The Magliozzis: Not your average radio announcers

Steve Kroft first met the Magliozzi brothers -- or "grease monkeys" as the radio hosts described themselves -- back in 1995.

Tom and Ray Magliozzi billed themselves as "Click & Clack, the Tappet Brothers" on their National Public Radio show, "Car Talk." On Monday, that dynamic duo lost one of its halves. Tom Magliozzi died at the age of 77.

At the time, the brothers' Boston-based broadcast was the staple of 362 stations around the country, and every month, some 30,000 listeners called their NPR 800 number trying to tap Tom and Ray's automotive expertise.

"The brothers' mixture of consumer advice and mechanical mayhem even appeals to pedestrians who can't tell a carburetor from a cam shaft," Kroft reported. "A lot of their listeners don't even own cars. Topics range from fuel injectors to backseat romance. And they seem the masters of both."

Tom test-drove all the sleekest new makes and models, yet remained unimpressed. He always believed people spent too much on cars, and told Kroft his personal preference was his $2000 '63 Dodge Dart convertible.

When Kroft took a ride in Tom's Dodge, he couldn't help but ask: "You talk about this car like it's a family member. Is it?"

"Oh, it's a friend," Tom told Kroft. "I would say a close friend."