TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri May 23, 2025 9:22 am

As the title says.
What parts you've broken out on the trail?

CV Joints?
Axles?
Spindles?
Spring plates?
Shock mounts?
Trailing arms?
Tie rods?
Etc.

Lets hear it!

This'll give a sense to those like me on what one could break on a weekend of spirited driving.

At minimum I carry a spare CV Joint.

What non-engine parts do you carry with you?

Fri May 23, 2025 9:59 am

Spring plate
Spindle
Alternator pulley

Fri May 23, 2025 6:35 pm

knock on wood I haven't technically broke anything but I have overheated my watercooled buggy and blown the engine. Now I carry hoses and clamps. Bur that's probably not relevant.

With my baja I like to keep a throttle cable and a clutch cable and distributor cap and rotor. A small air compressor. A box full of tools. I should probably have an extra axle too but I don't. I've always been carefull in the baja and mostly suffered electrical problems. So yeah lots of fuses are a must. Maybe a meter. A coil of wire and crimp connectors. Zipstrips and tape. Loose assortment of bolts including CV bolts. Spark plugs. Maybe some brake clean to clean carb jets.

And don't forget snacks and water for yourself so you don't breakdown. Maybe a moving blanket in case you need to sleep somewhere for the night. Moving blackets are handy for working on the ground as well. They're mosty synthetic so they don't get waterlogged.

Fri May 23, 2025 6:36 pm

A little fold-up shovel can be handy.

I hate thinking about this because by the time you pack everything the rig is full of crap.

Fri May 23, 2025 7:32 pm

I burned out most of a custom ignition system, spun the splines inside a rear hub and bent a front wheel. In the first two cases, I had just turned onto a main feeder dirt road so i was able to rescue myself with my little truck. In the last case, I limped home about ten miles with a bent front wheel. It took three days for my eyeballs to quit rolling around in my head.

Sat May 24, 2025 4:14 pm

I cracked a vertebrae in my back about 1/2 way down where the ribs end.

Sat May 24, 2025 4:43 pm

oprn wrote: I cracked a vertebrae in my back about 1/2 way down where the ribs end.

Haha! Nice one Oprn!

If thats what were counting, i broke a couple ribs and broke the engine from the transaxle when we lawn-darted off a dune. Only thing that kept the engine from smacking us in the back of the head was the spun aluminum gas tank.

Sat May 24, 2025 6:43 pm

I broke people's bad mood driving around with Lou.

Sun May 25, 2025 4:34 pm

the ever popular bottom ball joint

Sun May 25, 2025 8:04 pm

indianpeaksjoe wrote:

I broke people's bad mood driving around with Lou.
Yeah, that's a good one.

Mon May 26, 2025 10:29 am

Love all your guys stories. I can’t help but smile when I see your pup pics Joe.
I miss having a furry friend.
I’ve got a hobo freight case bolted to the package shelf for my tools and parts. Safe and secure.

While I do like the pertronix 3. I’m always afraid of those who’ve had theirs fail at the worst possible time. Wondering if I should just go back to points?

While I’ve not been left stranded yet. My stock transaxle is now toast. The rally race killed it. It was still drivable but it was not happy at all. Down shifts were nearly impossible even with rev match and double clutches.

Benco is currently building me a Pro Street with all the goodies inside.

Oprn, ouchies. Was that an immediate I’m fucked or did you wait for a while before getting checked out?

Twisted stub axle?! How did the cv joint not explode first?!

BFB, any pics?

Mon May 26, 2025 11:11 am

Schepp wrote: Oprn, ouchies. Was that an immediate I’m fucked or did you wait for a while before getting checked out?
It was a "Drat that hurt! I think I might throw up!" "I'm done here!" moment. My son and I were jumping ditches at the time...

No I didn't get it checked out at that time but I was in getting an x-ray for a different issue a couple years later and the Doc said "Do you have back pain right about there?"

"Oh ya! I do!"

"When did you fall off the ladder? You have a fractured vertebrae!"

:roll:

Mon May 26, 2025 11:42 am

Schepp wrote: Love all your guys stories. I can’t help but smile when I see your pup pics Joe.
I miss having a furry friend.
I’ve got a hobo freight case bolted to the package shelf for my tools and parts. Safe and secure.

While I do like the pertronix 3. I’m always afraid of those who’ve had theirs fail at the worst possible time. Wondering if I should just go back to points?

While I’ve not been left stranded yet. My stock transaxle is now toast. The rally race killed it. It was still drivable but it was not happy at all. Down shifts were nearly impossible even with rev match and double clutches.

Benco is currently building me a Pro Street with all the goodies inside.

Oprn, ouchies. Was that an immediate I’m fucked or did you wait for a while before getting checked out?

Twisted stub axle?! How did the cv joint not explode first?!

BFB, any pics?

I keep a back up points distributor timed and ready to drop in. Only a few years back an empi 009 point style was 30bucks its not good but it will get you home. In the glove box I keep a carb rebuild kit, (JB steel stick), 16guage wire those basic v notched stripers along with crimps, wire nuts a bag of random nuts and bolts (extra lug nuts) and a roll of TP. I run all the nuts together with wire like a bracelet keep from making a mess. Zip ties and two 1-2 side long spark plug wires and v belt.

On your roll cage build a 2 or three quart oil box thingy. Weld a 3/4x16 threaded section to the metal tool box for an extra oil filter. PLF400A is a nice mini size filter.

Mon May 26, 2025 6:59 pm

I run a Mallory Dual point distributor on my Rat Road Trail Rail engine, a Ford V6 2.8. The second set of points is mounted but blocked open so there's no wear. That's my spare points.

The points no longer carry a heavy load. All they do is tell the Crane Cams ignition system when to turn on and off. The CDI booster of that system fires a massive spark out of the Mallory Super Coil. It handles all of the load but I wired it with a switch so that if the electronics fail, I can switch it over to standard points condenser ignition.

Tue May 27, 2025 7:13 am

DesertSasquatchXploration,

Thanks fort the great tips and ideas. I've looked at your pics closely of your tool kit setup. Its quite impressive. In fact I've browsed nearly all of your pics to gather ideas. You're quite clever.

I actually have an old 009 that was on it when I bought the car along with the old coil. Just need another bracket and some free-time to time it as a backup.

I would like to make an oil caddy at some point along with a mount for a spare axle.

I've learned over the years that a lot of breakdowns are prevented with routine maintenance of the vehicle in use.
While working on of our family's cars its easy to scan the underside and beyond of potential problems. Also to monitor conditions of all the components.
As I work through the break-in period of this new build I'm constantly double checking and changing things around.

While I do like the center mount intake that CB sells. Its flawed in the fact it has no provisions for factory throttle cable routing. Having been using their heavy duty universal throttle cable system. I'm not a fan of how its attached to the carb linkage. Its an inevitable failure point. I need to figure out another solution.

Tue May 27, 2025 9:37 am

Cracked a CB thin line oil sump and popped a tire running a trail with stock suspension and 165's.

Tue May 27, 2025 10:34 am

I would bet a lot of the things people happen to bring with them are just the random spares they've aquired that might help in certain situations. Not neccessary to have exact replacements when you've got something perfectly good enough to get you out of the woods. Especially when you consider it may spend most of it's life getting beat to death in a tool box before you find a use for it.

Squatch when you were referring to a 3/4-16 are you implying that you have a place to screw an oil filter down in your box or whatever to keep the inside clean until you need it?? That's a good idea. Did you see that somewhere or just think of it yourself?

Tue May 27, 2025 10:39 am

Everything :cry:

Tue May 27, 2025 5:15 pm

The oil filter idea came to me on the sh!ter. For the distributor just buy an extra clamp and weld it to something the cage I guess now it wont get smashed in a box. The fuel pump is just a section of steel strap with two holes I drilled thru holes bad move I would tap it and use studs. I only carry two extra quarts it would be smart to have three. I keep a jacket to throw over everything when in town. I keep a three digit cheap lock on the tool box it can be defeated easily but keeps honest people honest at car shows and tools from flying all over if I crash.

You have to keep an eye on the oil they will rub a hole in the bottom in just one season happened twice i put on a couple layers of duct tape. Buys you more time

Wed May 28, 2025 7:03 am

Thanks for the pics!
With my aluminum side hatches and a heavy rear tint its hard to tell what is in the back. I'm always worried about leaving anything visible inside. Even though 95% of the general public has no use for our spare parts. Thieves see parts and think $.
Out of sight out of mind.
I'd like to think I live in a safe area, but I had my converter stolen 2yrs ago out in front of my house.