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Another Happy Customer!

RockAuto.com is my absolute go-to place for car parts. Any kind of car part, from the '63 Buick to the Porsche 928. They've got them all, priced less than anyone else, and ship super quickly.

I particularly like that they can tell you which locations parts ship from, so you can order accordingly.

Customer testimonial from an independent, third-party survey.

 

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

22nd Annual Automotive Swap Meet
2/1/2009
Hollsopple, PA
e-mail

6th Annual "Silver Magic" Car & Bike Show
2/28/2009-2/28/2009
Port Charlotte, FL
e-mail

New Catalog Filter Filter Vehicles Check Boxes

RockAuto.com Catalog

The RockAuto catalog is now even more convenient to use! You can filter the vehicles displayed by checking or unchecking the various boxes at the top of the catalog.

Catalog Filter

By default all the boxes are checked, and all vehicles are shown. You can uncheck the boxes of the countries you do not want to display. For example if you want to display only US Market vehicles in the catalog, you would uncheck the European Union and Canadian boxes. To show only vehicles manufactured after 1989, uncheck this box.

 

 

Forum of the Month

Pontiac Owners´ Club (UK)

In 1988 a small group of enthusiasts decided that it was time Pontiac owners had their own club in the UK. And on January 1st 1989 the Pontiac Owners´ Club (UK) was formed, the primary purpose of which was to allow Pontiac owners to meet on a regular basis and to pool their knowledge and experience in running these cars. They have a regular club magazine, called "Wide Track News", that is published quarterly and has dates of monthly meetings and events, together with informative articles about the Club and Pontiac cars in general.

So, whether you drive a Chieftain, Star Chief, Bonneville, Catalina, GTO, Tempest, Le Mans, Firebird, Trans Am, Fiero, Grand Prix, or even a Phoenix, the Pontiac Owners´ Club (UK) has a lot to offer. All are welcome!

 

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!

One winter when I was a younger man I took my father’s car to the do it yourself car wash for a much needed power wash. Midway through the job I noticed that the accumulated ice and slush had built up over the wide floor drain and water was building up and making things difficult. I sized up the situation and pulled out the grating over the drain trough so the water and ice could flow into it.

I spent the next 15 minutes giving the Duster a thorough cleaning and when I was done, jumped in and drove off, directly into the drain. Both rear tires dropped in perfectly right up into the axle. I lost what little composure a 17-year-old has and jumped out of the car to investigate – and locked the door behind me with the 318 idling away.

There I was, car hopelessly settled in the drain, idling away, keys in the car, and locked out in the cold. No cell phones in those days; it was a cold walk to the nearby drug store to call a friend with a jack. We did get one side of the car jacked up, but not both. We ended up putting wood pallets under one side and then worked the grate under the other.

Scott in Illinois

 

 

Cash for Clunkers

Tom Taylor

Are US government agents coming to seize my great granddad’s double-barreled, Parker shotgun from where it hangs above the fireplace? No, according to the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), the government might first be coming after my ’89 Ford Country Squire!

The latest economic stimulus plan being considered by the US Congress could include money to pay owners of older cars to exchange their vehicles for vouchers that would be used to obtain newer, more fuel efficient vehicles. The old cars would be crushed.

California and other individual states have dabbled in vehicle retirement programs for the last twenty years. Get older, higher polluting, gas guzzling vehicles off the road by paying the owners something like $1000. The idea sounds appealing to some politicians’ constituents, but the programs usually fizzle out or are never implemented because they are too costly and unmanageable.

AAIA members are concerned because repairable cars and rebuildable parts would be destroyed. I think it is always a huge waste of natural and financial resources to turn a functioning vehicle into a compressed cube of junk.

It is also a myth that older, “clunker” cars are inherently bad because they pollute and guzzle gas. I paid $1200 for my ’89 Ford Country Squire seven years ago. It seats eight, gets over 20 miles per gallon (20 mpg) on the highway and weighs 1000 lbs. less than some new mini-vans. It does not leak a drop of anything and has a catalytic converter, oxygen sensor and plenty of other emissions parts. My wife’s little ’87 Mazda has a 1.6L engine and gets over 30 mpg! Crushing these cars and building new cars from scratch using today’s technology would not help the environment nor reduce gasoline consumption.

The impact would also be far-reaching and difficult to predict. There would be fewer inexpensive used cars for the low-income people many politicians claim to protect. Exports of used cars might decrease and the US trade deficit would increase. Even smash-up derby teams would have trouble finding cars to race!

If the government wants to subsidize new vehicle sales, then it should do it without hiding behind the false fig leaf that crushing older cars is wise and good. If you are feeling politically active, the AAIA has a neat web site for sending letters on this topic to senators and congressional representatives: http://capwiz.com/aftermarket/home/. Just to be safe, I am going to dig a hole in the backyard big enough to hide my old Ford. But I might leave my wife’s Mazda 323 out in the open if it gets me a voucher I can exchange for a new Dodge Challenger 6.1L Hemi!

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

 

1952 Cadillac Fleetwood "Daisy"
1952 Cadillac Fleetwood

I bought this car at auction in 2004 from an older gentleman in Idaho. He had owned "Daisy", a 1952 Cadillac Series 60 Fleetwood, since 1987 and had done a full restoration. She was originally registered in California (I have the original black plates).

I shipped "Daisy" via the port of Los Angeles to Bremerhaven, Germany. Then by car transport 800 miles south to Munich. Two days before Christmas 2004 she arrived at my home, and I tell you, this was the prettiest Christmas gift I ever got. The motor purrs like a kitten and the 4-speed Hydramatic shifts smoothly. I do plan on finishing the restoration in 2009, including restoring the original type of paint. I recently bought four shock absorbers for her at RockAuto.

Christoph in Germany

 

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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