Tip of the Day: What parts to take on a long trip

I have been gathering the parts that I want to take me with on the Ghibli's next long trip. The rule of thumb is whatever I do not take will be the part that breaks ... therefore need to make sure I bring the stuff that cannot be bought at a local parts store. Of course I am assuming no catastrophic engine failure ....

This is my list of stuff, so far:

1. Water pump. Don't laugh, on one trip another Ghibli (not mine) had a pump failure in the middle of the desert and my pump saved the day
2. A couple of water pump pull cables
3. Clutch master and slave cylinders (these things seem to fail on me)
4. Complete distributor with points,, rotor, cap
5. A couple of extra ignition points
6. Coil with the banjo connectors for the electronic ignition
7. Extra ignition amplifier
8. Extra standard coil (so I can run the engine without the ignition amp)
9. Plenty of extra fuses
10. Alternator
11. Regulator
12. a couple of carb kits and several extra accelerator pump diaphragms (the diaphragms would be the most likely to fail)
13. A few clamps of various sizes
14. 5/16" and 3/8" fuel hose (these came handy on my last long trip)
15. Radiator cap
16.Some oil and brake fluid
17. Electric tape
18. Masking tape
19. and of course ... duct tape

I checked the belts and they look really good, plus belts I have been able to match in the past at my local parts store. The Ghibli has two fuel pumps so if one fails I can limp along on one tank until I find a replacement. I have nothing to fix the brake master or calipers but I just bled the brakes with fresh fluid so I should be okay.

In addition to the parts there are the hand tools and cleaning supplies.

Any suggestions of additional parts to take?

Ivan
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OK I'm going to go out on a limb Ivan ... I'm an uber preparer too but you're paranoid!

If that many things can fail perhaps the car really isn't ready?

To be fair though you have that screwy waterpump with the cables what were they thinking?

When I picked up my 3,000 mile Bora back in 1987 and drove it home to SF from Oklahoma City. I mapped out all the exotic car garages and I ended up using two of them.

When I picked up the car it was a hot day, 87F and the car overheated and spewed coolant 1/2 mile from the seller's garage! Back I went only to discover that one of the fans had seized and melted. It did that awhile before I picked up the car! Very . So we pulled it out and went down to the Mercedes dealer and got one there and I was on my way ... The next shop was at a friends place in Kansas City where the AC got recharged. Next was in Denver but that was only vapor lock but it was severe vapor lock. I got trailered to the shop once I stalled in Denver on a very hot day in early spring. You know that 4,000 ft elevation warning? It's for real!

Have fun I'm sure you'll be just fine ...

 

You seem to have forgot to list the 3 most important things for driving 40+ year old cars on a long road trip. A cell phone, a AAA plus card and a St. Christopher statue on the dash.

 

The cooling system on my car works great as long as both fans are working., I need to check and see if I have an extra fan motor as that would be a good thing to bring. Normally what fails is either the fan thermo switch or one of the relays and both are easy to bypass on the side of the road.

As I mentioned we will be going up some elevations including Mt Hood. Last time some cars struggled going up the steep road to the lodge, people were snow skiing in August! The Ghibli got a little warmer than usual but never went into the danger zone.

Ivan

 

+1

Ivan

 

I seem to remember something about a statue on a dash ...

Back in 1987 cell phones and coverage were VERY rare. There were more Conestogas passing buy in some of those lonely spots ... Cops were your friend!

 

Hello---
I know you have dual fuel pumps on your Ghibli (like some Boras---not mine).
Regardless, I would take at least one spare along just for insurance.

Last week, my newly painted Bora refused to restart 100 miles from home after filling her with fuel at an Exxon station.
No sound from fuel pump. Fuse blown. Changed fuse. 3 seconds later, new fuse blown.
One more try, same result. No spare pump in car.
I decided it was time to improvise.
Changed the fuse again, but this time I replaced the 8 amp original with a 16 amp one.

Incredibly, Bora back to life AND drove beautifully the 100 miles back home without incident in 42 degree C (108 degree F) weather with ice cold AC on.
Saw 105 degrees water temp a few times while climbing, but oil temp and pressure (w the oil cooler doing its job) were fine. No power loss. Car felt great running 100-120 mph all the way. Friend following in new Panamera said he was genuinely working to keep up!

Great trip home; fuel pump changed next morning!

Enjoy.

 

I recommend you just trailer a spare parts car behind you

It's good to be prepared but I think I'm your case you're going a bit too far. I would look at pst repair work done and see how long ago it was. If you replaced the master and clutch cylinders a year ago I don't think they'd need replacing this year again. That's just one example.

 

Thanks. Fuel pump added.

Ivan

 

In case you are wondering where I am going to put all of this stuff; the Ghibli spyder has a lot of space in a compartment under the convertible top. I still have room to put more stuff ....

Ivan
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+1

In a car that's been properly fettled this is way overboard. I never had this much trouble with my Bora or Biturbo. The Espada OTOH but it's still being sorted out ... no long trips in that one.

Why not just bring a spare car and trailer for the failed Ghibli ...

 

But what about the "luggages and chocolates" ... a line from that classic Morley Safer piece on Lamborghini regarding traveling in a Countach.

Hint ... your chauffeur in the Rolls is supposed to be carrying that stuff ...

 

Once i get my Ghibli back on the road, I'll go on long trips, only if Ivan is behind me following along with his car and parts! LOL

 

Don't laugh ... In the vintage Lamborghini world out in California this is a regular occurrence. Lot's of great stories and this one of the more famous or would that be infamous ones ...

I think there's a Youtube of it as well.

Getting a Vintage Lamborghini to the Pebble Beach Weekend, and Then Getting It Running | Car and Driver Blog

I refer to them as the Espada Rescue Brigade. They've rescued plenty of cars now.

It's really a good idea to travel in a caravan and yes ... WITH parts and enough of a mechanic to get cars going again. There are two in that brigade that are quite capable of rebuilding anything on a vintage Lamborghini, just maybe not on the side of the road every time!

 

When I am going on longer trips (more than 3000 km thru the Alps) with my BMW 503 I always have the following parts with me:

* 2 screen wiper blades as a spare

* a bottle of RAINX (if you put this on the windscreen water rolls off the screen and you need no wipers)

* a smooth cover to protect the car from hail (this depends upon the season and the region where you go. But last year on a trip in Toscany with the Vignale, we had a heavy hailstorm near PISA and I was very happy to put the cover over the car to protect the aluminium parts.

* a coolant spray (the BMW V8 engine normally has no temperature problems as long as you DRIVE the car, but once you are caught up in a traffic jam the engines overheats within minutes - maybe this is not necessary with the Maserati V8).

* battery-jumper cable (and nowadays additionally also a power-bank in case there is no other car around.

Instead of a complete alternator I only put the carbons with me. Need no space and to change the carbons is not a big job (you can do that in the evening).

Alfred

 

Hi Omar,

You know it has been 17 years since we did the Denver to Monterey trip in our Ghiblis. You are definitively overdue for another long trip!

There is something about a long trip that is both stressful and rewarding at the same time .... I love it.

Ivan

 

+1 RainX .... already was in with the cleaning supplies.

I suspect your BMW 503 has a generator and I would agree carbon brushes would be the most likely failure. On an alternator the most likely failure would be a diode or the bearing. Since I have the space it is easier to swap alternators if something was to go wrong. Plus I prefer to have a drink at night than rebuild an alternator

I should mention that we will be 22 cars and there is a chase vehicle with a trailer. He has tools, jumper cables, etc. There is also a new Bentley should any of the cars "fail to proceed".

Ivan

 

Yes indeed - You are defintely right.
I have to accept my English is not good enough to post a correct advice.

Alfred

 

These aren't necessarily spare parts, but should be considered:

1. Wheel Chock
2. A couple pairs of latex/rubber gloves
3. Hand cleaner (small size)
4. Zip Ties
5. Tyvex cover suit (disposable)

Mike

 

Zip ties and latex gloves already in with the tools. Great suggestion on the Tyvex cover suit and hand cleaner ... thanks!

Ivan

 

I completed the 1600 mile trip from Seattle to Monterey and I am happy to report the Ghibli made it okay.

I did have one breakdown during the trip. The ignition system got very erratic and eventually completely failed leaving me stranded. Luckily we were very close to the hotel that we were staying that evening. It took several hours to debug but eventually eliminated the Bosch amplifier and tachometer connections and replaced the coil with a standard one. Car ran great afterwards with the standard coil (which I had in the parts stash). Once I get the car back from California I'll figure out what exactly caused the failure.

We had a couple of very hot days while in Oregon with temperatures reaching 106 degrees. I was very glad a coolant recovery reservoir had been installed !

All and all the Ghibli did great and even with the high temperatures and 8000 feet elevations the engine had no hesitations.

Ivan

 

Glad to hear you had an almost trouble free trip!