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I
recently heard about RockAuto
and checked out your products & pricing.
I found an electric fuel pump
for $25.00--about $100.00 less
than any I could find anywhere
else!
Thanks to
RockAuto I was probably able to
save over $500 in repairs if it
had been done in a shop!
Jim in California
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Upcoming
Events
If
you would like
your event
featured here, email us
with details. |
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2nd
Annual Car Show & Swap
Meet
4/25/2010
Heber Springs, AR
e-mail
Benicia Classic
Car Show
4/25/2010
Benicia, CA
website
May Day! Car
Show
4/30-5/1/2010
Show Low, AZ
website
36th Annual
Rodders Days
4/30-5/2/2010
Tucson, AZ
website
Tidewater
Corvette Club 3rd Annual Summer
Car Tastic Charity Event
5/1/2010
Hampton, VA
e-mail
Diablo Valley
Mustang Asscoiation-12th Annual
Show & Shine
5/1/2010
Antioch, CA
website
Greensburg
Classic Car Show
5/2/2010
Greensburg, KS
e-mail
4th Annual
Street Freaks Car Show
5/2/2010
Saginaw, MI
email
Nashville
Peach Blossom Festival & Car
Show
5/2/2010
Nashville, AR
website
20th Annual
SCC Car & Truck Show
5/2/2010
Ullin, IL
website
Clovis Motorsports
Jamboree
5/7-5/8/2010
Clovis, CA
website
Timeless
Cruizers 10th Annual Car Show
5/8/2010
Efland, NC
e-mail
Kiedler Vintage & Classic
Vehicle Show
5/9/2010
Northumberland, UK
e-mail
21st Annual
Lone Star Corvette Classic
5/14-5/16/2010
Forth Worth, TX
e-mail
Armed Forces
Day-Car Truck Bike Show
5/15/2010
Indianapolis, IN
e-mail
San Juan
River Rod Run Car Show
5/15/2010
Pagosa Springs, CO
website
First Annual
Antique & Classic Car Show
5/16/2010
Stratford, CT
website
33rd Shelby
Spring Fling
5/21-5/23/2010
Nashville, IN
e-mail
Auto Fest
2010
5/22/2010
Dundalk, MD
e-mail
Concrete
Cruizers Car Club Charity Car
Show
5/22/2010
Pleasant Hill, IA
e-mail
CFC Cruise
In
5/23/2010
Westerville, OH
e-mail
Cars at the
Park
5/23/2010
Rockaway, NJ
e-mail
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Monroe Econo-Matic
Complete Struts |
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Is
it time to replace the struts on
your 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier? Maybe
you need new struts on your 1986
Ford Taurus or your 1997 Toyota Camry.
If you are planning a strut replacement
you’re in luck. RockAuto is
now carrying Monroe Econo-Matic complete
struts.
These units include
all of the components required for
strut replacement in a single, fully
assembled unit. They feature a pre-assembled
replacement bearing plate, upper
and lower spring isolators, upper
spring seat, coil spring, boot kit,
and a strut. The Monroe Econo-Matic
struts are based on the Monro-Matic
technology.
Monroe
Econo-Matic assemblies are similar
to the Premium Monroe Quick-Struts,
but at a more affordable price. Check
out the "Suspension" category
in the RockAuto
catalog to see all the struts
and shocks, now possibly including
Monroe Econo-Matic, available for
your specific vehicle.
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Forum of the Month |
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Squarebirds.org is
devoted to one of the most misunderstood
cars of all time. The 1958 to 1960
Ford Thunderbirds, affectionately
called Squarebirds by enthusiasts,
were conceived as compact luxury
cars with distinctive style. The
Squarebird started a whole segment
in the car market. The Buick Riviera,
the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and all
the two door Lexus and Mercedes are
all just imitators of the original
Squarebird concept: compact design,
unique styling, formal roof, full-length
center console, bucket seats in front,
contoured rear bench seat and two
doors. This great design by George
Walker has stood the test of time.
Initially reviled as the cause of
the death of the two-seat Thunderbird,
the Squarebird is now considered
a milestone car that is eagerly sought
out by collectors.
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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I
was living in Seattle when the water
pump on my 1977 VW Scirocco (great
car) started leaking. I’d never
changed a pump before, but thought “how
hard could this be?” (famous
last words to be sure).
I had no garage
or carport, but a gravel driveway
with plenty of potholes. As soon
as I got under the car, it started
to rain (not unusual for Seattle),
and rained and rained and rained
some more. Pretty soon I was lying
in about an inch of water, cursing
the day somebody invented front wheel
drive, and skinning my knuckles on
the (apparent) .028 inches of clearance
between the front of the engine and
the body.
Anyway, I finally
got the replacement installed, swam
out from under the Sirocco, started
the engine … and saw that the
pump was now leaking worse than ever – a
veritable geyser. So I took the pump
off (I was much faster the second
time!) and discovered that I hadn’t
removed its original rubber O-ring
seal to the engine. But I had put
the new O-ring on top of it, and
in this case two were not better
than one. The second re-installation
went much more smoothly, and I emerged
from my soggy driveway wetter and
wiser.
Had I learned my
lesson? About 15 years later, I was
changing the oil filter on my 1969
Triumph TR-6, which had an internal
filter element and round outer casing
that had to be lined up with a large
O-ring to seal properly. You’ll
never guess what I did … but
at least by then I had a dry heated
garage instead of a wet gravel driveway.
Graham in Virginia
Tell us about
your most infamous auto repair
blunder or unconventional fix.
Use your woe to help others avoid
similar mistakes or share off-the-wall
solutions that worked (at least
for awhile!). 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 (see the t-shirts
under Extras in the catalog). 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!
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Automotive Trivia |
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The
shock absorbers and struts are cycling
up and down whenever a car moves.
The shock rod moves in and out and
seals retain the oil and keep it
moving through the right channels.
Approximately how many times will
a shock or strut have cycled after
50,000 miles?
A. 2.5 million times
B. 25 million times
C. 87 million times
Answer:
C (source: http://www.safety-triangle.com/faq.htm)
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Safer & More Fun
to Drive |
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Monroe
is now offering $20 to $150 rebates on
shocks and struts. A perfect time
to replace the original shocks
on my ’86 Mustang GT.
Monroe recommends
changing the original shocks at 50,000
miles (80,000 km). Monroe does not
specify an age for replacement, but
I bet my 24-year-old shocks were
past their prime even if they did
not have 65,000 miles on them. Surprisingly,
a quick wipe down with a dry rag
made the old, white shocks shine
like new. That just shows you cannot
judge a shock by its superficial
appearance. Closer examination showed
the rubber bushings at each end were
badly cracked. The top of the shock
had scraped patches of metal bare
on the bottom section indicating
too much play in the shock rod.
At first glance,
Monroe’s 50,000-mile replacement
recommendation may seem like a ruse
to sell more shocks. If you believe
that then plan on buying a lot more
brake pads, ball joints, springs,
CV half shafts, engine mounts, etc.
If I broke open my old shocks I would
have found the oil inside had deteriorated
to black goo. If the shocks are not
controlling the motion of the car
then expensive suspension, steering,
and drivetrain components will be
absorbing that energy and wearing
out faster. Monroe will sell more
of their brake pads (Monroe is also
offering a rebate on
those!) if less people replace their
shocks.
I was skeptical
myself until I attended a Monroe
class and test drive last year. I
drove cars equipped with new shocks
or struts and then drove identical
cars with 50,000 miles on the original
shocks and struts. What left the
biggest impression was how new shocks
made the cars quicker to stop. With
old shocks the front of the car too
easily sank down and the back too
easily rose up putting a disproportionate
amount of load on the front brakes.
My Mustang GT has
four shocks in the back, vertical
shocks and horizontal axle dampers
(found under "Drivetrain" in
the RockAuto.com
catalog). It needs those axle
dampers to handle the 200 hp and
285 ft/lb of torque churned out by
the 5.0L V8. With worn out shocks
and axle dampers, my Mustang was
becoming prone to axle hop. The tire
hops rather than smoothly driving
off or spinning. It is about as satisfying
a feeling as stepping on your own
shoelaces and cannot be good for
the tires, rear axle, u-joints, etc.
These days mini-vans
routinely have more hp and torque
then my old Mustang GT. Power is
way up and so is weight. A new Mustang
GT is more than a ¼ ton heftier
than my ‘86. Newer suspensions
might be more elegantly designed,
but the shocks and struts are still
there valiantly facing even more
strenuous loads. A new set of Monroe
Sensa-Trac shocks is now protecting
my Mustang and making it safer and
more fun to drive.
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
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Ray's 1965 Ford Econoline Pickup |
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I
purchased this 65 Econoline pickup
two summers ago from New Jersey.
It has been worked on by people with
limited knowledge. As I have been
a mechanic since 1972, I found a
lot of changes that need to be made.
It has a 1971 302 c.i. truck engine
shoehorned between the seats.
Just wanted to say
Thank You for the great service on
the Master Cylinder I ordered for
the pickup. Because of the super
fast shipping, I was able to finish
that part of my project, and move
on to the next.
Ray in Ohio
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Share Your
Hard Work
Do you purchase
parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto
would like to feature you and your
car or truck in our monthly newsletter.
Please email flamur@rockauto.com with
details.
© 1999-2010 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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