Electric Cars

[Mountain Dragon]

Wonder how many remember the Ford Pinto?!

I do. Oh yes. And the AMC Pacer as well.. OMG....

 

[Mountain Dragon]

I still remember an dialogue i had with an friend, he was police officer at this time, about the Toyota Prius. The Prius was brand new, and he told me about the emergency data file (a few sites) what's to do if an Prius is involved in an accident. So i asked him what he would do then. His answer was simple: I'll run, fast and far.

 

[user 7704]

We called the Pacer a pregnant Pinto

 

[DrHenley]

Wonder how many remember the Ford Pinto?!

And the Chevy Vega which almost destroyed GM. There was this one Vega that I happened to know two of its owners. A Vega GT in fact. Lousiest piece of excrement excuse for a car I ever saw. When you floored it in neutral, it took several seconds to rev up.
It had an aluminum block with unlined aluminum cylinders that tended to warp. I had to help the owner get it home one time when smoke started pouring out of the engine through the steering column. I had drive with my head sticking way out of the window to see the road and not choke on the smoke. It left a trail of smoke that was thicker than the smoke screen on 007's Aston Martin.

 

[jimLE]

Here's a ugly one for everyone.. amc gremlin

 

[DrHenley]

Here's a ugly one for everyone.. amc gremlin

Yeah they were odd ducks alright

 

[tmttactical]

When married to first wife, I was working out of town and then wife wanted to buy a car. I told her to go get one. She bought an AMC Pacer. What a piece of crap. She never got to pick out another car. Just one of many reasons were are not married anymore.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

In Feb 2020 before all the crap started, I took this pic because I couldn’t believe the owner had a club on a Pinto . Last time We went out in a free world.
Maybe now he is the smart one. No computer, no gps, No Govt.

 

[Acdoctor]

In Feb 2020 before all the crap started, I took this pic because I couldn’t believe the owner had a club on a Pinto . Last time We went out in a free world.
Maybe now he is the smart one. No computer, no gps, No Govt. View attachment 21865

My first car was a ugly green used ford pinto, I hated that car but it ran cheap, used more oil than gas but it got me around.

 

[user 7704]

I had a Tennessee orange Vega at one time. Hated that car.

 

[DrHenley]

I had a Tennessee orange Vega at one time. Hated that car.

GM's electric car woes are due to a corporate philosophy that dates back quite a ways.
The Vega was a winner with reviewers when it came out. It should have been a great little car. But GM screwed the pooch in more ways than one with it.

• The front end of the vehicle separated in only eight miles on the General Motors Test track.
• In 1972, GM issued three mass recalls, the largest covering 500,000 Vegas, to fix defective axles, balky throttles and problems that caused fires.
• The Vega's aluminum engine was notorious for buckling and leaking.
• By May 1972, six out of every seven Vegas produced was the subject of a recall.
• Chevrolet campaign number 72-C-05, addressed engine backfires on 130,000 cars fitted with the L-11 option two-barrel carburetor. An engine that backfired with specific frequency and magnitude weakened and ruptured the muffler. Hot exhaust gases then, in turn, spilled out and heated the adjacent fuel tank which expanded, ruptured and spilled fuel that ignited and caused a fire.
• A component in the emission-control system (idle stop solenoid bracket) could fall into the throttle linkage, jamming it open.
• Campaign number 72-C-09, which affected 526,000 vehicles, the result of which was a rear axle which could separate from the vehicle. As it was recorded by NHTSA, the "axle shaft and wheel could then move outboard of the quarter panel and allow vehicle to drop down onto rear suspension.
• Faulty valve-stem seals caused excessive oil consumption
• When the engine got hot, which wasn't uncommon, the cylinders distorted and the piston rings wore off the exposed silica that was meant to provide a tough wall surface. Then, at best, the cars burned more oil. At worst, the distortion compromised the head gasket.
• With its small 6 US quarts (5.7 L) capacity and tiny two-tube 1 sq ft (0.1 m2) radiator, the Vega cooling system was adequate when topped off, but owners tended not to check the coolant level often enough, and in combination with leaking valve-stem seals, the engine often ran low on oil and coolant simultaneously. Consequent overheating distorted the open-deck block, allowing antifreeze to seep past the head gasket, which caused piston scuffing inside the cylinders.
• There was a process failure during the vat treatment stage because a trapped air pocket prevented the anti-rust coating from reaching a gap between the Vegas’ front fenders and cowl. Under normal driving conditions, this allowed moist debris and salt to build up and rust the untreated steel on early Vegas because they had no protective liners. The finance department had rejected liners as they would have added a $2.28 unit cost.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

My first car was a ugly green used ford pinto, I hated that car but it ran cheap, used more oil than gas but it got me around.

Could be worse. Could be an Chevy Chevette.

 

[DrHenley]

And then there was GM's diesel Delta 88. My father had one. He was cruising down the highway one day, and he said it suddenly sounded like a bucket of bolts was turning over, and the car stopped.

Turns out, GM decided to use the crankshaft from their gas engines in that diesel engine instead of a beefed up crankshaft that could handle the torque. My father's crankshaft had snapped in two!

One Oldsmobile engineer who had worked on the V8 diesel told his bosses not to release the hastily developed engine. Needing to meet upcoming CAFE standards, GM forced him into early retirement and released the engine nonetheless​

​

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) had been unable to certify the diesel V8 for sale in the state in 1979 and early 1980 as the test cars issued to CARB broke down before the tests could be completed. Of the nine cars supplied to CARB, all suffered engine problems and seven had transmission failures.​

​

The Oldsmobile diesel's reputation for unreliability and anemic performance damaged the North American passenger diesel market for the next 30 years.​

​

So it's not surprising GM screwed up EVs too.

 

[Dave2001]

MY first car was a chev corvair!!! bout had to push it down road

 

[Oddcaliber]

GMC, gotta mechanic coming.

 

[Dave2001]

FORD, can either be Fixed Or Repaired Daily OR First On Race Day

 

[Mad Dog 1]

:sucks:FORD, can either be Fixed Or Repaired Daily OR First On Race Day

Found On Rubbish Dump as us Toyota drivers say in South Africa

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

MY first car was a chev corvair!!! bout had to push it down road

My first car was a sweet Chevy Camaro. Loved that car!

 

[user 7704]

Our family car was an67 Camaro. A 3 speed I think. My teen brother loved it. He jacked it up and my dad would have to put it down to normal when he drove. I forget what you called them.

 

[Oddcaliber]

FIAT,Fix it again Toni.

 

[Mountain Dragon]

FIAT,Fix it again Toni.

Lol, my daily driver is an Fiat. The only problem at the moment is an ABS electronic part which comes from the british firm Lucas, better known as "Inventer of the darkness"

 

[Mountain trapper]

Here's a ugly one for everyone.. amc gremlin

What about the VW Thing? Or the Subaru Brat?

 

[Acdoctor]

Don’t forget about the Opel,

 

[tmttactical]

My first new car was an Opel. I was okay until I got into an accident and the dealership could not get the replacement parts. Longshoreman's strike. The next car I truly loved, 1970, AMC Mark Donahue Javelin. It would pass everything except a gas station. It had one horsepower for every 11 pounds of car. A true muscle car. That was when I learned the true cost of laying rubber. Tires are expensive. Those were the days.

 

[DrHenley]

What about the VW Thing? Or the Subaru Brat?

The VW Thing was a military vehicle developed for the West German army (VW Type 181) based on the WWII Kübelwagen.
They found that with the rear engine, 4WD wasn't necessary for off road use. (Like dune buggies)

 

[jimLE]

You can do it cheaper but it sounds like you're in my boat.Neither one of us know **** about solar setups.
We went this route because it's plug and play.
In other words you dont need to know what the hell you're doing.

What about the VW Thing? Or the Subaru Brat?

You just had to destroy my morning by mentioning them didn't you? LOL

 

[Proud Prepper]

I'll raise everyone with a Yugo!

 

[jimLE]

I raise that with a 1962 Renault 8 and a ugly go cart that no longer runs​

 

[DrHenley]

I'll raise everyone with a Yugo!

Hilarious Top Gear video about the Yugo.

 

[user 7704]

Hilarious Top Gear video about the Yugo.

Rush . I miss that man