May 2015 Newsletter

Back again to fill your inbox with ETCG info! Well, not exactly, since I’ve changed the format of the newsletters. Now you can pick the information you’re interested and go right to it, or you can read the full newsletter by clicking here. No matter what you decide, here’s this months info.

Moving Forward With the Fairmont

Last month I aired a video on the installation of frame connectors for my Fairmont. Things didn’t go perfect, but when does that ever happen with projects like this? I’ve read through your suggestions and I’ve consulted with an expert, Stacey David, about the issues I had. Stacey had some great advice and I plan to follow it. Looks like I’ll be redoing the rear connections and also extending them out. I also plan to do more welding to stitch them in as much as possible. Also, at some point I hope to put in a brace between the 2 connectors with a drive shaft loop in the middle. This will provide further rigidity and also an added measure of safety if the front U-joint should ever let go. I also intend to weld in the support plates and put a finish on everything before it gets rusty. I haven’t driven it since I shot the last video to minimize it’s exposure to moisture. Don’t worry, I’ll be shooting video of all of this.

Even with these upgrades I may end up installing a 6 point cage. I’m not going to concern myself with that, or the brace with the driveshaft loop, until I get the new engine and transmission in. This way, I won’t have to work around that stuff when I install the new parts.

Speaking of that. I’ve narrowed down a few ‘donor’ Mustangs for the project. I’m going to check them out over the next few weeks and once I find the one I’m looking for, I’m going to pull the trigger. Once I have the donor car, I’ll start disassembling it so I can put the parts in the Fairmont. I really can’t wait to get started on that part.

Monroe Videos To Air in May

I’ve gotten approval on 2 of the Monroe videos and they’ll begin to air in May. In fact, the first video will likely go live this Friday May 1st. This has been a great partnership and I really like the videos that have come out of it. These aren’t just straight up advertising, they actually contain some useful information that I think you’ll be able to use.

BTW, yes, I know that other channels have done work with Monroe recently. You do realize I’m not the only person they contacted about this right? This recent effort by Monroe is centered around their safety triangle, bringing awareness to issues with steering, stopping, and stability. They reached out to several YouTube channels to help promote this initiative, mine included. As I said, all useful information to help keep you safe on the road.

Cabin Filter Videos

It’s odd, but despite my efforts, I haven’t heard back from the sponsor on these videos. This means they’re dead in the water and will likely not see the light of day. Perhaps at some point I’ll put them out in a limited release, maybe for Premium Members, but for now, they’ve been shelved indefinitely. It’s a shame really. A lot of time and effort went into creating those 15 videos and it seems like a real waste they won’t get used. It’s out of my hands though. I apologize to those that were looking forward to that series.

Shop Truck Update

The shop truck is on hold for now and probably will be for some time. That same dealer that tried to sell me the 2010 F150 has reached out asking if I was still interested in purchasing a truck from them. For now, not really. I’m still liking the idea of getting a ‘beater truck’ at some point instead of making payments. I’ll probably go that route when the time comes. For now, all my resources are going into the Fairmont project. After that, I’ll turn my sights back to a possible shop truck.

Fixing it Forward

The Fixing it Forward project is moving along nicely. ETE Remanufacturing has hooked me up with a remanufactured transmission for the van which I intend to install tomorrow.

I’ve also repaired the rear windows. I know for a fact you’re going to love that video since I didn’t purchase any parts for the repair. Yep, fixed both motors for $0.

I hope to get the radiator for it soon as well. That just leaves the AC and possibly the instrument cluster for future repairs. I’m not going to worry about the seat heaters for now.

Also, Monroe provided me with a set of QuickStruts for the van which I used for some of their videos I mentioned earlier. This means that Barbara got new struts as an added bonus for the van. Thanks Monroe!

If all goes to plan, I should have Barbara’s van wrapped up in the next couple of weeks. I’m hoping we can get the delivery on camera as it would be great to see if she’s happy with the repairs.

After Barbara’s van is complete, I’ll be on the hunt for a new project for the show. I think I’m going to head down to the Veterans Association to see if there’s anyone there that could use some free auto repair.

Automechanika 2015

Last weekend I attended Automechanika in Chicago. It was a great experience. I got to meet a few fans and also signed a few autographs. I also got to meet Pete Meier of MotorAge magazine. I’ve known of Pete’s work ever since I started in the business. It was a real honor to meet him.

One thing to note about my experience at Automechanika was the amount of educators that use my videos in their classrooms. This is something I’m very proud of. It’s also quite humbling to think that I get to play a part in the education of up and coming technicians.

I plan to make an ETCG1 video about my experiences at Automechanika so look for that in the coming weeks.

Copyrighting Vehicles and the Future of Home Auto Repair

In the past week I’ve been inundated with requests about this topic. For those of you not familiar, automakers are looking to resurrect an old copyright law to make it so you can’t repair or alter the systems on new vehicles. Here’s a link to the article. Given the volume of requests, I’m going to be shooting an ETCG1 video on this topic that should air this coming Monday. No need to send me anymore links to the article, thanks.

Website News

If all goes to plan, the new EricTheCarGuy.com will launch this month. Wyatt, the ETCG website developer, is already working on the updated search function. Once that’s complete, we should be able to create the remaining content when he gets back from his vacation in early May. I’m very excited about the new site. I think it’s a leaner, meaner version with a lot less extraneous stuff around the edges. It’s also mobile friendly. The updated search function should also help you find things easier. Keep an eye on your inbox for the announcement sometime in May. If not, I’ll be telling you why it didn’t launch in next months newsletter. I hope it doesn’t come to that as we’ve been working on this for some time now.

Check Out The New ETCG App!

I don’t know if you’re aware, but last month the ETCG app launched. It’s a really cool thing that I’ve teamed up with Beachfront Media to create. It’s an easy way to access all of my videos and stay updated on the latest video releases. There’s also direct links to my FAQ pages which contain answers to many of the questions I get asked as well as links to the website. It’s available for iOS, Android, and Amazon.

Premium Member News

We’re still sorting out some of the playback issues with Premium Member videos. At this time there are just a few people having issues. Those using iOS seem to be the ones affected. Let me put it this way, if the company we’re working with can’t resolve this in the next week, we’re going to move to a new service. Know that we are making every effort to resolve this issue. If you do have issues, please contact us at support@ericthecarguy.com and please provide us with the browser and OS that you’re using so we can get things handled quickly.

Upcoming Projects

In addition to what’s mentioned above, I have a few projects in the works. First, I’ve shot a complete video on the engine replacement in a 2004 Acura TL last week. This was actually brought to me by a viewer. I’ve had a couple of other viewers reach out asking to have their vehicles worked on in upcoming videos. I may work some more of those in as well.

I’ve been wanting to do a rebuild of the front suspension on my Acura Vigor for some time. This information will also apply to Honda Accords of the same vintage. If all goes to plan, I’ll have a new spring compressor to use on the struts which will be very helpful. This should be a good project as I also plan to replace the captive rotors, the upper control arms, and reboot the axles.

Also, Cameraman Brian’s Toyota 4Runner needs a front wheel bearing and axle. We hope to shoot that repair later this week. Not sure when I’ll get to the Vigor, but hoping it’s in the next few weeks.

These projects will be so much easier now that I have a lift. I love my new lift. You’re going to love it too because it means I’ll be doing a LOT more repair videos.

In Closing

Time to close this one out. Thank you for reading this far. There’s a lot happening at ETCG right now and it’s all kind of a blur. I’m holding it together and doing what I can to keep the videos coming. In fact, I’m somewhat overstocked with footage at the moment, not to mention new projects.

I know I keep saying it, but I love my job. Meeting some of you at Automechanika last weekend really helped put things into perspective. EricTheCarGuy isn’t about me, it’s much bigger than that. I feel it’s come to represent the ‘can do’ attitude many of you possess when you go out into the garage to fix your own vehicles. I’m quite proud of that.

I see great things for the future of ETCG and I’d like to bring you, and all your friends, along for the ride.

As always, thank you for being a part of the success of EricTheCarGuy.

Be safe
Have fun
Stay Dirty

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