Like and Don’t Like – Products (Tire Gel) and Tools (Thread Chasers)

I’ve been tied up the last couple days, with…CAR stuff…more vette drama…that’ll be coming up.

I’m sure most of us have products and tools we’ve tried and liked and some we tried and hated.

When you get a minute drop me a note with them and tell me why you liked or didn’t. 

Here are a couple of mine.

Eagle One makes some good products, but they also make Tire Detailer – Tire Shine Gel.  It says it last 2x longer than sprays.

Eagle One

Hey..that is true…100%, no lie, no bs.

Only problem is never dries.  And when you drive your car it will spread the entire length of your car.  It creates a huge mess.  It forms black greasy marks on your fenders, doors, quarter panels, bumpers…etc.  It make a huge mess on your wheels.  I have Center line wheels, with rivets and spinner. 

Mustangs Center Line Wheels

Every nook and cranny had this greasy black gel in it.  Every rivet, valve stem and outer rim. 

I know you are saying…”Well done put so much on.”  You might have a point.  But once you have it on..try getting it off.  I placed this on my Mustang 3 weeks ago.  In week two I was wiping down the car after every drive.  In week three, I washed the tires with orange cleaner.  And still today when I washed the Mustang, there were new streaks on the paint, bumper, wheel wells, side lights and outer rims.  I scrubbed the wheels with soap and wiped them down, but you can still see where the gel hangs on.

This product is for a trailer queen car, not one you drive to shows.  Avoid this product.

One reason I hadn’t made blog entry in past couple of days is because I was tuning up the 84 Vette.  All  that oil leaking fouled up the plugs.  Well as luck would have it, while replacing the plugs I had a plug break.  Just the porcelain.  This happens!!!!  So I stuck the spark plug socket back on what was left of the plug and removed it.  It did seem a bit hard to get out, but I didn’t think much about it at the time.

Errrkk……Stop me if you’ve heard this…this particular plug was in “the spot”.  You know what I mean.  The spot!!….The place you can’t reach..the place you have to turn around backward and place your hand facing palm up, bend down on one knee, tip your head up and lower your shoulder (WOW..that also sounds like my golf swing!!!!) to get to.  Of course you can’t tighten it that way, you have to get your 16″ ratchet extensions, with a swivel and a 2″ extension and under and round the AC hoses.  You know the spot!!! 

As I contorted my body to put the new one, I couldn’t get it to catch on the first thread.  No amount of bending, twisting or non-PC language, could get that in.  Now..comes the scary thought….striped thread.!!!!!!    If you have ever put a spark plug in and know what part of the car you are sticking it in….you are feeling my initial pain or panic or depression, actually all of them.  It could be a lot of work and $$$ to fix that right!  (Pulling heads, to heli coil it or re-tap it or buying a new head..set of heads.)

There on last hope:

Thread Chasers!!!!

Oh..yes…queque the super hero music!!!! These babies are life savers.

Briefly here is how this works.

Find the thread size for the spark plug you are having an issue with. (oh..these aren’t made just for spark plug.)  Center the chaser on hole as if you were putting the spark plug and turn it by hand.  In my case I as in the contorted position described above and turned it a tight as I could by hand.  After that I put together the extension, swivel (also call a universal) and extension.  I could feel the hesitation of the thread not wanting to catch, but then..success and the chaser run down the rest of the threads with easy.   Problem?  Most likely a burr or piece of thread from the old spark plug!!!

Bottom line…get yourself a set of these.  Snap-on has them.  the are called “Spark plug Hole Reconditioning Tool”  An old Snap_on number is TCS14ST. 

Send me your liked and disliked tools or products.

Thanks for reading.

Tim