From: "CBL302" <CBL302@email.msn.com>
To: <bricklin@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2001 1:47 PM
Subject: Re: to mod or not to mod....... Claude
I am saying in General,as Ford did the R&D on their engines(and spent
millions in the process)to figure what the best combo's are for EACH
perticular engine,they figured that,for example on the Bricklin's (Ford)
engine,that the two barrel would work best,with these perticular
heads/pistions/intake/exhaust ect,You start putting a four barrel on that
intake or heads,you get instant problems,unless you match the CMF flow with
the engine,or the camshaft,may not have the Duration(the time the valves
open and close to match the CFM ect,not to mention the spark or the exhaust
mismatch,again if you modify ONE thing YOU mess up something ELSE,and you
MESS up the Long term Duration(and the reliability) of the orignal
engineering that was put INTO the engine.THAT is why you NEVER see a OLD
ORIGNAL modified car.Unless you have the filicities (or money)and equipment
to do the R&D and get it right,you will end up with a mixmaster of oddball
HiPo parts put into a engine,that runs poorer(and with less HP) than the
stock engine had.You CANNOT go by what the manufactures of the HiPo.parts
claim, as they are in the business of mass production(and profits),and
cannot say for sure if their product will work in your perticular case and
combo setup,THAT IS WHY I say if You ARE going to modify,Modify one thing
at
a time,to see how each item works for your perticular case,and you will
find
that in some of the modifactions,that if combined with another modifaction
it would hurt the performance of the previous modifaction,This is called
Trail and Error,and is about the best way a backyard mechanic can hope to
get things right(beside the seat of his pants Method),if you bring it to a
garage to modify the chances are YOU
SHOULD HAVE LEFT IT STOCK,as you will NEVER be happy with any modifactions
done by a LOCAL garage,and you would be $$$$$$ poorer and Disgusted with
the
whole project.
Claude
1024/1136
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "alphachi" <alphachi@writeme.com>
> To: <Bricklin@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2001 10:46 AM
> Subject: to mod or not to mod....... Claude
>
>
> > First, I disagree with the premise of your argument. What the argument
> > fails to do is distinguish what and how the mods are performed, owner
> > "moditus" and how the car is driven.
> > But hey, it comes with age. Later on in life, we often make the mistake
> of
> > lumping things together in a poor attempt to gain a summation and some
> > clarity. It's the "its (they are) all alike syndrome". Areas of
> > discrimination and ability to distinguish are blurred into one happy
pile
> > of conclusion, such as "All mods don't work because ......"
> >
> > First, what:
> > There are many parts, some for street, some for strip, etc.. They are
> > different animals entirely.
> > Well-designed MILD, stable street mods do last If you use the right
parts
> > for the right application. A 393 mod will generally outlast a 401 mod
> > because of many factors..generally. Even as fine a selection as the
use
> of
> > what rings such as super hard ones that may hold up to limited abuse but
> > reduce longevity, generally. Harder and bigger are not necessarily
better
> > (automotively speaking <grin>). Mixing and matching into what one
lister
> > describes as "1 800 hotrod" is asking for trouble also. Package mods
are
> > generally a little more conservative but they are often well engineered
> > because of the resources Ford, Edelbrock, Holley, and others have.
> >
> >
> > How: Not only does it matter what parts, but the careful, often
> meticulous
> > installation of such mods. This is critical and often dirty shops, poor
> > attention to detail, lack of consistency and experience, improper tools,
> > improper break-in, play crucial rolls in failure. The inability to
> > distinguish these areas obfuscates any argument.
> >
> > "Moditus" : When to stop modding, how much modifying and/or speed are
> > enough??? For example, people into high end hi-fi are constantly
working
> > on their system with various tweaks and upgrades. But to then attribute
> > this observation to "All high end equipment is faulty" and therefore "my
> > Sony is better" is faulty logic.
> >
> > Driven: My Z3 Roadster would lose all dependability if pushed to the
limit
> > on a regular basis even without any mods. Many drivers of modified cars
> and
> > some of those with BMW Roadsters have a tendency to push their vehicle
too
> > often, too hard, and result in breaking down and numerous repairs.
> Drivers
> > of high performance vehicles tend to drive more often and more
"spirited"
> as
> > opposed to drivers of Corollas and Tempos. IF the driver does not push
> the
> > vehicle to its limits on a regular basis. NO car can survive abuse and
> > modified or high performance cars are even more sensitive to this. Many
> > kids and immature adults drive modified or high performance vehicles.
> D'uh!
> > To then attribute " All modified cars are undependable, all BMWs and
High
> > performance vehicles are undependable", therefore "my Sable is better"
is
> > once again, poor logic.
> >
> > The above factors introduce far too many variables to "sum them all up
in
> > one lump". I can just as easily recall many mods being good, dependable
> > vehicles but EACH of these factors came into play.
> >
> > The Bricklin came with many design flaws, from the doors, trailing
links,
> > seals, a/c, gas tank, body, instrumentation, heat dissipation (engine
and
> > passenger compartment), weight, the early 74 headlights, etc.., it is
> barely
> > driveable under OEM circumstances unless you turn a blind eye, deaf
ear,
> > and lose all your other senses as well. Many consider it a plastic
> bubble
> > vehicle or garage queen, and stock, it generally is. The car was
plagued
> > not only with flawed and crude engineering, but subject to poor and
> > inconsistent parts quality and workmanship. I recall looking at
several
> > Bricks that the owners attested "it runs just fine" only to find my
> knuckles
> > white after the test drive concluded. Ah, love is blind. . .
> >
> > So the questions remains - Can the Bricklin be a dependable, driveable
> > vehicle that can manage to get out of its own way and not put you in a
> ditch
> > or leave you soaked while doing so? Are we pushing the limits of the
> > vehicle in an attempt to make it a driver? Can we perform these mods
and
> > still conserve the overall vehicle, that is, is it STILL a real
Bricklin?
> > Personal factors play a huge roll in the answer. But then, the above
> > detailed factors can play an even more significant part in its
conclusion.
> >
> > stephan #2821 (getting off soap box now)
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