Gizmodo reports that CRKT® has a new tool for getting out of your car in emergencies. The ExiTool™ combines a seatbelt cutter, a window breaker, and an LED flashlight in one unit that clips onto any standard seatbelt. It’s like a ResQMe (see TM 9/29/07 and 9/28/08) with an LED, but may be more convenient because it’s right there on the seatbelt.

This tool’s seatbelt cutter is designed so that “it’s virtually impossible for even the smallest fingers to accidentally reach the blade,” which is razor-sharp high-carbon stainless steel able to cut seatbelts with a quick pull. The tungsten carbide breaker point is designed to shatter tempered glass side windows, and the LED is powered by a single CR2032 lithium battery.

The ExiTool™ is expected to retail for $26.99, and will be “Coming Soon in 2010.”

What do you think? Would you pick one up for each of your vehicles?

ExiTool™ [Manufacturer's Site]

You put fancy rims on your ride; it’s only sensible to finish off the look with some sharp-looking lug nut covers. Besides looking good, the covers may actually provide some protection to the lug threads.  The only problem is whether you can figure out how to install them without marking them up.

Wheel Master designed their Universal Lug Nut Cover Pliers to quickly and easily remove and replace all sized lug nut covers without damaging them. The heavy-gauge steel pliers have rubber-coated handles for a good grip and a rubber-coated head to protect the lug nut covers. And the 9″ pliers are long enough to reach into deep dish wheels.

Pricing for the pliers starts around $10.

Lug Nut Cover Pliers [Wheel Masters]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

The Michelin Smart Jumper Cables™ seem to be a great step up from ordinary jumper cables. These 12′ long cables are 8-gauge copper-clad aluminum wires with a control box that automatically adjusts the polarity when the clamps are connected, and prevents sparking or shorting. Basic jumper-cable connection rules still apply: from one side of the control box, connect one clamp to the boosting vehicle’s positive battery terminal and the other to its negative terminal. Then, from the other side of the control box, connect one clamp to the disabled vehicle’s positive battery terminal, and the other to exposed metal on the engine block or vehicle frame. If the control box’s green indicator lights are on, you’re ready to try a jump start. The control box also has built-in surge protection for the vehicles’ computers and electronics. A set of these smart jumper cables costs $34.99.

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One of the benefits of owning a GM truck or SUV with a 350 under the hood: the alternator isn’t buried behind or under the engine. (We’re looking at you, Porsche.) It’s right up top — right in your face. And that also makes it second only to chrome valve covers in terms of cheap but effective dress-up purchases.

This is doubly true if you happen to find yourself with a bum alternator. The 100 A model pictured above will directly bolt in to replace any GM alternator from 1965 to 1986 — yeah, those GM engineers love the status quo — and’ll set you back just $100. That sounds like a lot, but take out the $80 or so you’ll pay for a plain Jane alternator, and the cheap ‘n pretty economics become clear.

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No, that’s not my car, and that’s definitely not my garage. But I can dream, can’t I? And I thought that looking through the Griot’s Garage catalog was fun. The Ultimate Garage, started by Steve D’Gerolamo, provides a variety of products and services — “The only limits are one’s imagination and budget” — to assist you in building or outfitting your garage and workshop. It has all the usual stuff like architectural plan reviews, air conditioning and dehumidification systems, audio and video distribution — doesn’t your garage have CAT6 hookups and a video server rack? — building acoustics, electrical-power distribution and backup, fume extraction systems, and more. The link below is the first of several pages showing some incredible garages, cars, and equipment.

Must. Stop. Drooling.

Technology & Design Showcase [Ultimate Garage]

Long time readers will know that we’re a fan of portable, battery-powered jump-start rigs. (Various models have saved our collective asses numerous times, keeping shop projects from leaving us stranded on the side of the road.) But here’s a model we hadn’t considered before: the Duracell DPP-600HD.

Like most similar products, the Duracell consists of a big-ass battery and a couple of jump leads — plus an inverter, integrated charger, and all the electronics necessary to make it go. As you’d expect, the big-ass battery is a sealed lead acid model, in this case rated at 12V/28 Ah. Duracell says that’ll deliver up to 480 W continuously to its four three-prong AC plugs, or a five minute burst of juice at 600 W. Of course, that same power can become an additional 280 cold-cranking amps to help start your ailing ride, or it’ll drive the built-in flashlight and radio for pretty much forever.

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This probably wouldn’t pass vehicle inspection, even as farm equipment, here in Texas. On the other hand, the setting appears kind of boatish — or is that shippish? — so maybe it doesn’t matter. But seriously this is unacceptable, and bordering on a complete travesty. Combination wrenches and electrical tape!? Are you kidding? The situation clearly calls out for a vise grip or two, duct tape, zip ties, and some paracord, probably in international orange. If you have to use electrical tape, use it for its intended purpose, like a seat belt or something.

Quit Wrenching The Steering Wheel [There, I Fixed It]

Including shipping, and assuming you order enough stuff to qualify for Super Saver shipping, Amazon has the best deal on the 4-pack of Black & Decker 79-010-4 Workmate Swivel Grip Pegs at $8.36.

These are the standard dogs that B&D includes with the Workmate, precisely the items that are almost always missing when you buy a used one. I’ve used them to great advantage when holding items for planing and routing. And they’re made of plastic so you can accidentally cut into them without ruining your tool.

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While checking out reader Hugojcardoso’s other projects, I came across an awesome photo of a rigged-up starting procedure that made me laugh. This image is the classic busted key scenario and a reminder that we’ve all been there.

Back in the day I started my Ford Courier just like this for about 3 months before I managed to get a new key for it. Just so Hugo doesn’t feel bad — when I met my wife she would start her GMC Jimmy by shorting across the terminals with a screwdriver. I was a bit taken aback but I remember thinking, “Damn that’s hot; I should marry her.” Of course the joke was on me a few weeks later since I gave her my car to drive and was chasing down electrical problems in it full-time.

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A few days after Xmas weekend I noticed a bubble in the sidewall of the front right tire. It was large enough that I called ahead at the local tire shop and drove — carefully — down to get it replaced, since there’s really not much you can do with a sidewall bubble, and once formed, they’re rather like a ticking bomb.

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Northern Tool + Equipment’s year-end sale includes the Drolet High-Efficiency model #DP00045 wood pellet-burning stove for $1399 (25% off the normal price) plus free shipping.

The stove is 25.5″ W x 28″ D x 33″ H and burns hard or soft wood pellets up to 60 lbs. at a time, which can run up to 45 hours, presumably on a low setting. It includes an electronic automatic igniter, a 3-inch vent, and an ash pan (which, if you empty into your garden plot through the winter, provides great fertilizer for the spring).

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Named as one of TIME’s 50 Best Inventions of 2009, the British Steam Car, aka “the fastest kettle in the world,” set new measured-mile (139.843 mph) and measured-kilometer (148.308 mph) records in August at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The previous mile record of 127.659 mph was set in 1906 by Fred Marriott in a Stanley Steamer.

The British Steam Car has 12 LPG-fueled boilers with over 3 km of tubing that produce 3 megawatts of heat — which the manufacturer’s web site equates to ~ 1,500 kettles, or ~ 23 cups of tea per second — and use 1,000 liters of water every 25 minutes. The 3-tonne (6,614 lbs) car is 7.663m long (25.14′), 1.7m wide (5.6′), and 1.7m tall (5.6′).

British Steam Car [Manufacturer's Site]

Right now you can get the Machinery’s Handbook 28th Edition on CD ROM for $67.89 at Barnes & Noble.

I was skeptical about the utility of the Machinery’s Handbook CD when I first heard about it but I’ve been using mine (27th edition) for several years now and find it incredibly handy! The CD ROM has all of the text from the print edition, plus chapters from older versions of the Handbook that were cut over time. The ability to search the handbook is profoundly useful as it cuts down on the time spent leafing through the index. What I like best about it is the ability to print various charts and tables from the book for use in the shop. It’s cut down on the greasy smudges left on my print edition when cutting threads… as well as the irritation trying flip between several pages when doing calculations. It’s also a handy adjunct when doing CAD drafting; I can look up dimensions and insert into the CAD drawing easily. The only feature I don’t use are the online calculators – anyone use those?

Machinery’s Handbook 28th Edition CD ROM [barnesandnoble.com]

Permatex Flowable Silicone (item # 81730) is a low-viscosity silicone sealer that “seeks the leak.” It flows easily into little cracks and crevices, and, after a 24-hour cure, forms a clear waterproof seal. Typical applications include windshields, sunroofs, windows, headlight assemblies, RV vents, and marine glass.

I found and used it a few years ago to successfully seal a small, but annoying and persistent, leak at the top of the windshield in my trusty old pickup after an ever-so-helpful dealer said the windshield would have to be removed and a new gasket installed. I have also read about its use in sealing outdoor PVC active antenna assemblies for amateur radio.

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For anybody who’s ever used a screwdriver to slip a belt onto a pulley, you’ll recognize how Snap-on’s stretch belt tool works. In the brochure at the bottom of the post, they claim you can use the tool for mounting belts on some late model Ford Chevy and GMC SUV’s, but frankly I don’t see what would prevent you from using the tool on other vehicles.

The Chinese-made tool fits over the lip of the pulley and a special bolt holds it in place. When the tool is in place you can rotate the belt onto the pulley in tight quarters without twisting the belt.

A search at Snap-on.com shows pricing at $13.

Stretch Belt Tool (PDF) [Snap-On]

At a recent junkyard excursion I happened upon this somewhat rough Dodge. Now you might ask — as I did — what the hell is with the wing? Did you clear a flight path for that? Are you trying to hold the trunk down? The answer is simple — kids do stupid crap with their cars.

If there’s a way to glue, stick ‘em, bolt, paint, or yes, Velcro, something onto a vehicle you can be sure a kid between the ages of 16 to 23 has done so with what turns out to be frightening results.

Not that I’m any kind of car genius that hasn’t dealt out my share of Frankenstein to an automobile either. Check out this honey of a ride. Yes sir, my very first car — the Turbo Gerbil, an ’83 Corolla SR5, named thusly because it was not turbo and sounded funny when put before gerbil.

Dig that aftermarket chrome stripe and holofoil Toyota shade. I’m no expert here but I’m guessing that took at least two or three seconds off my quarter mile time — sun’s rays being reflected and all.

Don’t try and make sense out of it; it only makes sense when a group of seventeen-year-olds start naming each other’s cars. Together with the Lunch Wagon, an ’86 Nissan king-cab; Merlin the Brown Wizard, a ’79 Celica that had no weather stripping; and the Funky Chicken, a white ’86 Ford Thunderbird that stalled out at every other light we stopped at, we made up a collection of road warriors that has not since been equaled since Urkel on Family Matters learned to drive.

So when you see something like this run-down Dodge in the junkyard years later, you just have to shake your head and smile. Somebody had an awful lot of fun with this thing. I know I did with mine.

On a recent junkyard trip Sean and I came across this monstrosity in a Ford. Sean’s comment: “Wanna take one guess as to how this guy crashed?” Known most commonly as a “spinner knob” (or alternatively as a “suicide knob”), more sturdy and functional versions of this thing made cranking a whopping huge steering wheel around three or four full revolutions lock-to-lock easier. But with the advent of modern power steering — and a strong desire among most state motor vehicle departments to discourage the inaccurate steering inputs that lead to over-control — spinners are actually illegal in some places around the U.S.

But a non-spinning version made from nylon tape and a golf ball? That’s just an accident waiting to happen.

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