On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 17:25:04 -0500, Ed Huntress
wrote:

On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 13:50:13 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 2/17/2013 10:04 AM, Ed Huntress wrote:
On Sun, 17 Feb 2013 09:28:49 -0600, wrote:

On 2/16/2013 2:48 PM, Ed Huntress wrote:
...

I may have a better answer for which parts vendors (that's where the
SAE fasteners are coming from) haven't converted yet, and why....

The parts vendors are supply what the end-user specs; not the other way
'round. If it's SAE, it's 'cuz GM says so, not because some vendor
chooses to make it that way.

Well, that's the question: Why are they doing that? It's probably a
cost issue, and it may have something to do with the costs at the
vendor level -- tooling, inventory, testing equipment, or whatever.

There's where I've no real clue as to why they would choose to do so
altho I'm sure there was/is a reason.

At this point (or as recently as 2003) for a production item as high in
numbers as the 3.8L transverse V6 that GM has used in millions of
vehicles for heaven only knows how long it's been since it was
introduced there's certainly no reason to think there's any limitation
on what vendors can do to supply whatever GM spec's to them.

It seems very strange, indeed that would have left one set as SAE and
all else not--that would seem to lead to a higher cost both for
inventory and in likelihood of mismatches than otherwise.

But, I've no clue other than I discovered it and was curious enough that
while was fetching the wrench (as I recall it was 7/16" that needed; it
wasn't large) I brought a 1/4" bolt back from the bin just to check and
indeed it was the whole bolt, not just an english head size on a metric
bolt.

Agreed, it's peculiar and I've no explanation. I've an ex-SIL that
works for DENSO but their production is all brakes and steering parts so
doubt he'd have any real knowledge on this one...the plant there does
mostly Ford but have a couple of the TN-built Japanese lines as well and
an occasional GM run will sneak in but it's the exception.

And, these are holes/fasteners in the same assembly (the belt tensioner
subassembly/heater coolant intermediary flow passage between block and
hose connection) so it's not like one part is SAE while the rest are
metric--it's mixed on the same sub-assembly.

The above is what really floored me...

I hope I get a chance to look into it. It must be something simple.

They probably had 4 million SAE bolts that needed a home and this was
a good place to put it.


The methodology of the left has always been:

1. Lie
2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
6. Then everyone must conform to the lie