Matco Tools Expo: Cancun, Mexico

Today, we're off to sunny Cancun Mexico to check out the latest and greatest tools at the Metco Tool Expo.

And we're hanging out with our Metco friends. It's all today here on trucks.

Hey,

Kevin.

Hey, how's it going?

Nice too.

Yeah, thanks. So, welcome to trucks. Obviously, we are not at the shop and I'm not in my regular work clothes. So, what's going on? And

is this a fitting tribute to my Scandinavian heritage?

Well, one thing's for sure, we're closer to the equator than I've ever been where just a few millennia ago, Mayan trade route shared the beaches that now have some of the most beautiful resorts in the world.

But Cancun Mexico is not just for vacations. This is actually a work trip for the trucks crew.

So why are we in beautiful, sunny and warm Cancun Mexico?

Well, it's not only to get a little bit of sun on Kevin's really, really white legs.

It's also to check out the annual Matco Tool Expo, which evidently is this direction

here. It is Mad Co Tool Expo 2010 Hola from Cancun every year. Matco puts on an awesome expo at a great location. It gives the distributors a chance to have a little fun network with each other, even do some training and to talk directly with the manufacturers and find out what the coolest things coming down, the pike in the tool world are.

But what we're here to see is all the cool new and innovative tools that Matco is coming out with because we can't wait to get our grubby little hands on all of them, take them back to the shop and try them out.

Now, we are literally a couple of tool junkies in paradise here at Expo with everything from everyday hand tools to industrial and special application tools, pneumatic, electric, and everything in between,

including both stationary and rolling tool storage.

Now, one of the cool things about the Matco Tool Expo is the wide variety of mobile tool storage. They've got multi drawer, rolling toolboxes, single drawer covered tool storage and your standard service car

and the best thing about it. Well, they're all on wheels. So we're gonna ander this one for the day and make it our pack mule. All right. Guess while we're in Mexico

or Bough.

Wow. Check this stuff out. This is awesome. Oh, look at this. Look at this.

Now, the Matco tool catalog looks like a New York phone book. But what you're gonna find on the convention floor are all the new tools that the Matco distributors are soon going to have in their trucks. In your neighborhood.

Last year, we sold over 270 new and exclusive products

and introduced over 750 new products.

And that's really kind of the lifeblood of our business because we're trying to find ways to give the technician

productivity tools to help them do their job faster, easier, better.

Now, it's not only supplying technicians with all those tools that has made Matco the number one distributor in the world.

We have numerous reasons that uh we are the leading uh tool distributor.

Uh But uh the main reason is product innovation

and it's product innovation that drives productivity for the technician so we can get more jobs done in a day.

We have that in our innovative uh tool storage lines like our muscle car

with our hood scoop, uh look on the front. We also have numerous innovation in our ranch families. One of the things that we're most proud of is our new lithium ion line.

Meco

tools is the only mobile who has a full lithium ion platform

in all drive sizes and all voltages, specifically this 10.8 volt quarter inch drive tool again, cordless. So you can take it into any uh any location

on top of that. It's a quarter inch drive with an industry leading 55 ft pounds of torque.

Matco brought down a variety of toolbox and tool storage options made right in the USA at the Jamestown New York facility and you can get yours just the way you want it. We offer the most customization options in the industry today.

So whether you want special drawer heights, we can do different drawer configurations for you.

Uh We can do different tops, different accessories, different casters. Uh, the folks up in there in Jamestown are, are awful flexible. They're, they're darn good at what they do and uh, they'll make a toolbox exactly as our customers want.

Now, there's no doubt about it. One of my favorite tool boxes on the entire show floor this bad boy right here in the new stealth black finish with the gloss black trim handles. Now, this thing's got plenty of tool storage, a removable roll out center section

and a gigantic work surface made out of a phenolic material

that's impervious to chemicals, break

fluid or anything else you could throw at it. Now, did I mention this thing is huge? But like any flat surface in our shop. Well, it quickly becomes a storage shelf for tools, parts, books, magazines and coffee cups. So a side shelf like this sure comes in handy providing a little bit of extra room. Not to mention it can hold over 1000 pounds

wonder if it'll fit in my luggage.

Now, you've seen me use a stud gun and the pins before to pull a panel without drilling a hole and damaging further while ST

manufacturing has just come up with this, this is the stud leveler, you slide it down over the pin, lock it in place and pull the lever up. It does two things with the foot. It pushes the crown down and you pull the pin up at the same time. Sts

got all kinds of cool tools that you can check out in the Matco catalog. But here's something you need. If you not a technician or a body guy because everybody has locked their keys in their cars. This is the big easy,

you put the easy wedge in between the door and the chassis and you just pump it up and it pushes the door panel away from the chassis without damaging the weather seal or the paint. Then you slide one of the extending levers in, unlock it from the inside. Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones and this is brilliant.

Now, just when you thought something as simple as a jack stand can't be improved. Well, check this out.

This is Matt Co's quick to load jack stand and makes placing these under a frame rail, a one handed operation.

That's something we just had to show you.

Hey, check out the beast. This is a brand new 3.5 ton service jack, four pumps and you're at the high height. This jack will get you ready for jack sands. Quick time is money. This jack will make you money

up next. It's more from the Mac

to

Expo

and later we're talking with that

top fuel pilot and

Brown. Stay tuned.

Welcome back to trucks. I'm Antron Brown, driving to Mac o'toole's top fuel dragster. We're down here at the Mao

convention chilling out in Cancun Mexico.

Thanks Jennifer.

Now, just about everybody out there is driving a 96 and newer OBD two equipped vehicle. Well, if you get a check engine light, you certainly don't want to depend on the pimply face kit across a part store counter to tell you what's wrong with your vehicle. Well, the good news here is that there's some great new scan tools and equipment at a price point you've never seen before.

The MC 200 includes basic codes and definitions,

status and

monitors.

Now, our can 400 model includes all the features found in the MC 200 plus. It also does manufacture specific codes and definitions as well as live vehicle information while the engine is running. Now, it's really great about both of these tools is they're very affordable. The MC 200 is only $70 while the can 400 starts at $130.

Now, the NPS 700 has all the features of those two plus. It has a BS reporting and get this top reported and frequently reported, fixes specific to your year make and model and at 320 bucks, you just can't go wrong.

Now, if you're a technician trying to find a squeak or a rattle or you're just trying to locate a noise on the undercarriage of your project vehicle. Well, the wireless chassis ear may become your next best friend.

In fact, when I was a mechanic working in the field, I had the hard wired version and it was in

valuable at isolating where the noise is coming from. But the wireless version is a little more convenient. All you gotta do is attach each of the wireless receivers and clamps to various portions of the undercarriage in the general vicinity of the noise.

Then all you gotta do is drive around

and it'll tell you where the noise is coming from, isolating the problem and saving you on diagnostic time.

Now, you body shop guys already know about the flex Zilla hoses. It's a true three eights ID hose with tons of flex even if the temperature changes to really cold and it's a color that you can recognize in the booth and keep track of even if it's covered up in paint, but they've come out with something brand new that you have got to see. Check this out.

You can identify the push log hose by the red line. If you've got a failure or a split, you just trim it back

and then push it back onto the fitting

and you're done.

If you're changing fittings or customizing your hose length or you've got a bad fitting, you've just repaired it in seconds.

And if you have a failure of your hose in the middle. Well, they've got an aluminum splicer. So what that has done is eliminated your downtime. Like we said before, time is money and you've just saved some money.

Now, here's a pretty cool and powerful handheld led spot from stream lights. It puts out about three watts if that doesn't sound like much check this out.

Now, that walls a little over 100 yards away and this thing is capable of shining a spot like that over 600 yards,

pretty impressive.

Now, here's something a little bit more automotive related. This is called the knucklehead and it's got the same three watt led, but it's got two of them and they're diffused to spread the light out a little bit more. Now, it's got a hook so you can hang it just about anywhere, but it's also got four magnets recessed into the case so you can hang it on a painted surface without risk of damage

was derived from the fact that we needed a drop light. We didn't have a light in that category. So it gets us into a whole another category of lighting,

another market if you will. Uh, the other reason for it was we got to take the technology we're best known for which is recharge ability and bring it

into a market that needed a better quality product.

Now, if you're working in tight confined areas with this giant 2.5 inch inch probably isn't gonna cut it, but I bet it'll make a bunch of racket as you throw it across the shop floor in frustration.

Now, what will work is Mat Co's new 88 tooth ratchet that not only has a sleek design and profile

that fits in tight spots.

Now, we're grabbing three or four teeth with each swing of the ratchet in this very confined area.

We've only got to move four degrees to grab the next tooth.

Not too bad

up next. Our old buddies, Chuck and John lend us a hand and show us what they found at the expo. Stick around.

Hey guys, welcome back to trucks. Well, we're still down here in Cancun, enjoying the weather and pretending to be at work.

Now, this is Chuck and John. We met these guys down in Orlando at the Mac o'tool Convention there. They helped us throw the fender flares on project cheap Cherokee just like us. They found some cool stuff they wanted to talk about. Gloves are always a very popular item. I found these new heavy duty gloves from MATCO tools. They feature the five millimeter knuckle panel, the fingertip saver.

They also feature the two position gel pad.

Hi, this is something I found here at this, the two expo this year. It's very inexpensive item for every mechanic out there. For any kind of fluid changes, any kind of

transmission lines and a freeze. It is the latex glove that actually slips over your hand and it catches no spill all over your arm. Your uniforms clean your arms clean. When you're done with this item, all you have to do is take your hand out, put the lid on it.

And you said in your toolbox, no mess. No mo

you've seen this product on the power block before power probe was set up at the Mac to convention. So we thought we'd stop by and say hello.

Now, the same great gear that we've got at our shops at the power block. Well, now you can get your hands on it from your local me

to

distributor.

And you've seen the monster bars before

a

little smaller but just as cool from

tools. This is their new line of pneumatic chisels.

The steel we use in this program is a 9260 steel. It has a high silicon content for superior wear and shock resistance. After heat treating, we put it through a very special processing which makes a very shiny, smooth substrate.

And then what we do is put it through a special black onyx finish.

Courtney was there too, signing autographs and hosting the show for Metco all week long

and one of her guests during the week was top fuel driver, Antron Brown. Now his team not only uses Matco tools, they also happened to be the title sponsor on the side of his dragster. This is their marketing tool. This is what they used to drive their business

is all about customer service.

And, uh, and this is their race team. This is the distributors, race team. The distributors work hard day and day out grass roots and it's how they bring your customers out to entertain them.

One more thing. I want an autograph. You want an autograph? Yes, I absolutely do. I want yours.

Can I

get, can I get a little, so, can I get a little so check it out,

check it out.

You're watching trucks for a DVD copy of this episode. Just go to Power Block tv.com and order your copy for just 595 plus shipping and handling. Start your own trucks, collection delivered right to your door from the power block.

There you go.

Hey, welcome back to trucks. Well, it's good to be back home.

Well, here's the typical scenario you picked up AJ K which is a rock solid platform, bone stock, but sooner or later you get the bug to do some upgrades like these 35 inch wheels and tires. Well, the problem starts when it's physically impossible to run 30 fives with stock fender flares without a lift. That is until now

this is something brand new from bushwhacker. These are their flat style fender flares for TJ and JK Jeeps. They feature rugged aggressive styling, typical tough construction that you've come to expect from bushwhacker and the maximum amount of protection including protecting every bit of exposed sheet metal in the wheelhouse.

The kit comes with all the clips and fasteners you're going to need for a complete installation including these integrated led marker lights and dot approved reflectors to keep you legal in all 50 states. If you're running on the street,

you also get enough edge trim to have a nice clean finished oe look on all four flares to even throw in a tool to make sure your adhesive is a good contact against the paint. But the best thing is that installation is quick and easy.

Now, one of the best features of the flat style fender flares is the fact that you get to retain the original equipment, splash guards which are gonna protect your engine bay from road debris and moisture. The other thing is this, if you ever have to replace or remove a fender flare, we can do it easily without having to replace expensive mounting hardware. Like these one time use oe plastic clips, they break just about every time you body shop guys know what I'm talking about

and you are gonna have to trim the oe splash guard flush with the factory sheet metal

from there. You just install the plastic mounting brackets using the supplied hardware.

The plastic is soft enough to where it's not gonna chape the paint and the stainless steel mounting hardware is never gonna rust.

Now, this truly is a bolt in no drill installation. Thanks to Bushwhacker's Superior engineering,

which makes this an easy weekend project. And all you need is simple hand tools.

So you are gonna have to cut the wires that go to your oe marker light.

Then simply crip on the connectors that come with the kit and you're good to go.

And here's a little tip, pull up about a one inch tail of the protective backing tape, but leave the rest in place while you install the fender. I'll show you why in a second. Lastly, you're gonna repurpose two of the Oe Basters combined with the supplied flat washers and follow that up with the Phillips headed screws that come in the kit.

Now, the only thing left to do now is to remove the backing tape from the edge trim. Make sure you got a good seal to the painted surface

and leaving the tape in place at the last minute, allows you to make adjustments during installation that helps you create a perfect fit.

Now, out back, it's obvious how much the new flat style flares open up the wheel arch, still protecting the paint allowing you to run 30 fives. But check out the corner guards. These are part of bushwhacker's new trail armor package, which also includes rocker panels with integrated sill protection, an air scoop and a front hood protector. Incidentally, Bushwhacker walked away with the coveted best new exterior accessory ward at the 19 SEMA show. It's pretty impressive.

Now, there's one hidden value that we haven't talked about yet. Say you're off road, you come into contact with an immovable object. Well, the TPO construction of the flare will actually absorb that impact rather than transfer the energy to the painted panels. That way the flare takes the heat instead of your expensive sheet metal.

If you got any questions over what you've seen today on the show, go to the power block website at Power block tv.com. Thanks for watching trucks. See you guys next time.