Tag Archives: Dodge

Chip Repair for Cars and Trucks – the 2 P’s

Paint chips take a real toll on a car. No matter how careful you are, your car is bound to get a chip from a wayward shopping cart, a door ding, or gravel flying low across the car.  It seems that modern paint is not only expensive but more subject to chips, as many new car makers seem to skimp on the thickness of their paints. But chip repair is easy to do.

To get a quality DIY repair you need to focus on two P’s – Preparation and Paint.  Without sufficient attention to these two prime areas, your chip repair will be less than successful.

Paint Chip Preparation

First, you should evaluate the paint chip or scratch and see what is involved. Did the scratch go all the way to bare metal or is the body piece even made with metal?  If your fingernail can catch on the chip or scratch you have some prep work to do.  Depending on the severity you need to take super fine sandpaper (1000-1500 grit wet) and sand those edges so they are smooth. This will make the paint easier to apply and blend in with the original paint. 

A good quality car wash should be applied around the affected areas. That should remove any surface contaminants. Be sure and remove all existing waxes or sealants by using some isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to remove any car chemicals on the chip area.

Let the area dry and get it in good lighting so you can see what you are doing

Paint for Paint Chip RepairAutomotiveTouchup-Products

You need to make sure that your new paint will match the existing paint. If your car has never been repainted and you bought it new, you should have the listing of what the color and the paint code (a string of letters and numbers) is. If not, look inside of your glove box and see if the information is printed there. As a last resort, your dealership should be able to help you out.

If the car has been re-painted hopefully the painter can tell you the paint code that he “used”. But even if armed with a code, there is no guarantee that he mixed it right. A different vendor or batch of paint can still have differences.

Now you have several choices where you can get your paint. A regular auto paint supply shop could mix up a quantity but they may have a large minimum amount for an order. Plus remember these guys are more apt to make paint up in large volumes, so when you ask for a small 2-ounce bottle of paint they may lack the precise dispensers for such a small quantity. One drop too much may make a huge difference in the final look.

I would suggest that you get your paint from AutomotiveTouchUp. They are a national company that specializes in the rapid shipment of consumer-friendly amounts. They also have advice on their website if you want to review the repair process. With the paint in hand, it is now time to do the touch-up.

Paint Chip Repair

Think small, very small. Rather than apply a large glob of paint your aim is to sneak up on the repair by applying small amounts and let it dry before applying a second level.  The first attempt should get a good portion of the chip covered with each additional layer building up to the final effort.AutomotiveTouchup-Webpage

Let the paint thoroughly dry. At this point, you would apply a clear coat if applicable.  Let dry again and then use a small amount of rubbing compound to get that paint to shine.  Let dry some more. Frankly, for a small job, the paint is not going to emit a lot of fumes (gassing) and you could apply a small amount of wax. If you spray can’d a large panel you will want to let the paint cure for at least one month before applying any wax or sealant.  If you can smell “new” paint still, don’t wax.

With a little time and effort, you can get a great chip repair. Remember the two P’s and take your time. Use quality paint and tools and you will be surprised at the results.

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Goodyear Brakes Breaks Into The Brake Parts

Whoa, partner.

There is a new player in town when it comes to brakes. Goodyear Brakes, a licensee of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, now offers up to the consumer DIY auto enthusiast a set of calipers, rotors, brake pads with all the related hardware for many vehicles, from daily drivers to SUVs to light trucks.Goodyear Brakes Bundle

Their website GoodyearBrakes.com is designed to support both do-it-yourself and do-it-for-me customers. In an interesting twist, the brand is trying out the direct to consumer avenue by offering their items solely through Amazon.com and other Internet based sellers. Expect to see consumer focused advertising and social media to push the branding efforts.

Goodyear Brakes

Goodyear Brakes manufactures and distributes a full line of brake system solutions. The brake pads are manufactured for them by a company with more than 50 years of experience in friction science. The rotors are made to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) standards by other manufacturers while their calipers are actually remanufactured units.

Goodyear Brakes offers brake pads, brake rotors and calipers. They also offer bundles of the pieces for a one-stop shop experience.

Goodyear Brakes Website

Their website will specify the correct brake pieces based on your car and VIN. The website also offers up some helpful guides for the shade tree mechanic. In addition Bruno Massel, a TV host and NHRA racer is featured with some videos to help consumers know what is involved when changing out the brakes.Bruno Massel

Presently the direct to consumer channel is the only way to acquire the Goodyear brakes. That is an interesting approach, as most repair shops are not going to be able to let a car sit around for a few days while the parts are enroute. For the DIY’er ordering and waiting a few days for delivery would not be a sticking point, especially if the pricing is right.

Brakes are a vital component of cars and with consumers holding on to cars longer, the need for brakes will crop up more often. Now Goodyear Brakes offers consumers a new option for brake components.

Would you be willing to break out a new brand?

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Images courtesy of Goodyear Brakes

 

 

 

 

 

Great Subscription Offer from Round-Up Publications

The good folks at Round-Up Publications know a thing or two about good deals. Their magazines are packed with deals tighter than five teenagers in a trunk sneaking into a drive-in movie. Remember those?

For a limited time the publisher is offering an exclusive offer.  Get a year’s subscription to not one, not TWO but all THREE of their award winning magazines.  Yes folks, you’d get a year of Classic Car Round-Up and Truck Round-Up. These are monthly issues so that translates to twenty four sets of great deals and car articles.

But WAIT there’s more. You also get a year’s subscription to Auto Round-Up magazine, the star ship of the fleet from the publisher. This comes out every two weeks so you’ll get 26 issues delivered to your door.

Round-Up Magazines

With that many magazines, your mailman will need a back brace. Plus you’re bound to find at least one amazing deal on one amazing car or truck or …

Besides the great ads for cars and trucks, there is always a mass of parts and supplies offered for sale.  So don’t delay and get your order in. Operators might not be standing by, but the electrons of the WWW – world wide web are. So hop to it!

Here is the link for ordering this awesome set of magazines.

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Got Flames – NHRA’s Arizona Nationals

NHRA AZ Nationals Jet CarThe action was red hot at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, near Phoenix, AZ when the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) showed up on Friday February 21 through Sunday, February 23, 2020. The Wild Horse Pass Motorsport Park is south of Phoenix and a short hop down the freeway from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Technically it is on the Gila River Indian Community. Despite rain on Saturday, it did not dampen the spirits of racers or fans and NHRA squeezed in a round of pro qualifications for the Arizona Nationals between the rain storms.

Rain Shortened Qualification

So with two rounds of qualifications on Friday to lead the race ladder, the full field was set for a sold out crew of race fans on Sunday. By now you probably know that Erica Enders, Tommy Johnson Junior and Steve Torrance won in the pro ranks. Plus there were plenty of winners in the sportsmen classes as well.NHRA AZ Nationals Funny Car

Flames

One of my favorite times at a drag strip is when the skies get dark and the exhaust flames shooting out from the headers are more visible. While the Arizona Nationals are generally run in the day light, the lighting gets dark enough to see some flames. We always enjoy hanging around taking some shots as sunset approaches and checking out the flames. Hope you do too!NHRA AZ Nationals Dragster 2

Jet cars

Plus of course if you are a race track promoter you have to have jet cars! At the end of the day’s races, what better way to close out the night but to have not just one or two jet cars but THREE jet cars zoom down the track? The heat these engines throw off is actually felt in the stands as the jet cars belch white smoke and streak down the track.NHRA AZ Nationals Approaching Jet Car

The races ran smoothly and how many racetracks can claim a sold out show? So NHRA must be doing something right, huh.

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Worldwide Auctioneers Ready for Arizona Auction Week

Arizona Auction week is in full swing and next up is Worldwide Auctioneers with their Wednesday night show in Tempe, AZ. They are setting up shop on a grassy plain and stressing quality over quantity with a nice collection placed inside one spacious tent.

The new site is near two freeways and offers some calm and relaxing vibes. So while they may not have the volume of cars that others will offer, they offer distinctive cars with volumes of documentation.

Worldwide Auctioneers and American Muscle

For this article we’ll focus on some classic American icons that caught our eye.

We’ll bend the rules by including the 2009 Bertone Mantide, since it was based on the Corvette platform. Hard to believe that all this effort was made with only one unit being produced.Bartone Mantide Worldwide Auctioneers

1971 ‘Cuda at Worldwide Auctioneers

A big star will be the 1971 Plymouth ‘Cuda. Not only is it a restored convertible but has the ownership provenance of owner/hockey star Ed Belfour. It should prove interesting to see where the market prices a ‘Cuda these days.'Cuda Worldwide Auctioneers

Close behind in popularity (at least with MOPAR guys and gals) will be the 1970 Plymouth Superbird. We love the NASCAR background on these winners and this one has been verified by Galen Govier – the master. Nice color and great looker.Superbird Worldwide Auctioneers

I’m guessing there are more 1969 Camaros flying the Indy pace car colors than were ever actually produced and it seems that every auction has to have one. So check out this RS/SS convertible with all the authentics.Camaro Worldwide Auctioneers

C-10 Chevy Truck Selling at Worldwide Auctioneers

Hey I even love the 1965 Chevy C-10 they brought out. Nicely restored “work” truck with newer internals that can show or go.C-10 Truck Worldwide Auctioneers

There are plenty of others in the slideshow and in person at the auction so check them out.

Care to name a favorite or guess a final price point?

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Easiest Car Repair After a Crash

With the technology of today’s car getting more and more sophisticated a motor vehicle crash can end up being a major cost and a time consuming process. But there is one part of a repair that is easy to do and takes less than an hour.Evenflo_EveryStageDLX_FFHarness_Lifestyle_5

Car Seat Replacement

After a major crash, your child’s car seat needs replacing! While it may look safe and undamaged, odds are that it sustained hidden stress and strain while keeping the child safe and unharmed. The car seat did its job, so now you as a parent (or grandparent) needs to do the right thing and get a new car seat for your youngster.

This week, September 23-29, 2018, is Child Passenger Safety Week and several companies are helping to get the message out that after a crash, you need to replace the child car seat.

Car Seat Spokesperson

Shannon SpakeSpokesperson Shannon Spake, from Fox Sports, noted “when your car is involved in a crash, it’s just as important that you take care of your car seat or booster seat as it is to address the car damage.”

Evenflo, a major car seat manufacturer, stresses that even though the seat may look undamaged, it may no longer be usable and safe to save a child in future impacts. This is clearly a case if being “better safe, than sorry.”

Car repair shops, like the nationwide CARSTAR network, commits to reminding car owners that the seats should be replaced and are often covered under the insurance policies.

Obviously not all fender benders would necessitate a replacement, so the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises car seats do not need replacement if the car was in a minor crash.

Minor Crash Defined

NHTSA further defines a minor crash as

  • The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site
  • The vehicle door nearest the car seat was not damaged
  • None of the passengers in the vehicle sustained any injuries in the crash
  • If the vehicle has air bags, the air bags did not deploy during the crash
  • There is no visible damage to the car seat

Also just because the car seat was unoccupied during the crash does not mean it can be used again! It likely still suffered stress and strain even without a child in the seat.Evenflo_EveryStageDLX_RFHarness_Lifestyle_3

Shannon Spake Spokesperson

After all as Spake notes, “You always want to make sure your children are protected in the car.”

When replacing the car seat, send it to a recycling center and never give it away or offer it to a charitable group for reuse. Plus don’t forget to register your new seat with manufacturer in case of future safety recalls. If the new seat is different, you may seek out help to ensure it is installed correctly.

So when in doubt, throw it out!

 

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Dodge Demon Delays Dealership’s Shake Downs

Dodge Demon Smoking the TiresKudos to the suits at Dodge that established a production system that will punish dealerships that opt to sell the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon with outrageous dealer premiums.  Last week Dodge announced how the monster 840 horsepower Dodge Demon  will be allocated.

Dodge Demon Allocation

The Dodge dealerships will be parceled out the limited run of 3,300 Demons based on objective criteria including:

·         Sold at least one Hellcat in past twelve months

·         Allocation will be based on how many Hellcats they sold (60%) and their sales of the “regular” Chargers and Challengers (40%)

Dodge Demon MSRP

To prevent price gouging, those Dodge Demons sold at MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) or less will be produced first.  So the dealerships wanting to rocket up the price and their profits on these limited edition speedsters will be the last to the party.

In case you were wondering the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon starts at a U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $84,995 (including $1,700 gas guzzler tax, excluding $1,095 destination); Demon crate unleashes full power for $1.  So spring for the extra buck and get the full package!

Dodge Demon

In case you were sleeping under a rock the Dodge Demon is designed for the strip and is the fastest quarter-mile production car ever.  It will be delivered in the fall of 2017 as a 2018 model year Challenger. It has been clocked at 9.65 seconds for the true quarter mile at 140 mph, with sticky tires.  And yes it raised the front wheels off the ground.  When’s the last time you saw that at the local drag strip.

Paperwork for Dodge Demon To avoid shenanigans, the dealership will have to submit a notarized sales order.  The owner must also sign off on some safety/technical notes that will probably help Dodge when the inevitable lawsuit emerges after the first collision from a Demon.  Hopefully not at a Cars and Coffee event.
Last week was the beginning of the ordering period.  My guess is the available Dodge Demons will go quick.
 

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Shart Cat 67 Dart by Gas Monkey Garage

Shart Cat Passenger SideShart Cat is the name of Gas Monkey Garage’s 1967 Dodge Dart that was sent out to compete on a modified parking lot in Detroit, Michigan for an eighth mile drag race against Roadkill’s General Mayhem, a Dodge Charger. If you follow the Fast N’ Loud “Reality TV” show on Discovery, you know after some minor technical difficulties, the Dart driven by Aaron Kaufman beat Roadkill by over half a second. That’s time to make a cup of coffee in drag racing time speak.

Shart Cat Tensions

Shart Cat Hellcat Engine
Shart Cat Hellcat engine

In true reality television tension, after rushing to meet the impossible deadline, the Gas Monkey Garage crew made it up for the grudge match against the maker’s of General Mayhem. Naturally there were some technical, last minute problems to create even more drama. But when the lights came on, Kaufman’s foot went down and so did Roadkill’s hope. Roadkill used a 1968 Dodge Charger, also with a Hellcat engine, but without the drag racing standard two-speed Powerglide or trans brake. That lack of engineering and the lighter weight of a Dart probably doomed the Roadkill crew from the starting lights.

Richard Rawlings didn’t waste any time deciding to sell the Shart Cat at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in January, 2016. The TV episodes made it very clear that NOBODY has slapped a new Hellcat engine into anything without transplanting the entire electronic controllers and brains with it. Check out the typed instructions the auction drivers needed to follow to make the Shart Cat play nice.Shart Cat Driving Instructions

Shart Cat Gas Monkey Logo
Logo of Gas Monkey Garage

To be kind the body was rough, but I suspect that the bidders didn’t care about the exterior as much as being able to tout the car as coming from the Gas Monkey Garage stable. Heck Richard didn’t even pop for any expensive vinyl decals or wraps!

Shart Cat Sells

The buyer shelled out a final price with commissions of $74,800 to be able to place this Dodge in their garage. Would you have spent that much?

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Power Wagon 1949 Four Wheel Drive Beast

Power Wagon’s were produced by Dodge and were popular heavy duty, four wheel drives, before every truck line was offered as a 4X4. They were popular after WWII, as our GI’s came back and wanted a domestic version of their military masters. So Dodge “civilized’ their military monsters and offered up the Power Wagon.Power Wagon 1949 Front View

Jay Leno’s Garage recently took a look at a 1942 Dodge Power Wagon that was modified into a six wheel drive monster. That reminded us of a similar FOUR wheel drive Power Wagon that we saw last year at the SEMA Show.

1949 Power Wagon

It’s a 1949 Dodge Power Wagon Four Door or Crew Cab. This baby was heavily modified and pounded on to make it look this beautiful.Power Wagon 1949 Passenger Front View

Chevy Powered for the Power Wagon

It is powered by a reliable Chevy LS3 engine with a 6.2 liter displacement, producing 430 horses and 424 foot pounds of torque for this bad boy. It also kept it in the family with a GM transmission; a 4L85E along with an Atlas transfer case.

They used a Dana 60 front axle, a Corp 14 bolt rear end with locking differentials and Warn locking hubs. They are using Bilstein shocks to smooth out the ride. Creature comforts included not only power windows and door locks, but power running boards plus Vintage Air Conditioning.Power Wagon 1949 Driver Side

Can’t expect either ride to get any “Arizona pin striping” soon, but they are sure beautiful brutes.

What do you think?

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