Technical Articles and Videos

How To Store Tires Properly Have you ever changed your tires and wheels and wanted to store them for another car, project or to be used in the future?  I have, and here's a helpful article on how to store them properly. Since heat and exposure to the elements are the important factors that influence a tire's aging process, you can prolong your tire's life by minimizing their impact. Here are some tips for storing tires that will not be used continuously. Don't store a vehicle with weight on its…

TIRE TECH: TIRE ROTATION INSTRUCTIONS Tires should be serviced periodically following the rotation patterns provided in the vehicle's owner's manual or as established by the industry. Using tire rotation as a preventative maintenance will equalize front-to-rear and side-to-side wear rates while enhancing wear quality and pattern noise. Any minor 1/32" to 2/32" differences in front-to-rear tread depth between tires that might be encountered immediately after periodic tire rotations at 3,000-5,000 mile intervals won't upset the vehicle's hydroplaning balance and should not preclude rotating tires. For that matter, any differences in wear…

15 Secrets Every Great Car Has… And How You Can Get Them For (Almost) Free Every car build has a price tag. Whether it’s a creation of Troy Trepanier, the Pentagon, or something you cooked up in your own backyard—everybody has a budget. Give any of us more time, money, or resources and we’ll do more. So if budgets are a reality for everyone, don’t look at them as a restriction—see your budget as a motivation to focus funds on the areas that matter most to you. Every issue of…

Fuel lines are something we install during a build, then promptly forget about. There is a difference between a mechanical fuel pump, driven by the engine and an electric unit in the fuel tank. Both serve the purpose of delivering fuel to the engine.   A mechanical unit driven by the engine pulls the fuel from the tank. While an in-tank unit pushes the fuel up to the engine. Because they work differently it is necessary to inspect them from another perspective.   Most of us do a quick check of our vehicles…

GEORGIA CONDITIONAL TITLES I know this isn't a technical article, but it's good information to know for anyone contemplating owning an "old" vehicle. (DM) FYI from Barry Schumacher: As many of you know, in the past the State of Georgia has not issued titles for vehicles that were 1962 and older. This may have created some issues when selling an older vehicle to an out- of-state purchaser. Georgia has implemented a new regulation that will allow you to obtain a title for an older vehicle. The requirements, reprinted from the…

Brake bleeding is the procedure performed on hydraulic brake systems whereby the brake lines (the pipes and hoses containing the brake fluid) are purged of any air bubbles. This is necessary because, while the brake fluid is an incompressible liquid, air bubbles are compressible gas and their presence in the brake system greatly reduces the hydraulic pressure that can be developed within the system. The same methods used for bleeding are also used for brake flushing or purging, where the old fluid is replaced with new fluid, which is necessary maintenance Methods The process is performed by forcing clean, bubble-free brake…