Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#361
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:09:19 -0500, George
wrote: On 12/19/2009 23:00, Ed Pawlowski wrote: The Daring Dufas wrote: I seem to recall something about Rolls Royce using GM automatic transmissions. Possible. Jaguar did. I fellow I used to work with was restoring a Jag and bough a lot of parts fromt he GM dealer at half the price fromthe Jag dealer. Friend used to own a Jaguar/MG dealership. Both were totally unreliable vehicles because of the poor quality components they used. He was constantly towing in new and relatively new Jaguars that broke down. They were state owned for a long time. He told me about how he went over to see the plants and they were still using antique/inefficient equipment such as manually operated block and tackle etc to move assemblies. They've always been unreliable POS, like all Brittish cars. Fun to drive but were like a jet fighter to maintain (30:1 maintenance:drive hours). "Lucas: The inventor of dark." At some point (maybe when they were denationalized) they started using GM transmissions and Delco electrical and A/C components. You mean after Ford bought them? ;-) |
#362
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:22:22 -0600, Jules
wrote: On Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:45:08 -0600, krw wrote: On Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:25:17 -0600, Jules wrote: On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:51:01 -0600, Leon wrote: "hot" water heater? I only need a "water heater". ;!) Iknow, I know, it reheats relatively hot water, but would a hot water heater work if it were full of cold water? Define "cold". My water comes out of the ground at a pretty much constant 55 degrees year-round, and that's considerably hotter than freezing ;-) Mine sure doesn't. There is a big change in the shower handle position between summer and winter. When I lived in VT we were lucky it came out liquid in the winter. ;-) The frost line often went down 7' and not all water lines did. Yeah, that'd do it, I suppose. Our line's around 7-8' down and only goes maybe 30' out to the well. Temp seems to stay pretty constant year-round. Because you're on a deep well not because the lines are down' 7-8'. The ground temperature isn't constant (in northern climes) even 20' down. OTOH, at 400', and in the water table, it will be fairly constant. ;-) |
#363
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
Jules wrote:
On Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:00:40 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote: The Daring Dufas wrote: I seem to recall something about Rolls Royce using GM automatic transmissions. Possible. Jaguar did. And Jensen... far easier to buy a slushbox in from a country that used them in the vast majority of vehicles, I suppose. Shame it didn't work both ways and the US didn't import manual 'boxes from Europe! Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't Jensen use MoPar power? Far more likely in that case that they used the TF727 rather than try to make a GM trans fit a Chrysler engine (although it's been done before; e.g. 65-66 Studebaker used special bellhousings to fit Studebaker/Ford transmissions to GM engines...) nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
#364
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:16:16 -0600, Jules
wrote: On Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:00:40 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote: The Daring Dufas wrote: I seem to recall something about Rolls Royce using GM automatic transmissions. Possible. Jaguar did. And Jensen... far easier to buy a slushbox in from a country that used them in the vast majority of vehicles, I suppose. Shame it didn't work both ways and the US didn't import manual 'boxes from Europe! The Jensen Innterceptor used Mopar power-train - engine and tranny. ANd the Americans have imported a LOT of Euro manual gearboxes. Lots of ZF bockes in recent American tin. |
#365
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On 2009-12-20, Jules wrote:
On Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:38:46 -0800, Robatoy wrote: with Saab. He had restored a two-stroke, that thing was a riot. It Yeah, I can believe that. I've know quite a few folk with old Saabs, and they were pretty reasonble cars. Despite being in a couple sports car clubs, some as early as '58 (my parents), I've never driven or seen a Saab 2-stroke up close (3 cyl, no less!). The only time was in USAF boot camp in TX when we were taking a 5 min ciggy break on the drill field. Slowly, in the distance, we heard a gawdawful din slowly approaching. As it came closer, still unseen, the volume and horrific noise steadily increased. It sounded like a ...what? Army tank? Old diesel semi hauling slop from the chow hall? Old Johnny Popper with bad cylinder. Finally, the cacophony was so overwhelming, whole marching squads came to a halt and every one of hundreds of heads and ears were turned in the direction of the battlefield of thundering pops and bangs. Slowly, an old rat Saab lumbered into view, about a hundred yards away. Couldn't have been moving at more than 10 mph, but sounded like an artillery barrage at its height. I think, for a second, I was the only one who realized it was that 2 cycle Saab with no muffler whatsoever. Hilarious. nb |
#366
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:47:24 -0500, Nate Nagel wrote:
And Jensen... far easier to buy a slushbox in from a country that used them in the vast majority of vehicles, I suppose. Shame it didn't work both ways and the US didn't import manual 'boxes from Europe! Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't Jensen use MoPar power? Far more likely in that case that they used the TF727 rather than try to make a GM trans fit a Chrysler engine Yes, my bad - I don't know why I was remembering it as a GM 'box! |
#367
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:18:09 -0600, krw wrote:
Friend used to own a Jaguar/MG dealership. Both were totally unreliable vehicles because of the poor quality components they used. He was constantly towing in new and relatively new Jaguars that broke down. They were state owned for a long time. He told me about how he went over to see the plants and they were still using antique/inefficient equipment such as manually operated block and tackle etc to move assemblies. They've always been unreliable POS, like all Brittish cars. Fun to drive but were like a jet fighter to maintain (30:1 maintenance:drive hours). Yeah, my Triumphs were like that sometimes - until I'd sorted out the problems that should have originally been done by the designers and builders. After doing that they were no worse than anything else from the time; plugs and points and lights and brakes... Some of the cosmetic stuff is pretty bad - plastic window switches that acquire a gray film, ****ty "muck metal" Mazak that corrodes and pits - but stuff like that I suppose the desigers just didn't know would happen 30 years later. "Lucas: The inventor of dark." I'll stick my neck out: I don't think Lucas were that bad. What got them the rep was bad design in terms of component placement within the vehicle (assemblies subjected to vibration or road debris or being cooked by the engine), and that a lot of the vehicles that used them came from plants with very poor quality control - the result was that they'd let moisture in, and moisture will kill electrics in no time... I've owned several vehicles with Lucas parts and I've never had much trouble - but I've adjusted panels so they fit better, sorted out seals, moved things around so they don't get slowly roasted etc. cheers Jules |
#368
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Chrysler engines
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:07:22 -0600, krw wrote:
Definitely downhill on serviceability, but thankfully they require a lot less. Yes, but they make up for it by often costing a small fortune when something *does* go wrong... Not so much now. It's not like the '80s with the GM "computer controlled" carburetors. I had to replace all of the spark coils (two at a time - they wouldn't replace them all the first time) on the '00 Sable. It was a couple of hundred each time, but that's not so bad. Well, I suppose a lot of the cost these days is in the labor to fix it, so if you can do stuff yourself you save a lot - but the parts on more modern vehicles that do go wrong always seem to be more complicated and therefore more expensive to me. ... plus I like keeping it simple; if something does go wrong when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, there's more chance I can fix it by the roadside in an older vehicle than a modern one. I like that safety and convenience. The more chance you'll have to. I *like* fuel injection and all of that. The only repairs I've ever had to make to a fuel injection system was a leaking distribution rail in my Vision and that was under a (silent) recall. I have issues with any computer-controlled stuff, though. If it was accessible, they gave me full schematics and a copy of the firmware then I wouldn't mind; I can fix it myself if it does break. But I really don't like stuff that's "black boxed" like that and considered not to be field servicable. Agreed on the "mechanical" side of FI, though - definitely better than a carb (although I've stripped and restored a few carbs now and they're not too bad and *should* work for a long time before they next need to be messed with). My '78 Granada went through at least a carb a year. How come? Was that a known bad design, or was something else causing the failure (the fuel used, lack of fuel line filter etc.)? I suppose it does matter how many miles you were putting on it, but I'd expect a good carb to go for close on 100k miles before needing major surgery. (I'm starting to feel sorry for all these woodworking folk putting up with this thread :-) cheers Jules |
#370
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
|
#371
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Chrysler engines
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:05:22 -0600, Jules
wrote: On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:07:22 -0600, krw wrote: Definitely downhill on serviceability, but thankfully they require a lot less. Yes, but they make up for it by often costing a small fortune when something *does* go wrong... Not so much now. It's not like the '80s with the GM "computer controlled" carburetors. I had to replace all of the spark coils (two at a time - they wouldn't replace them all the first time) on the '00 Sable. It was a couple of hundred each time, but that's not so bad. Well, I suppose a lot of the cost these days is in the labor to fix it, so if you can do stuff yourself you save a lot - but the parts on more modern vehicles that do go wrong always seem to be more complicated and therefore more expensive to me. I've found that I spend *way* less on repairs over the life of a car than I did 20 years ago. It's unusual for anything other than wear parts (brakes, tires, etc.) to go bad anymore. ... plus I like keeping it simple; if something does go wrong when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, there's more chance I can fix it by the roadside in an older vehicle than a modern one. I like that safety and convenience. The more chance you'll have to. I *like* fuel injection and all of that. The only repairs I've ever had to make to a fuel injection system was a leaking distribution rail in my Vision and that was under a (silent) recall. I have issues with any computer-controlled stuff, though. If it was accessible, they gave me full schematics and a copy of the firmware then I wouldn't mind; I can fix it myself if it does break. But I really don't like stuff that's "black boxed" like that and considered not to be field servicable. It doesn't break, though. I have no use for schematics or firmware. I'm certainly not going to take the time to learn what makes it tick, much less rewrite any of it. Agreed on the "mechanical" side of FI, though - definitely better than a carb (although I've stripped and restored a few carbs now and they're not too bad and *should* work for a long time before they next need to be messed with). My '78 Granada went through at least a carb a year. How come? Was that a known bad design, or was something else causing the failure (the fuel used, lack of fuel line filter etc.)? I suppose it does matter how many miles you were putting on it, but I'd expect a good carb to go for close on 100k miles before needing major surgery. I have no idea. It was a 1bbl Carter but couldn't even get the one lung working right. Rebuilding it was a waste of time (they once tried it four times in three months). They were cheap but being without a car wasn't. (I'm starting to feel sorry for all these woodworking folk putting up with this thread :-) That's why thread kills were invented. |
#372
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:54:23 -0600, cjt wrote:
I've got a Saturn Astra that I bought recently. It's a horrible piece of sh*t, IMHO. I don't expect to have it for long. :-) I really did like the drivetrain and handling on my father's one - but the styling (both exterior and interior) I could certainly live without, and the inside had a horrible "cheapest possible" feel about it; I suspect it won't age well at all. I'm not sure where they got the 6-speed from, whether it was developed in-house or bought in from somewhere else. It did good on mileage; my work was about 50 miles away and a mixture of small twisty lanes (i.e. lots of braking and acceleration) and then fast roads (used to keep it on 90-100) and I could still average 40mpg out of it. I think that's perhaps the one thing I do like about modern vehicles; they do generally fare better in terms of fuel use... cheers Jules |
#373
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Chrysler engines
On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:05:22 -0600, Jules
wrote: On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:07:22 -0600, krw wrote: Definitely downhill on serviceability, but thankfully they require a lot less. Yes, but they make up for it by often costing a small fortune when something *does* go wrong... Not so much now. It's not like the '80s with the GM "computer controlled" carburetors. I had to replace all of the spark coils (two at a time - they wouldn't replace them all the first time) on the '00 Sable. It was a couple of hundred each time, but that's not so bad. Well, I suppose a lot of the cost these days is in the labor to fix it, so if you can do stuff yourself you save a lot - but the parts on more modern vehicles that do go wrong always seem to be more complicated and therefore more expensive to me. ... plus I like keeping it simple; if something does go wrong when I'm out in the middle of nowhere, there's more chance I can fix it by the roadside in an older vehicle than a modern one. I like that safety and convenience. The more chance you'll have to. I *like* fuel injection and all of that. The only repairs I've ever had to make to a fuel injection system was a leaking distribution rail in my Vision and that was under a (silent) recall. I have issues with any computer-controlled stuff, though. If it was accessible, they gave me full schematics and a copy of the firmware then I wouldn't mind; I can fix it myself if it does break. But I really don't like stuff that's "black boxed" like that and considered not to be field servicable. Agreed on the "mechanical" side of FI, though - definitely better than a carb (although I've stripped and restored a few carbs now and they're not too bad and *should* work for a long time before they next need to be messed with). My '78 Granada went through at least a carb a year. How come? Was that a known bad design, or was something else causing the failure (the fuel used, lack of fuel line filter etc.)? I suppose it does matter how many miles you were putting on it, but I'd expect a good carb to go for close on 100k miles before needing major surgery. Terrible carb, and most of the "rebuilts" were even worse. (I'm starting to feel sorry for all these woodworking folk putting up with this thread :-) cheers Jules |
#374
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On 12/16/2009 11:39 AM David Nebenzahl spake thus:
This post is aimed at all you sinophobes out there. I'm getting a little tired of hearing the complaint "___ is a piece of ****: what do you expect? It's made in China!". [snip own post] Omigod, what have I done? Do I get some kind of prize for such a long thread? A discount on a.h.r (or wreck) merchandise specials? A special mention at next year's Usenetties? -- I am a Canadian who was born and raised in The Netherlands. I live on Planet Earth on a spot of land called Canada. We have noisy neighbours. - harvested from Usenet |
#375
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
David Nebenzahl wrote:
Do I get some kind of prize for such a long thread? A discount on a.h.r (or wreck) merchandise specials? A special mention at next year's Usenetties? Your cabal dues will be increased 50% in 2010 for all the bytes used, plus the appropriate carbon footprint tax ... -- www.e-woodshop.net Last update: 10/22/08 KarlC@ (the obvious) |
#376
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On Dec 20, 6:34*pm, Swingman wrote:
David Nebenzahl wrote: Do I get some kind of prize for such a long thread? A discount on a.h.r (or wreck) merchandise specials? A special mention at next year's Usenetties? Your cabal dues will be increased 50% in 2010 for all the bytes used, plus the appropriate carbon footprint tax ... --www.e-woodshop.net Last update: 10/22/08 KarlC@ (the obvious) I have not been around here for very long.... but long enough to know that there is no cabal. |
#377
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
"Robatoy" wrote in message ... On Dec 18, 4:26 am, Peter Huebner wrote: And, talking of reliable European cars, I've known quite a few series 2 Volvos that cracked half a million kilometres ... Now that Ford are messing with the Volvo design I think that will not be the case any more, I won't buy another Volvo designed & built since 2006. Currently driving an 850 wagon and an XC70. Wonderful cars to drive, but lots of little things go wrong all of the time :-( I quite like the C30 Volvo. Ford's hands in things don't always turn out bad. The fact that a C30 fetches as much money as it does is a bit of a ****er considering that what it really *is*...is a Mazda 3. I have owned Volvos in the past without any drama. One of the worst lemons I ever had was an early-model Volvo P-1800. I made a sharp u-turn one day and the wire from the distributor wrapped around the steering and broke. The hose from the fuel filter leaked and the car caught fire one day in a gas station. The Pirelli radial tires made the car waggle like a duck at low speeds as the side walls flexed back and forth. A c-clip in the window mechanism kept coming off and I became good at removing the trim and replacing the clip. Maybe the fact that the car was made in Scotland was a factor. My next Volvo was a model 142, made (assembled, actually) in Halifax, Nova Scotia -- I bought it duty free, with no accessories - not even a radio -- for $2000 brand new. It was more reliable but I finally sold it in Dayton, OH when there was no Volvo dealership and no reliable repair shops that I could find and the disk brakes started to seize up randomly. |
#378
Posted to alt.home.repair,rec.woodworking
|
|||
|
|||
Rethinking "Made in China"
On 12/20/2009 5:37 PM Robatoy spake thus:
On Dec 20, 6:34 pm, Swingman wrote: David Nebenzahl wrote: Do I get some kind of prize for such a long thread? A discount on a.h.r (or wreck) merchandise specials? A special mention at next year's Usenetties? Your cabal dues will be increased 50% in 2010 for all the bytes used, plus the appropriate carbon footprint tax ... I have not been around here for very long.... but long enough to know that there is no cabal. Ah, but there is (and it's Top Sekrit). Damn! I knew there'd be consequences ... -- I am a Canadian who was born and raised in The Netherlands. I live on Planet Earth on a spot of land called Canada. We have noisy neighbours. - harvested from Usenet |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
For women who desire the traditional 12-marker dials, the "Faceto,""Juro" and "Rilati" all add a little more functionality, without sacrificingthe diamonds. | Woodworking | |||
"Friends are born, not made." !!!! By: "Henry Brooks Adams" | Home Repair |