Yup, pink. TM has previously mentioned the LifeHammer and ResQMe. Now, if you buy the pink versions, the distributor, nov8, will make a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  If someone you know has been affected by breast cancer — it took my Mom after a long struggle many years ago — then this might be a way to support or recognize them. So far, I’ve only been able to find the pink ResQMe available for $12 online at Ace.

ResQMe Pink [Ace]

The bigger the tire, the harder it is to remove and replace a wheel on the vehicle. At some point the wheel gets larger than you can safely handle — that’s when you pull out the Wheel Mate from OTC Tools.

OTC constructs the Wheel Mate from structural steel tubing, and its U-shaped base gives it clearance to fit around the wheel and under the vehicle. It moves freely on heavy-duty ball bearing casters and locks with a foot-operated lever so it won’t go rolling about.

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A worthwhile addition to your vehicle’s emergency kit and safer than incendiary flares, the small (6 oz. with batteries; 4 1/4″L × 3 7/8″W × 1″D) Lite Flare has a clear high-impact polycarbonate housing, two high-intensity red (yellow is available, also) LEDs that flash about 55 times per minute with a claimed visibility range of 1 mile at night, and uses two AA batteries that will operate for “400+ hours (alkaline type).” A 3-pack (the recommended number for “optimum” visibility) costs $33. They also make a Cone Flare version that fits in the top of a traffic cone to make it more visible.

If you don’t like the directionality of the Lite Flare, other manufacturers (e.g., PowerFlare) make LED flares that emit light in all directions.

I’m sure there are even more options out there. What do you prefer for road-side emergencies?

Lite Flare [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Sure you can run a battery charger with a portable generator, but why not cut out the middle man, especially if you’re off the beaten path where you don’t want to haul around a large generator? This would be especially great for charging up an electric trolling motor battery or camper battery when you’re 150 miles from the nearest outlet.

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With their heavy insulation, grounded barriers, and strong rip-prevention weaves often built into the casing, spark plug wires can be a royal pain. There aren’t many strippers that can easily handle the tough casings, but there are plenty of options for crimpers.

The unit above retails through Summit Racing Equipment and is manufactured by Taylor. The design doesn’t look terribly robust, but the $16 asking price isn’t bad. If that doesn’t seem like a decent value, there’s a pair of simple cast-aluminum blocks made by MSD which contain a jig for stripping plug wires with a razor. Put the two pieces between a vise’s jaws with a terminal in between, and they turn into a crimper. And that little doodad runs for only $7, which is close to cheap-ass tool territory.

The high-end option comes in the form of dies for interchangeable-jaw crimpers. The exact model will depend on the crimper you own, but they usually retail for around $30. This model [What’s This?], from SG Tool Aid, is a good example.

Taylor Plug Wire crimper [Summit Racing Equipment]
MSD Stripper/Crimper [Summit Racing Equipment]

Modern automotive ignition systems use coil packs for every cylinder, shortening wire runs, increasing spark energy, and improving timing. However, coil-on-plug ignition systems, with their short or non-existent wires, have rendered some proven spark plug tests obsolete. It’s easy to test for spark, but Thexton’s 458 plug tester can also tell you how strong a spark you’re getting.

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This is long-time reader Peter P. who is starting to blast the paint off his soon-to-be amphibious ride. We’ve never tried this method in the Toolmonger shop — normally opting for bead blasting ourselves — here Peter is working a soda blast rig.

Soda Blasting is relatively new, as far as we know, but the proponents of the system say it’s the new hotness to strip paint and/or clean hard surfaces. The blasting machine uses compressed air to pump baking soda onto the surface to be stripped. It’s about the same as sand blasting, but less abrasive as far as we’ve heard.

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I’ve never — knock on wood — had the “fun” of trying to repair stripped threads in a key mechanical component, but I’ve seen various options. It seems that the two main contenders for thread inserts are Heli-Coil® and TIME-SERT®, but I don’t know which one works better for which applications and materials. TIME-SERT® requires drilling, counterboring, and tapping before installing the insert. A typical TIME-SERT kit, with all the required tools and several inserts, costs around $74. Heli-Coil preparation needs drilling and tapping before installing the insert. A Heli-Coil kit, with a tap, the installation tool, and several inserts, will be about $27.

So, all you Toolmongers out there with experience in this area, what’s your favorite? Are there alternatives?

Time-Sert [Manufacturer's Site]
Time-Sert Street Pricing [Google Products]
Time-Sert Via Amazon [What’s This?]
HeliCoil [Manufacturer's Site]
Helicoil Street Pricing [Google Products]
Helicoil Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Chances are you’ve seen a wheel lock, sometimes called a boot, on a car that’s violated some parking ordinance — if not in person, at least on TV. The concept is to make the car stay put by completely immobilizing one of the wheels until the owner pays a fine. The Wheel Chock Lock from Curt Manufacturing uses the same concept to keep your trailer or camper from disappearing, only now you have the key.

The Wheel Chock Lock will expand to fit a variety of tires. It has a powder-coated yellow finish to resist corrosion and make it stand out. The Wheel Chock Lock comes with three keys and runs about $75.

Wheel Chock Lock [Curt Manufacturing]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Not everybody needs an ultra-low profile jack, but if you’re regularly working on high-performance cars you probably run into the problem of getting the jack under the car from time to time. With a saddle height of only 1-7/8, it’ll be hard to find a vehicle too low for this new jack from OTC tools.

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Got a pile of bungee cords that are the wrong size or the hook at the end just doesn’t quite fit the application? The Joubert Smart Bungee System lets you connect bungee cords together, swap ends, create a three ended bungee, or create complex combinations you may’ve never imagined.

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Despite the fact that these bags look a lot like bags of leaves piled in front of a car, what they really are is air-lift bags that can jack up your car or light truck under its own power. The Titan jack uses the vehicle’s exhaust to inflate a bag that lifts the car.

Seems interesting, but having never used one we have no idea how well they work. This either sounds like a very good or very bad idea. On one hand, no pump required. On the other hand you now have your car sitting on a bag of exhaust gas. Anyone out there have one?

Amazon has the 3-ton Titan Exhaust Jack for $109.99.

Titan Air Jack [Chandler Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Ever had that annoying problem where the 90° fender flanges are digging into the over-sized tires you’re putting on your exotic supercar? Yeah, me neither. But, just in case you run into this issue, Eastwood’s Fender Finisher-Hand Fender Former Tool will fix it for you. The $80 tool allows you “to roll fenders without having to remove the wheel!” and ease that troublesome factory edge. A heat gun is suggested to warm up the paint so you can form without damage, but you should be able to do the job in less than 30 minutes. The Fender Finisher has molded hand grips, a durable power-coated finished, and comes with two extra replaceable rubber pads.

A video is available at the manufacturer’s site.

Eastwood [Manufacturer's Site]

Ignition wrenches are one of those tools you’ll never need until that one moment when Murphy’s messing with you, and then nothing else will do. Normal wrenches have a 30-degree offset in the head to allow for rotating hex bolts by thirty degrees at a time, but that’s too much for some very tight situations. That’s where ignition wrenches come in. With a 15-degree offset on one side and an 80-degree offset on the other, you only need five degrees of rotation to spin a bolt. Tedious, yes, but sometimes those small increments are all you can manage.

Pricing is reasonable from Craftsman, at $20 for a set of eight metric wrenches, and the same price for eight inch wrenches. Snap-On, naturally, has similar options at the stratospheric price of $224. Personally, I’ll take 91% off and go for the Craftsman set.

8-piece ignition wrench set, inches [Craftsman]
8-piece ignition wrench set, millimeters [Craftsman]

Springs, dampers, and all the hardware that goes with them are a subject of endless discussion among everyone from career race professionals to weekend auto crossers and garage mechanics. An incredible number of factors affect ride and performance, and texts like this try to make heads or tails out of the lot. The Shock Absorber Handbook is part of the Society of Automotive Engineers’ official library, which is about as good as seals of approval get, but it does mean the book’s expensive.

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While normally used for finding and diagnosing issues within human beings, stethoscopes are also excellent tools for seeking out engine troubles. It’s easy to tell when an engine is making weird noises, but discovering exactly where they come from can shave time from the diagnosis and repair process. You can also avoid silly mistakes like replacing your alternator when it’s an idler pulley making that infernal squeal (nice move on my buddy’s part). Examination with a stethoscope can reveal valve train noises or spun bearing locations in toasted motors, and an old engine builder I worked with refused to sign off on an engine assembly until he’d gotten it running on the stand and listened to a laundry list of critical areas with his ’scope.

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If you need to check drive pulleys to see if they’re out of alignment, one way to do it is to use the Gates Drive Align laser alignment tool.  It can show you if the drive pulleys are offset or angled with respect to each other.

Gates’ tool uses a 650nm (red) laser diode powered by a replaceable lithium battery which provides 20 hours of continuous use. It can be used on all automotive serpentine belt drives with four or more ribs.

The Drive Align Laser includes glasses that help you see the laser better, a bungee cord to secure the laser tool to the pulley, and an Allen wrench to align the light beam. The tool comes in a high-impact plastic carrying with space for the other accessories. Overall the Laser Drive Alignment Tool will run you at least $125.

Lazer Drive Align [Gates]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]