I can't remember a p-a-p trip during which various nuts, bolts, screws, fuses, plastic and metal retainer cliips, etc. haven't fallen into my pockets. I have used old cottage cheese tubs, and other food containers to hold these things when I got home and found them in my pockets.
A little while ago, I found a flat box at The Container Store (but must be available elsewhere). It has five molded in rows with included dividers, so the space can be arranged in up to 40 space, about 1.5 x 1.5 inches each. By leaving out the dividers, you can make the spaces larger.
I've started sorting the various bits into different spaces. Because the plastic is clear, I can see what is in which space. I have started separate boxes for metric and inch size hardware (the metric for the Benz, the inch for the Caddy). And I have a separate box for electrical.
Nate's always asking, "do you have a "problem solver" or a xx mm hose clamp?" Now, instead of rummaging through old food tubs, and stabbing myself on the ends of screws, I can just look through the clear plastic top of the box in the trunk, and pull out what he asked for.
If you're looking for one of these, The Container Store calls it a TL-718 box. I just call it useful.
Tom
In a message dated 7/24/2012 8:30:21 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, tinymachine@gmail.com writes:
--- In diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com, BStromsoe <bstromsoe@...> wrote:
>
> And again, I say, buy an inventory of euro nuts, bolts, screws, and other cheap little bits so that you don't have to run to the store every time you need #8 whatever.
Oh, I intend to...while I was hunting down that one screw though, the selection was poor (one option, and didn't contain the screw i was looking for) and price seemed high (over $7 for not much), so I passed in the moment. I spend $2.49 on a handful of the screw I did need and 1.99 on 4 micro-stubby screwdrivers (2 philips, 2 slot) and put the "assortment" on my future shopping list.
I'm only 1.5mi from 2 FLAPS, so a roundtrip is hopefully only about 50c in fuel until I find the right option :)
for the record, I was at an O'Reilly, and I think even at PepBoys they have better options for the "cheap bit assortments"
~Caitlin
83 300SD
Santa Fe
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