As a car guy, I love tools. I've invested many thousands of dollars over the years in quality (and some not-so-quality) tools of all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. When I started wrenching professionally over 10 years ago, there were mainly air tools and hand tools, but cordless tools weren't as popular yet. I should clarify … Continue reading Tool Review: Cordless vs. Air Tools
Mechanix Illustrated was a magazine published from 1928 through 2001. My grandpa bound his copies in large books containing about six magazines each. His personal collection runs from 1942 through 1970. Enjoy this article and have a safe Memorial Day. Converts Into Ambulance Of unusual interest to country doctors and also adapted for use in police emergency cars is … Continue reading News of War and Defense – Mechanix Illustrated, Vol. 1, January 1942
I'm all about some car shows! I love seeing all the great cars and trucks and talking to the owners. When I first started going to car shows I was intimidated because it seemed like everyone knew everyone else and I was the odd man out, then I realized that if someone would bring their … Continue reading C10 Club Meet in Knoxville, Advance Auto Parts Cruise-In
Anyone who has been working on cars for more than about 5 minutes will tell you the same thing: tools are expensive! It can be tough to keep track of all your tools when it seems like you have every tool you own spread out on the ground and under the hood of the project … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: No Tool Left Behind
We all know mechanics have a ton of cool tools and equipment to help do the job right, but what else do we use? Sometimes home-grown and supermarket solutions work as well or better than a mainstream product. Here are a few of the (perhaps unusual) items a mechanic might use to repair a vehicle. Nail … Continue reading Bag O’ Tricks
In this video I walk you through the replacement of spark plugs and an air filter (basically, a "tune up" in a modern vehicle) in a 2005 Jeep Liberty Sport with a 3.7 V6. If you're careful and take your time, you should be able to conquer this task in just about an hour or … Continue reading Jeep 3.7 Spark Plug Replacement
Brakes are among the most common repairs for professional shops and DIYers alike for good reason; every car has brakes and they're one of the most important systems on the vehicle. If you live in an area where the long arm of the law hasn't yet instituted a mandatory vehicle emission/safety inspection you can live … Continue reading Tech Tip Tuesday: Diagnosing Brake Pad Noise
Today marks 8 wonderful years of marriage, and I could think of no better gift to my lovely wife than to let her choose the first Movie Car Monday to be featured on the blog! As a token of my gratitude, I also let her do all the work creating this beautiful infographic. 😜 Enjoy … Continue reading Movie Car Monday: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
In the first Falcon post, I gave a little history on how I came across the bird and the first few years of its life when I had it. Now it's time for part 2: engine swap time! I build an engine in tech school and started to drop it in, but I ran into … Continue reading In the Garage: The Falcon Lives, Sort Of (Part 2)
Removing small vacuum and coolant hoses and without damaging anything seemed like a nearly impossible task until I discovered these little gems. These pliers grip more of the hose and put less pressure on the (usually plastic) nipple than regular flat pliers allowing you to remove the hose with a much lower probability of damaging … Continue reading Tool Review: Hose Grip Pliers
The Service Station Blog 