Gearhead Garage

Snap-On Gearhead Garage: The Virtual Mechanic is a PC game in which players repair and customize late model cars and trucks. It was created by Mekada, endorsed by Snap-on Tools, and published in 1999 by Head Games (subsequently acquired by Activision). There is no feature for driving the cars but Gearhead Garage introduced an entirely new "bolt-em up" paradigm. The appeal is reminiscent of taking things apart in real life—players can completely disassemble the engine, repair the individual parts, reassemble them, and then exhibit the completed result in their 3D "car lot". The game also features a series of "jobs", wherein the player fixes vehicles owned by fictional characters. This allows them to earn money to buy custom items from the catalog, auction, or junkyard.