Category: Dave’s Garage

We’ve all been there, especially while working on vehicles that are driven in salt. We start to wrench a nut or a bolt, and… SNAP! Here, the fastener is broken off, the metal has been cleaned up and is ready for the weld. Easy outs can work, unless they twist or snap off. Ever try…

No mail this month, so I will discuss the importance of a good parts counter person. Recently, I found my self needing to borrow a car. I asked dad if I could borrow his Subaru. The A/C clutch was broken and he asked me if I could fix it while I had the car. The…

Absent mail this month, I thought I would pass along something interesting I recently learned. Over the years I have seen a lot of screws on antique cars that I thought were early Phillips screws. I always assumed that it was a particular brand of screw. In addition to the slots for a screwdriver, there…

I hope your summer is going well… it is nice to finally get somewhat of a break from the rain. As I am sitting here typing this, I think I can actually hear the grass growing outside my window. I have been quite busy with my MG TF project, the body tub went back on…

Once again, my mail bag is empty. Since I have no questions to answer, I will write this month about a product I have used for years, but have been asked a lot of questions about lately. People have joked over the years that if it were not for “JB Weld” my cars would have…

To say the Model T Ford was in influential and unique automobile would be an understatement. No other vehicle left such a lasting impact on the automotive world. This car not only made the automobile affordable to the masses, it put America on wheels and helped to define the modern, industrial and mobile American society.…

Finally, after record snowfalls and a winter that ignored the calendar and continued to bombard us with cold and snow, winter seems to be finally done. This means the summer driving season is finally upon us. Before you uncover that collector car and enjoy your first drive of the season it is a good idea…

DOT 4 fluid, which has a higher minimum boiling temperature requirement (446 degrees F dry and 311 degrees wet) soaks up moisture at a slower rate but suffers an even sharper drop in boiling temperature as moisture accumulates. Three percent water will lower the boiling point as much as 50%! Considering the fact that today’s…

I was driving dad’s car hauler through Smuggler’s Notch last fall bringing a car back from Stowe when I got a sobering lesson on why it is important to replace brake fluid. As I was passing the waterfalls in the Notch, the sedan with out of state plates in front of me abruptly stopped in…

Are you aware of the non ZDDP engine oil currently on the market, and the potential consequences for the older car market? The EPA has forced the reduction or elimination of ZDDP (Zinc Dialkyl-Dithio-Phosphate) from engine oil. ZDDP is curtail for the proper lubrication of flat tappet camshaft engines. Not a problem on modern engines…