Take all the tools to the track, or just what you think you’ll need?

So, I now have this go-kart. No, this is not a backhanded solicitation for free or discount chiropractic services (but hey, call me), just an observation on how we pack tools for a weekend at the track.

See, I did my first race not long ago with my new-to-me kart. Went great. Thanks for asking. Gambled on slicks, then …

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I have separate tools that travel, but I don't have different sets for the different cars. I just keep a set in my daily driver, and it moves to the truck if I'm driving it somewhere. 

I have a checklist for what I take to the track. No separate toolkit because I don’t want sub-par tools when I need them, but it’s quick to assemble. 

As for what I’m willing to fix at the track - I’ve changed transmissions between sessions when doing time trials. So that toolkit is fairly comprehensive as you can imagine. The  QuickJacks are a must. A visit to any out of town track is a significant time and money investment and I’m not going to lose it. 

If I was caring for a kart which is the simplest possible vehicle, I could see having a dedicated toolkit. 

I just take this dewalt set with me when I go to the track.  It has basically anything you would need to get most any job done.  However, it is not always the "perfect" tool for the job.

Cheap too.

Edit.  Well, it was about $50 cheaper 2 years ago...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0767PMCD8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Keith Tanner said:

If I was caring for a kart which is the simplest possible vehicle, I could see having a dedicated toolkit. 

Yeah this is definitely what got my mind going. The BMW does have a fair bit of specific tools that it likes, so when it's going somewhere where it might need to be fixed, I pack out a setup from the main shop. But the kart can be entirely rebuilt with a set that could almost live in a tool roll, or certainly a small box. It's so tempting to just assemble a box that lives with it and never have to worry about repacking my main box when I get home.

wvumtnbkr said:

I just take this dewalt set with me when I go to the track.  It has basically anything you would need to get most any job done.  However, it is not always the "perfect" tool for the job.

Cheap too.

Edit.  Well, it was about $50 cheaper 2 years ago...

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0767PMCD8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I have a very similar Harbor Freight set of these that's my "trailer" toolbox. It normally lives in the trailer, but also goes on the gold cart around the house to fix stuff around the property. Malfunctioning gate opener? Misaligned screen door? Moaning well pump? That's the box that springs into action. Maybe I just get another one of those and it lives on the kart stand.

As long as you remember to swing by HF and get 3 or 4 more 10mm deep sockets.

I have a rally toolbox that I take when I'm crewing for other teams- it's under the checked bag weight limit so I can fly with it too.  It's in an Apache case with generic foam and built in layers, this is enough to do just about anything on most cars and while the layout has gone through several iterations the contents have been the same for a while:

For something like a kart I'd definitely build a similar setup.

I live in a small walk-up apartment in NYC, so in fact, most of my tools live in a box in the trunk of my car. If I can’t keep it there, I don’t need it. So, every time I drive off to the track, I’ve already got my toolkit with me! 

My goal is portability / minimum external size / not lugging everything around when walking through the salvage yard.

I use a 2 gallon bucket for the essentials 1/4 to 9/16 sockets , 9 to 19 mm sockets , 1/4 to 9/16 box wrenches / 10 to 15 m box / ratchet / extensions / screwdrivers / allen keys / small torx / radio keys , tape . house wiring nuts / a coupe of odd bolts / shop towel / channel lock / vise grip / prying screw driver / sawsall blade ( clamp in the vise grip then use to cur harnesses and such ) and a couple of other things.

Next is a 12 inch cube of a double wall cardboard box that 3/4 full of the larger stuff.  This is very portable as it fits in the foot well of most any car.  Tools are pulled from this box on an as needed basis.

Last is a 8 x 8 x 24 inch cardboard box that holds a hacksaw and blades. 3 ft extension , pry bars / larger metric sockets / breaker bar , 18 inch piece of 1 1/4 inch square tubing as a leverage extension and some other stuff.

When I'm going to the track I'm towing my car there in an enclosed trailer.  As I see it, one of the major reasons for having that kind of trailer is that you can just leave your track gear in it between events and thus minimize the amount of packing and unpacking that you need to do.  With that in mind I have a trailer-specific set of tools that duplicates what's in the garage.

My race car is also a BMW, so about those car-specific tools?  My trailer lives in my side yard, it's parked 4 feet from the side door on my garage.  I buy one copy of the vehicle-specific tools, they live in the trailer, and in the event that I want to use them in the garage I just walk out there and get them.

And yes, I agree with bringing only the tools necessary to do the jobs you're expecting to do.  OTOH, that category depends on a lot on the significance/length of the event and how far I towed to get there.  A random track day event at Laguna Seca (65 miles from my house) doesn't rate pulling the transmission in the paddock, but a 2000 mile tow to the Runoffs would.  Then there's endurance racing...

It depends. If I'm travelling for a competitive event, I'm bringing as much as I can so I can finish the event. If its just hpde I'll usually travel light and pack up and go home if something breaks too badly. I'm not up to heroics then. If its in a trailer I can keep packed, its a lot easier to just hook up and drive. If I have to run around and find stuff and pack it into the back of a car, I'm more likely only to bring common tools and borrow stuff like a jack from someone with a trailer if I end up needing it. 

I have a travel kit that stays in the motorhome that is pretty inclusive, including a cheap inverter SMAW welding machine. 

We have done transmission repairs, head gaskets, and crash repairs over the years, and never really needed anything we didn't have. 

The last race we had to rebuild the radiator support after a crash. We were able to pull everything back into place, throw a couple of welds on it, install the radiator, and send it out again.

The only thing that gets added to the kit is a floor jack, jack stands, and my M12 stubby impact. 

As I get older, the necessary tool list gets shorter. I'm getting less and less willing to do trackside repairs. 

When we had the bus we used the wheelchair lift to bring the big tool box. It was nice, but I swear every time we brought it we needed exactly nothing out of it and it was a pain even with the wheelchair lift. 
Now one person brings the HF 301 piece kit that covers most things we can need, and then a the usual drill/impact/saw that all take the same battery. Thankfully there aren't really any MB specific tools we need
 

I have lots of stupid little tools, having been victimized by stupid little problems.

driver for tire valve stems (2 times!)

allen wrenches

right angle bit driver for those hard to reach spots (hose clamps)

flush cutters for zip ties

car vac (in CA we race in the desert!)

Don't need many sockets or wrenches.

An "old timer" taught me.   When racing the FC I did basically a frame up rebuild each winter.  Old timer said just leave every tool you need to do the rebuild laying on the shop floor.*  When you are done, those are the tools you need to take to the track.   So I had one tool box with all the race car tools to put in the trailer, not my huge roll-around cabinets.  e.g. I don't need to take the 1.5 inch wrenches for the big disc harrow to the race track.

* OBTW, you don't actually need to leave them on the shop floor, but you get the concept.

In reply to Purple Frog :

I really like that idea. I'm already halfway there, with leaving all of my tools on the floor 🤣

I bring every tool necessary to completely tear down and rebuild a kart. That box weighs about fifty pounds. 

Depends on the event. 

AutoX/Track day - taking the bare essentials. Socket set, wrenches, screwdrivers, cordless impacts, gloves, extra fluids, zipties, duct tape, electrical tape. 

Champcar/Lemons weekend - taking anything and everything thats reasonable plus misc. bits and pieces to McGyver fixes. 

Purple Frog said:

 When racing the FC I did basically a frame up rebuild each winter.  

  e.g. I don't need to take the 1.5 inch wrenches for the big disc harrow to the race track.

Peter Egan , whom wrote the column Side Glances for R & T, chronicled his Formula Ford rebuild circa 1990.

He stated , more or less "   :   Formula cars are worked on with watch makers tools.  Trans AM cars are worked on with tools that would scare a caterpillar mechanic and are aligned with torches. . . " 

Bring the big stuff along as you might be able to trade use of tools ( like torches ) with the ground pounders. . . .

I'm a big believer in the Pelican 0450, which you can find on eBay for $2-$300 with some battle scars. I've put together two of them now--one designed to fix about anything on the side of the road, and one designed to support our LFX-swapped Miata. They roll around pretty easily, seem to be indestructible, and have just enough room to completely rebuild a race car. 

Extra odds and ends, spares, etc. go in Craftsman Versastack bins, not because they're awesome but because they're cheap enough I could afford to buy lots of them. It's proven to be a pretty good system. 

Oh, and save those little disposable nut and bolt bins you get at Harbor Freight. They're a great way to carry spare sensors without losing them. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Tom's toolkit shown here is what we packed for the McLaren for OLOA a few years back.

Since parts are impossible, and space is super limited, it basically consisted of a few torx bits, a tire plug kit and inflator, and an OBDII dongle used as a scan tool with a phone app.

Anything else, including the ratchet to drive our various sockets, would be borrowed if needed.

Before I had the enclosed trailer I kept the tools in the campervan. I had to small totes, one for the Datsun and one for the Formula 500. 

Now that I sold the F500 and have an enclosed trailer I keep the tools in there:

A craftsman socket set, wrench set, screw drivers, pliers, volt meter, test light, torque wrench, pry bar and clutch alignment tool. The clutch alignment tool is simply karma; I keep it and a spare clutch disc in the trailer. 

I value reliability over everything else when it comes to track cars and so I don't pack a lot as the Datsun typically doesn't need a lot.

I needed a pair of pliers for a specific task today. My old needle nose vice grips from my car trunk saved the day.

They were used as fishing pliers for years, so they’ve pulled a lot of hooks.

This was the first time I used them at work. 
 

Hmm, I guess there's a benefit to racing newer cars, presumably less failures.  I race a '68 Triumph GT6 in vintage.  Most events are a minimum 3 hour drive, and three-four day events.  I roll my entire tool chest into the trailer, take about 8 round trip totes (the ones with interlocking lids) full of spares, a basic gasket set, spare diff and transmission, radiator, brake calipers, differential joints, water pump, you name it, four jack stands, etc.  If something fails on Thursday or Friday,  I'm ready to do a thrash to fix it (as are most of my race buddies). Also it's very satisfying when someone comes by and says "do you have" to root around and be able to help them out.  there's usually someone with a portable welder, an engine hoist, etc, etc.