![]() 10/11/2016 at 15:46 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
Hello Oppo! What is the most obscure automotive knowledge you have? (Baldwin Motion Camaro for your time.)
Do you know some random odd bit of information about the correct way to mount the pedals in a 70s Land Rover, know that Claus from AMG over tightens the bolts in the intake manifold by 1.5 NM, or that Hone-O-Drive overdrives used in the Baldwin Motion cars are still being produced today? Please share your knowledge!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 15:53 |
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How to spot fake trim tags and fake body markings on a ‘69 Camaro, as well as decoding vins, partial vins, X codes, etc from memory.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 15:55 |
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Post-war Willys-Overland Jeeps made in the Toledo factory don’t have panels deeper than 4" because the factory was previously used for making washing machines, and they could only stamp sheet metal to a 4" depth.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 15:56 |
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I have never owned or wrenched on an 88-91 Honda Civic. But I can tell you that if it cranks and won’t start, it needs an igniter. If I owned one, I’d carry an extra with me at all times.
I will never own one, yet that useless fact is buried in my brain...
![]() 10/11/2016 at 15:58 |
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Most 90s manual Fords have the throwout bearing in the slave cylinder. That and the Chrysler 8.25" 3.07 rear end was only available in 4.0L/4X4/manual jeeps and 4.0L/4X4/manual jeeps Could only be optioned with a Chrysler 8.25" 3.07 rear end
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:00 |
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In the pre-facelift jaguar XJS (1991 and earlier), the cable mechanism that connects the spring-loaded hood pulldown hook (i dont know what else to call it) to the latch inside the cockpit is frequently snapped from excessively vigorous actuation of the latch when opening the hood for the 37th time in frustration on your 15 mile trip to where-ever it is that youre going.
your hood will bounce up and down and seem like its going to break something else if you try to drive like this. luckily, the hood is hinged at the front, so there is no risk of it catching a breeze and flying up.
this cable is virtually impossible to find in parts catalogs.
the cable can be replaced with a $0.50 bicycle spoke with the end cut off.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:05 |
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Recirculating balls.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:06 |
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Lotus tuned the Mk2 Supra’s suspension, the first of many Toyota/lotus collaborations through the 80's
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The only two classic FIAT 500 models to have a solid metal roof from the factory were FIAT’s Nuova 500 Sport, and the a coach built version of the 500 by coach builder Francis Lombardi, very originally called “My Car.” The “My Car” was also the only classic 500 to come with a front grill, albeit fake (at least the only one with a front grill that I know if!)
I probably know more obscure things than that, but that is the first thing that comes to mind off the top of my head.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:12 |
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The designer of the Morris Minor thought the first prototypes looked too narrow and awkward, so he experimented with making them wider until he liked the proportions. Unfortunately, the body-panel molds were already built before the design was finalized, so he had to settle for adding a flat 4" seam down the middle rather than adjusting the curves to meet smoothly.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:15 |
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To change a water pump in a Ford freestyle the engine has to come out
I have lots of these because I was car shopping for a long time and found a lot of faults
Also no panther ever came with a cabin air filter
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:16 |
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Due to manufacturing limitations at the time, and the need to make a particularly tight right hand turn leaving the factory due to a retaining wall, the 1948 Jaguar XK120 can turn 3 degrees more to the right than to the left. Not really but I don’t know anything interesting and wanted to participate.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:17 |
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The 5VZ-FE V6 in the third generation 4Runner (and possibly others) use NGK spark plugs in one cylinder bank and Denso spark plugs in the other cylinder bank. Nobody knows for sure, but it’s believed that both NGK and Denso had a contract to supply 50% of the spark plugs for the production of the 5VZ-FE, and that was the easiest way to keep track.
Something else:
It is possible to check (but not clear) check trouble codes in more recent Subarus (I believe in anything with a digital odometer, but I’m not sure) using the following sequence:
turn ignition on
within 10 seconds
turn headlights on
press trip reset four times
turn headlights off
press trip reset four times
turn headlights on
press trip reset four times
Any displayed codes are cycles using the trip button.
Codes are displayed for ECM, TCM, and VDC.
You can turn your headlights off after you enter the mode
Pressing the trip reset three times instead of four will enable gauge diagnostics - lamp check, meter calibration, and LCD check.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:19 |
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Lies and deceit! Pre-Chrysler XJs with the 4.0L and 5spd could have the Dana 35 or Dana 44 rear axle. Mine was a 4.0L/5spd/Dana 35. It was the shittiest axle, only better than the Dana 20.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:24 |
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The VAG MKIV platform is actually not unreliable.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:31 |
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I really have nothing too interesting. Really just the differences between the pre and post face-lift 3rd gen 4runner.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:31 |
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You have to drain the
engine
oil before you replace a CV boot by the book in a <1987 Peugeot 205 that’s not a GTi/CTi/automatic.
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The name of British sportscar maker TVR is a contraction of ‘Trevor’, after its founder.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:42 |
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Volkswagen integrated a small pin into the cast of the timingchain cover on the 1.2 TSI, to prevent the chain from falling in. Maybe they new they would be a bit troubled.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:43 |
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The Uptake on body coloured trim on the Buick Reatta in 1988-1989 was only about 7%. This is one of the 93% without body coloured trim.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:45 |
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..why?
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:45 |
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The Mulsanne’s side panel is so big that they can’t stamp it in one piece using the method needed to form the character creases. It’s actually two pieces of metal hand-brazed together with brass, and than sanded down by hand using a steel rasp, then ever-finer grades of sandpaper to achieve a perfectly smooth finish.
TVR actually stands for Trevor, as in Trevor Wilkinson, the company’s founder.
The rubber bumper C3 Corvette isn’t actually that slow. Even the slowest manual C3 Car and Driver tested, a 1980 model with the embarrassing compression ratio of 8.2:1 out of a 350 small block ran 0-60 in 7.6, which is a half second faster than a Fiat 500 Turbo which does the dash in 8.1 seconds, a full second faster than an S13 hatch with the KA which does it in 8.6. and only 0.3 behind a 1984 Nissan 300ZX Turbo.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:56 |
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I remember every rebadged version of everything. I don’t know why. Even super obscure ones, like the Hyundai Accent and Hyundai Elantra were sold in Indonesia as the Bimantara Cakra and the Bimantara Nenggala, respectively.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 16:58 |
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Because if you go by the book you have to remove the drive shaft. The engine and transmission share the same oil.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 17:04 |
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My dad’s 1989 Sterling 827SL had power reclining rear seats.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 17:08 |
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I wrote the original wikipedia entry on E.J. Pennington , because it didn’t exist at the time. So that must be pretty obscure. The page has subsequently been referenced by Jalopnik, but I keep looking for new info all the time.
You don’t know who Pennington is? He invented the word motorcycle, as well as invented the balloon tire (which he reasoned did away with the need for any sort of suspension) he also stole lots and lots of money.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 17:25 |
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In Japan, you could buy a carbureted Integra until 1995.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 17:31 |
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I saw a My Car at a French-Italian car show out here a couple years ago. It’s so nutty, I love it.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 17:33 |
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The first car to ever have a negative scrub radius steering geometry was the tiny Fuldamobil . The design was copied by Audi and is still used on most RWD cars built today.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 18:19 |
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Not sure this even counts as obscure since I think the FP covered it once or twice, but it’s the most out there thing I can think of. When Ford was putting the original GT (or second gen? dafuq does this work?...) through crash testing and all the other safety BS, they had this specially-designed crushing rig for stress testing the roof or something among those lnes. Long story short the GT broke that rig during testing. Built Ford tough indeed.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 18:54 |
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I like learning the names of Chinese cars as they are sold in Chile and the fact that 90% of them are copies of other cars makes it funny.
The new Changan van’s have a badge that is a straight rip off from BMW:
![]() 10/11/2016 at 19:00 |
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You can set the check engine light on certain vehicles by stopping hard enough on two consecutive key cycles.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 19:01 |
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Awesome little ride Down! :D They had bespoke interiors compared to the orig classic 500 as well!
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The racing versions of the Mclaren 650S don’t need rollcages since the FIA deemed the carbon fiber monocoque strong enough on it’s own.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 19:34 |
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It was like the Aston Martin Cygnet of its day. But, much more useful.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 19:43 |
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How fun.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:24 |
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Very cool! So the Nuova 500 Sport and My Car are the only 2 with a solid metal roof. I’ll try to remember that, and use that at cars and coffee sometime!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:25 |
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That sounds like typical Peugeot maintenance. I could see French engineers thinking it is a good idea. lol
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:27 |
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That’s pretty unique and interesting! It is cool that a washing machine factory started making Jeeps!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:28 |
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I could see Ford doing that. Making you replace 2 parts because one is broken and they combined them. Interesting about the Jeeps.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:29 |
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Good to know. So the Dana 35 axles are better than the horrible Dana 20.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:30 |
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I was going to say that is awesome! I’ll give you a star anyway for the believable story. lol
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:33 |
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That’s pretty cool! Bimantara is the Indonesian Hyundai. What does Bimantara mean? The Cakra is the Accent and the Nenggala is the Elantra.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:35 |
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The baseline transmission for the 66 Pontiac GTO was a 3 speed. A FORD 3 speed. (Supply problems with the Saginaw 3 speed.)
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:36 |
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That’s interesting! I like how they put the 4 inch seam there instead of widening the car. I bet they made sure they finalized designs before making the molds.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:39 |
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That’s pretty awesome what you did! Thank you for the information about E. J. Pennington!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:43 |
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That’s pretty funny about the spark plugs. I wonder if there was a debate about which side got which brand. lol
That’s pretty cool about Subarus. That’s an interesting way to checking codes. I am glad I have my bluetooth obdII adaptor and the torque app.
To reset the oil life indicator on 04-06 GTOs, you turn the car to on, press the gas pedal 3 or 4 times, and then turn it off.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:46 |
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That’s cool about the Mulsanne’s side panel. I bet that is something that would give robots that assemble cars now-a-days a lot of difficulty. You can’t beat hand made cars.
I always liked the later C3s, and C3s in general. The question I have is how much difference is there between the auto and manual C3?
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:49 |
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That is typical Jaguar! lol So the fifty cent bike spoke is a good upgrade to the old XJS, and I bet it last longer too. lol
My mom had an Opel GT back in the 70s and used a bike cable when her throttle cable broke, and no dealers had a replacement.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:50 |
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I heard about that. Didn’t the machine start to rip the anchors out of the floor too?
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:52 |
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Those are interesting little cars that are an absolute nightmare to fix electronically. If I ever see one again, and it has body colored trim, I will know it is 7% of the production. It’s pretty cool.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:53 |
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Hey it is not a useless fact, but it is good for the Honda crowd. I’ll try to remember if a 88-91 Civic won’t start to replace the ingiter.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:57 |
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That’s pretty awesome to know about the Fuldamobil! Thank you! Cool article you wrote! Now I know more about your favorite car!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 21:59 |
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Oh that is some fancy stuff! Were the Rovers available with the same option?
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That would be a royal pain... I will avoid one of those like the plague.
Hey that is interesting about the Panther. GTOs don’t have cabin air filter either.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:01 |
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I’d say they knew. lol I’ll have to tell my buddy who works for VW this!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:02 |
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That is way more than I know about them. I know they were for 69 basically a year only body. Well for the Firebirds at least.
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I didn’t know 66 GTOs ran a ford 3 speed for base GTOs. I thought they all had the muncie 4 speed. That’s crazy!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:03 |
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Hey it is still good to know info!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:04 |
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Lotus should tune every performance cars suspension. Or McLaren. They should collaborate on the new SC500 and Supra.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:05 |
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Shouldn’t there be an if or asterisk saying if properly maintained?
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:05 |
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Yup, the Sport was a very limited run - looked like this! :D There was a Sport version with the usual sunroof though too! The Sport was the first model to get the 499cc engine until they fitted it as standard in the 500D. :)
From a period ad:
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:06 |
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Wow! I didn’t know that was possible. I thought the Mazda B2200 truck was the last carbureted Japanese vehicle in the 90s.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:08 |
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I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Chinese car companies. Is it at least the sport or top of the line edition?
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:08 |
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Yes, definitely that.
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That’s also why they are the most comfortable cars for race drivers during endurance races.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:08 |
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I also know what some of my block off plates are for.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:09 |
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That’s pretty interesting. Is that for newer or older vehicles?
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:11 |
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Yeah, I used to work in parts at a Honda dealer. When one of those cars got towed in, the techs wouldn’t even diagnose it. They’d just walk out to the back lot with a new igniter, replace it, then drive the car into the service bay. Odd weak link in an otherwise dead reliable car.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:12 |
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Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. It’s an amazing little machine.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:12 |
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I am curios if they cut the sunroof out of the Sport version or if they used a non Sport version with the sunroof opening? Knowing Fiat, I bet the cut up the Sport’s roof. lol
The 499CC engine could be fun!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:13 |
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That’s awesome! Fog lights?
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:14 |
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You’re welcome. Yes, I did. It is also inspiring! Don’t leave that out!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:15 |
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That’s strange for Honda, but at least it was a quick fix that was super easy to diagnose.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:17 |
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Not down to the nuts and bolts, but I know nearly all the quirks of maintaining a Ferrari F355. Having had to buy all the parts helps, especially those for a major service. Here’s one relatively obscure tidbit:
The original thermostat being a known failure point, a superior aftermarket thermostat exists for this model. However, there is no recorded part number, not even on the unit itself. It’s a Behr Thermot-tronik 82 deg C unit that is carried by very few distributors. The Behr factory in Italy makes small batches at random, unpredictable times. There is only one known distributor in the USA, and it’s not the well-known Ricambi America.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:19 |
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I agree. There’s a bunch of such stories from that era. I’ve written some more of them on my Kinja blog.
http://weird-wheels.kinja.com/
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:19 |
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That’s what I’ve heard. Now this random fact will become common knowledge. LOL.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:22 |
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We are doing the Lord’s work here on Oppo.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:22 |
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Cool! I’ll have to start reading your blog!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:23 |
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Rear electronic diff lock. Factory option with 4WD.
Clutch start. specific button to start it without using the starter and just dumping the clutch. Manual only (duh)
ECT Power mode - Makes it super fast (not really)
Rear window roll down (beautiful feature)
Rear defrost (useful but I never use it. )
Some models had cup holders in different places so stuff got moved but they used the same dash. Also a convient place to put extra switches I guess.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:26 |
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If I ever need a Behr Thermot-tronik 82 deg C thermostat for a F355 I will contact Ricambi America. I’ll have to tell my buddy who just bought F430 about the site in case he needs something. That is some crazy stuff, but I expect nothing less from Ferrari.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:29 |
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Electronic Diff? I never knew that was an option for 4Runners. Clutch start sounds interesting. You could use the extra switches for lights or a winch. Good to know!
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:35 |
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Actually I was wrong. Clutch start lets you start without pushing the clutch to the floor. The way I understood it was as a way to pop start it. I think it’s similar to the FJ system then.
BUt yeah. Factory diff lock was an option on the 4WD.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 22:50 |
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The automatic 1978 car they tested ran 7.8 to 60. Either way, it’s a fairly light car with an SBC. The easiest way to create a happy medium is to throw a brand new 350/290 Deluxe crate motor in it ($3331 at a GM dealer, $2714.90 from Summit with free shipping excluding oversize fees), and enjoy 300 reliable ponies.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 23:04 |
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“”The transmission offerings were revised in 1965. The Muncie 3-speed manual was replaced with a Ford-built Dearborn Toploader 3-speed. This transmission is the strongest manual transmission ever put in a GTO and required a new transmission bellhousing to mount it. This transmission lineup continued unchanged through 1966.””
From here: http://www.pontiacdiy.com/mastering-gto-restorations-transmission-guide/
![]() 10/11/2016 at 23:05 |
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This isn’t fair. I work in automotive manufacturing. I know all sorts of real weird shit about all sorts of things. And Claus is the least of your worries. Dieter in tank install never uses the bathroom on the afternoon shift. Ever.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 23:23 |
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My car knowledge is pretty much a mile wide and an inch deep.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 23:28 |
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The fakery is so bad that people won’t even say how to tell what’s real on the Internet- lest you be helping create better fakes.
![]() 10/11/2016 at 23:55 |
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The rear end in a RWD Volvo(brick) is a Dana 30 unit, same as the front axle in a XJ Jeep I believe.
Both the Ford Lima platform motors and the Volvo redblock motors can have the heads swapped between them(with a little modding).
I know I know more, but I’m drawing a blank currently....
![]() 10/12/2016 at 01:09 |
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Actually, my Peugeots have been rather easy to maintain (and have been reliable). I ran into the above problem this week, and it surprised me. That’s why I mentioned it. The engine and transmission using the same oil was new to me too, I hadn’t seen it in other cars by the same manufacturer.
The common solution is to not do it by the book and simply use a flexible boot and install it over the CV joint.
![]() 10/12/2016 at 01:34 |
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Yeah chrysler ruined jeep
![]() 10/12/2016 at 03:29 |
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The rear side windows in a 1963 Fairlane 2 door sedan only go down half way. I don’t know why, they just do.
![]() 10/12/2016 at 05:48 |
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Sadly no, It’s the engine’s “marketing” name like Honda’s Earth Dreams or Nissan’s Pure Drive. This is how the rest of it looks:
![]() 10/12/2016 at 08:44 |
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Chrysler saved it from a terrible demise at the hands of AMC/Renault, but yeah after that it got all fucked up.
![]() 10/12/2016 at 15:35 |
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and it’s not the well-known Ricambi America.
*not* Ricambi ;)
![]() 10/12/2016 at 17:05 |
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yeah... i dont even ride bikes. but i was driving around from hardware store to home depot to hardware store with my brother, when finally he looks at the thing i’m trying to replace... and says... wait a minute... he goes into his trunk... and pulls a bike spoke out of a box. problem solved.
necessity is the mother of invention... or cross-utilization of resources.
![]() 10/12/2016 at 19:44 |
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The ones I know of are 2010-2014 vintage, but my experience is fairly limited on that specific subject. It is the result of someone not exploring the vehicles’ full capabilities when figuring how much acceleration is too much.
![]() 10/13/2016 at 14:16 |
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That would be a fun combination! If you want it to accelerate faster you could put lower gears in it.
![]() 10/13/2016 at 14:28 |
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That’s pretty cool about the 3 speed, and the rock crusher muncie was the strongest 4 speed. I think it is interesting that the Ford 3 speed was much stronger.
![]() 10/13/2016 at 14:30 |
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Please share! I heard Dieter is the worst when does one of his girlfriend’s vegan cleanses. Something about e. coli in fuel lines.
![]() 10/13/2016 at 14:31 |
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You probably know something odd that must people don’t know.