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We typically think of RockAuto as one of the best online
sources for
auto parts, but recently RockAuto came to the rescue for my classic
Japanese Motorcycle.
You see, there is a Denso spark plug that runs
just a little hotter than the NGK usually used on a 1972 Honda CB750K2.
The Denso plug was not available where I live, and checking
the Internet, it was not offered by the typical cycle parts houses.
Turns out RockAuto had the Denso X24ES-U plugs I needed.
Thanks, Walt
in Ohio
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Upcoming
Events
If you would like your event
featured here, e-mail us
with details. |
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Favorite Rides Car Show
6/25/2008
Riverbank, CA
e-mail
Lodi Street Rod Show
6/27-6/29/2008
Lodi,
CA
website
Victor Car Show
6/28/2008
Victor, IA
e-mail
9th Annual Can-Am National Car Show
6/28/2008
Dayton, OH
e-mail
Original Memories Car Club Annual Show
6/28/2008
Milwaukee, WI
website
Memorial Car Meet
6/29/2008
Milton, PA
e-mail
Quakertown's Community Day 26th Anniversary
Cruise
7/4/2008
Quakertown, PA
website
East Sparta Car, Truck, & Bike Show
7/5/2008
Sparta, OH
website
Planes, Manes, & Automobile Event
7/5/2008
Fond Du Lac, WI
e-mail
Fiat Lancia Unlimited 25th Annivesary Event
(Fiat Feak-Out)
7/10-7/13 2008
Pocono Manor, PA
website
WestFest 2008 Classic Car Showcase
7/12-7/13/2008
Omaha, NE
website
Charlotte County Motorsports Park Car,
Truck, & Motorcycle
Show
7/13/2008
Pinellas Park, FL
website
Street Legends Car Show
7/19/2008
Charlevoix,
MI
website
Old Town Motor Fest
7/20/2008
Saginaw,
MI
website
Muscle & Performance Car Show
7/20/2008
Macungie, PA
e-mail
Mustang Week
7/22-7/26/2008
Rockingham,
NC
e-mail
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RockAuto Repair Index |
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Before buying a car or truck or
recommending vehicles to family or friends, it is always a good
idea to check the cost of replacement parts. Every car is eventually
going to need new filters, hoses, struts, brakes, water pump, etc.
An accident might necessitate a new fender, tail lamp assembly,
radiator and other parts.
Choose two vehicles and the new RockAuto Repair
Index tool (http://www.rockauto.com/repairindex)
automatically queries the millions of parts applications in the
RockAuto.com catalog, compares the minimum cost of the most commonly
replaced parts and summarizes the results. Comparing the cost of
hundreds of parts could not be faster or easier.
The tool can also be a lot of fun. Use the
tool to back yourself up if you and a friend have an ongoing
Ford vs. Chevy or Toyota
vs. Volkswagen argument. Hunt around long enough and you can usually
even find a vehicle comparison to justify past purchases. “Look
darling, parts for my Camaro Z28 only cost 67% of what parts for
a Chevy Metro cost. I told you I bought the Z28 because it was
a practical car!”
We hope you find the RockAuto Repair Index
Tool useful and enjoyable. |
Forum Of The Month |
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If you talk about the famous
Buick Grand National and the Internet in the same sentence; it's
tough to leave TurboBuicks.com out
of your conversation. TurboBuicks.com is the web's authority
for non biased, technical discussions pertaining
to anything Buick Grand National, GNX, Turbo-T, T-Type, Regal
and 1989 Turbo Trans Am. The community is over 12,000 members
strong with over a half of a million posts on their message board
and they have been in operation since September 2000!
Get answers
to your technical discussions from the experts and also find
out the latest news on upcoming Buick Grand National racing
events across the country. If you are looking for a Grand National
to
add to your garage check out their cars for sale section that
covers the entire USA. Stop in and say hello even if you don't
own a Buick...Yet!
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 jessa@rockauto.com.
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Repair Mistakes & Blunders |
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When I was relatively young I
didn't have a lot of extra money to get my car fixed, so I often
did it myself, even when I didn't exactly know what I was doing.
My '79 Buick Electra needed some rear shocks and, once again,
I didn't have the money for installation, so I bought a set of
shocks and borrowed
my father in law's garage and tools. I backed the car in, jacked
it up, and put jack stands under the frame. I took off the old
shocks, then took the new ones out of the box--boy were they
short! I was too proud to ask for help, so I decided to jack
up the axle till I could install the short shocks. I kept raising
the axle more and more, but the shocks were still too short to
fit.
Exasperated, I got out from under the car to
look at the new shocks a little more closely. Seconds later
the car teetered
and came off of the jack I was using to lift the axle. On the
way down, one of the jack stands tipped over. If I hadn't
moved when I did, I would have been crushed!
I then read the directions
and found I could extend the shocks. Boy...are they a lot
easier to install that way!
Phil in Colorado
Tell us about your most infamous auto repair
blunder. Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes.
Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com.
Include your mailing address and shirt size (large or extra
large) and we will mail you a RockAuto "Do it yourself?" t-shirt
if we publish your story. 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! |
The Great Lakes Belt |
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In a national
election year I hear “Rust Belt” a lot. I am not overly sensitive,
but “Rust Belt” has always grated a bit.
The TV newscasters are referring to
Michigan and Ohio but also might be tossing in portions of
Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania,
Wisconsin and even western New York. Yes, corrosion is a problem
in those areas, but why name a vast region after a problem?
How about something positive like the “Great Lakes Belt” or
the “20% of the Earth’s Fresh Water, Are You Feeling
Thirsty Yet? Belt”.
When I hear “Rust Belt” from people living outside
the Great Lakes Belt, I can tell they are smugly thinking corrosion
is a choice. “If only those Rust Belt people took care
of their cars then they would not have that nasty rust.”
I remember an engineering school classmate from Syria taking
a look at a spot of rust on the massive chrome bumper of my
Dodge Monaco. He sagely told me to put clear nail polish on
that rust to prevent it from spreading. The classmate was looking
at one of the rustiest cars in Detroit. I probably should have
been pleased that the days I spent in high school grinding,
painting and Bondoing had at least concealed the rust from
the inexperienced eyes of a Syrian. The rust spots on the chrome
were the first signs of rust coming through from the back side
of the bumper. A dab of nail polish would have worked as well
as planting sod on the side of Mt. Saint Helens.
So newscaster people, Great Lakes Belters work hard to take
care of their cars. Detroit sits on top of a salt mine and
salt melts ice and snow at Great Lakes Belt winter temperatures.
Unfortunately, salt is also an unstoppable catalyst for corrosion.
In the 1960s, Ford started dipping Lincoln bodies into a primer
bath. The primer and car had opposite electrical charges and
the primer was tightly attached to the body. Tiny bits of steel
were also drawn out of the body and into the paint. Switching
the polarities of the body and paint solved that problem. Primer
baths, zinc phosphate dips, powder paints, and other effective
rust prevention methods were used on most cars by the early
1980s.
Newer cars driven in the winter still
eventually rust. But Great Lakers are not defined by their
cars’ rust and
they still enjoy their cars. One of my favorite cars was a
1968 Chrysler 300 I bought in Flint Michigan. It looked good
from the waist up. The trunk floor and much of the lower body
was gone. But I did not care because it had a 440 under the
hood and as each bit of rust fell off it got lighter and faster.
I drove that car well into the ‘90s and finally sold
it to a man in Maryland who had a rust free convertible body
in the same color. He was ecstatic to get a nice interior,
motor, etc. and with a body transplant that Great Lakes Belt
car lives on!
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
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Jack & Karen's 1974 Ford Maverick |
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Check out our 1974 Ford Maverick
302, C-4 transmission with shift kit, and a 3.45 rear-end ratio.
We have been working on it since February of 2007. It has been
in
many
shows,
and is really a blast to drive.
The parts I bought from RockAuto
are as follows: Fuel, air, and oil filters, carburetor parts,
electric choke fuel lines, front
end parts and all hardware, rear leaf springs and all hardware.
Along with lots of miscellaneous parts and electrical components,
as well
as belts, hoses, clamps, etc...
Sincerely,
Jack & Karen in Colorado |
Share Your Hard Work
Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If
so, RockAuto would like to feature you and your vehicle in our
monthly newsletter. Please e-mail flamur@rockauto.com with
details.
© 1999-2008 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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