Father’s Day is rapidly approaching. Have you thought about what to get your "Do-It-Yourselfer" dad? Here are a few ideas from the RockAuto catalog!

Parts that Roll Back the Years: Help your dad forget about the road debris that hit the front of his vehicle years ago by giving him a new Grille or Headlamp Assembly (found in “Body”). Spruce up the interior of his old truck with a Dash Designs Dash Board Cover or Seat Covers (found in “Interior”). Take advantage of the current Dash Designs promotion and get a FREE black headrest cushion for every row of seat covers purchased through June 20, 2019.

Parts that Provide Dad with Peace of Mind: Give your dad a steel or OE alloy wheel so he can have a spare tire rather than just the can of tire sealant his newer car came with (found in “Wheel/Tire”). Restore his yellow, hazy headlight lenses to like-new condition and finish with a Headlamp Restoration Kit (found under Headlamp in the "Body" category of the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab).

Replace His Slowly Failing Parts: Cabin Air Filters (found under “Heat & Air Conditioning”), Trunk/Hood Lift Supports (found under “Body”) and Struts/Shocks (found under “Suspension”) are just a few examples of parts that fail gradually over time. Dad will notice and appreciate how the years roll back when these parts are replaced!

Upgrade His Tools: Buy him a new smart Battery Charger that does not require disconnecting the battery cables. Give him a Creeper Seat that combines a large tool tray with a comfortable place to sit. Eliminate the stress of no longer having you available to help pump brake pedals. Give your dad a new Brake Bleeder Tool so he can bleed brakes and replace brake fluid on his own.

Not sure which parts or tools your dad needs now or down the road? A RockAuto Gift Certificate, available for any amount, will let your car enthusiast choose the parts or tools he needs. Update Dad’s RockAuto Hat and T-Shirt collection or add to his RockAuto magnet collection with a Magpack!

Summer has begun, which makes it a great time to catch up on vehicle maintenance! And to make now an even better time to inspect and replace your vehicles' worn out parts, over 30,000 of our already low, Wholesaler Closeout priced parts have been discounted another 50-70%!

Find Air Filters, Brake Pads, Hydraulic Hoses, Spark Plugs, Tie Rod Ends, Wheel Cylinders and so much more by many top manufacturers such as ACDelco, Beck/Arnley, Bendix, Purolator and Raybestos for as low as $1.

As always, Wholesaler Closeouts are in limited quantities. We may get hundreds of one part number and only ten of another. Even if you do not see a Wholesaler Closeout, continue to check out the many other parts listed for your vehicles. Our regular inventory contains a wide selection of parts from top-name manufacturers, always at the reliably low prices you expect. RockAuto makes keeping your trusted daily driver on the road even more fun. Agonize over win-win decisions like, "Should I get the $3 set of brake pads for my '93 Nissan Sentra or can I splurge and buy the $6 pads made by my favorite brand?"

To see a full list of all the Wholesaler Closeout parts available for your vehicle(s) that can probably all ship in the same box, click the RSS icon after selecting your vehicle’s engine size (RSS icon is next to the engine size in our desktop catalog and below the part categories in the mobile catalog) in the RockAuto catalog, and then click on the HTML icon next to "Love a Bargain?"

LandRoverForums.com is the destination for Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover and Freelander owners and enthusiasts. From Defender to Range Rover Sport to Velar and everything in between, troubleshooting, maintenance and modifications are all discussed in this comprehensive forum.

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 marketing@rockauto.com.

A few years ago, I enlisted my father's help to change the timing belt on my Honda Odyssey. It is a job I would be hesitant to tackle on my own, but dad's changed a bunch of timing belts in his day, so I was confident that with a little teamwork- his brains and my muscle- we would get it done. We did some additional work while we were at it (replacing the water pump, spark plugs, coolant, etc.), so it took a solid couple of days to finish everything. When it came to making sure the timing on the engine was right, we took our time and were very careful. Finally, the moment of truth arrived, and I started it up!

Cough cough clunk-- the van sounded like a jalopy on its last legs, and seemingly every warning light on the dashboard lit up at once! I quickly shut off the engine and sat there stunned. We had mistimed the engine! Not only had I wasted two days, but we had probably trashed the engine! How was I going to explain this to my wife?

Dad thought for a minute and asked, "Well, if the check engine light came on, why don't you try reading the codes?" "What good is that going to do?" I shot back angrily. He stared me down for a few seconds, and then said, "Son, do you have a better idea?" Admitting that I did not, I read the codes and called them out. Dad stuck his head back under the hood and said, "Oh! I think I got it!" We had forgotten to plug one of the electrical connectors back in. Once he reconnected it, I nervously tried the key again, and the van purred like the day I bought it. I had never felt more relieved!

Mark in Pennsylvania

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 a while!). Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto T-Shirt (please let us know your shirt size) or Hat if we publish your story. See the T-Shirts and Hats under Tools & Universal Parts 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!

Father's Day was made a national holiday by which US president and what was that president's most famous mode of transport?

A. Ulysses S. Grant made Father's Day a holiday in 1871 as part of a post-Civil War reconciliation campaign. His most famous horse was named "Jeff Davis."

B. Harry S. Truman made Father's Day a holiday in 1948 to help further honor veterans of two World Wars. His last car was a 1972 Chrysler Newport. The Newport is maintained and displayed by the US National Park Service.

C. Richard Nixon made Father's Day a holiday in 1972 during his re-election campaign. He made his 1950 Oldsmobile 98 famous in his "Checkers" speech in 1952. He used the Olds, the Nixon family Cocker Spaniel "Checkers," and other examples of frugality to demonstrate that he could not possibly have pocketed campaign contributions.

Answer below

This spring I had the opportunity to see new molded carpet (found under "Interior" and then "Flooring") installed in a '78 Chevy K10 Pickup and '79 Jeep Wagoneer. Here are a couple of automotive carpet installation tips I picked up.

The Chevy got new Door Panels (also found under "Interior") as well as carpet inserts for covering the lower doors. The carpet inserts were an upgrade for the exposed painted metal lower doors on this truck. The door panel carpet and carpet flooring needed holes cut for the Trim Screws.

(top to bottom) torch, nail set, pry bar

Drill bits latch onto fibers and turn carpet into a twisted mess. The experienced carpet installer heated up an awl with a small torch and effortlessly pushed it through the carpet into the mounting holes in the metal. The heat melted the carpet and backing material just enough to make it easy to insert the awl and leave a clean round hole for the screw that will not fray. A nail or almost any other pointed metal thing, that is not a cartridge from your deer rifle, will work.

To make holes in a molded carpet scrap large enough to show up in the photo (right), I heated up a carpenter's nail set and the spiky end of a six foot long San Angelo pry bar. I used a plumber's propane torch, but all you need is a lighter or even a match to heat up a more reasonably sized nail or awl. Remember to push the hot metal through starting from the carpeted side, not the backing side.

The Jeep Wagoneer's carpet was unpacked and given a day on the shop floor so the packing wrinkles had time to dissipate. The installer used a steamer on the carpet during installation to further reduce the possibility of wrinkles. The hot steam helped the molded carpet perfectly conform to the large flat cargo area, wheel tubs and floor pan. A small steam cleaner or even a steam iron would work; press the steam button while being careful to not let the hot iron touch (and melt) the carpet.

Installing new molded carpet is one of the most satisfying and transformational car projects. In just a few hours, a sea of mismatched colors, holes, mouse droppings, musty smells and other nastiness was replaced with clean, good-as-or-better-than-new beauty.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Toms articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.

Share Your Hard Work
Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to give you the opportunity to have your car or truck possibly featured in one (or occasionally more) of our publications such as the monthly newsletter, collector magnets, RockAuto social media or other commercial use. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please email flamur@RockAuto.com with your vehicles history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

Father's Day was made a national holiday by which US president and what was that president's most famous mode of transport?

A. Ulysses S. Grant made Father's Day a holiday in 1871 as part of a post-Civil War reconciliation campaign. His most famous horse was named "Jeff Davis."

B. Harry S. Truman made Father's Day a holiday in 1948 to help further honor veterans of two World Wars. His last car was a 1972 Chrysler Newport. The Newport is maintained and displayed by the US National Park Service.

Answer: C. Richard Nixon made Father's Day a holiday in 1972 during his re-election campaign. He made his 1950 Oldsmobile 98 famous in his "Checkers" speech in 1952. He used the Olds, the Nixon family Cocker Spaniel "Checkers," and other examples of frugality to demonstrate that he could not possibly have pocketed campaign contributions.

(Grant's horse and Truman's car info are also correct.)

Back up to trivia question