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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...

Drag racing semi-trucks (VIDEO)

Drag racing semi-trucks (VIDEO)

Hi, my name is Lemmy and I enjoy the inappropriate application of power. It’s the lighter side of our mutual profession, I feel. I’ve written before about keeping your mojo flowing if the biz of fixing stuff is wearing you down. Here’s another way to do that: watch...
Virgil Exner: The creator of Chrysler’s “forward look”

Virgil Exner: The creator of Chrysler’s “forward look”

I’m a sucker for the sleek, smooth, and aggressive look of late 1950’s automobiles. As such, I owe a debt of gratitude to one man: Virgil Exner. In the 50’s, Exner was the head of styling at Chrysler, and he spearheaded the “Forward Look” of their cars, a look that...
The Shop Press Automotive Paragon series: a recap

The Shop Press Automotive Paragon series: a recap

If you read Shop Press regularly you’ve noticed we’ve been running a series for the past couple of years. It’s called “Automotive Paragons,” and it’s a series where we look at automotive entrepreneurs, designers, and engineers who were exceptional, ahead of...
Book review: “Pump and Circumstance”

Book review: “Pump and Circumstance”

Recently I was organizing my books on a new bookshelf and came across one that I had almost forgotten about. I picked it up after seeing an exhibition called “See the USA: Automobile Travel and the American Landscape” at the Building Museum when I lived in D.C. The...