RockAuto now carries the full line of Proforged Steering and Suspension parts – Ball Joints, Tie Rod Ends, Idler Arms, Center Links, Pitman Arms, Sway Bar End Links, Control Arms and more.

Proforged parts resist wear and corrosion better than many original parts. They start out with some of the toughest steel on the planet (forged, heat treated SAE4140, SAE1045...) and use CNC machining for precision fit and finish. Heavy Duty parts have E-coated surfaces to prevent rust and many parts have grease fittings to make maintenance possible.

Some Proforged parts are not only more durable than the originals, but improve driving performance as well. Car chases in movies from the '60s and '70s often show vehicles dramatically careening around corners at relatively low speeds. Proforged Tall Ball Joints increase the tire contact patch to improve handling on cars from that era such as the '71 Olds Vista Cruiser, '65 Pontiac GTO, '72 Chevy Chevelle and others. (For some models, Proforged Tall Ball Joints are for "Circle Track Racing Only." Take note of that you '68 Dodge Charger and '77 Plymouth Volare racers!)

Close attention to details that impact durability and performance extends across all model years. RockAuto has Proforged Steering and Suspension parts for everything from a 1955 Chevy Bel Air to a 1997 Toyota Celica to a 2017 GMC Sierra 3500. To see the chassis parts we have for your specific vehicles, go to the RockAuto catalog and look under "Steering" and "Suspension."

Are you a Lotus 7 or Caterham enthusiast? Have you wanted to build (or are currently building) any number of the kit variants of this classic lightweight sports car? If you answered yes to the either of those questions, then USA 7s is definitely a website you should visit.

There you will find everything from general discussions about the 7, to technical information on building and maintaining, to sections on auto crossing and road racing.

If you are the administrator or member of a forum and you would like to see your website featured in an upcoming newsletter and receive a discount code to share with your members, contact megant@rockauto.com

Tell us about your most infamous auto repair blunder or unconventional fix. Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes or share off-the-wall solutions that worked (at least for a while!). Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto T-Shirt (please let us know your shirt size) or Hat if we publish your story. See the T-Shirts and Hats under Tools & Universal Parts in the catalog. The story will be credited using only your first name and your vague geographic location (state, province, country, continent, etc.) so you can remain semi-anonymous!

Match the models on the left with the correct manufacturers on the right:

Answer below

RockAuto's Ignition Tune-Up-Kits for older engines typically include a Distributor Cap, Distributor Rotor and Spark Plug Wire Set. If those parts are corroded, have electrical arcing to other parts or are otherwise worn, then the engine may stall, misfire, fail to start or experience a host of intermittent problems because there is no longer a reliable electrical connection between the Spark Plugs and the Ignition Coil(s).

Newer Coil-On-Plug (COP) ignition systems do not have Distributors and most do not have Spark Plug Wires. Each Spark Plug has a dedicated Ignition Coil, but there still must be some "wiring" between each Ignition Coil and its Spark Plug. The electrical connection between the Spark Plug and Ignition Coil is provided by the Spark Plug/Coil-On-Plug Boot.

Engines with two Spark Plugs per cylinder may have Ignition Coils with two Coil-On-Plug Boots or one Coil-On-Plug Boot plus one post for a Spark Plug Wire that runs to the cylinder's second Spark Plug.

Ignition Coil with two COP Boots	Coil with one COP Boot and a post for Spark Plug Wire	Replacement COP Boot set with conductor springs
	Common Coil design with one COP Boot

Coil-On-Plug Boots and Spark Plug Wires have similar jobs, and the symptoms of failure (misfires, electrical shorts, stalling, etc.) are the same. The flexible Coil-On-Plug Boot is an electrical insulator and seals out moisture and dirt. Typically a wire spring in the center of the boot provides the electrical connection between the Spark Plug and the Ignition Coil. The spring often arrives separate from the flexible boot and is inserted during installation. Age, heat, moisture, corrosion, motor oil, and other hazards gradually degrade the boot and/or the spring conductor.

It is a good idea to replace the Spark Plug/Coil-On-Plug Boots when the spark plugs are changed. Replace all the boots at once. If one boot is cracked or corroded, then the rest likely will be soon. A set of new Spark Plug/Coil-On-Plug Boots typically costs about the same and is as easy to install as a Spark Plug Wire Set on an older engine. New COP Ignition Coils almost always include new COP Boots because putting a new coil on an old boot would be as unwise as connecting a new Ignition Coil to a worn Distributor Cap or cracked Spark Plug Wires.

Find Spark Plug/Coil-On-Plug Boots by ACDelco, Airtex, Auto 7, Beck/Arnley, Delphi, Denso, Motorcraft, NGK, Power Select/WPS, Spectra Premium, Standard Motor Products, United Motor Products, Ultra-Power and other manufacturers in the RockAuto.com catalog under the "Ignition" category for your specific car or truck.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.

This is my 1940 Chevy 1½ Ton Truck. My grandfather purchased this truck new in 1940. He owned a fairly large oil drilling and producing company that operated in Oklahoma and Kansas. The company shop built and installed the bed, cab protector and winch. The truck was used briefly in Kansas before being driven to a property he owned in Southwestern Michigan, where it remained for over 40 years, used around the acreage for various tasks that required a winch or hauling. The truck passed to my father upon my grandfather’s passing.

I learned to drive in this truck when I was eight years old in 1967. I spent a lot of seat time in this truck over the years, using it for work and in local parades and such. In the mid '80s, the Michigan property was sold and the truck was moved down to Tulsa, OK, where it sat in a storage building for the next 20 years or so. In the meantime, I was living in Missouri and kept trying to get my dad to allow me to bring the truck up to my place to get it back running and driving. He kept stalling, saying he wanted to keep it nearby.

This kept on until 2011 when my daughter decided to get married. She wanted to know if I could finish up my 1939 GMC to drive her up to her outdoor wedding. I informed her that it would be nearly impossible to finish in time, but she should call her grandfather and ask about using the 1940 Chevy truck. Needless to say, the truck was on a flatbed and shipped to us the next day! I had to go through the fuel system and brakes, but everything else was pretty much intact. Although the truck, at that time, was over 70 years old, it only had 21,000 original miles. With the work done and a new battery, it fired right up without missing a beat. It was quite a crowd-pleaser as my daughter and I pulled up to the wedding in the old truck.

I could not have pulled this off without RockAuto. Even for a truck this old, parts were still available on the RockAuto.com website. Belts, hoses, seals, wheel cylinders, etc. were available with a stroke of the keyboard. Excellent customer service and fast shipping make RockAuto my “go to” source for all my automotive parts needs. We continue to use the truck around our property and take it to a number of local car shows each year. It always draws a crowd and people love the story. It is one of my most prized possessions and will one day be passed down to my children.

Thanks,
Al in Missouri

Share Your Hard Work
Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to give you the opportunity to have your car or truck possibly featured in one (or occasionally more) of our publications such as the monthly newsletter, collector magnets or RockAuto social media. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please email flamur@rockauto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

Match the models on the left with the correct manufacturers on the right:

MKC, MKT, MKX, MKZ = Lincoln
ATS, CT6, CTS, XT5, XTS = Cadillac
CLTC, CLTK, CLTY, MLTD = Samsung (Printer Toner Cartridges)
230I, 330E, 640I, M3, X6 = BMW

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