Here are our Top 20 Father’s Day Gifts for 2020:
H3R Performance offers aviation-grade Halotron 1 fire extinguishers to the automotive enthusiast with its HalGuard premium clean-agent fire protection. Halotron 1 is an electrically non-conductive and thus “clean” extinguishing agent that does not thermal shock electronics and rapidly turns into a gas, and thus leaves no damaging residue.
If you love Dad, you’ll never ever let him work beneath a car that isn’t supported by proper jack stands or a garage lift. Torin Big Red T43202 lightweight jack stands are made of high-grade forged steel and support a vehicle with a wide pyramid foot, a saddle that can be positioned from 11 1/4 inches to 16 3/4 inches in height. The units have a 3-ton (6,000-pound) load capacity. A multi-position ratchet bar has a sawtooth design, allowing for quick height adjustments that lock into place.
For more than 40 years, Boxo has been producing high-performance tools and tool-storage solutions and offering them direct to the consumer. If Dad doesn’t already have them, get him started with Boxo’s 108-piece 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch SAE socket, wrench and screwdriver set. The set comes in a hinged case that also includes extensions and 6-inch combination pliers.
Cleaning bolts is a tedious and time-consuming task, but it also is necessary, especially show if your Dad is restoring his classic vehicle. But master mechanic Gary Taylor has created the Thread Wizard, which looks like it might be used in Mom’s kitchen for measuring out servings of spaghetti but these holes are designed to remove grime, dirt, rust, etc., from the threads of bolts of various sizes. There are two versions — one for metric, the other for SAE sizes.
Maybe your Dad loves collector cars but doesn’t have one. Or perhaps he has a hot-rod but has been dreaming of a post-war sports car. Treat him to a drive on Father’s Day in his dream machine through the Hagerty DriveShare program.
Send your dad out on a weekend trip in a classic car perhaps to one of his favorite automotive events and or races. DriveShare is sort of an Airbnb for car owners willing to rent out their vehicles for a few hours, a day or longer. Prices vary based on car and location, and cars are covered by Hagerty insurance.
You can’t have Father’s Day without Mothers. But in this case, Mothers is the well-respected car-care company and the product is the California Gold Clay Bar System. Professional detailers use clay bars to remove embedded grains of debris from vehicle surfaces, thus enhancing and preserving vehicle paint. This kit includes 2 clay bars, a bottle of Mothers California Gold Instant Detailer and a microfiber towel.
Griot’s Garage has a way to reduce the use of elbow grease while protecting painted vehicle services. It’s a 6-inch Random Orbital Polisher that is in its third-generation of refinement. Random orbit refers to how the pad spins as the backing plate simultaneously rotates in an elliptical orbit for ideal performance. The unit has 6 speeds; you use lower speeds to introduce cleaning or protecting product to the paint and higher speeds to work it into the surface and achieve the desired effect.
If Dad has a collector car, it likely is driven very little, which means it’s battery is likely to need charging. The Stanley BC25BS bench battery charger not only will keep the car’s battery charged, but offers a 75-amp engine start feature. The unit has a 3-stage charging system and automatically switches from fast charge to top-off to trickle. It also can be used with motorhomes, boats, jet skis, lawn tractors, etc.
To protect Dad’s prized vehicle when he’s not driving it, CarCapsule offers an inflatable garage (designed for use inside a building) that protects his car from dust, dirt, dings, corrosion, mildew, musty odors, and pests while presenting it in a show-quality display. The bubble is made from 10 mil PVC and has an internal air-exchange system that refreshes the inside of the bubble 3 or 4 times each hour, eliminating moisture in the process. A rodent-proof nylon zipper allows access.
Dad wants his vehicles to have curb appeal, but it is likely that his wardrobe also needs some spark. The Curb Shop specializes in automotive art and car T-shirts that will have Pop looking as cool as his ride. We especially like “The Manual Gearbox Preservation Society” T-shirts, but there also are Hakosuka, Porsche and other choices, as well as one with the schematic of a 2-barrel carburetor.
The Mechanists is an automotive lifestyle company that produces adjustable bracelets made of cord in various colors and instead of a clasp there is a 25mm (1 inch) sterling silver or 14K gold steering wheel. The steering wheels are available in a variety of designs, including 24H Le Mans, Revival, Grand Tourer, Bloody Heroes and more.
If Dad doesn’t have dress shirts with cuffs he’ll want to rush out and buy one after he opens these Vintage Car Cufflinks. From Deakin & Francis, the cufflinks are modeled on vintage racing cars of the 1950s, and the wheels actually spin. Domed oval spring links keep the links in Dad’s cuffs.
Lugcraft, a studio in Southern California, produces engraved baltic birch wood or aluminum automotive artwork for wall display, including car silhouettes on skateboard-style backing. A variety of vehicles — foreign sports and Detroit muscle, even a couple of off-road SUVs — are available, including such specialized cars as by Emory and Gunther. Perhaps add a piece of artwork to Dad’s walls of his dream car.
Last Era offers a variety of items — including clothing — inspired by the bygone motorsports era of Senna, Mouton, Andretti, Ickx and others. For Dad’s den or man cave or library, consider the exclusively designed Motorsport Legends poster inspired by Ayrton Senna.
Chances are that your car-guy Dad likes cars of all sizes, those he can drive and those that sit on his deck or bookshelf or bed stand. Diecast Direct was founded in the early 1980s and now offers die-cast vehicles from more than 175 manufacturers around the world. Scale models range from 1:1250 ocean liners to 1:12 Ford GT. The company’s website even has a page from which you can pre-order models not yet available for sale.
Record-setting driver and race-car builder Mickey Thompson and his wife were murdered in 1988, but in the early 1970s Thompson and Tom Madigan, himself a former drag racer, started working on Thompson’s autobiography. Four decades later, Madigan has worked with Motorbooks to publish Mickey Thompson: The Lost Story of the Original Speed King in His Own Words. The throughly illustrated book includes an Epiogue by Thompson’s grandson, Travis, about how Thompson’s son and Travis’ father, Danny, finally claimed one record that had eluded Mickey’s grasp. A recommended read for Dad on Father’s Day.
If Dad collects cars, there’s a pretty good chance he also collects watches. And like the battery in his cars, his watches need to be kept wound. Thus the Special Edition Barrington Single Watch Winder, which is both compact and stylish with all the practical features you would expect from a high-end watch winder.
In a litigious society, video from a dash camera can be an important defense. Or maybe you want just to share video from your road trip on social media. Either way, the VAVA Dash cam records at 60 frames per second in 1080p resolution, has a Sony IMX323 CMOS image sensor for crisp and wide footage, and has both front- and rear-facing cameras in a dual setup. It also offers nigh vision, parking mode and a g sensor.
Inspired by the Ford GT40s that dominated the 24-hour race in France, Le Mans is a medium-roast coffee even comes in rectangular oil-style can in colors like those of the Gulf racing livery. Drive Coffee says its brew has taking notes of chocolate, toffee and almond and is produced from beans grown in Colombia. It’s “easy drinking coffee that’s refined enough to enjoy black, yet also tough enough to stand up to creamer or sweetener.”
Save your Dad’s back this Father’s Day when he’s detailing his garage queen by providing the support from Adam’s Polishes Detailing Seat. Plenty of room for his ice cold beverage and favorite cleaning supplies. It’s likely that he’s picky about which products he uses on his car, support his detailing routine without having to learn the ins and outs of detailing products.
