This has been done on the Samba a gajillion times, but thought it might be fun to attempt to start a comprehensive list of tools and parts to take with on long road trips that folks on this forum can edit / add to.
However, my first suggestion before embarking on a trip to Alaska is to ensure all suspension components have been gone through and addressed appropriately (ball joints, center pin, tie rod ends, rear bushings, etc, etc). Many suspension components require either lotsa pressure and/or lotsa torque to R & R....ergo specialty tools. Getting this stuff done prior to, negates having to do this on the road. Also, these parts don't just typically fail out of the blue...the gradually wear and get loose tolerances, so easy to catch and predict prior to failure.
After that, I would ensure that all the CV boots are in tip top shape. If not, buy good quality and replace them...messy job to do on the road.
Then, assuming you have an engine that has good compression (you did check this..right?
) and is in good tune, My next line of defense as far as tools and parts would be as follows. Surprisingly,many things you can fix on a bus with most simple hand tools.
- Set of metric box wrenches
- Set of metric sockets both standard and deepwell ...3/8 drive will do, with several extension lengths, and a U-joint attachment
- breaker bar
- set of appropriate metric allen wrenches
- quality 3/8 drive torque wrench
- phillips and flat screw drivers
- tire iron
- hammer
- BF hammer
- Needle hose pliers
- regular pliers
- Channel locks
- vise grips
- adjustable wrench (quality one...not some HF Junk)
- small crowbar
- WD 40
- molybdenum grease
- loc-tite
- grease gun (you did say they were traveling to FL to AK and back...although oil changes and lube jobs can be farmed out)
- duct tape and baling wire (not joking...stuff can come in handy)
- If you have the original fasteners on the CV joints, the appropriate tool to take these off
- feeler gauges
- volt /ohm meter
- timing light
- dwell / tac meter
- Bottle jack, small floor jack, and two jack stands
- 2' x 3' piece of carpet to lay on when wrenching on the bus
- Bentley manual ( I actually carry Bentley, Muir, and Haynes, as all three have their complimentary strong an weak points)
As far as spare parts:
- valve cover gaskets
- points and condenser
- misc metric nuts and bolts
- TS II - realize they've gotten a bit pricey, but can cause all kinds of weird problems. Still cheap insurance.
- fuel filter
- clutch cable...I've never had one brake, but hey, they are relatively cheap, and easy to transport.
- CV boot (probably not necessary if you have good quality ones on it now)
- fuses of various sizes
- # of oil filters you will need (not sure how readily available they are on the road...don't take up too much space)
That would really be about it....as far as engine components such as alternators, fuel pumps, etc, you can most likely have most anything shipped to you that you might need. If you happen to have a spare double relay, AFM, and alternator laying around, and if you have the space to spare, sure, take it. But if you don't, I wouldn't go out and buy one 'just in case'.
Cheers,
Mike