Enduraflex

"505Turbeaux" (505turbeaux) 02/20/2015 at 10:32 • Filed to: None

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when car makers wanted you to see how flimsy the body panels are. Also:seats that have contours are a novel thing

E. Julius > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 10:37

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The next time anybody calls out a personal flaw of mine, I'm going to give an Enduroflex™ style rebranding.

"That assignment was due two weeks ago."

"But just experience the lifespan extending FlexiDeadline™ technology!"

505Turbeaux > E. Julius 02/20/2015 at 10:38

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hahahaha brilliant

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 10:39

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Much wows!

Many #FieroFriday!

Sweet Trav > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 10:39

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I REALLY want a Fiero now... Swap in a 2.0 Turbo motor...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 10:39

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There's flimsy, and then there's "shrugs off glancing blows like a matador's cape". I think the Fiero is mostly the latter. There's no reason not to yield a little bit if you can bounce back - one of the reasons for the eye-rolling at Top Gear flexing the C6 Vette's bumper.

505Turbeaux > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/20/2015 at 10:44

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until it gets really cold out and you hit it. Thinking of a friends Saturn...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 10:47

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That's a case in which you want it as far down the scale to soft and plastic as humanly possible. The softer it starts, the lower the temp has to be to glass it (mostly). You could argue Saturns weren't "squishy" enough - most of their panels were pre-stressed to a degree, and that's not a good idea for not being brittle.
Granted, over time, if the plasticity comes from additives and not low levels of crosslinking, it will become more brittle, but even so.

505Turbeaux > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/20/2015 at 10:50

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G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 10:51

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I've always wanted a Fiero. I know that they're not great cars, but still. I really want one.

505Turbeaux > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 02/20/2015 at 10:55

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the later v6's were just fine. My Aunt had one that she brought over to Munich that I drove on the Autobahn. Nice driving car

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 10:56

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Even the later V6s had the infamous rigid cooling pipes.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 10:59

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Better Living Through Chemistry (R)

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 11:33

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What is not to like about an affordable mid-engined runabout? I wish we had a new version of this... from ANY company. There is a resounding NOTHING on the market for the last ~15-20 years, aside from the iffy implementation of the W30 MR2 Spyder.

Flimsy is perhaps a bit derogatory, but it is amazing how simple the body can be, when the STRUCTURE is what actually holds the car up, rather than the surface body panels being structural.

That is the great thing about a space frame. The body can be flexible for dent resilience, easily repairable with replacement panels, and can be painted off the car. The car can also be easily re-styled with alternate replacement panels. BMW Z1 did the same thing.

DeLorean's DMC12 did the same thing also... but hung really heavy stainless steel panels instead of light weight plastic composite panels.... both don't rust, but heavy stainless over the top of an existing steel structure is not exactly light weight, not as easily repairable, and not dent-resilient. Plastic composite was probably not an option for DMC at the time, and GM was a much bigger company with more resources to come out with Fiero shortly after, with a big investment in plastic manufacturing, which many GM products used.

If John DeLorean had stayed with Pontiac, rather than splitting off, Fiero would have been his kind of car... and with his love of OHC engines, and plenty of power in modest-sized packages, Fiero would probably have had the OHC I4 and V6 engine options that the car deserved, rather than the lump that was Iron Duke. The Fiero's styling was already a similar take-off of the Giugiaro-design Maserati Merak, as was the also-Giugiaro-designed DMC12 DeLorean.

DeLorean, while head of Pontiac in the 1960s, created the original muscle car, the Pontiac GTO by putting a big-block in a mid-sized Tempest, against GMs rules for big-blocks staying in full-sized cars, and he also did the Pontiac Sprint models of compact and mid-sized cars with OHC inline 6 engines as alternatives to small-displacement OHV pushrod V8s.

505Turbeaux > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 02/20/2015 at 11:39

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excellent comment, and true

RallyWrench > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 12:42

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I hit one on a 70 degree day after it panic stopped for a dog in traffic, and I couldn't get my Vanagon hauled down in time. The 1/4 panel straight up exploded.

RustedSprinter > 505Turbeaux 02/20/2015 at 16:58

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Ah the Fiero. What a great car.