Last month, I equipped the Project Street Fighter Mustang with a rigidly mounted toolbox. I wanted the box to house tools we'd need to work on the car down the road. The toolbox is easily removable when we don't want the weight, but ready to ride wherever we go.
Let's face it, old cars break. If you say you've never been stranded someplace, wishing you had the tools to get back on the road, you're either lying, or have only owned new cars. Rather than rely on a cell phone with spotty service to call for help, I like to try and get the car running on my own. If it's a simple problem, like a thrown belt, all you need is a couple of wrenches and you're back on the road. Simple hand tools can't fix everything, but more often than not, they can.
At the racetrack, whether that's the dragstrip or the road course, tools are a must. They're handy to fix the broken stuff if such an instance arises, but also for tuning. Keeping a set of tools onboard for timing adjustments, jet changes, and any other test and tune adjustment can really increase the productivity of precious track time. Since the toolbox is retained by two straps, I can remove the box in a manner of seconds for the runs, and keep it in the pit area for easy access between sessions.
Now it's time to decide what tools you should get in your kit if you decide to go the same route as us. There's limited space, so this should get some consideration. Our old domestic cars use mostly all SAE hardware, but the aftermarket has replaced some of this with metric. If you know for sure there isn't any metric hardware on your car, don't include them in your kit. Late-model cars, on the other hand, are almost all put together with metric hardware. Keeping a set of metric and SAE would be a good idea. Aside from sockets and wrenches, you'll need a set of large and small screwdrivers in Phillips and standard, channel-lock pliers, diagonal side-cutting pliers, an adjustable wrench, and a set of Allen keys. It's not a bad idea to include a couple of electrical connectors and something to crimp them for emergencies. I've got a mini-pack of fuses and a couple 1157 dual-element bulbs in my kit just in case. Some other specialty tool ideas are a timing light and distributor wrench for timing adjustments, nut driver and large-bladed standard screwdriver for jet changes, and a voltmeter to chase down electrical problems. We outfitted our toolbox with a modest collection of Duralast tools, which are available through AutoZone. These have the feel and heft of high-end pro mechanics tools at a regular guy (gal!) price, which is ideal when you want to leave your high-end stuff safely at home in the garage.