Anyone got some cool Drag Week gadgets they are taking?

[AlanCasida]

Here are a couple I am taking. First I found some slick folding jackstands to save space since I am carrying all my stuff in my trunk. I modified them for extra height. While I wouldn't want to use them for an engine swap or transmission change, they will work fine for oil changes, tire changes etc... I also made a couple of wrenches to speed up my carb swaps at the track. One I cut two wrenches, a 11/16 and 7/8 in half and welded them together and the other is an old old thin wrench, probably my Grandads, that was a 7/8 that I filed out to 1". Anyone else got some cool stuff to show? If you have time, that is!     

[cjshaker]

While not exactly car gadgets, I use these on every hiking/backpacking trip I take. I'll be taking my backpacking gear, and these will come in very handy for good quick meals, which I think will be very handy for Drag Week. The Jetboil cooker will boil water in about 20 seconds, then just add it to the dehydrated Mountain House meals, wait 10 minutes, and you have a very good hot meal. All you need is 3/4 of a cup of water for each meal. The propane bottle and flame base stash inside the cup, so it's all very compact. And my titanium spork (combi spoon/fork) is super light weight for lower ET's   I'm a fairly harsh food critic, and I love these things.

[thatdarncat]

I like the folding jackstands and instant meals.

This is not my gadget, but I took this picture on Drag Week 2014. Our old cars tend to be short of modern creature comforts, I thought this was an ingenious combo padded arm rest and cup holder one competitor had made. Lightweight & simple, and easily removed when racing. 



This picture shows another custom console someone on Drag Week built, also including cupholders, but what I really noticed was they had added a USB port for phone charging. Look up near the front of the console by the dash where the phone cord is plugged in. I know last year Jay had trouble keeping his phone charged while on the road.

[cjshaker]

I like the folding jackstands and instant meals.

What? Nothing about my titanium spork?

The charging issue is something that I had pondered. I'll need them for my Son and I's phones as well as my GoPros. I was just going to use a 12v powerport to USB adapter and plug it into the cigarette outlet. They can be found just about anywhere. There's also a powerport on my jump pack that can be used. I'm curious if that's what Jay used, because I know sometimes they aren't very efficient at charging.

[thatdarncat]

I like the folding jackstands and instant meals.

What? Nothing about my titanium spork?

LOL the titanium spork is very trick. My sporks tend to just be polymer based and usually sourced from KFC.

[Qikbbstang]

Alan, please be careful with your fold-up and added height jack-stands. Years ago on a budget I bought my first set of 3-pt jack-stands/ My car fall down/fell over and crashed its rear qtr into the 2x4 wall studs while I was simply standing by it after getting the stands in place on a concrete floor in a garage on three point jack stands.. I honestly thought they no longer even sold three point stands (due to liability) - the fact you've "modified them for extra height"   has got to exponentially increase the risks of an accident.
   I take it the outlined area under the jack is some sort of plate(s) you are carrying to prevent them from sinking into asphalt? ..................
  Just horsing a wheel/tire into place during a tire change could be risky with three point stands - I never used a three point again after my bad experience.
                 You just mentioned "Disaster narrowly avoided "  if a car falls over and catches you that really could be a disaster... By your own picture just look across the two legs and note it's but a few inches of leverage that provides lateral support on three point stands. again-  then you made them taller and that look a lot taller..!

http://fepower.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4214.0;attach=3270;image

[AlanCasida]

I guess I should just keep my mouth shut around here. Yes they have pads on the bottom as well as a sliding bar thing that connects them together. And YES I have weighed the risks. (geez) 

[Hemi Joel]

Do they come with shrimp on the Barbie? I'll take 2!

[cjshaker]

No Shrimp on the Barbie, and no prime rib either.

Alan, I don't really have any gadgets, but I did purchase this air compressor for the event. I didn't want to haul a generator, so it's a 12 volt job that seemed to get good reviews. We'll see. That's also a yoga mat that's pretty durable and doesn't absorb water, for crawling under the car should I need to.



I also have a few specific tools for the car and engine. The most valuable, in my opinion, is this 1/4" ratchet/extension/socket combo that I keep together just for the valve covers. I got tired of having the socket pull or fall off and wedging itself in some unreachable Twilight Zone area, so I have this extension that LOCKS onto the swivel and the socket is taped so that it doesn't wobble around or fall off. This thing never comes apart and is strictly for the engines I have. A swivel spark plug socket with a long extension is also an absolute must for any FE car with shock towers. But you and Jay don't have to worry about that

[jayb]

That's also a yoga mat that's pretty durable and doesn't absorb water, for crawling under the car should I need to.

Should you need to?  LOL!  Should you need to???  My, Doug, you are optimistic!

[cjshaker]

That's also a yoga mat that's pretty durable and doesn't absorb water, for crawling under the car should I need to.

Should you need to?  LOL!  Should you need to???  My, Doug, you are optimistic!

Very! My goal is to have zero issues with the car, although I'll likely be under it every day just to check things.

[Stangman]

From your lips to Gods ears, at least if you do have any problems you got most of them covered, with my luck no matter how much crap I brought it would be the one thing I didn't bring

[cjshaker]

Newest gadget, just purchased for Drag Week.
I just picked this up for our phone and GoPro charging. Since we're planning on sleeping at the tracks if the weather is decent, we needed something that was portable. It's a 22,000 mHa portable charger with 3 USB charging ports. Supposedly capable of charging your average smart phone up to 6 times on a single charge. It can also be charged overnight if needed. I also picked up a good power port charger with 2 USB ports that can plug into the cigar lighter port. When it comes to these, amp capacity is everything for getting a decent charging rate, and these are rated at 2-2.5 amps, which should work better than your average Walmart and dollar store stuff. We'll see.

[AlanCasida]

I broke down and bought a GPS this year. I still like maps but I am flying solo again this and will help a bunch especially if I get caught out after dark.

[Lenz]

Diggin' your valve cover wrench combo Doug.  Good old black electrical tape rules and is second only to Gorilla brand duct tape in some cases, which is flat out wicked good stuff for nearly anything.  I'll bet everyone's got a roll of duct tape on board somewhere....(not that you'd need it though )