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Unreal
prices!!!
I saved $98.00
through RockAuto versus my local
parts store. On the exact same parts!
Tim in Pennsylvania
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Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here, email us with details. |
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Merchantville Car Show
7/14/2012
Merchantville, NJ
e-mail
33rd Annual
RAVE Car Show & Flea Market
7/14/2012
Fair Haven, VT
e-mail
11th Anniversary
Classics on Main Car Show
7/14/2012
Bowling Green, OH
e-mail
The Chicagoland
PT Cruiser Club Car Show
7/14/2012
Elgin, IL
e-mail
Onsted Kiwanis
Show Car Nationals
7/14/2012
Onsted, MI
e-mail
Fifth Annual
Westiva Meet
7/14/2012
Calgary, AB
e-mail
El Locco -
US Car & Harley Days
7/14/2012
Krefeld, Germany
website
6th Annual
Bixby Knolls Dragster Expo Car
Show
7/14/2012
Long Beach, CA
e-mail
The Rendezvous
Car Show
7/14/2012
Denver, CO
e-mail
US-Car Treffen
in Wietze
7/15/2012
Wietze, Germany
e-mail
Hot Rod Sunday
7/15/2012
La Farge, WI
e-mail
Rize N Shine
Car, Truck & Bike Show
7/15/2012
Commerce City, CO
e-mail
Classics on
Kent
7/15/2012
Trenton, ON
e-mail
ZCCR Car Show
7/15/2012
Webster, NY
e-mail
27th Annual
British Car Day of Cincinnati
7/15/2012
Cincinnati, OH
e-mail
Mustangs Northwest
All Ford Roundup & All Ford
Picnic
7/19/2012
Seattle, WA
e-mail
British Car
Day
7/21/2012
Hickory, PA
e-mail
Community
Day 2012
7/21/2012
Fairfield, CT
e-mail
Razz &
Shine Cruise In
7/21/2012
Lynden, WA
e-mail
PA Jeeps 17th
Annual All Breeds Jeep Show
7/21/2012
Millersville, PA
e-mail
Ain't Nothin
But The Blues Festival
7/21/2012
Bloomington, IL
e-mail
The 2nd Annual
Summertime Jamboree
7/21/2012
Santa Barbara, CA
e-mail
3rd Annual
HHV Car Show
7/21/2012
Berry Hill, TN
e-mail
The Emmett
Lions Club Car Show
7/21/2012
Emmett, ID
e-mail
2012 National
Corvair Convention
7/25/2012
Massapequa, NY
e-mail
Bongo Bash
Bites Back Triple Trouble
7/27/2012
Eastbourne, UK
e-mail
ECCA Car Show
7/28/2012
Ridgewood, NY
e-mail
Garfield Street
Fair & Car Show
7/28/2012
Graham, WA
e-mail
Brookdale
Auto Meet
7/28/2012
Lincroft, NJ
e-mail
Coast Guard
Festival Car Show
7/29/2012
Grand Haven, MI
e-mail
Minis on the
Wreck
7/29/2012
Brighton, UK
e-mail
Cars on Main
7/29/2012
Germantown, WI
e-mail
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RockAuto Marine Parts |
|
There’s
still time to get your boat back out
on the water this summer with RockAuto’s
expanded marine catalog! We now offer
a large selection of marine parts
from the brands you trust at competitive
prices. You'll now find parts for
popular inboard and outboard boats
and engines, including Mercruiser,
Mercury, Volvo Penta, Evinrude, Yamaha,
and many more:
- Autolite and
NGK Spark Plugs
- Fram Filters
- United Ignition
Spark Plug Wire Sets
- Delco/Remy Alternators,
Starters, and Tilt/Trim Motors
- Standard Motor
Products Ignition and Electrical
parts
- Cardone Water
Pumps
- Victor Reinz
Gaskets
- ATK Marine Long
Blocks
- Autoline Carburetors,
Fuel Injectors, and Distributors
- Carter Fuel Pumps
- And more…
Visit our Marine
tab to find the parts you need
in the same easy-to-navigate format
as our automobile catalog. The boating
season is already too short—let
RockAuto help bring your boat back
to life and keep it running strong.
|
Robbins Auto Top |
|
RockAuto
is now offering convertible tops from
Robbins Auto Top! Robbins Auto Top
has long been known for quality throughout
the industry and has received the
prestigious Ford Q1 Quality certification.
Robbins uses the highest quality toppings,
original style components, and best
workmanship to manufacture their convertible
tops, glass and plastic windows, tonneau
covers, top boots, headliners and
accessories.
Some of the features
and techniques that make Robbins Tops
the best in the industry:
- Factory Designs
Duplicated or Improved: Robbins
duplicates factory designs, and
improves upon them when necessary.
Added reinforcements, better heat
sealing processes with Pffaf hot
air welders, and other manufacturing
techniques help to make the best
quality products.
- Exact Patterns:
The best fitting tops start with
the best patterns which are made
possible by a computer controlled
high speed Gerber CNC cutting machine.
- Materials: Robbins
uses original materials or better
suited replacements for their products.
Each material is made to strict
specifications and tested to ensure
it meets the standards of Robbins.
- Quality
Control: Robbins began as a trim
shop and all convertible top patterns
go through continual R&D where
products are installed and tested
for fit and appearance. Fabrics
used are heat seal and stretch tested
and thread is tested on critical
materials.
Whether the
top for your American, European, or
Japanese car is worn, damaged, or
has a broken window, RockAuto has
the Robbins Auto Top replacement needed
for your convertible. Find your Robbins
convertible top needs in the Body-Exterior
category of the RockAuto
Catalog.
|
Forum of the Month |
|
The
Classic Oldsmobile forum is dedicated
to Oldsmobile’s and their owners.
By joining our community, at no cost,
you will have access to start new
topics, reply to conversations, privately
message other members (PM), respond
to polls, and access many other special
features. Registration is fast, simple
and absolutely free. Join our community
today and become a part of the Classic
Oldsmobile Family!
If you are the
administrator or member of a forum
and you would like to see your website
featured in an upcoming newsletter
and receive a discount code to share
with your members, contact cynthia@rockauto.com.
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Repair Mistakes & Blunders
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The
year was 1979, early summer. The car
was a 1968 Pontiac Firebird. I could
barely wait for the school year to
end, as I needed free time to install
a new camshaft, a set of 400 heads,
and replace an aging two barrel carburetor
with a Carter 4 barrel that I had
scored on a high school student budget.
I had gone so far as to purchase a
bar type torque wrench so that I could
precisely torque my newly machined
cylinder heads onto the motor.
Some things are just
not meant to be...
After bolting the
heads in place, I decided to test
the engine compression. The problem
was, I hadn't installed the push rods
prior to this test! As my buddy was
cranking the engine over, I was witnessing
readings of 1 to 20 psi...probably
a good number considering that the
valves weren't opening. My impulsive
solution was to tighten the head bolts
a little tighter and try again....and
again when the previous re-tightening
didn't improve the compression test
results. By the time my re-torquing
was complete, the cylinder head surfaces
most likely resembled cast iron waffles!
After installing
the push rods (and another re-torquing
of the head bolts) the motor ran terribly
for about three weeks until it blew
up in a blaze of glory with more antifreeze
in the pan than oil.
Ah, to be young
and totally impulsive again.
Tom in Connecticut
Tell us about
your most infamous auto repair blunder
or unconventional fix. Use your woe
to help others avoid similar mistakes
or share off-the-wall solutions that
worked (at least for a while!). Please
email your story to flamur@rockauto.com.
Include your mailing address and if
you would like a RockAuto T-Shirt
(please let us know your shirt size)
or Hat if we publish your story. See
the T-Shirts and Hats under Tools & Universal Parts
in the catalog.
The story will be credited using only
your first name and your vague geographic
location (state, province, country,
continent, etc.) so you can remain
semi-anonymous! |
Automotive Trivia |
|
QR
codes now appear on everything from
RockAuto ads to political campaign
signs. What was the original purpose
for the QR code?
A. Denso Wave, a
subsidiary of Toyota, created the
QR code in 1994 to better track auto
parts inventory.
B. Euro NCAP created the QR code in
2001 to be able to store and read
crash history data displayed on the
surface of crash test dummies.
C. Paccar made QR codes in 1998 so
customers could store and retrieve
maintenance histories on DAF, Kenworth
and Peterbilt trucks.
Answer
below
|
My Garage Experiment
|
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I
tend to put anti-seize compound on
most bolts. After struggling to remove
a frozen fastener, I want to make
sure that it is easier to remove the
next time. I have read that the problem
with smearing anti-seize compound
on nuts and bolts is that it makes
it too easy to over-tighten even using
a torque wrench. The torque specifications
in repair manuals are usually written
for fasteners that are relatively
clean or “dry.”
The right torque
is essential for the success of many
repair jobs. Cylinder head bolts sometimes
have a torque specification
that requires
both a torque wrench and a torque
angle meter to measure a subsequent
rotation of the fastener by a set
number of degrees. Fel-Pro recommends
that a “torque-to-yield”
cylinder head bolt never be reused
because “chances are great that
it has already exceeded its elasticity
barrier and won’t spring back
to properly seal the engine.”
What if even the most careful torque
measurements on new parts using the
best tools is thrown out the window
by a dab of anti-seize compound?
I decided
to clear off a corner of my workbench
for a quasi-scientific investigation!
I cleaned a new bolt, washer and nut
to make them “dry”, clamped
the nut in a vise and marked the position
of the bolt head at points between
25 to 65 ft. lbs. of applied torque
(34 to 88 Nm). Then I put anti-seize
compound on the bolt and measured
the torque necessary to bring the
bolt head back to the dry positions.
With the anti-seize compound, I found
that 31% to 44% less torque was needed
to turn the bolt head to the dry position.
For example, 45 ft. lbs. of torque
on the anti-seize coated bolt turned
the bolt head as far as 65 ft. lbs.
of torque on the dry bolt. The dry/anti-seize
conversion ratio became very non-linear
when I put 65 ft. lbs. (88 Nm) of
torque on the anti-seize covered bolt.
The bolt head turned far past (remember
this is quasi-scientific!) the dry
65 ft. lb. mark indicating that the
bolt head was probably now cutting
into the washer and/or the bolt was
stretching.
After my experiment,
I looked at bolt manufacturer data
and found they generally recommend
roughly 25% less torque (compared
to dry) on fasteners lubricated with
anything (oil, grease, etc.) and roughly
40% less torque on fasteners coated
in anti-seize compound.
I am still a big
fan of anti-seize, but I am going
to more carefully consider the torque
specifications for each bolt. Many,
if not most, of the bolts I install
are hard to access and impossible
to get a torque wrench on. Most fasteners
have likely been inadvertently lubed
by the penetrating oil I used to help
remove them, transmission fluid, the
grease on my gloves, etc. With those
hard to get to bolts, I can only use
the manufacturer torque specification
as a ball park figure to calibrate
the pressure I feel in my hand and
wrist when I turn the wrench. Manufacturer
torque specs in the repair manuals
are usually a range rather than an
exact number so now at least I know
to usually aim for the low end of
the torque range.
I
will forego the anti-seize compound
and/or follow the part manufacturer’s
installation instructions when I work
on torque sensitive sealing applications
like cylinder heads. It is worthwhile
to remove more parts so the torque
wrench has access and make an extra
effort to clean fasteners and mounting
holes. I will also be more cautious
when bolting together dissimilar metals
like aluminum to steel. My garage
experiment showed me how easy it would
be to inadvertently distort or crack
parts while tightening lubed fasteners
to the high end of a torque specification
range. My test bolt looks the same
to me, but it likely painfully “exceeded
its elasticity barrier” when
I applied the anti-seize compound
and 65 ft lb. of torque.
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
|
Daniel's 1976 Lincoln Continental Mark IV |
|
When
I turned 16 in 1976, I got my driver's
license. And while my peers were all
interested in the typical muscle cars
of the day - Mustangs, Camaros, etc.,
I personally loved the big cars. The
first drive away from home with my
new driver's license was to a local
Ford dealership so I could look at
the new cars, and just dream about
which one I planned on getting. Before
I left the dealership I ventured inside,
and there, center stage in the main
showroom, was a 1976 triple black
Lincoln Continental Mark IV. It was,
I thought, the most beautiful thing
I had ever seen. I had seen older
models, but this one was brand new
and it looked better than any Mark
that preceded it. I swore one day
I would own one just like that!
Several years later,
I was in a better position financially
and set out to look for "my"
triple black 1976 Mark IV, but never
found one for sale. So I settled on
a Gold 1975 Mark IV. While I loved
that car, it was not the triple black
1976 with all that beautiful chrome
trim.
In 2011, during a
casual browsing of want ads, I stumbled
across this: "For Sale 1976 Lincoln
Continental Mark IV". I opened
the ad to view the photos, and there
it was! The 1976 triple black Mark
IV I had longed to have so many years
ago. I immediately called the seller
and was told it was already sold.
Well nuts...I missed out. But then,
two weeks later, I see the same ad
had been renewed so I called once
again, and yes, the car was for sale.
The first buyer failed to come up
with the money to buy it. So I went
and bought it. The car was in amazing
cosmetic shape both inside and out,
but it did has some flaws that needed
to be addressed.
Even though the
car only had 49,407 actual miles on
it, 20 years of storage had created
issues and the engine ran badly. I
decided at this point to just refresh
the entire engine from top to bottom.
I ordered main bearings, rings, a
double roller timing set, a radiator,
a fuel tank, and a carburetor from
RockAuto.
After 36 years I
am finally driving the car I always
wanted! Besides...there is little
out there new these days I would actually
be interested in driving. This old
"Mark" does not get the
best fuel mileage by today's standards,
so I only use it for special occasion
driving and love every minute of it.
Body and styling are so different
than what you usually see today. It
stands out in traffic and I get a
lot hoots and kudos at stop lights.
Daniel in Tennessee
|
Share Your
Hard Work |
Do
you purchase parts from RockAuto?
If so, RockAuto would like to
feature you & your car or
truck in our monthly newsletter.
New, old, import, domestic,
daily driver, trailer queen,
classic, antique, we want to
see them all! Please e-mail
flamur@rockauto.com
with your vehicle's history,
interesting details, your favorite
images, and what parts from
RockAuto you have used.
|
Let
RockAuto Help |
|
Are
you organizing a car show or
other auto related event? From
goody bag stuffers to gift certificates...we
can help. We can even publicize
your event in our newsletter.
Just
send us an email
with information about your
show.
|
Automotive
Trivia Answer |
|
QR
codes now appear on everything
from RockAuto ads to political
campaign signs. What was the
original purpose for the QR
code?
Answer:
A. Denso Wave, a subsidiary
of Toyota, created the QR code
in 1994 to better track auto
parts inventory.
B. Euro NCAP created the QR
code in 2001 to be able to store
and read crash history data
displayed on the surface of
crash test dummies.
C. Paccar made QR codes in 1998
so customers could store and
retrieve maintenance histories
on DAF, Kenworth and Peterbilt
trucks.
Back
up to trivia question
|
© 1999-2012 RockAuto,
LLC - Madison, Wisconsin USA. RockAuto
name and logo are registered trademarks
of RockAuto, LLC. Manufacturer names
and logos in the RockAuto catalog
are trademarks of their respective
companies and are used only to identify
their products. All rights reserved.
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