Sam Memmolo
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A Lot Deeper Than That
One messy traffic morning brings out the best
the rollback industry has to offer, sporting more strobe lights than a
presidential motorcade. One will notice quite a few Dodge / Cummins in the mix,
all rattling their way to profitability. The only sure thing is the realization,
that the homebound journey would yield much of the same. My point is that upon arrival home about 7:30 Thursday evening, I quickly kicked off my shoes, and rummaged through the days mail. There it was, in all its 165 page glory, the TDR issue 43. Now for a great cup of Starbucks coffee, and a quick scan of the magazine. My eyes were tired, and when I propped myself
up on the pillows, I was sure there was no chance of making past the first few
pages. Boy was I wrong. Page 4 Tailgating: Joe Donnelly buys a new truck, takes it home, snatches the engine out and disassembles it. Once he completes his inspection, he reassembles the monster and plants it back into its original home. What a guy! Then onto page 12 where Peg Anderson eliminates a lot of stress with a great article on two-person trailer navigation. What a politically correct title for such a great piece. I would have entitled it, “How to stay married”. Great job Peg! I miss seeing you and Jim. Page 14 revealed a University level thesis on Brake Fluid, and page 18 made me want to stop stealing hubcaps and jump the fence at the local Freightliner sales lot. Air seats should bring a lot more money than those imported simulators. And then there was the “Dreaded Dowel Pin” article that was nicely done I might add. Easy for a guy who lives in Las Vegas and does his own “Quality Control” on a brand new engine! By the time you read this, “Two Guys Garage” TV show will be in production of series thirteen. Thirteen years, ands three hundred episodes since inception as “Shadetree Mechanic”. Cummins and Dodge are coming onboard with a show to introduce the Cummins 600 and all of its features and benefits. So you can just imagine how timely the article by Joe Donnelly was for me. His insight and articulation gave me more product knowledge than I could have ever gathered on my own. I was immersing myself in Joe’s article, when BAM!, He cut me deep with his trashing of the Chevrolet DuraMax. “Not for a truck enthusiast” is his direct quote! I completely understand his bias towards his beloved in-line six cylinder Turbo Diesel, but as Rod Stewart sang: The first cut is the deepest. My beloved “Midnite” was probably one of the
best trucks I have ever owned, and I miss lots of things about her, but I am
enjoying our new Silverado / DuraMax. While stock for stock the DuraMax may not
be as strong a performer as the Cummins, Joe must have been in a pretty sick
truck. He was fairly unkind to the Powerstroke folks also, but I would have to
agree with his accurate depiction of the ford’s gearbox. Back to the business at hand! Page 46 yielded a great article with complete description on building a diagnostic tool for checking the integrity of the intake air system. Jim Anderson did his usual great job, and Kudos are also in order for Gary Benson. Rumor has it that he was born in a truck tire shop. Sure, this is a publication for gear heads and truck lovers alike, but it goes a lot deeper than that! Why am I wearing you out with this recap? Most (if not all) publications would kill to have writers with such diverse skills and expertise. Page after page of great information running the gamut from maximum tow capacity to detailing. (Please take detailing article with a grain of salt. I’ve seen his truck! Luckily it won’t fit in Tumbelina!) But here’s where TDR separates itself from the pack. This publication is for “Thinkers”, plain and simple! The editor’s article about the “Doom and Gloom”, reads like a Wall Street analyst’s report. Manufacturing in the United States is in real trouble, as witnessed by how relatively few products you find with “Made in U.S.A.” emblazoned on them. When you look at the numbers from the big three as they relate to their exposure for pension / retirement / health care costs, and then the number of supported employees versus the number of supporting employees, it’s pretty sobering. The big three manufacture millions of cars and trucks, yet all three loose millions of dollars from this venture. Gm’s only black ink seems to be coming from the GMAC financial group! There’s not much future in that scenario. Where else can you find the intricate formulas of aerodynamics found in Kevin Cameron’s “Exhaust Note” (guess he hasn’t tried “Air Tabs”), to John and Polly Holmes’ articles with a rancher’s touch. I called Robert a few days after reading issue 43 from cover to cover, and admitted to him that I had never done that before. He accused me of insomnia! It was quite the opposite. I was dog tired, cold, and just basically whipped when I dug deeply into the best 165 pages I have ever read. If you just breezed through it, you owe it to yourself to grab a cup of your favorite beverage, and get a lot “Deeper that that”. Happy Motoring! Sam Memmolo
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I was having the week from Hell, and it was
only Thursday. I had to spend Thursday at a meeting of Advance Auto Parts
commercial managers. I attended on behalf of one of Two Guys Garage TV sponsors.
The day started with a foray onto Atlanta’s crowded freeways on a dark, cold,
rainy morning about 6:30 am.
For those of you who have not witnessed this
spectacle, words cannot describe what a melee this can be. For most commuters,
traveling less than 40 miles can take upwards of two hours on a fine morning
like this. It’s sort of like an etouffe’ of demolition derby, 24 hours of
Sebring, and a “Who’s Who” in the wrecker business, all rolled into one.
