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

From the creative minds at:

FEATURE STORY

Hot Off the Press

The Other Way to Use a File that Many Mechanics Don’t Know (VIDEO)

Description Need a smooth finish on a part you’re cleaning up with a file? Lemmy shows how draw filing can achieve a clean result with a totally different method of holding a traditional file.

Commercials That Make Technicians and Dealers the Stars of the Show

Recently, I stumbled across some old TV commercials for a car repair and maintenance shop that took me back. You see, in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, some commercials ran for a local shop called ABE Car Care Center. These commercials featured two gentlemen with thick...

Store stuff in your glove box? Thank automobile pioneer Dorothy Levitt (VIDEO)

Description Ever wonder why virtually all cars and trucks have glove boxes? A visionary woman and her little book about driving changed in-vehicle storage over a hundred years ago. Get up to speed on this automotive icon and some of her innovative ideas in the early...

Inside Global (Generic) OBD-II

The engine control module (ECM) could just as correctly be referred to as the emissions control module. Its primary function is to ensure that tailpipe emissions remain at or below the emissions standards to which the vehicle was originally certified. The ECM turns on...

Time-Saving Tip for Bleeding Stubborn Brakes (VIDEO)

Description Some brake jobs can turn into headaches when small air bubbles get trapped within the caliper itself. To resolve the problem, you could pump the brakes over and over, or you could try this handy suggestion to free the air bubble and move on with the brake...

Shop Profile: Hansville Repair

It’s a small village, but Hansville, Washington makes a grand first impression. As Hansville Road crests a hill and descends into town, a breathtaking panorama unfolds—Puget Sound, Whidbey Island, and distant Mount Baker stretched across the windshield like a...

Do You Know the Right Way to Use Rasps and Files? (VIDEO)

Description Any technician will have a few files in the toolbox for material removal jobs. But are you using these tools with the correct technique? Lemmy and Nick discuss the finer points of filing like a pro.Related Videos

Mastering the Numbers

Running an auto repair shop is about more than just fixing cars. While providing top-notch service is essential, managing a truly successful business also depends on understanding and acting on the financial barometers of the operation. One of the most important of...

Shifting Gears

What does horsepower really mean? (VIDEO)

by Andy Greaser | Dec 17, 2024

0 Comments

Horsepower is a strange measurement, isn’t it? Think about it. When was the last time you used a horse for any kind of work or travel?

Like candlepower, the original horsepower attempted to express the output of a newer technology in comparison to its predecessor. Today, horsepower is one of the most common metrics we use to quantify vehicle performance, yet most of us in the auto repair industry have no experience with real horses at all. And even if we did, how would we meaningfully measure the work potential of a horse? How might that measurement of power translate to mechanical devices?

Thankfully, a clever guy named James Watt did the math for us over 240 years ago while developing steam engines that would kickstart the Industrial Revolution. This old Chevrolet video from 1937 does a fine job of explaining Watt’s journey to the earliest version of the horsepower measurement we know today. (The informational part of this video starts about two minutes in.)

Later advancements in power measurement made Watt’s horsepower obsolete with new variations like metric horsepower and imperial (mechanical) horsepower, but it is fitting that the International System of Units (SI) uses the watt as its standard for the same type of power measurement today.

The articles and other content contained on this site may contain links to third party websites. By clicking them, you consent to Dorman’s Website Use Agreement.