And I should add that I keep a snake in my survival kit for travel in western Dakota where the oil boom has brought the drugs and human trafficking. It's a royal blue Python, three inch barrel and I recommend same for anyone traveling through the area.

 

Aaa card

 

This a good point. I travel with a gun at all times. I've even started packing one in my checked bag when I fly so I have it on the ground.

Also a good point. I recommend the AAA Premier program.

 

Duct tape, a crappy set of wrenches, oil and coolant, ultra guage( never leaves it's spot on the windshield) and a triple A card. If I can't wing it with that, then I'm not trying to fix the on the side of the road.

That being said, my rover hasn't left me stranded anywhere. Not even a flat. Now to find a large block of wood to knock on....

 

I'm trying to think of all the repairs I've done on the road (mostly not on the Disco) -

Numerous belts (Disco x1)
Idler pulley (Disco x1)
Window regulator
Header gaskets
Starter
Alternator x2
Flat Tires (Disco x1)
Oil Changes (incl pull and grease front prop shaft)(Disco x2)
Bleed clutch (Corvette I used to own)
Tune up (Plugs, wires, air filter)
Idle Air Control Valve
Transmission solenoids (Mom's Honda Odyssey)


I'm sure there's more I can't remember. My point of view is if I'm driving a 14 years old truck 500 miles from home, I need to be ready for trouble.

 

Fair enough, but I work on a completely different maintenance schedule. I work in NYC and live in Jersey. On average, my truck sees 100 miles a month. I change oil every 2k miles and every 5 weeks, when I work Saturday's, it gets inspected by 5 guys ( Mercedes techs marveling at British engineeering.) I've missed stuff that they noted out of curiousity. Mechanically, @97k miles, I trust my truck more than I trust my wife's brand new Mercedes.

And the few times I do take it anywhere, I do what a lot of people in the community don't do, just drive the dam thing.
Yes, I'm aware they can be nightmares, but just drive. Find a maintenance schedule and stick to it. In the meantime, I just drive.

 

Well ATLDISCO ...... how did the trip go? Any issues to speak of? What were the Disco highlights/lowlights?

What did you end up packing that you wish you would or wouldn't have taken if you could do it over?

 

Gents,

Back in sunny AZ. Trip went great! Disco ran like a top @ 80mph the whole way up, dropped a bit in the mountain passes, and only two hiccups.

my coolant bottle has a pinhole in it, which I tried to fix with JB weld - didn't work.

Also, one night it dropped into the 20's, and I had some fluid leakage from brake reservoir.

Believe it or not, sometimes I think these things benefit from just being driven. It hauled 500+lbs of dudes, the dog, guns, tools, through fields and ditches, and never missed a beat.

I took my usual tool roll, two gallons of distilled water, I have premium AAA card, and that was it.

Well, and quite an array of lead-dispensing equipment.....

came back with a freezer full of pheasants, a tired dog, and the dirtiest rover in scottsdale.

Only loser was my car wash guy, he sold me a detail before I left for after the trip, which I prepaid and beat him up on the price.......don't think he'll fall for that again, but she's washed, waxed, and back in the carport.

All in all, I think that a good schedule of maintenance, some basic tools, and an ultr-gauge, and you're really OK. This is the states, and nothing is that far away.

Places I've been in other parts of the world, sure - gonna want a bit more. But the basics, a reliable handgun, and a couple pounds of homemade beef jerky got this one done in style.

thanks for all the input, this forum is a goldmine.

- dc

 

In my experience, there is no doubt. Every time I've left town for more than a few weeks, I come back to a truck that doesn't run right. Even my wife noticed and said something like, "that truck doesn't like to sit still".

Glad you made it back safe. Sounds like a fun trip.