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Re: Of Mice and Men
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Well-said, Firedome, and much more on-target. We tend to forget that back in the era of our Packards, it was once-a-month to the garage for a chassis grease job and oil change, once a year for plugs/points, repacking wheel bearings at 15 or 20,000 miles, etc. Today you can easily drive a modern car for 75,000 with nothing more than the occasional oil change. Back in the "good old days" engine life was pretty much about 100,000 miles and you may have had a valve job or two before that, today 200,000 or more miles can be easily achieved even without special care.
Though in many ways cars of the older era had more individual character and a sort of inherent quality that we may find missing in today's cars, they were in comparison "high maintenance" cars and I certainly can't call today's cars a "pile of crap".
Posted on: 2009/12/11 11:14
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Re: Of Mice and Men
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Quote:
While I can't cite any specific evidence of direct collusion between the Big Three and Big Oil, there are too many stories about energy-saving technology being suppressed over the decades, and where there's "smoke", there's "fire". I can't help but recall there was a huge alternative fuel undertaking of almost all types both in and out of govt after the oil shortages. Also can't help but recall it lasted until a change in congress when most of those programs were dropped almost overnight because "govt shouldn't be supporting private industry & it's up to them". Who knows if big oil was behind it but am convinced there is not a politician alive that hasn't been bought and paid for. At any rate, look at what that got us--All those countries that kept supporting their industry are where we buy our "green" and efficient cars or parts from now. Our big companies didn't see any short term profit in it so wouldn't continue without being paid to & small ones didn't have resources to go it alone. We had no domestic technology to speak of until recently -- a little govt help now but I believe mostly funded from overseas -- and what little we have is years away from prime time.
Posted on: 2009/12/11 11:32
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Re: Of Mice and Men
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HH, a bit off-stream but one of (many) things that really bothers me about America today, and I say this as a retired scientist, is how few of today's college-bound students are electing to go into the sciences. Everyone it seems wants to be either a lawyer or an investment banker. When our industries need scientists, for example chemists to work in intergrated circuit technology, we have to import foreign chemists, often from China or India, on technology (HiA as I remember) visas; they learn what is to be learned here and ultimately the majority of them return to their own countries to grow their own industries and thus add to the outflow of technology from the US. This is a progressive problem that goes from technology to technology until, finally, our well will run dry and we'll be naked of US-origin innovativeness.
Posted on: 2009/12/11 11:44
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Re: Of Mice and Men
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Home away from home
 
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True. Cars of the pre-80's era were rather short life compared to the cars of the last 20 years or so.
BUt let us make some comparison of COST of maintenance. For about $100 i can do a complete tune up on an old points type ignition system and carb. AND maybe do it out on the side of the road along way from home if need be. Most modern day cars with alot of computers and control modules could easily cost $1000 and that's just for some e-boxes. Much of the same comparison extends to fuel pumps, brakes, among many other parts of the car. I'm not sure what a modern day car will do that any of the 1955-1975 era cars won't do any CHEAPER. Except maybe better gas mileage and marginal safety factors. The 55-75 era cars were never designed to be anything more than what the public demanded at the time. WHAT KIND of so-called modern technolgoy exists today that was not available in the years directly after WWII???? NO NOT THAT THE TECHNOLGY was ever offerd in the 50's cars. MOST all of the tech was there. The manufactureers simply did not apply it because NO ONE DEMANDED IT! Had the japanese and other international auto makers never made their debut to the US market then modern cars would still be of the same quality and longevity level of the early 70's more or less. I really can not say that my 73 Chevy or even 78 was much better than a 55 Chevy or any other badge for that matter. That's nearly a 20 year time span. Had the 'Energy Crisis' of the mid 70's never happened then the IMport car market would have never happened. So to a great extent, we owe the better quality and longevity of the modern car to the mid 70's energy crisis. BUT PAY FOR IT in $$$ and inconvenience when the modern car does break down.
Posted on: 2009/12/11 11:57
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VAPOR LOCK demystified: See paragraph SEVEN of PMCC documentaion as listed in post #11 of the following thread:f
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7245 |
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Re: Of Mice and Men
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O_D, couldn't agree more and to make it worse, our schools apparently don't teach those that are interested in much depth unless they sign for highly advanced classes. I remember 6 one hour classes for 9 months and few holidays. Things taught in grade and junior high then is now junior - senior material with half day schedules. Even that gets cut some every other week or so for "teacher preparation time". It is appalling how few of todays students can actually do simple math, count change or even read well for that matter. Don't ask them where a certain place is or why something happened because most get little or no geography & history anymore. Apparently calculators and video are the only future.
Posted on: 2009/12/11 12:05
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Home away from home
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Owen. My feelings exactly about the college bound and scientific community.
Most of what i'm experiencing is the college bound are looking at the medical field but not as Doctors or researchers. Mostly for 3 month to 2 year certifications of some type. This happens also now in the IT field. The problem is that the technical/scientific careers of the US can not compete with third world countries in terms of WAGES/compensation. SOme 8 years ago i was a "Group Leader" for over 18 Analysts and programmers in the IT field. 6 of them were from India and at that time recent additions to my group. I was most suprised when i found out that they were making only about 35%-40% of their US counterparts. WHICH WAS MORE THAN THEY COULD MAKE in the old country. They were VERY GOOD TOO! As with everything, the bottom line is $$$$$$$$.
Posted on: 2009/12/11 12:13
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VAPOR LOCK demystified: See paragraph SEVEN of PMCC documentaion as listed in post #11 of the following thread:f
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7245 |
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Re: Of Mice and Men
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Home away from home
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Quote:
True. Cars of the pre-80's era were rather short life compared to the cars of the last 20 years or so. My point exactly. And having owned several newer cars from the '70s up to now, I can say with certainty and without reservation that these newer cars are nothing but piles of crap. Junk little econo-boxes made for females who shouldn't be driving anyway. Speaking if that, has anyone seen the new Ford commercials showing off their new features? How about you get a text message or email FROM YOUR CAR telling you it's time to change the oil??? The statement from the girl in the commercial is "Because I really don't know anything about car maintenance, this is so much easier" Good God people, what's this world coming to? This is why I've always said that general vehicle maintenance should be taught in Driver's Ed, and if you don't pass it, you don't get a license, plain and simple. This would remove about 80% of today's drivers from the road I'd think, and about 99% of those under the age of 25. Probably a good thing.
Posted on: 2009/12/11 12:15
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Re: Of Mice and Men
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Home away from home
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HH56 writes:
"Don't ask them where a certain place is or why something happened because most get little or no geography & history anymore." THis was explained to me by a gov't psychologist. He said: "IT's because they spent most of their travel time in a car seat, faceing BACKWARDS. I know of 2wo 22 year old boys that can not find a new video store when i tell them it's 2 miles down the road on the right AND IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN!!! They have no concept of what that means.
Posted on: 2009/12/11 12:21
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VAPOR LOCK demystified: See paragraph SEVEN of PMCC documentaion as listed in post #11 of the following thread:f
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7245 |
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Re: Of Mice and Men
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Home away from home
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A tad of misogyny there in that female comment, sir...however the point about cost factor in the repair of modern cars is quite valid, and largely due to dependance on electronics to solve important problems of efficiency and pollution. While one might prefer the simplicity of carburetors and points, in reality their day of usefulness has come and gone.
HH and O_D, I just couldn't agree more about the state of science education in this country, being a retired BioChemist and teacher myself. The state of science education in the US is deplorable. Kids care mostly about money and status, fed by the fame obsessed media. Certainly one can only despair when viewing the almost global lack of understanding of the many complex science-related issues that face the populace of this country, reflected in myriad ways that scare me to death when one really understands the political decisions that will need to be made, and the ignorance of those who will have to make them - the politicians and the voters who elect them. Additionally, one cannot help but be amazed and alarmed by the fact that China alone graduated 700,000 engineers to our paltry 70,000 last year, a factor of 10, and a sure forumla for decline. Within 5 years or less we shall see Chinese cars here, and I predict that their success will be accomplished more quickly than that of the Koreans. They are getting an aeronautical industry off the ground by contracting for Boeing and Airbus and have put a man into space. Our greatest competition for technology lies ahead, and from China, not Japan. And we will have only ourselves to blame if we are overtaken.
Posted on: 2009/12/11 16:03
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