If you’re anything like me, you probably have drawers full of obscure tools bought for maintenance on vehicles you no longer own. Need a stator puller for a mid-80’s Honda CB motor? I’ve got one. How about an 8mm carb balancing tool? Got that, too. Electronic carb synchronizer? Check.

There are some tools, however, that no gear head should be without. Some get used all the time, while others are there just in case. I’m skipping over the obvious stuff like good sets of combination wrenches, sockets, extensions, screwdrivers and pliers; if you don’t already have these, you can’t really consider yourself a gear head, now can you?

Here’s my list, but feel free to tell me yours:

Jimmy’s Garage built their reputation by offering affordable solutions for all of their customer’s repair needs.

Source: There, I Fixed It

It’s January 2010, which means there is action going on in garages all over the United States. Why you might ask? Well, this is the time of year when guys begin to get itchy to drive. We’re sick and tired of the snow and crappy weather and are longing for those first few 60 degree spring days. Until then we’re stuck with the snow, sleet & rain that engulfs the northeast from January until March… (those of you who live on the west coast can suck it).

Since we’re not really driving, racing or attending car shows yet, this is the time of year when all the superfluous automotive crap gets done. It’s time to install those new heads, suspension systems and or custom brakes. Guys all over the place are captivated by their Summit Racing and Jegs catalogs whilst they sit on the proverbial throne. Credit cards all over the northeast are beginning to sweat like a whore in church…

Well… that may be going a bit far, but you get the idea.

My point is that now is the time of year to take care of any modifications that you’re planning for the upcoming car season. Hell, my list is flippin’ huge. My ‘68 Charger is getting a host of suspension upgrades as well as some major TLC and my ‘69 Daytona has already gone under the knife by getting a full repaint, new front spoiler, windshield clips and rear window straps with more to go. I figure that if I’m lucky, I’ll have everything bought, paid for and installed by mid-March, it’s going to be close though. There’s a lot of parts and not a lot of garage space.

So what does everyone else have planned? New headers for the Honda? Perhaps new wheels and skins for the old Chevy? What-cha’ all doing? Post up… inquiring minds (mainly mine) want to know.

Apparently, the bad luck is no longer limited to Japanese cars. This morning, Ford announced they will be issuing a recall for some 4.5 million vehicles over a fire-prone cruise control switch. The switch, which is manufactured by the geek demi gods at Texas Instruments, is responsible for deactivating the cruise control function and has been shown to malfunction in rather serious ways. According to the recall, the switches may spring an internal leak that immediately erupts in smoking and/or burning, and in some instances the problem has resulted in brake fluid leaking into the ABS, also causing fires. To rectify the problem, dealers have been instructed to install a fused wiring harness and in some vehicles, replace the ABS module.

Either the U.S. government is waging a personal war against Toyota or years of cutting corners have finally caught up to them.

A few hours ago the NHTSA announced the launch of an official investigation into complaints received regarding the rapid frame corrosion of relatively late model Toyota Tundra pickup trucks. According to reports, 20 complaints have been lodged so far detailing excessive rust damage and the NHTSA is concerned by the evidence that the rapid deterioration has resulted in fairly serious issues like spare tire separation and brake system defects.

Any Ferrari, especially the “entry-level” F430, is subject to a certain subset of buyer whose hunger for flash and excitement overshadows whatever meager driving skills, or rather, common sense, they might have. Case in point, the gentleman owner of this bright red F430 decided to open ‘er up to see what it could do. He reached an honest 180 MPH before a “strange noise” caught his attention. On the way back down from roughly triple the speed limit to somewhere around 120 MPH, the overstressed right rear tire exploded, with predictable results. Take a look for yourself in the gallery below.

At Least SRTs Are Now Covered

If you would have been swayed to purchase a new Chrysler product because of its promise of a “Lifetime Powertrain” Warranty, you are now out of luck. After consulting with their dealership network, Chrysler announced this week that it is dropping this incentive in favor of an alternate, and shorter powertrain guarantee.

You May Want To Ease Off The Throttle There Mario

Is it something we said? Like a cold sore, apparently our complimentary views are the kiss of death when it comes to the recall explosion that has spread throughout the industry and bitten Toyota twice in recent memory. Just days after largely patting Toyota on the back for their updated Matrix hatchback, the Japanese automaker is reporting that approximately 95,500 vehicles sold in America have a potentially serious brake issue.

Most Of That Will Buff Right Out

The H1N1-like defect bug that has recently been making the rounds with BMW, Toyota, Honda and Subaru may have unfortunately now infected the Jeep Wrangler. But if you drive a Wrangler, don’t be alarmed just yet, this is still in the investigation stage. That is unless you find yourself ankle deep in hot transmission fluid; then be very alarmed.

2002 Acura TL Type S

Honda is the latest automaker to catch the recall bug as they announced Friday that they are recalling another 440,000 vehicles, including some of their best-selling Accord and Civic models, for an airbag defect. As opposed to the sometimes mundane warnings for one thing or another, this recall has the potential to cause serious injury. How serious? How does airbag projectile shrapnel to the face sound?