What to do in an emergency?

A couple of days ago I was driving in my daily driver 2001 Honda Accord.  Per my previous post here you may remember I had just had some work done to it at the dealer last Friday. I was driving and I had Elsie in the car travelling to the babysitter's when I noticed a noise in the front end of the vehicle. Initially I thought this was a road noise due to the pavement, but then I noticed that the noise increased when I let off the accelerator and diminished when I accelerated.  Finally, I decided to pull over and check this out.  Instictively I opened the trunk and went for my lug wrench and I'm glad that I did.  I checked the lug nuts on both front tires and three lug nuts were very loose and I could move them easily with my fingers. However, all of the lugnuts on both tires were loose to some degree. I proceeded to tighten all of the lugnuts on the front wheels and checked the back wheels and continued on about my route. 

During the day I thought how lucky I was that I had not lost any of the lugnuts before I tightened them up! After work I filled up on gas and checked the lugnuts again on the front tires and snugged them up.  Now to drive the 35 miles home.

This experience got me to thinking about having an emergency kit for the Cougar. An emergency kit can be an essential tool for any vehicle including a classic car. Whether you're taking a relaxed trip to the country or a longer trip to a classic car show, it is always best to be prepared ahead of time. If you have the right stuff in your auto emergency kit it could often mean less time stranded and more time on the road and having fun.

Having driven old cars while I was in high school I understand that sometimes you're going to have an unexpected problem.  I have an extra tool box that I won a couple of years ago that I could use. So I began wondering what should the emergency kit include?

• Your classic car insurance company details.
• Tools for minor car repairs including flat head and Phillips screwdrivers, vice grips, adjustable wrench, pliers, pocketknife, or a multipurpose tool containing many tools in one. Other items that can come in handy during a roadside emergency include oil, antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, rags or paper towels, duct tape, and an ice scraper.
• A spare tire, vehicle jack, tire pressure gauge, and lug wrench. Another handy item to have available is a bottled tire inflator. If the tire is not completely flat, you may be able to inflate the tire enough to get to a service station.
• Jumper cables
• First aid kit containing basics gauze, bandages, adhesive tape, antibiotic ointment, scissors, instant ice pack, instant heat compress, and aspirin or other pain reliever.
• A blanket.
• A bottle of water.
• Food such as Granola or energy bars.
• A flashlight with extra batteries.
• Emergency flares.
• Pen and paper.
• A help sign to place in the window for passing vehicles to see in case you are stranded inside your classic car.
• Replacement light bulbs - 1157, 1142, 1157A, etc.