keeping your vintage ride running smooth on long trips

Had a few scares myself and still haven't learned my lesson, haha. But honestly, fuel filters aside, what's your take on carrying extra ignition parts - like coils or points? Had a coil crap out on me once in the middle of nowhere, and ever since then I've been debating whether it's worth packing spares or just rolling the dice...

I'm kinda with you on the ignition parts thing. Had my coil go out once too - middle of a road trip, middle of nowhere, and zero cell service. Not fun. But honestly, I've been skeptical about carrying too many spares ever since. I mean, where do you draw the line? Coils, points, condensers... pretty soon you're hauling around half a parts store.

That said, I recently started carrying at least one spare coil after that experience. Doesn't take up much space, and it's one of those things that's hard to jury-rig on the side of the road. Points and condensers though... I'm still on the fence. They're small enough to toss in the glovebox, but I've never personally had them fail unexpectedly (knock on wood). Maybe I've just been lucky?

I guess it comes down to your comfort level and how remote your trips are. If you're regularly cruising through places with no auto parts stores for miles, probably worth packing a few extras. But if you're mostly sticking closer to civilization, might be overkill.

Either way, I feel like every vintage car owner has their own little list of "must-haves" based on past breakdowns. Mine keeps growing every year...

Had a similar experience with points once - middle of nowhere, pouring rain, and of course, no spare. Got lucky with some sandpaper and patience, but it made me wonder... maybe tossing a spare set in the glovebox isn't such a bad idea after all?

Yeah, learned that lesson myself after getting stranded outside Flagstaff a few years back. Now I always keep a spare set of points tucked away - cheap insurance, really. Another thing that's saved me more than once is a small can of WD-40. Moisture can really mess things up, especially in older ignition systems. Doesn't take up much space either, and it's way better than sanding points in the rain... trust me on that one.

"Moisture can really mess things up, especially in older ignition systems."

Couldn't agree more - got caught in a downpour near Asheville once, and my trusty MG decided it was the perfect time for a nap. WD-40 would've been a lifesaver... lesson learned the soggy way.