Automotive myths

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by boatpuller

My dad was a Studebaker fan. He always said how they were "ahead of their time". A 57 golden hawk with a 289 V8 could get close to 30 mpg and flat scoot to boot. And they were a big comfortable car.

Your dad was correct and by tweeking the carb jets you could get 30mpg and another thing is the V-8's got better mileage with the correct tranny and rear end than the 6 bangers..

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by boatpuller

My dad was a Studebaker fan. He always said how they were "ahead of their time". A 57 golden hawk with a 289 V8 could get close to 30 mpg and flat scoot to boot. And they were a big comfortable car.

I'm sorry but a 289 Hawk would on its best day get at most 20. On average mine gets 16 to 18. The car is just as it came from the factory. 4bl Carter automatic with 3:31 rear. I've had several hawks ,Avantis and larks over the years and the best mileage I ever got was a 63 lark 259 v8 3spd with overdrive 3:07 rear got 24 on the highway doing under 60.

My Hawk was bought by my dad new and has 29k miles . Only thing done to it was detailing the engine and frame. Everything else is 100% factory. I won 1st at the Studebaker nationals in PA in the survivor class .

[theastronaut]

The 60's/70's cars got great mileage because they didn't weigh as much. Now it takes all the modern technology available to get good mileage at double the weight. 1964 VW Bug weighs 1640 pounds, 2014 Beetle weighs 3100+.

[toms68cst]

I've always wondered about people who put cardboard in front of their radiators to help their heaters run hotter.

To my thinking the thermostat controls the engine temperature. I think that putting a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator will only risk overheating the engine if the engine is generating too much heat.

[richards72chevy]

My cousin owns an early nineties ford truck.He paid some one to rebuild the transmission.When the transmission wouldn't shift as it should after the "rebuild" the guy who rebuilt it wanted to put a bottle of sea foam fuel cleaner in it to clean up the sensors on the inside of the transmission.Just when I thought I've heard them all.

[slomotion]

Not exactly a testament to mileage, but we thought it was amusing....
Back in the 60's I was stationed on a ship who had an electrician that was into all the gimmicks to increase mileage. He ordered some little fan gizmo that attached to the top of his single barrel carb. This "Turbo Jet something, something" had a wire sticking out of it and he wired it to a toggle switch so he could "monitor the data".
One duty night we added a quart of gas to his tank. Three days later we did it again. This went on for a couple weeks and he started bragging about his mileage being increased even better than he thought it would. We stopped adding gas for a couple of weeks and he began to get puzzled that the mileage was "dropping off". Then we started siphoning out a quart on regular intervals. This drove him crazy.
We never learned who outed us, but somebody did and we had to find another source of amusement.

[rgunlock]

^^^

[richards72chevy]

Electric cars are pollution free.In my opinion I think they will harm the environment more in the long run with the batteries.Plus the mining of the lithium to make the batteries and the infrastructure to get it going.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by richards72chevy

Electric cars are pollution free.In my opinion I think they will harm the environment more in the long run with the batteries.Plus the mining of the lithium to make the batteries and the infrastructure to get it going.

I share your concerns about impacts on the environment from lithium mining. However, while electric cars may be pollution free, the electricity has to come from somewhere.
Many electric generation plants are fueled by coal, oil, or natural gas, all of which contribute to pollution.

[The Rocknrod]

Originally Posted by Stocker

I share your concerns about impacts on the environment from lithium mining. However, while electric cars may be pollution free, the electricity has to come from somewhere.
Many electric generation plants are fueled by coal, oil, or natural gas, all of which contribute to pollution.

Correct and with enough added load there will have to be more plants built to keep up with it, so pollution free? No!

[slomotion]

Whew! Old thread!

I don't know enough about battery technology to know if going to electric cars/trucks is a good move or not.

What I do know is a large percentage of the price of a gallon of gas is taxes that are supposed to help the states maintain roads and highways.
I have an acquaintance with a Tesla. He's had it for at least a couple of years, but not buying gas, he's not paid any road taxes for that same period of time. Where will the equitable line be in this case?

It'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out........

[special-K]

Yeah, they aren't pollution-free. The idea is the electricity it takes to make them go requires a fraction of pollution producing energy to produce. And they aren't spreading pollution everywhere they go. But the myth comes in for all those who do consider electric cars pollution-free. Most who are pushing them forward live in urban/suburban areas where everything they do is supported by the existing infrastructure. In the country I can save energy by walking outside and taking a leak, burn firewood, grow my own vegetables, hunt my own meat, even get water from a spring or purify water from one of the streams running nearby. I have electric heat and I didn't ever think that was considered going green. I try to conserve energy use and that is my biggest downfall

[truckster]

Here's a fuel mileage myth: That anything you add to your vehicle or your fuel tank will have a bigger effect than your right foot.

My niece came to me because her Toyota truck was getting far worse mileage than was advertised for the model. She asked me about tuning, mileage devices, etc. I told her to tell her husband to lighten up his right foot. She thought for a minute and said, "Well, he has gotten three speeding tickets since we bought the truck."

Driving habits have far more to do with fuel mileage than most people realize.

[toms68cst]

xx

[Sheepdip]

Here's my almost all original 46 CJ2A it makes the trek to 10,000 ft on Sonora Pass almost every summer at least once. 26 percent grade in a couple of spots.

Original 134 Cu. In. 60 HP Hurricane 4 Banger and 5.38 differentials, you do not get there very fast, or carve up any twisty/curvy mountain roads with it but gets there eventually, it's all about gearing!

I put 11" Jeep Wagoneer drum brakes on it several years ago, they are like having power disc brakes and sure help coming off the pass. The old 9" dia. factory center pivot non-binding brakes were pretty scary to say the least.

[special-K]

CJ2As are my favorite Jeep. The original concept of what a Jeep was created for and they do it well. Start modifying and you will end up with nothing but the body before Properly matching all components... except better brakes

[LONGHAIR]

Mine too, followed closely by CJ-5, though I haven't messed with either in years. Back in the early 80s I worked in a 4 x 4 shop and owned a '79 CJ-5 and worked on a lot of other Jeep models. Back then was the beginning of the tire size growth era and the lift laws that came along in response to it.
It was amazing to see how many guys would run around with 40"-42"-44" tires and stock gearing. After a while of dealing with it, many did learn from those who did figure it out.
Many of the GM guys did the swap as part of the repair from the inevitable Gov-Loc failure.

[special-K]

Yeah, back when 36"+ tires came out the auto myth was you could jack it up to make them fit and you had a badass 4wd. I guess I was one of them. I ran 37/14.50s on Dana 44/Dana 60 axles with 4.10s and 4spd. It actually seemed pretty bad. Most new trucks at that time had gutless engines, taller gearing, lighter rear end, and automatic transmission. I never broke an axle, after I replaced the outer and spindle the p.o. broke, I suppose, joyriding it one more time. It only had 11-15s then, but had Warn Loc-O-Matics that would break if you wheeled w/o manually locking them. I learned that the hard expensive way myself.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by special-K

.... Warn Loc-O-Matics that would break if you wheeled w/o manually locking them. I learned that the hard expensive way myself.

Good info to know.... those were on my K20 when I bought it.... no damage, but if I'm working the truck hard, I lock 'em in.

I bought another pair from a board member so I have spares just in case.

[LONGHAIR]

Yeah Tim, a lot of that happened back then and once they were stuffed in there, the truck became useless as an off-roader. They barely fit, so the suspension travel was virtually zero because of interference.
The 4 speed was at least some help in accelerating from a stand-still. Automatics got well and truly abused by that.
Those times did bring us the the birth of the "Mall Crawler"

I did break an axle or 2 back then, but I was abusing a Dana 44. The 74 C-20 with a 454, 4 speed, metallic puck clutch, Tru-Trac front, Detroit Locker rear, 4.56 gears and 40" Regul Trailblazers were a bit much for the short-side front axle under the foot of a mid 20s kid who worked in a shop who could fix it.
I did break it two different ways though, once the joint failed, the other was the outer shaft itself. I guess those are places not ways....the way was simple, right foot and traction.

The GM automatic hubs of the 80 weren't any better. I replaced countless pairs of them over the years back then.

[leddzepp]

“Air conditioning works, just needs a recharge”.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

“Air conditioning works, just needs a recharge”.

I'll vouch for that!

[special-K]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

“Air conditioning works, just needs a recharge”.

"Oh, and a new belt. I took it off because I never use it"

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by special-K

"Oh, and a new belt. I took it off because I never use it"

“Just needs a new battery and you can drive it across the country!”

[special-K]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

“Just needs a new battery and you can drive it across the country!”

So you are saying if I load it up and haul it to Maryland to buy a battery it will make it?