Another case of "old is better than new"

[moparedtn]

Another reason why my newest car is over 14 years old.So far so good.
I really dread when I may have to buy anything new.

Get as good a coverage on warranty and a good routine maintenance agreement made part of the deal.
Best advice I can give you on that one.
I do like a lot of the newer cars - I just don't want to have to pay to fix 'em is all.

 

[moparedtn]

It may seem like a joke and I get it, pull along side of this and see what happens.
View attachment 1066183

Oh, is THAT what one looks like with a little elbow room around it?
Ok now, seriously...what did you do with the engine that belongs in there, my friend?

 

[Hey-O]

Oh, is THAT what one looks like with a little elbow room around it?
Ok now, seriously...what did you do with the engine that belongs in there, my friend?

The car builder who built it junked the 361. The car was a prototype, built as test mule for conversion kits back in 2005 and 2006. Believed to be one of the first.

 

[Triplegreen500]

I've breathed many a fume from those things on jobsites over the years and to be honest, if I never smell that

This one burns really clean, actually. I know what you're talking about, and I really only get a whiff when it runs out of fuel and kinda puffs out at the end.

It's well below freezing here currently, and I needed to do some repairs to my truck so I had to warm up the garage. My kero was empty, but I had 5g of diesel. I was a little gunshy about feeding it diesel, but...no odor, no smoke. Nice and clean. I forget what brand, but it's red...red torpedo, black belly tank for fuel. I've been extremely happy with it.

 

[moparedtn]

The car builder who built it junked the 361. The car was a prototype, built as test mule for conversion kits back in 2005 and 2006. Believed to be one of the first.

Groovy.
I suppose there's a lot to be said about the combination from a strictly "it's a car" standpoint
for sure, since the modern engines are so much more efficient in any way measurable.

Now, on the previous point - you do realize the fella was busting on the plastic cover itself, not
the engine underneath it, right?

 

[Hey-O]

Groovy.
I suppose there's a lot to be said about the combination from a strictly "it's a car" standpoint
for sure, since the modern engines are so much more efficient in any way measurable.

Now, on the previous point - you do realize the fella was busting on the plastic cover itself, not
the engine underneath it, right?

Of course!! It's fun to get people's reaction, that's why I leave it on. I'm not a purist and I know many don't like it, but It's mine and it does run well. The car has history and that's one of the reasons I bought it.

 

[toolmanmike]

You're too kind my friend, thank you. I figured my venom might bleed through on that one a tad bit, eh?
I mean really - those engineers, if they weren't downright malicious with the design, they certainly were
knotheaded about it...

*sympathy shivers*
Whew, my days of that type of shenanigans is well past. Drag that dang thing indoors, can ya?

I always said, the engineers that design the chassis need to have coffee with those that designed the engine.

 

[68gtxman]

Thanks for the fun story Ed! @moparedtn

My wife hit a stump in her 2014 Ford Escape and broke the front right turn signal lens. $40 for a new part. Then I see online that the entire front fascia needed to be removed to install it. I think they said it could be done in 4 hours. Wrong! It took me 4 hours just to get the fascia loose enough for me to squeeze my hand in from the rear and get 3 of the 4 screws reinstalled. (Couldn’t get the 4th one in because the fascia was bent from the impact and though it was plastic, the weird angle made it impossible to get enough force on it during the squeeze to get the screw aligned with the hole.). Then 4 hours for reassembly. I think the book said it took 2 to 3 hours just to replace the turn signal bulb. This job probably would have been more than $1,000 at a shop.

New turn signal lens/bulb in my 1968 GTX? Likely less than $100 and 10 minutes tops.

 

[Triplegreen500]

People flip out all the time at us here at work. Headlight bulbs on a Grand Cherokee with HID? $500. HID is pricey, and you have to take off the fascia to get to 'em. Unless you have child's hands, and can triple-joint-contort yourself to the headlight bucket from under the hood (we have one guy we keep around for just that reason!).

 

[multimopes]

Ya know, stories like these make me real happy that I have a 2000 Grand Caravan and 2000 Dodge Ram 4x4. I couldn't afford anything near new these days and wouldn't buy one even if I could! Well, I might get sucked in for a Challenger maybe; but needing a lift or a pit crew on standby might kill the happiness quotient and wallet a tad!

 

[moparedtn]

Ya know, stories like these make me real happy that I have a 2000 Grand Caravan and 2000 Dodge Ram 4x4. I couldn't afford anything near new these days and wouldn't buy one even if I could! Well, I might get sucked in for a Challenger maybe; but needing a lift or a pit crew on standby might kill the happiness quotient and wallet a tad!

Oh, trust me - both of those have tasks specific to them that'll make you pull yer hair out, too.

 

[multimopes]

Oh, trust me - both of those have tasks specific to them that'll make you pull yer hair out, too.

Mother Nature took back most of the hair long ago, Lol; maybe I'd get scalped instead!

 

[Hey-O]

Each engineer group is responsible for their parts. After the car is whole with all the parts, process sets up the jobs on the line in order for them to be installed with ease. Little care is taken for repairs after the fact. Cars these days are full of parts in the smallest package possible. I've seen loaded Van's built with a stripper wiring harness, accidentally. 2 men, two days to gut the van to get to the harness to replaced it.

 

[moparedtn]

Each engineer group is responsible for their parts. After the car is whole with all the parts, process sets up the jobs on the line in order for them to be installed with ease. Little care is taken for repairs after the fact. Cars these days are full of parts in the smallest package possible. I've seen loaded Van's built with a stripper wiring harness, accidentally. 2 men, two days to gut the van to get to the harness to replaced it.

I can believe it. You can almost imagine Saltillo building the 5.7's, hence how things are arranged on that
"module" all in the pursuit of assembly time...
Then that completed unit gets married with this unit, etc., always with time in mind - NOT anyone having to
work on it later.

 

[Hey-O]

I can believe it. You can almost imagine Saltillo building the 5.7's, hence how things are arranged on that
"module" all in the pursuit of assembly time...
Then that completed unit gets married with this unit, etc., always with time in mind - NOT anyone having to
work on it later.

Well said and absolutely true. Cars these days are basically made for a dealership to work on and make money at your expense.

 

[Thrashingcows]

I got one of those torpedo heaters in my garage - something like 150,000 BTU and its a multifuel. Kerosene, diesel, JP8 (as if we all have jet fuel just sitting around in cans...). Heats my 40x40 from below freezing to "I gotta get this damn jacket off!" in about ten minutes. Indispensible.

Does it create much humidity? I have a big propane heater to help bump the temps up in my 32x48 shop, but can't run it for more then a couple hours or the humidity in the shop climbs over 70%. But then with my wood stove burning it brings the humidity down to about 40% in a few hours.

The new EPA wood burning stoves don't put out much heat I am finding, not like the old beast I grew up with that could melt plastic in the back of the house if you were not careful...;)

 

[yella71]

How about "I'm pushing 60 and ALWAYS knew "why""?
I had the opportunity when quite young to enter into an apprenticeship at a dealer in NOVA
and since I'd been spinning wrenches with my dad since I could actually remember, it seemed
attractive once college money had run dry....

I found out after a couple months that the job simply was not for me - not because I couldn't
hack it, but because of the way dealerships drive their mechanics like pack mules and turned a blind
eye to what went out the door oftentimes.
If the book said 3 hours, that was all you got - it went out after that, regardless of whatever was cobbled
up and your *** was assigned the next in line.
Top that off with a service manager that deflected customers directly on to the mechanic (!) when they had
issues and that just killed it for me...

I did wind up working in an independent shop a couple years when I went back to college in order to pay
for things and that was a much better experience. Ran by a wise old fella that called you "Tiger" when he
was pleased with you (and some choice Jewish curse words when he wasn't), I learned a ton more there
faster than I ever would have at the dealer.
Wound up driving one of the "cradle snatcher" tow rigs in winter, too, since most of the guys couldn't
without running in to things or burning the clutches out of the rigs.
It was a lot of fun and I was sad to leave when I moved on to my first "real" architecture gig.

Im also pushing 60 and have been doing this since about 16. Its a tough way to make a living but it has been good for me. yeah cars suck engineers suck where they put the oil sender sucks but thats how it is, And I stick by what I said, If it was easy anyone could do it.

 

[toolmanmike]

Im also pushing 60 and have been doing this since about 16. Its a tough way to make a living but it has been good for me. yeah cars suck engineers suck where they put the oil sender sucks but thats how it is, And I stick by what I said, If it was easy anyone could do it.

I am pushing 65 and worked at a Buick/GMC dealer from 77 to about 89. I somehow lived through the introduction of the Metric chassis cars (78) and through the computerized carbs (80) and onto fuel injection (85). No wonder why I drink..............................still!

 

[multimopes]

Does it create much humidity? I have a big propane heater to help bump the temps up in my 32x48 shop, but can't run it for more then a couple hours or the humidity in the shop climbs over 70%. But then with my wood stove burning it brings the humidity down to about 40% in a few hours.

The new EPA wood burning stoves don't put out much heat I am finding, not like the old beast I grew up with that could melt plastic in the back of the house if you were not careful...;)

I have been using a "Magic Heat" reclaimer on my oil fired furnace and also my wood stove for over 30 years. Uses the stack exhaust to heat room air via a rear mounted fan that directs it back into your space. They used to be made in USA (Minnesota?). Any soot collecting on the fireside of the tubes gets scraped off by a slide plate and falls back down into the heater. I recommend the optional variable speed control as the fan can be a little noisy!

 

[Hey-O]

I have been using a "Magic Heat" reclaimer on my oil fired furnace and also my wood stove for over 30 years. Uses the stack exhaust to heat room air via a rear mounted fan that directs it back into your space. They used to be made in USA (Minnesota?). Any soot collecting on the fireside of the tubes gets scraped off by a slide plate and falls back down into the heater. I recommend the optional variable speed control as the fan can be a little noisy!

View attachment 1066501

That's a nice set up! Looks like it can handle 2000 to 2500 square feet.