by "Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
Published 12/18/2017 at 21:14
by "Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
Published 12/18/2017 at 21:14
Tags: Smart
STARS: 11
Very, very small...
This is the engine block of the 999cc NA engine of a US spec smart 451. Looks like it suffered from burned valves prior to its death. This little package weighed about 30 pounds.
I’m going to get it and those pistons cleaned up, get the pistons welded on, paint it, then put it all together as a small table. :3
Colours are still going to be white block, pink cylinders, and pink piston heads. I’ll toss some LEDs into the cylinders for a nice nighttime look.
"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
12/18/2017 at 21:18, STARS: 3
Awww, it’s so cute! It looks like about the size of the intake manifold on my engine... IIRC the oem cast iron intake weighed 35 lbs...
"Tohru" (tohrurokuno)
12/18/2017 at 21:19, STARS: 4
I was worried about which one of your herd that had come out of for a minute
"SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media" (silentbutnotreallydeadly)
12/18/2017 at 21:24, STARS: 1
I’m assuming a side table or even foot stool would be about the limit based on that!!
"Alfalfa" (alfalfa-romeo)
12/18/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 2
Damn, 30 lbs? Just an exhaust manifold off my Bronco weighs nearly as much.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
12/18/2017 at 21:39, STARS: 1
What’s the length of it?
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
12/18/2017 at 21:41, STARS: 2
Ecoboost?
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/18/2017 at 21:43, STARS: 5
5-car garage...swank!
"Biggus Dickus (RevsBro)" (NKlein)
12/18/2017 at 21:46, STARS: 2
Good god. That’s smaller than my ducati engine. (Although ththis does have a clutch and gearbox attached)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/18/2017 at 21:49, STARS: 0
Mitsubishi 3B21!
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/18/2017 at 21:51, STARS: 2
Thankfully no! It came from a deceased 2008 smart in Colorado. :)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/18/2017 at 21:52, STARS: 0
The pistons add just short of 6 inches. So yeah, it’s definitely side table/nightstand only material. :)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/18/2017 at 21:53, STARS: 0
No idea lol. Eyeballing it, I think in its current position it’s 8 inches tall and 12 inches long?
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/18/2017 at 21:53, STARS: 0
Aluminum for the win? (Blah, stupid iPhone)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/18/2017 at 21:59, STARS: 3
No kidding! I measured out my parents’ garage and provided that it’s empty (the white one is maybe 4 feet from the wall, red one 2 feet), you could theoretically fit 6 smarts in it.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/18/2017 at 22:31, STARS: 0
So cute, so tiny!
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
12/18/2017 at 22:53, STARS: 1
What is this, an engine for ants?
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Making furniture out of car parts is cool and everything, but is this going to be large enough to make a table out of? lol
"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
12/19/2017 at 00:09, STARS: 2
How do I ask this without being rude or awkward? Why do people like these smart cars?
"ptak appreciates old racecars" (racecarptak)
12/19/2017 at 02:11, STARS: 0
Huh... possible bike engine?
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/19/2017 at 02:23, STARS: 3
Good question! Depends on the geography being referenced!
They were designed for European cities, many (if not most) of which were designed with narrow corridors and parking comes at an even greater premium than in NYC. Likewise, with tax discs (example: higher displacement and/or higher polluting engines pay more tax) and insurance groups, owning a city car in many places in Europe means car ownership costs less in general. And since European cities are often closer apart, road trip performance is less important. These cars make a lot of sense in their home markets, hence why sales remain surprisingly strong out there and even in China.
That business case is missing in America. In America, a Toyota Corolla enjoys the same (if not lower) insurance premiums than a smart and many American cities don’t have progressive rate taxing based on the vehicle you drive. You can drive a Hummer or a smart and there won’t be any difference in the tax you pay. Likewise, a Toyota Corolla is not much more expensive than a smart. That’s what ultimately failed the Toyota iQ. Why buy an iQ for a $16k when a Toyota Yaris (which did everything better) can be had for $14k?
With the spacing between American cities, highway performance becomes more of a factor. While I think a smart makes a perfect road trip car (I drove one from LA to Chicago in one go), most people do not.
Even worse is that many American cities tend not to be as tight as European cities and do not allow perpendicular parking in parallel spaces, making a smart’s party trick of being a city superhero less impressive. They make sense in LA, SF, Chicago, and NYC, but not really anywhere else.
The final nail in the coffin is comparatively low fuel economy. Now, like most city cars these cars were never meant to be high mpg economy cars, their nearly sole purpose is to drive around a city. The diesel is smart’s mpg all star (it even puts the mythical Elio to shame), but for whatever (stupid) reason, they decided to give us the worst engine.
Regardless, Americans couldn’t wrap their head around the idea of a car smaller than a Geo Metro, yet performed significantly worse at the pump.
It’s such that the average age of a US smart owner is 55-60 years old. Most American smart owners got one as a second/third car, a work commuter, a weekend toy, or something to putt putt around the gated community in. Basically, smarts in America largely fill niche roles.
Then you have other US smart owners like me who are just stockpiling the things because they love them so much.
The interesting thing I’m finding as well is that due to steep depreciation, the secondhand market is breathing new life into these cars. Younger people are picking them up as their car through college, first cars, and even primary cars. It’s a shame, if MB sold them with an entry price under $10k with the option for diesel, the smart story in America could have been way different.
I hope that’s understandable, sometimes I go off on a rant when talking about how much smart screwed up and continues to screw up in the US.
"So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky" (badams109)
12/19/2017 at 09:23, STARS: 1
Funny you mention the Elio. I worked on the engine for the Elio and one of the engines we benchmarked was from the Smart.
"GeekGirlKatie" (geekgirlkatie)
12/19/2017 at 10:05, STARS: 1
That will be an awesomely cute night stand or end table!
I thought about getting a Volvo B230F block to turn into a coffee table but the only time those really fail is in a very catastrophic way. I just don’t think a engine block with a huge hole in the side would make for a good coffee table but it may be for a good conversation piece since they are hard as hell to kill.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/19/2017 at 10:55, STARS: 1
Thank you!
Maybe you could source an engine from a junkyard Volvo? Sell off the good parts to break even/profit!
I think any unique engine block table (common V8s are so plain lol) would be an interesting conversation piece...assuming I’d bring people over...but uh...
"weasel the great (not actually all that great)" (mrshotglass)
12/19/2017 at 11:14, STARS: 1
Slinging that paperweight around must be nice.
BAH PICS NEVER WORK FOR ME...
*Photo of a big ass 390 and trans being pulled from my Galaxie.*
"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
12/19/2017 at 13:34, STARS: 0
Oh gosh. Thank you. I thought I might be opening some kind of whatever it is one opens up to have someone fanboy ranting to them. I hope you dont mind me picking your brain about these cars. I am genuinley curious.
For the record I have never driven one. I see people driving them on the interstate and I live at the edge of what most people would consider civilization so obviously these people are doing long trips in these things. I could never wrap my head around the logic of a tiny car that doesnt get that great MPG for a road trip.
It makes total sense to me why one would want a Smart in the city. And like you think they dont make a ton of sense in the USA unless you live in a large city. of course my first car was an old vw beetle i drove for years even in winter with no wipers or heater so theres that.
Like I said never driven one Why do you think they make a great road trip car? Why do you love them so much?
"Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street." (demon-xanth)
12/19/2017 at 16:29, STARS: 0
I lifted a Geo Metro long block with one arm. When I was 17. And weighed maybe 130LBs.
"Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street." (demon-xanth)
12/19/2017 at 16:31, STARS: 1
Cummins ISB into a bar.
"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
12/19/2017 at 20:49, STARS: 0
I was gonna ask for a banana for scale, but that about does it. Smaller than a 12a or 13b rotary, that’s for sure.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
12/20/2017 at 01:17, STARS: 0
oh jesus that’s adorable
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
12/20/2017 at 06:20, STARS: 1
Pretty much on point.
One remark though, the party trick smart used to promote the cardoesn’t work. Nobody parks their smart perpendicular in a parallel spot, you’ll get a ticket for that, at least in Germany. The official reason is that you have to see the rear reflectors when driving along parked cars. Your not allowed to park on the opposite side of the road either.
They are still really practical as you can parallel park them in a much smaller spot.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
12/20/2017 at 08:06, STARS: 0
Thanks for the unfortunate heads up!! Kind of ironic, but based on what you’re saying, technically it would be legal to perpendicular park a US spec smart in Germany. The US Dept of Transportation requires cars to have nice and shiny reflectors that are easily visible front and back.
I park mine perpendicular in Chicago. I’m sure it’s illegal, though I still haven’t gotten one yet. There was one time an officer attempted to write me a ticket for it, and I challenged them to find a law that says I can’t park perpendicular. He didn’t find anything, so he just let me go. lol
Actually, once I even parked in an area only for police cars and city vehicles just to avoid paying for parking. No idea why I keep getting spared by Chicago PD.
"yamahog" (yamahog)
01/28/2018 at 11:35, STARS: 0
eeeee tiny block!!
also random but idr if you are on facebook, there are a couple car groups that might be relevant to your interests :)