Shop Press

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Hot Off the Press

Tariff Talk: A Look Backwards at The Chicken Tax

Well, the mood’s been a little heavy with all the talk about tariffs as of late. There’s an automotive tax that’s been around for a long time that is a perfect thing to mention if a conversation is getting uncomfortable. And if you’re a car nut, you should at least...

Watch This Video on the Inventor Who Put Lead in Gasoline

Recently, I went down an internet rabbit hole about why gasoline once had lead in it and how it got removed. In my searches, I found this video on inventor Thomas Midgley Jr., who not only invented leaded gasoline to combat engine knocking but also synthesized...

Stress Test Vehicle Grounds

Pop quiz, no cheating: how many amps does the ground side of any circuit conduct? If you said, “As many as the hot side,” get yourself a gold star and skip this article. For the rest of us who weren’t born innately knowing the answer to that question, stick with me...

The Tightwad’s Way To Install Any Wheel Bearing Race

I don’t own a bearing race driver kit, and I haven’t in 20 years of fixing stuff. I also refuse to use sockets to drive a race. I learned a method a long time ago I’ll pass along to you newer techs: I use the race I’m replacing. I primarily have used this trick when...

Shop Profile: Locked N Loaded 4×4

I’ve owned two Jeeps–the 1973 Super Jeep CJ-5 featured in a previous Shop Press article, and a 2010 Wrangler Sahara. The reliability and my enjoyment of the former wasn’t “super” in any way despite American Motors’ best efforts at model name puffery, and the latter...

Let’s hear it for the mighty roach coach

Let’s hear it for the mighty roach coach

Forget about tangy Korean short rib tacos, succulent Maine lobster rolls, and decadent softball-sized cupcakes. Before taking up residency in hip neighborhoods around the country, food trucks were just an easy way for hard-working folks to get a hot bite quickly;...
February Automotive Horoscopes

February Automotive Horoscopes

Aries: Stress around the shop is about to melt away. Resist packrat urges—letting go is just as important as gathering items of value. Spruce things up! After work, be careful not to overdo things in extracurricular matters. Pay careful attention to the cars above you...
Clean the #&@$ing snow off the roof of your car or truck

Clean the #&@$ing snow off the roof of your car or truck

As we are deep into winter here in the northern hemisphere, I believe it’s time for this seasonally appropriate rant: clean the #&@$ing snow off the roof of your car or truck. Look, I’ve been there. You’re running late for work after a big storm the night before,...
February Automotive Horoscopes

January Automotive Horoscopes

Aries: You may not think of some of your repairs as innovative, but a creative fix is a creative fix. Your outlook is out there, and that’s OK. Expect to see someone else cribbing your notes but remember to take it as flattery. Not everyone has the same gift of...