Smoke in the Wires Oct 2015

By Marc Cherry
After last month’s article on roadside emergency preparedness, I had a few more thoughts, as well as
received some constructive suggestions from the hard-won experiences of other club members. Here are
some additional pointers.
Jumper cables were not in evidence during the video but, as most of us know, jumper cables are the item
most likely to be needed out of everything you can carry. Just make sure you know how to properly jump a
car, being especially mindful of the fact that your car or the car you assist may be positive earth.
Rule number one of owning a positive earth car is: No one talks about Positive Earth Car Club.
Rule number two of owning a positive earth car is: Don’t let anyone else “help” you jump start the
car.
Rule number three of owning a positive earth car is: Carry a spare voltage regulator in case
someone “helps” you jump your car.
Our cars, especially the older ones, are not known for bright headlights or taillights. Consequently, the loss
of one headlight or taillight can place you in a very unsafe position. Spare bulbs of all major types for your
car are a sensible addition to your emergency kit.
Many of the maladies that befall our cars are electrical in nature with the quality of contacts being often
more significant than the quality of components. In addition to the temporary measure of jumper leads that I
mentioned in the video, I also carry brushes, sandpaper, a battery brush, dielectric grease, crimp-style male
connectors and spare female bullet connectors.
Even if you only drive during the day, the nether regions of the engine bay, dash, and underside of the car
may warrant additional lighting. Bob Manske pointed out that I didn’t show a flashlight. I do carry two lights
and spare batteries. I keep a really good flashlight, like a Mag-Lite, as well as a Harbor Freight freebie
stashed away. I keep the extra batteries stored in a separate sealed bag.
The final suggestion is for warning triangles or flashers. I don’t carry one of these—yet. I can’t credit
anyone in particular for this idea since it came up during an executive committee meeting. This idea was a
rare gem so I wasn’t ready for it. None of the antique cars came with reflector triangles and most of the old
classic era cars do not have hazard lights. A super bright LED warning flasher isn’t terribly expensive and
just makes sense.
If you have more tips and suggestions, please keep them coming. It is an important topic and central not
only to a safe hobby but also to an enjoyable one. There is no substitute for the smug satisfaction of
reviving a hopelessly broken car—even more so if you rescue someone else’s maintenance catastrophe
through your own superior preparedness.
Smoke in the Wires October 2015 Page 14