Paul Dorsey wrote:
> The homegrown auto-electrician who rebuilt starters, generators, etc.
(from
> the 60's to present) told me how 'dependable' Lucas starters were. I'm
> conflicted...please enlighten me...um, encandle me?
> Paul
Why does Lucas have such a bad reputation? There's a story that Joseph
Lucas decided that HE would determine how long his products should last, and
had his engineers design them so that they would last just that long. If
longer, he'd have the parts weakened so they'd fail sooner, and conversely
if they died too early, he'd have them improved. Naturally, his idea of
what was acceptable life was too short for the customers, hence his
reputation for shoddy materials and workmanship.
Actually they were not shoddy at all; it was excellent design to a
specification dictated by a self-important autocrat who wasn't in tune with
the real world. Most manufacturers, Lucas included, have learned that top
quality pays better in the long run. Lucas was known for a long time as a
manufacturer of reliable military equipment. Maybe the elderly
still-servicable TR stuff was military design?
Skip Gurnee
64 TR4
66 TR4A
70 TVR
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