I drove these old things back when we used them to make a living. They were more reliable than most people think. Either that or it was just part of a days work to fix a few things. We didn't carry many spare parts. What we did carry was a fan belt, a spare set of spark plug wires because the old Packard wires burned to a crisp in a hurry. We always carried a match box to use to file the points and some grease for the rubbing block. The main improvement I would recommend is an electric fuel pump. They were lifesavers back in the 50's because even real gas with lead in it would vapor lock. My GMC 550 had Carter pusher pumps inside the saddle tank. They were much like the submerged pumps with modern day EFI. I wouldn't attempt to drive an old vehicle that generates a lot of heat under the hood without an electric fuel pump.
