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RockAuto September Newsletter :: Early Edition

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Another Happy Customer!

I've ordered from RockAuto about three times already & the parts I received are always accurate & the shipping process is AMAZING!!!!

I will definitely order again if I need any parts for my car...

Thanks,
George in New York

 

Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here, email us with details.

Depew Route 66 Auto Show
Depew, OK
10/3/2009
e-mail

2nd Annual Downtown Hutch Rockin Rollin Rod Run
Hutchinson, KS
10/2-10/4/2009
e-mail

Mill Pond Classic Car Show
Park Ridge, NJ
10/3-10/4/2009
e-mail

Wings, Wheels, Ducks
Fredericksburg, VA
10/3/2009
website

25th Aurora Auto Fest
Aurora, MO
10/3/2009
e-mail

2nd Annual Apple Festival Car Show
Bloomfield, IN
10/3/2009
website

46th Annual Northwood University Classic Car Show
Midland, MI
10/4/2009
e-mail

Crazy Water Festival Car Show
Mineral Wells, TX
10/9-10/10/2009
website

North Lake Tahoe Classic Car, Truck, & Motorcycle Show
Crystal Bay, NV
10/9-10/11/2009
e-mail

14th Annual Boonesborough Boogie Nationals
Richmond, KY
10/9-10/11/2009
website

2nd Annual Fall Bow Tie Festival
Duluth, GA
10/10/2009
website

Top of the Hill Car Show
Tulsa, OK
10/10/2009
e-mail

3rd Annual Monster's Ball
Rogers, AR
10/10/2009
website

11th Annual Lamar Stephens Annual Car Show
Buford, GA
10/10/2009
website

SEVMC Fordtoberfest 3
Virginia Beach, VA
10/11/2009
e-mail

Sun City Cruisers Fall Car Show
Rising Sun, MD
10/11/2009
e-mail

Slamfest XVIII
Tampa, FL
10/17/2009
website

9th Annual Navarre Beach Car & Bike Show
Navarre, FL
10/17/2009
website

4th Annual Fallen Heroes Memorial Fund Car Show
Upper Marlboro, MD
10/18/2009
website

5th Annual Hillbilly Hotrodders Benefit Car, Truck, & Bike Show
Denver, NC
10/18/2009
e-mail

Covered Bridge Festival
Oneonta, AL
10/24/2009
website

Virginia Fall Classic
Newport News, VA
10/23-10/25/2009
website

28th Annual Charity Open Car Show
San Antonio, TX
10/25/2009
website

5th Annual Charity Car Show
Paramus, NJ
10/25/2009
website

16th Annual Trail Dust Days
Tucson, AZ
10/31/2009
e-mail

Kee Auto Top

Kee Auto Top

RockAuto has recently added Kee Auto Top to the RockAuto catalog. Kee is a manufacturer of domestic and foreign convertible tops and accessories. Whether you need a convertible top for your 2005 Chrysler Sebring, a convertible top window for a 1971 Ford Torino, or a convertible top boot for your 1958 Pontiac Bonneville, RockAuto is now your source for convertible tops and accessories.

Why choose Kee for your convertible top needs?

  • Many hard to find fabrics and colors in stock
  • State-of-the-art computerized cutting machines
  • Trimmer tested to assure a perfect fit
  • Easy Installation
  • Kee stands behind their parts with a 5-year warranty on convertible tops and a 3-year warranty on hard glass rear windows

Kee Auto Top

Take a look in the Body-Exterior category of the RockAuto catalog to see the convertible tops and accessories for your vehicle.

 

 

Forum of the Month

www.CorvetteGuru.com

www.CorvetteGuru.com started over five years ago as www.c4guru.com, a site dedicated to fourth generation Corvettes. Over time, the site grew to include all Corvette generations and was reborn as www.CorvetteGuru.com on March 2, 2008.

Our tag line is, "Your Independent Corvette Resource," because we do not restrict discussion of technical issues. It is OK to cross post from other forums, discuss products not sold by supporting vendors, make recommendations, or vent complaints.

Owners and fans of every Corvette generation are welcome and membership is free. All Corvettes are special and are treated as such. It does not matter if you own a 1957, a 1987, a 2007, or hope to buy a 2014. Our non-technical Corvette discussion is a section where enthusiasts for all Corvette generations mingle and chat. There is also an Off Topic area and one specifically for Military issues.

We even have a Corvette trivia game from time to time, with really cool prizes!

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.

 

 

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

Ouch!

 

Reading the story from Dave in Connecticut in the 'May Newsletter Early Edition' reminds me of one of my Blunders.

Shortly after marrying my wife who had a 1964 VW Bug (1200 cc engine), we decided to install a roof mounted boat carrier to carry our little fishing boat. The Bug didn't have much of a gutter to attach the carrier to, so I decided to drill some 1/4" holes at the gutter line through the roof and secure the boat carrier with 1/4" bolts and nuts. Drilling on the passenger side went without incident; however when I drilled the first hole above the driver door, the engine began cranking and the car lunged forward and crashed into the wooden garage door before I could remove the drill bit from the hole. Luckily the engine stopped cranking and I jumped in and put the shift lever in 'Neutral'. I then realized that the ignition wires ran along that channel from the engine compartment, up through the roof along the driver side and into the hood area ahead of the dash to the ignition switch. I had to loosen the harness and pull up some slack to splice the breaks. No damage to the front bumper, but the one-piece wooden garage door was patched until I replaced it with a new roll up fiber glass door.

Several lessons learned: (1) always disconnect the battery as a safety precaution when you're not sure of what you are doing; (2) use the hand-brake not the transmission for parking; (3) and, like the utility companies advertise, "check before digging" -- or in this case, "read the manual before drilling into the unknown". After getting everything back to working order, the boat carrier worked great and we had many good fishing trips.

Ron in California

 

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!

 

 

Not Possible to Make Assumptions

RockAuto

 

The family heirloom 1983 Chrysler LeBaron convertible, recently handed down to my niece, lost power and was barely able to make it over the curb bump into the driveway. The sound from the exhaust was raspy. Did the Chrysler’s old 2.2L need a remanufactured cylinder head? With an old engine it is easy to assume major repairs are needed, but it turned out to be nothing more than a failing timing belt. A new timing belt and tensioner and the LeBaron was ready to tackle its next quarter century.

A timing belt or timing chain transfers energy from the crankshaft to spin the camshaft. I would have expected a timing belt to snap like a rubber band and stop the car dead in its tracks. But the LeBaron proved that timing belts sometimes fail less catastrophically by stretching or losing teeth. The engine ran, but the camshaft opened the exhaust and intake valves and turned the distributor to fire the spark plugs at the wrong times.

Timing chains often last for the life of the engine and are typically only replaced when they stretch or break. Vehicle manufacturers usually recommend timing belts be replaced at specific mileage intervals. For example, Mazda says the timing belt on my wife’s 323 should be replaced every 60K miles. For “interference” engines it is especially important to follow manufacturer instructions because these engines are damaged when the timing belt snaps and the valves crash into the pistons.

Timing chains are most common on larger engines and timing belts are usually found on high revving smaller engines. However, there are many 6 cylinder engines with timing belts and some 4 cylinder engines with timing chains. It is not possible to make assumptions about a vehicle manufacturer. For example, Ford has made some 2.3L engines with timing chains and some with belts. Some Ford engines are “interference” engines and some are not. Look under Engine in the RockAuto.com online catalog to find out if your car or truck has a timing belt or chain and if it is an interference engine. Look under Literature for service manuals with the recommended timing belt replacement intervals.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

 

John's 1975 Dodge Ramcharger
1975 Dodge Ramcharger

Hi,

My 1975 Dodge Ramcharger is basically stock, with the exception of the soft top I fitted in place of the hard top, and the wheels. Here in New Zealand it's a rare vehicle, with only about six others in the entire country. I have purchased brake components for the rear including shoes, wheel cylinders and spring kit from RockAuto, as well as many other parts for my two Jeeps, and also for my father's Jeep.

Many Thanks,
John in New Zealand

 

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.

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