My impending road trip to buy my first 911

[Mr Project]

Getting prepped, I leave on Sunday and plan to do a compression and leakdown test on the car...if it passes, I'll fix a few of the current issues (like no heat!) and drive it nearly 2000 miles home from sunny SoCal to the frigid Great Plains of Nebraska.

It's an '82 SC with a 3.2, from Nosedog2002 here on Pelican. I did take a look at it and drive it couple of weeks ago when I was in LA with my wife. I'm excited to move from all my Corvairs and BMWs into a 911.

A friend is going with me and we're semi-live-blogging the trip here in case you want to see how two mental cases deal with this: AircooledAdventure

So I'm packing light to ensure that I can actually get on the plane and then actually get it all in the car and get it home....but here's my list so far. Any recommendations on tools? (I already have spare parts like a DME relay and fan belt, and it's too late to get more now...) Any specific sockets or combination wrenches I should include since I'm not bringing everything?

Tool list:
DVOM
Wire
Fuses / switches / relays
swivel head wrench
spark plug sockets
compression tester
Leakdown tester
wooden dowels (for finding TDC in a pinch)
light
coveralls
pen and paper
Misc. sockets and screwdrivers
anti-seize
duct tape
heat tape
zip ties
fuel line
knives
hose clamps
24mm socket
1/2 breaker bar
soldering iron
wire cutters, crimpers, connectors
Wiring/relay/fusebox diagram
Masking tape
marker

[BE911SC]

Charger for your phone.
AAA card.

Sounds fun! Good luck.

[nineball]

extra oil

[zippy_gg]

Having bought several vehicles (cars and motorcycles) 1000s of miles away and driving/riding them home to California I would highly recommend a radar detector.

[Scott R]

15 feet of steel wire to hook the flapper boxes back up. Can't drive without defrost this time of year.

[jhlasserre]

little red shop towels, paper towels, latex gloves, Goop, Kind/protein bars

[gint]

I flew to SF, spent 50 minutes there buying my 75 S, hopped in it and drove home 1200 miles with nothing more than a factory tool kit and a few quarts of oil.

[irobertson]

Slim nosed and regular vise-grips
A good multi-tip screwdriver
Crescent wrench
Hex wrenches, or hex bits for socket set.
Locking extension for spark plug socket
White electrical tape is better for labelling than masking tape, leaves far less residue, not to mention, it's electrical tape as well.

[timmy2]

Spare fuel pump relay.

[JAR0023]

Good luck on your trip. My daughter and I flew out to CA and drove my 86 back to MS this spring. She still talks about the trip six months later.

Adding to you list. A way to make fire if needed (sorry, just the Boy Scout in me) and an extinguisher to put one out. Tire plug kit and compressor. AAA card is nice but useless if your don't have a cell signal. Should be easy enough to stop at WalMart or similar and pick up an extinguisher as you start your drive.

-J

[nineball]

if it's a targa - sunscreen! i burned the hell out of my head, neck, face and arms on the first day home from kansas to ohio.

[wrinkledpants]

I hope it has snow tires - or you're taking a very southerly route.

[Porchcar guy]

Flew to LA, bought my 79SC, put a radio in her prior to leaving LA...needed a fuel pump relay almost immediately...before leaving LA......had many spares from the seller including the FP relay. Drove her home to Albuquerque with only a flat tire from a brand new Pirelli on the rear and one speeding ticket as my lighter plug would not hold the detector cord. All in all...a great trip and many smiles !

[AC78]

Fire extinguisher!

[widgeon13]

Goose and Maverick......

Just don't get into a flat spin on the way home.

[fasterlaster]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

Goose and Maverick......

Just don't get into a flat spin on the way home.

Or sing 'That Lovin' feeling'

Can't wait to read this trip report.

[lin7310948]

from a sellers point of view...i sold a real nice, much modified 1972 coupe to a young man from colorado about 1992-93. he flew into canton ohio on a friday night on july fourth weekend i believe. saturday morning he drove the car around the block a couple of times. we went into the bank and he wrote and cashed a check for 19000??? dollars. handed me the money,,,i signed the title and away he went to denver, colorado. im not to sure that i would have been so bold even knowing the car! it was a factory gulf blue with carbed 3.2, 930 brakes, rsr flares,etc. not long after that i saw the original s steel front spoiler which had been converted to fit the front flares advertised in panorama...i think he converted the car to a race car.....good luck on the trip!

[cajun]

DO IT. You only live once.

[Mr Project]

Thanks for the tips so far, great stuff. I almost forgot the steel wire! I had thought of that earlier but it hadn't made my list yet, thanks.

It's a coupe, and I do have a few parts meeting me there. Heater hoses, engine compartment blower motor, spare FP and DME relays, etc. I can't take oil on the plane so I'll pick some up along the way.

I've been a AAA Gold +RV member for over 15 years. I did say I had owned Corvairs, remember?

[TV74911S]

didn't see fan belts listed - I would take two. Also, I would ensure that the car has the special tool to hold the flywheel in place which is needed to change it. Otherwise, you will need this too or have to McGiver something up in the event the belt goes.