Everything You Might Need on the Way to Tri-Five Nationals
Lists! Why do we make lists?
- Alan Arnell
A follow up story to "Let's go to the 2016 Tri-Five Nationals." LINK TO PREVIOUS POST.
I have been a part of the Texas Classic Car Experience now for 15 years. 15 great years, I must add! There are two Texas sayings that are my favorites: "You can't know what you don't know" and "I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!" As I have posted before, driving and owning hot rod classic cars has made a permanent black mark on my trust of mechanical devices. Murphy was correct when he said, "If anything can go wrong, it will." Click here to tweet
Ok, I'm sorry, but my inquiring mind wants to know who is Murphy? This is what I found:
Murphy's laws origin
The following article was excerpted from The Desert Wings March 3, 1978 Murphy's Law ("If anything can go wrong, it will") was born at Edwards Air Force Base in 1949 at North Base. It was named after Capt. Edward A. Murphy, an engineer working on Air Force Project MX981, (a project) designed to see how much sudden deceleration a person can stand in a crash. One day, after finding that a transducer was wired wrong, he cursed the technician responsible and said, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he'll find it." The contractor's project manager kept a list of "laws" and added this one, which he called Murphy's Law. Actually, what he did was take an old law that had been around for years in a more basic form and give it a name. Shortly afterwards, the Air Force doctor (Dr. John Paul Stapp) who rode a sled on the deceleration track to a stop, pulling 40 Gs, gave a press conference. He said that their good safety record on the project was due to a firm belief in Murphy's Law and in the necessity to try and circumvent it.
- Aerospace manufacturers picked it up and used it widely in their ads during the next few months, and soon it was being quoted in many news and magazine articles. Murphy's Law was born. The Northrop project manager, George E. Nichols, had a few laws of his own. Nichols' Fourth Law says, "Avoid any action with an unacceptable outcome." The doctor, well-known Col. John P. Stapp, had a paradox: Stapp's Ironical Paradox, which says, "The universal aptitude for ineptitude makes any human accomplishment an incredible miracle." Nichols is still around. At NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, he's the quality control manager for the Viking project to send an unmanned spacecraft to Mars.
Back to Tri-Fives
My Uncle Mark Orton used a saying that has stuck with me for over 40 odd years. He said, "I feel
Organization for any long trip is more than likely a very good idea. I try to be organized and many
This poses another question to "why do people make lists?" There is Jodi who is a big list maker.
As her day progresses about every hour or so Jodi checks her calendar to see how she's doing. Psychoanalyst Francois Leguil said, "Writing things down supports what is most fragile in our memories, We spend our time forgetting what we ought to be doing and what we've already done.
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| I used this paper list to complete a rear differential upgrade to a limited slip, new bearings and axles for my 10 bolt rear end in my '57-150 Chevy. |
+Sharon Nixon of Redondo Beach, California wrote, "I'm one of those types who likes to make a list of what to bring when going on a trip so I don't forget anything. I felt strongly that this should especially apply to a trip with my '57 210 (Chevy) (a.k.a. Gumby).
Sharon's Generic List for an extended trip with your Classic Chevy Car+
- Fire extinguisher
- 2 quarts of oil
- Brake, power steering and transmission fluid
- Funnel
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Bulbs - #1156 (backup), 1157 (taillight/turn signals), and/or #2357 (extra bright taillight bulbs)
- Pre-gapped spark plugs
- Anti-freeze (already diluted 50/50...)
- Typical tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.)
- Bottle jack (2 to 3 ton)
- Jumper cables
- Emergency road light
- CB (Note from Alan: This one may be dated, however if you are in a caravan, hand held radios for communication between cars is fun and a good idea.)
- Cell phone (Today we are lucky to GPS on our phones. How did we live before smart phones?)
- Car cover
- Cone (to save your parking spot)
- Maps
- Hotel reservations information & (phone) numbers...
- A few bath-sized towels, diapers, shop towels, paper towels
- Cleaning and polishing supplies
- Rain-Ex
- Snack (such as raisins) in case you're hungry and we aren't scheduled to stop
- Light blanket or bed sheet to drape on the front seat for protection against dirt (or, in my case so you don't have to peel yourself off the seat!)
- Scotch tape and marking pen for car show entry on the windshield
- Clipboard for voting (so you don't have to use someone's back to write on)
- Bra for the front of car
- Rubber mats or carpet pieces to protect your good carpet from getting dirty
- 1 to 2 gallons of gas (optional)
- Small fold-up chair(s)
- Vacuum cleaner that plugs into lighter
- Toilet paper & small can of Lysol for pit stops to filthy bathrooms
- I also have a compact air compressor that plugs into the cigarette lighter just in case the air is low in my tires (only use with the engine running)
Sharon finishes with, "Now granted, you probably would not necessarily bring everything on the list, but you never know when you or someone else on the caravan may need something you brought."
I believe both Jodi and Sharon would attest that a list will keep you from standing around in your
garage trying to think of what to pack for the next trip. Remember Murphy's law and my favorite Texas saying, "I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!" 
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