Wrenching Archives

Shop Press is the news and idea hub for everything related to working on cars and trucks, focusing on repair, technology, and wrenching lifestyle.

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TECHNICIAN CHALLENGE: The Mystery Box

Description So much in the repair world relies upon feel—but it's not so often you don't have sight to aid you in your work. Watch as a few Dormanites attempt to identify auto parts using just the sense of touch and see who comes out on top.

Beverly Hills auto body shop launched a jewelry business using scrap metal from luxury cars

Christi Schimpke still remembers the Bentley GT that inspired it all. Her husband’s auto body shop, Beverly Coachcraft, is 20 minutes from Beverly Hills and specializes in repairing high-end luxury vehicles. This particular $200,000-plus British import that took her...

Your customers are using their HVAC systems wrong

“Hey, you. Yeah, you driving with your windows all fogged up on the inside. I’ll betcha 10 bucks there’s one setting on your ventilation system—you know what, let’s make that two—that you’re using completely wrong for the conditions you’re driving in.” You probably...

Should a customer bring parts?

Three words no shop manager ever wants to hear are customer supplied parts. There are some really good reasons for that, and it’s understandable why many shops take a “just say no” position on the practice. But there are also plenty of perfectly reasonable arguments...

There really are a ton of automotive door styles

The Shop Press team was sitting around jawing the other day about the history of the term “suicide doors.” I read a number of explanations, but none were very satisfactory. During my cursory research, however, I did start noting the rather large number of door styles...

Is your shop ready for the 4-day work week?

You’re probably already familiar with a growing movement to shorten the typical work week to just four days. Business journals, TV news, and social media outlets have covered the subject exhaustively in the last year or so, often in the same breath as “COVID-19” and...

The rarely seen control arm-mounted trailer ball rears its head

Well, this was a humdinger. Let me explain how I ended up here. I was popping ball joints free from the lower A-arms so I could swing the CV axles out and replace the hub assemblies on this car. The left side freed up with a few taps. This side? Well, this picture is...

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;...

Which type of salvage yard do you prefer?

by Lemmy | Jun 28, 2022

In the world of salvage auto parts, most yards fall into one of two camps: you-pull-it and full-serve. You-pull-it yards are just what they sound like: bring your tools; you’ll be removing the parts you need. Full-serve is just the opposite; you call up and either...

VIDEO: The fastest way to remove a wiper arm

by Shop Press Staff | Jun 23, 2022

VIDEO: The fastest way to remove a wiper arm Description We’ve all gotten stuck using a pry bar, the smallest two-jaw puller in the toolbox, or a block of wood and a mallet to free a wiper arm, but there’s an easier way—a Dorman Wiper Arm Tool. Watch as...

Five different types of service techs everyone knows, based on how they manage their tools

by Dave Grasso | Jun 16, 2022

This story begins with the lack of a garage when I was growing up. Tools never had a consistent place in my house. Every time I blew up a tire or popped a chain on a bicycle, I would spend more time tracking down the correct wrench (or my trusty and incorrect rusty...

Serviceability Hall Of Shame: captive chassis mounts

by Lemmy | May 10, 2022

In today’s SHOS, I’d like to discuss captive chassis bolts. You’ll find these holding things like subframes and control arms to unibody chassis, and probably in some other spots, too. In this article, I’m showing the way Dodge chose to mount the first-gen Dakota cabs...

Don’t do dangerous stuff: a reminder to be safe in the shop

by Lemmy | May 3, 2022

Dear Past Me, Stop doing dangerous stuff in the shop. Love,Future You That was basically all I wanted to write for this piece. I am of an age where I am still young enough to do dangerous things, and I am also old enough to realize how many are stupid. I was raised in...

The fastest way to remove valves from a cylinder head (VIDEO)

by Lemmy | Apr 28, 2022

Removing valves from a cylinder head should be done carefully if you have a notion to reuse the valves, springs, collars, and keepers. A spring compressor is the right tool for the job. That said, in my salvage yard days, I learned a trick I still use today if I’m...