If you own a truck and actually intend to use it as a truck, you’ve probably thought about how you’d want to protect the bed of your truck. You might have just bought a new truck and want to protect the paint surface of your bed, or you have an existing bed liner that is worn, or you just simply want a new bed liner. There’s several options out there and it’s important to understand what the pros and cons of these options are, and choosing the best one that fits your needs and your budget.

A mechanics tool set generally consists of the most essential tools you might use. This might be the main arsenal of tools that you might use for wrenching on cars, fixing things around the house, or for working on any other small projects. Some tools that you’ll generally see in these mechanics tool sets are ratchets, sockets, and wrenches. Depending on which tool set you get, you might get more options such as allen wrenches, hex wrenches, and some other bits. Even some kits lean more on the home improvement side and will offer tools such as hammers, adjustable wrenches, pliers, and screwdrivers. Typically though, mechanics tool sets do tend to include tools that are used for working on cars and trucks. The fact that you’ll see spark plug sockets included in these sets reinforces the fact that mechanic tool sets are generally meant for the average home mechanic.

The No Spring Compressor Method is a way of disassembling your coilover or shock assembly without the use of a spring compressor tool. In your coilover/shock assembly, you have a spring that is compressed by a shock between the top and bottom hat, which are connected to the shock. This assembly of shock and spring can be mounted to the frame of the vehicle (via the strut mount on top) and then to the lower control arm (on the bottom). Rather than using a tool to compress the spring enough for you to remove the shock, the No Spring Compressor Method uses the the weight of the vehicle as well as a floor jack, to decompress the spring.

A little over a year ago, I picked up a 2003 Acura CL Type-S as I was looking for a new project car to work on. I honestly wasn’t even looking for a CL Type-S specifically, but I spotted this one on Craigslist with a 6-speed manual transmission. For those who are familiar with the Acura CL, and the Type-S model in particular, you will know how rare it is to find a CL-S in a manual transmission. It is estimated that there were about 2700 Acura CL Type-S cars ever produced in a 6-speed manual transmission.

As usual when travelling, my wife and I try to use Turo whenever we can. Our trip to Kauai was no different. But, as soon as I opened the car door, I noticed something move inside the cabin. I shined a light with my phone and quickly saw there was a small cockroach running away from me. Something else moved out of the corner of my eye and I saw one or two more scurry away. At this point, I was think “Oh hell naw…” and started thinking about how to ditch the rental car.

Typically brake lines are pre-bent to the exact specifications needed for that particular line on the vehicle. However, if you’re doing custom lines or like in my case, you need to get the line in right away, you will need to bend the lines to fit. Here is a guide on how to bend brake lines with a tubing bender.

A big part of working on cars is making sure you have a good workspace. Whether you work on your car in your driveway or you have a two-car garage, it’s imperative to have good lighting. Even if you do work on your vehicle outside, you’re typically bringing parts to a workbench to work on certain parts. This is where good lighting comes into play. Here’s a guide to improving the lighting in your garage by adding lampholders.

I walk into AutoZone and ask the salesperson behind the counter for the specific brake line that’s behind the counter. He goes to the back for a few minutes and returns with a brake line that looks like it was used…

Whenever air has been introduced into the hydraulic brake system, a brake bleed needs to be done. This air needs to be purged out of the system, otherwise the air does not allow the brakes to work optimally. Typically bleeding the brakes is a two-man operation, however it can done by one person. I will show you how to bleed brakes by yourself using a bleeder bottle.