Where did the "Car Talk" guys get the names Click and Clack?

Answer by  QueedlyMcShane (205)

From the click-clack-click-clack sound a noisy old car engine can make. The racket is coming from the cam shaft tappets or maybe the rocker arms – maybe the lifters are sticking! Brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi of Boston, Massachusetts are also known to their enthusiastic fans as "the Tappet Brothers. "

Answer by  Zon (122)

Click and Clack comes from the sound that older cars make when their valve mechanisms, including TAPPETS (Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers) make as they wear out. Overhead cams in modern cars pretty much eliminated the sound. Listen to a diesel truck idle to get the idea. Good day!

Answer by  Brandon55 (1719)

Tom and Ray Magliozzi got their names from the clickety-clackety sound that many aging cars make. The name was self derived and stuck once they started their radio show.

Answer by  eyeguy (3760)

Supposedly the names are taken from a multitude of sounds that automobile engines tend to make when in disrepair. Click and Clack have used the title for many years both on the radio and internet.