"Berang" (berang)
09/01/2015 at 23:45 • Filed to: chevrolet 490
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"Berang" (berang)
09/01/2015 at 23:45 • Filed to: chevrolet 490 | 3
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In 1915 Chevrolet launched a model to compete with the Ford - it was called the 490 after its $490 base price and it was amazingly modern for the era. It featured a 2.8 liter overhead valve (crossflow!) engine, three speed sliding gear transmission and actual brakes on the wheels.
The Model T by contrast had a flathead four, two speed epicyclic transmission, and a weak transmission brake - its wheel brakes were only for parking or emergency stops. The model T also retained a magneto and trembler coil ignition system whereas the chevy got a distributor system.
Chevrolet soon found they could make plenty of sales by competing with the T not on the basis of price, but on features, as the T got cheaper, the 490 instead got more and more standard features - electric lights, horn, speedometer, etc. the price went up but that didn’t stop people from buying.
Although the above video isn’t the most entertaining, it does show the 490’s exposed rockers and amusingly crude intake manifold. The carburetor was mounted low down on the engine in the usual fashion for cars with gravity feed fuel systems.
desertdog5051
> Berang
09/02/2015 at 01:23 |
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Fascinating. I did not know about this. Thanks.
Jonee
> Berang
09/05/2015 at 03:25 |
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That’s similar to what happens today with all the gadgets and whatnot they’re sticking in cars.