BBB Precision Alternators & Starters for Christmas!

Looking for a last minute gift for the Do-It-Yourselfer on your list? These premium parts are available for most popular domestic and import applications. You will find BBB Precision Alternators & Starters and more in the "Electrical" category of the RockAuto catalog.

Not sure exactly which part to get your loved one? Give a RockAuto Gift Certificate and let them decide.

Sachs

RockAuto now has Sachs Clutch Kits, Drivetrain components, Flywheels, Shocks Absorbers, and Struts. Find these parts in the "Drivetrain" or "Suspension" categories of the RockAuto catalog.

Forum of the Month

Started by die hard enthusiasts, Turbo Mopar Forums sports some of the best car people of all time! The forum's focus ranges from the late 1980's Shelby Dodges like the GLHS and the CSX, to the modern day Turbo Dodges like the SRT-4 and Cummins Diesel. We have it all...even custom one off cars!

Come and experience it for yourself! It is free to register, and you won't be disappointed!

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

In 1974, I was 18 years old and switching out an engine for the first time. Obviously there are many challenges in such an undertaking. Let's face it, working on cars can present many challenging situations which can push even the most patient of individuals to the edge. While I cannot remember exactly what the circumstance was, something got me to the breaking point.

While I was not normally a volatile person, I remember taking a handheld sledge hammer and throwing it against a chain link fence to vent my frustration. That might have worked, except it ricocheted off the fence, came back, and hit me in the shin which simply added to my frustration level and discomfort. Since that day I have never thrown a tool in frustration when dealing with a difficult vehicle situation (although I may have wanted to!). It's better to take a few deep breaths, walk away for a few minutes, think it over, and not do anything stupid.

Thanks,
Greg in Florida

2008 Christmas Oil Filter

Last December I wrote about finally installing the oil filter an artist friend in Minnesota had given me years earlier. That filter was decorated with snowmen and Christmas trees. See http://www.rockauto.com/Newsletter/archives/Dec20_07.htm for the story and photos.

Well that artist friend saw last year’s story and found out for the first time what that filter really meant to me. In the northern reaches of Minnesota where my wife and this friend come from, the men do not waste words. Displays of emotion are rare and never forgotten. I once told my wife’s grandmother I really liked her pumpkin pie. My enthusiasm would have simply been routine back in Detroit. In Minnesota it was the equivalent of falling upon my knees with tears in my eyes. There was always a pumpkin pie waiting for me at grandmother’s house after that.

So my hysterical display of emotion over the filter last year earned me a new Holiday Filter for 2008. There is a classic nativity scene depicted, but since my Chrysler 300 is just behind the wise men’s camels I will not call it a Christmas Filter.

My friend’s artistic skills have definitely broadened over the past decade. It is especially striking that she chose a Fram filter with the “SureGrip” paint on the top. That heavy black coating disappeared seamlessly into her work.

Interpreting the nuances of any great painting means looking at the complete piece, the frame, the type of paint, etc. rather than just the scene depicted. The image of my car clearly represents me. The car has nearly reached the nativity site but not quite. It is at the foot of a hill slightly in the distance. I bet it is stuck in the sand. Some people might hope for divine intervention. A Minnesotan would never have been so foolish to drive a low riding, rear wheel drive car like mine into the sand (or snow) in the first place. A Minnesotan would drive a proper truck and only hope for divine intervention to help find a good parking spot.

I opened the RockAuto.com catalog. Sure enough, this Fram PH5 filter fits tons of vehicles and 99% of them are trucks. I have driven lots of trucks but never owned one. There are probably many other messages, but this year’s Holiday Filter is definitely a signal from Minnesota that it is about time I owned a go-anywhere truck.

Here is my 2008 Christmas list. Any of these trucks would fit my new oil filter: 2004 Hummer H1, 2000 Cadillac Escalade, 1964 GMC Suburban… For a complete list, click on Fram PH5 in the RockAuto.com catalog. Happy Holidays!

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

This is my inheritance! My Dad and I enjoy working on and maintaining this 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk. It was purchased with 44,000 miles on the odometer. It has a mostly original interior, original hub caps, driveline, exhaust, and restored paint.

This photo was taken while supporting the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.

Jeff in Pennsylvania

Share Your Hard Work
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