includes finding some wheels for your ride, then you'll do well to have a bolt circle tool available. One of these translucent plastic gizmos is easy to tote, thanks to a built-in belt hook, and accurately measures 5 lug bolt patterns from 4" to 5-1/2" diameter. So when you see a nice set of wheels for the right price you won't have to take a chance on whether or not they'll fit your axles if you're armed with one of these handy tools.
 | | A plastic bolt circle tool like this one from Eastwood measures 5 lug bolt patterns from 4" to 5-1/2" diameter, has the dimensions molded in and it even had a handy hook for hanging from your belt loop. The set of four universal thread gauges are great for measuring bolts and nuts and the whole set of fits easily in your pocket. |
A set of universal thread gauges fits easily in the pocket and it makes identifying nut or bolt thread sizes easy. These gauges are especially useful if you're looking for a special-purpose bolt, an odd-sized stud or you just want to stock up on fastening hardware in sizes you're likely to use often.
So remember to do a bit of forward thinking before you set out on your next parts safari, take along the right tools and remember to have fun – 'cause that's what this hobby is all about!
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