The aftermarket is a $300 billion industry powered by 270,000 independent shops driving massive amounts of inventory. When COVID swept in, it required an immediate need to pivot. As Chief Merchandising Officer, Dave Morris was at the forefront of navigating those rough seas for CarParts.com. In an insightful and candid conversation, the 30-year industry veteran takes Kevin and Willie behind the scenes of how the company not only survived but thrived throughout this unprecedented crisis. “We’re a very analytical company,” he explains. “We sell jobs, not parts.”
The new owner of this 1999 C5 hasn’t wasted any time making it his own. Now he’s ready to tackle the real work under the hood, beginning with the engine. He knows that a quick way to get good clean power is to add a top end kit, which can add up to 100 hp quite easily. Enter Kevin and Willie outfitted with brand new heads and a cam that are guaranteed to give this C5 a nice wakeup call! They’ll also install new brakes, tires and other items before getting this Vette ripping down the road again!
Generations have been trusting Dupli-Color and its sister product VHT for everything from oops-type fixes to full-on paint jobs since 1938. From prep and cleaner to undercoating, wheel coating, engine coating and truck bed coatings, Product Manager Brian A. Suter certainly has a lot on his color palette. Kevin and Willie caught up with him on a recent break to talk about the latest trends in the industry, his top tips for DIYers and how formulation is key to the continuing success of the brands.
Today the guys have the ’71 Duster from last season back in the shop and are planning to put the power plant back in. To get started they’ll have to run the engine harness and wiring, then mate the engine and transmission. Once this is done, they’ll slip the engine into the vehicle and be that much closer to getting it back out on the road.
Today the guys have the ’71 Duster from last season back in the shop and are planning to put the power plant back in. To get started they’ll have to run the engine harness and wiring, then mate the engine and transmission. Once this is done, they’ll slip the engine into the vehicle and be that much closer to getting it back out on the road.
zMAX Micro-lubricant is well known for its ability to soak into metal on a molecular level, dispersing nasty engine carbon build-up. Because the movement of metal is a constant engineering challenge, all types of companies have found uses for the product, from locomotives to small aircraft and large diesel engines. “Cars and speed are in our DNA,” notes VP and GM Dan Chittock, as epitomized by the company’s state-of-the-art 4-wide dragways in Charlotte and Las Vegas, a topic Willie and Kevin are all fired up to discuss.
On this episode, Chris Small of AkzoNobel leads the guys on a deep dive exploration of different types of automotive paint and how to successfully apply them. Noting that “cleanliness is pretty much everything,” Small makes the case for waterborne over solvent based paints. “Less experienced painters can have better results blending and things like that right out of the gate.”
On this episode, Willie and Kevin take a 2021 Diesel Gladiator and rev it up with some smart personalization. The owner wants a certain look and they’re going to make it happen for him. They’ll show how to prep and paint match bumpers to get the desired look, and they’ll top it off with a few helpful additions, so this Gladiator is ready for the streets.
What does the future of car audio look like? To answer this question, Kevin and Willie welcome John Myers of Kicker back to the podcast. Noting that the OEMs “do stuff to that audio signal that would just make an audiophile cringe,” Myers explains, “you’re really not buying car audio; you’re buying emotion.” Understanding the nuances and complexities of sound dynamics is the key. “You don’t know what you’re missing until you hear what you’re missing and then you gotta have it!”
On this week’s podcast, Kevin muses how brakes are “one of the coolest things you can put on a car, and who would’ve ever thought?” Well, Brembo North America President and CEO Dan Sandberg for one, and Performance Director Mike Messina for another. Not a company known to rest on its laurels, Brembo has just introduced its new UPGRADE program, a direct replacement for OE parts. “Don’t underestimate the brakes,” Dan tells the guys. “Stuff happens.”
On this episode, Willie and Kevin take a 2021 Diesel Gladiator and rev it up with some smart personalization. The owner wants a certain look and they’re going to make it happen for him. They’ll show how to prep and paint match bumpers to get the desired look, and they’ll top it off with a few helpful additions, so this Gladiator is ready for the streets.
There are so many technological advances bombarding the aftermarket that it can be difficult to determine what’s the best bet for any particular make and model. Today Kevin, with the help of one of the original hosts of Two Guys Garage Dave Bowman, update a 1972 Chevelle 454 Big Block. They’ll be tackling the installation of a new electronic fuel injection system and add a few more touches to help modernize this classic.
