Spares to the track

JohnW8

JohnW8

New member
What do you take with you to the track in the form of spare parts? At what point do you say my weekend is done and I'll replace that @%#$! part at home.
 
Our goal is to have all of the common and relatively replaceable spares like a radiator, ball joints and tie rod ends, pair of CV axles, an ECU, a transmission, clutch & PP, master and slave cylinders, full set of calipers, some generic brake lines with hardware that will get you through the weekend, tune up stuff (capr rotor plugs and wires) at least one full car teardown's worth of replacement hardware, and model specific problem parts, front hubs in many cases. anything that's an "assembly" comes to the track that way, so hubs have studs, new bearing, and complete knuckle all prepped and ready to go. we're at ~75% of that list currently.

and consumables like fluids, wheels tires, brake pads, rotors, etc...

Obviously, it helps when you have a number of guys running the same make/model car. if 2 guys need a gearbox, you fight over it. A big ass enclosed trailer where all of this stuff can live between races is a big help. if it's a single car operation on a small tow rig, the list shrinks. the more cars in your "team", the more of this list you bring and CAN bring because you have more hands to help when needed. swapping an engine is a much bigger job for one guy than for 5.

quit when the motor pops (if you don't have a spare), the car gets wrecked beyond available spares, or repairs take more time than you have until the next session (common on "double" weekends). otherwise, we try to make it happen.
 
Depends on how important an event is and how long of a trip. The amount of spares that I carry now is generally less than a few years ago when I was more motivated. The past few year I got to the point where if a repair will take a few hours, load it on the trailer, hang out with friends and enjoy beer.

Brake pads, fluid, gorilla tape.

Now I admit to having gone on the other extreme when tGA told me he had a TON of room in his enclosed (a trip from CT to Road Atlanta) where I brought everything. :D You know, fire wood, a glove box that wasn't installed....

Wait, you drive a Miata? Leave stuff home! Even if you need something, you have 100 other people to borrow it from. lol
 
Spares

Just took a look at spares, includes 1 distributor w/cap &rotor, carburetor, l&r lower control arms(integral lower ball joint), assorted carb jets, rear hub & brg assy, assorted nuts, bolts etc, timing light, battery charger, spare battery, alternator belt, brake pads, toggle switches, fuses, pop rivets & gun, electrical wire -2 colors -14ga, spare holley fuel pump, fuel hose, slip plates, alignment string, 4 jack stands, tie rod end, drip pan, L&R front Axle assy's, inner & outer CV Boot Kit, tie wraps(assorted) oil filter, and way too much more stuff. Follow murphy's law, if it can break, it will.
 
Full set of brakes (calipers, rotors, etc.)
Half shafts
Loaded A-arms
Carb. parts
Ignition parts
Spare loaded head
Timing Belt

Luckily, most of my parts like alternators and such are available easily at the local parts store. My thought process with the above stuff is that those things could be changed between sessions, whereas anything much deeper puts me down for the day. I'll also say that I benefitted from buying the car from a car-prep-junkie (coughMattRowecough), so my spares kit was reasonably well stocked when I got the car.

Next time I go to MidO, I'm taking more impact-related spares though... :)
 
set of Lug nuts
wheel studs (ARP studs- I keep a "card" of 5 studs in the toolbox)
Brake lines/hoses
brake rotors
brake pads- at least 2 compounds front and rear
caliper rebuild kit
random nuts and bolts
belts
radiator hoses
clutch disc & Throwout bearing
spare differential- usually w/ different gearing
heim joints/rod ends for sway bars and suspension links
outer tie rods. I should probably add a set of inner rods, since those are the ones that bend if I have an off/contact.
random lengths of rubber hoses and vacuum lines
full set of fluids & filters
2-3 sets of wheels & tires, plus rains
Edit: at least one wheel bearing/hub assy, front and rear.

for long-distance races, I'll also take:
spare tranny
second differential (in case I want to change gearing, or have multiple failures)


Thus far, the only things I have NEEDED at the track are replacement brake pads and fluid. I burned up a clutch and killed some synchros at an out of town race, but that was at the end of the weekend and I was able to finish the race and fixed it at home.

Bascally, all of the above fits in 2-3 Rubbermaid totes and on the floor of the trailer. (I haz 24ft enclosed trailer, so plenty of room.)
 
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JohnW8 said:
What do you take with you to the track in the form of spare parts? At what point do you say my weekend is done and I'll replace that @%#$! part at home.
Click to expand...

I don't own a set of tools or any spares. I bring Matt Kessler. :shrug:

Abhi
 
I take a pretty full set of tools and minimal spares- brake parts (pads & rotors), spark plugs, spare tires and that is about it. I typically don't have crew with me nor the space to carry a spare trans or anything that big...
 
I think this question should be asked in reverse. What do you want to be able to - or have the ability and time to - fix while you are at the track? If you answer that, then you can create a list of things that will suit your needs.
 
Andy Bettencourt said:
I think this question should be asked in reverse. What do you want to be able to - or have the ability and time to - fix while you are at the track? If you answer that, then you can create a list of things that will suit your needs.
Click to expand...

To some extent yes. I couple "How much am I willing to fix to still make the race weekend happen" with "What's the most likely stuff to break on a 16yr old car either due to wear or contact"

The basic jist is consumables and the moving parts..
clutch, brakes, wheel bearings, tie rods, hoses, with the occasional munched tranny.

I'm willing to change a clutch/tranny if I'm out of town. I'm not willing to swap an engine since it would be a gamble on a junkyard spare- I'll just pack up and go home. If I'm in town, I'll be willing to fix a bit more to finish a weekend.. BUT my house is 10 min away. I'll just load the car up, fix it in the comfort of my garage, then come back to the track in the morning.
 
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No matter how much I crap I stuff into my trailer, it's never what I need.

So I bring general maintenance items: pads/rotors, fluids, beer. Anything else besides that needed and I ignore the first two and focus on the third.

- GA
 
Greg Amy said:
No matter how much I crap I stuff into my trailer, it's never what I need.

So I bring general maintenance items: pads/rotors, fluids, beer. Anything else besides that needed and I ignore the first two and focus on the third.

- GA
Click to expand...

ditto (replace the word beer with vino)
 
Pack the tools that you used in the last 4 hrs of service.
Pack the bolts for axles, clutch etc.
Make sure that you have the special tools to fit the weird stuff. VW clutch cover is 9mm 12 pt. Mazda head bolt tool . BMW trans to engine socket.
Good beer.
 
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