This is long. Sorry - it's a big topic with me lately.
Read it and feel free to poke holes in it.
Please understand that I feel the average driver could care less about what
makes their car go as long as it goes. Most teenagers know more about their
computer than their cars. A sparkplug is as mysterious to some as is a
torque convertor. Some might argue that today's average car is pretty
boring but I'll argue that most people don't care one bit as long as it is
fast enough, goes when you turn the key, and stays out of the shop and
looks cool to their friends.
So many of us could alter our means of transportation and eliminate most of
our polluting habits. There are so many options out there already but the
politicians, auto makers and the media proclaim none will work. They will
but why change what we drive - when so many are already getting rich from
our 'bad' habits?
We've all heard the solutions involving bicycles and walking to
work/school/store and whatever but none are very realistic for little trips
where you need to be presentable on arrival or carry something with you.
I think alot of us could get by with an electric vehicle as an in town
vehicle. I'm not talking about those of you doing 80 mph commutes across
metro areas because it's going to be tough to get there and back without a
charge in between if you plan on using the heater and radio and lights.
I hear the groans already but read on. I don't own one yet but I am
thinking about an EV built from probably an old VW Beetle. A home built EV
will do about 60 miles on a charge at 50 mph or less (you can go faster but
not as far). Around town I get a ticket if I run over 35 mph. I know I
could get around for several DAYS back and forth to the University where I
work on one charge (more or less 6 miles each way). An old Chevy truck EV
would be cool but I'm not going to hack that up... <grin>
Even a home built EV operates cheaper than an ICE at about 2 cents a mile
my reading shows.
I subscribe to an EV list and they build theirs from average small 4
cylinder cars. Not golf carts or anything too exotic like titanium framed
whatevers. This is where old Geos and Escorts or Rangers go when they get
old.
An EV is very practical for these short trips where most of your cold
engine wear is, where your most inefficient combustion takes place, and
where your oil is never going to get hot enough to burn off the byproducts
of combustion due to blowby of the piston rings.
I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories but I do believe that an EV can be
built to practical standards for today's driver if enough money was thrown
at it. I also believe that there are other technologies that can be used
(fuel cells, etc.) but get 'lost' on purpose.
Don't forget alot of companies get rich from the car as we know it today.
Oil companies, engine part companies, service facilities, car makers, etc.
Maintenance on an alternative powered vehicle like an EV is very minimal -
just replace the batteries every so often (several years I'm told) and the
rest is mostly electrical - no tune ups, no spark plugs, no oil, no
filters, no valves! Most of the homebuilts I know of run just regular lead
acid batteries purchased from the local FLAPS.
Think of what goes away and then think about which companies don't get your
money! It really upsets the automotive economy as we know it. I think if
there were more efficient alternatives on the road you would see the car
makers scramble to make the rest of their fleet more efficient. I think the
auto/oil industry is protecting their infrastructure (wouldn't you?)
They have spent billions and trillions on what we have today and they
aren't going to just throw it away and jump into fuel cell technology (or
anything like it).
I'm not sure if I would say the ICE engine is as good as it gets today. I
think it can be better, but maybe only marginally. I really believe like a
friend (engineer) told me that regardless of what they do, you can only get
so much energy out of a gallon of gas. The efficiency could still increase
some though. We are hauling around alot of steel in the modern car but my
'49 3100 216 c.i. gets about the same gas mileage as some of the other
pickups on the road today - which are certainly cleaner, and certainly pack
alot more creature comforts, but still get 15-20 mpg. Big deal.
Think about what technology has done in the past 30 years (computers, etc.)
and then think about the fact that the average car still uses the same
basic ICE as 100 years ago - albeit much cleaner, durable, reliable, etc.
Still pistons sliding up and down, camshafts, tappet valves, oil and gasoline.
One good example of improvements out there (proven? dunno..) was an article
in Hot Rod magazine last year sometime where a machinist/engineer replaced
the cylinder head as we know it and it's tappet valves with a custom made
head using rotating 'ball' valves in the head resulting in 30%-50%
increases all over (I don't remember the exact numbers). The first
improvement in power resulting from eliminating the camshaft and lifter
arrangement which I'm told eats up much HP in any ICE.
He tried this on everything including a Harley engine with good results. I
wonder why the car makers don't embrace this stuff? Maybe it is durability
or licensing or ??? but this sounded like a good improvement worth some
attention.
I'd love to see the common car or truck or SUV move on to a better power
plant. I too love the ICE - tinkering and tuning and repairing. I also love
being able to breathe and knowing that there will be some cheap energy left
in the last years of my life (I'm 30 now). Why wait until we are at a
crisis like the 70's during the embargo when we have the technology to
improve our rides now. Most of what is on the road now are disposable
vehicles anyhow. I also don't fear our roads would be crowded with tiny
non-de script cars and trucks. Luckily the auto manufacturers keep putting
out some very interesting wheels at the big expos. With only minor
improvements I think we can take the EVs and fuel cells ideas to realistic
design without a miracle.
Okay for those of you who are going to rant this has nothing to do with old
Chevy trucks - I'll argue it does. It does because what extreme legislation
gets passed in the big metro areas of our country affects us everywhere
eventually. Don't believe me?
Everything in CA (Republic of Kalifornia I get told by some folks) trickles
down to us in the boonies. Our clean cars are based on older CA standards.
Not a bad thing but what if their rather extreme car crushing policy makes
it's way to our home states? I often read stories on other lists (VW,
Corvair, Porsche, EV) where folks are put on notice that their old parts
vehicle in the backyard will be crushed by the local municipality if it
isn't in running condition or registered (taxed). Most of these stories are
coming from out west (CA) and some are certainly in neighborhoods with
strict zoning regs. But where does this set of regs start? Frustrated
neighbors with adjoining property looking at ancient junk heaps rusting
away 50 feet from their bedroom windows. Maybe the car crushing is to make
the militant tree huggers feel better - like they are accomplishing
something for the environment. I figure they are just encouraging the
economy to buy more new cars instead of taking care of the old ones.
Fist let me say I'm not a nutzo tree hugger. I love the woods and the
undeveloped lands we have left today. I'd love to see the urban sprawl stop
but I'd be happy with some careful planning that keep the centers of the
cities alive and trees everywhere - not just acres of asphalt (malls every
5 miles).
I'm not a militant tree hugger with blinders on but I do think that
progress keeps them in check. If we constantly improve auto technology for
the average car then the militant need not crush all the old cars and they
have nothing to complain about. If we are improving the common car then
age, wear and tear, and accidents take care of most of the older cars who
can't keep the air clean. What's left are fairly desirable relics
appreciated by folks like us. And if the roads were full of our old cars
stinking up the air then yes I'd probably be unhappy about it too.
This I think takes the pressure off of the old car folks like us who want
to keep and drive the oldies. Who cares if my old truck doesn't have a
catalytic convertor and could choke a moose standing behind my truck when
it idles IF the common commuter car is so clean you could heat your house
with their exhaust (I'm stretching it a little!).
Another way to look at is this: how much gas do you burn in a year? How
much does some of commercial fleets? When I was in the Navy (Haiti to be
exact) the SEALS were running OPS with patrol boats powered by twin
in-board big block 500 c.i. engines. Beautiful to listen to (at a distance)
with huge short header pipes sticking out of the rear, un-muffled,
un-catalytic convertored - raw!
They were running 2 or 3 boats I remember. They had to have fuel air
dropped in huge bladders that looked like huge floating green marshmallows
(make you hungry?). They used more in a couple days than I used in the
previous two YEARS! And our antiques are a serious cause of the air quality
problems? DOUBT it!!!
One idea I never hear mentioned on the network news or by the militant tree
huggers is how much resources are used to produce and deliver a new
vehicle. I figure I'm using less energy driving the same 30-50 year car a
few thousand miles each year than the local big wig buying a new whatever
every two years no matter how clean his newest car is. Wouldn't it be more
efficient to drive the same old whatever until the doors fell off and maybe
keep it tuned or upgrade the drivetrain to a cleaner solution at rebuild time?
A good example is my two VW's which will be getting 80's vintage fuel
injection and a cat at some point in the near future since I can understand
the system almost (once they are back on the road) and my '49 that might
get something BOLTED in that is late model if I choose to begin operating
my business with it. That will be MUCH cleaner than they are now and if I
get really rich and smart then I'll move to 90's fuel injection...
And what about the CAFE rules? Many loopholes allowing large SUV's to be
categorized as what they are not. Half the time when I am riding my
motorcycle to and from work I think they should require special licenses to
drive some of the bigger ones - oh and cell phone blockers. I do think CAFE
has cleaned up the air but without alot of pain for the car makers. They
complained the whole time and then recently made some token attempts to
produce EV's. Probably more public relations than real attempts at changing
what we drive and thus what ends up in the air.
I'm done ranting. I suppose this is just the result of the recent elections
and listening to the candidates on all sides and all the networks giving
such a narrow, slanted, non-objective view on the topics of today. This is
the great thing about these Internet lists - common folks and goofy folks
like me can spout off and be heard by someone besides their spouse,
children and pets. Well at least by a couple bored folks anyway.
Our world doesn't have to be like the politicians or the TV networks or
corporate America plans it. There are other ways to skin the cat (I like
cats honest!) I just believe the laws we are faced with today are
encouraging the auto makers to build more and more gas sucking SUV's than
REALISTICALLY examining other ideas. Like the newscasters say - it has
polarized the issue. You are either for or against whatever idea is being
proposed. Not many are saying hey - look - their's a pretty happy middle
ground in here if you'll notice. A decent way to make everybody happy and
not make anyone go home with their feelings hurt!
Back to rusty trucks and leaky engines!
CHRIS in Tennessee
scmills@tntech.edu
ICQ: 5944649
'78 VW Westfalia (maybe some CIS injection,Corvair, turbos --- hmmmm...)
'65 Beetle (Type IV powered)
'99 CR-V 5 speed
'49 Chevy 3100 Pickup
'81 Honda CB900C
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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