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GM loses big-time

"Larry" wrote in message
...

The points in its
little distributor were also the same as the Fiat rear engine Spider I
also
owned at the time.

850 Spider?

We've had two of those. The first was while living in Italy .... the
little 2 seater "sports car" convertible version.
The second we had later back in the states ... a hardtop, sorta fastback
version.

I wanted to bring the one in Italy back with me but it didn't meet US safety
standards.
It was a fun car.

Eisboch

GM loses big-time

On Aug 5, 9:20*am, BAR wrote:
hk wrote:
Larry wrote:
Tim wrote in news:7e6b6b40-3ade-4572-917c-
:

Evenw ith the old Generator, I never really had any proble with mine.
But To note, that the "gen" light in the dash always did glow. I never
figured that one out....

A DC generator, unlike the alternators used today, only generates
power after a certain RPM threshold, caused by the counter EMF of the
battery. *There are no blocking diodes, so a generator is actually a
LOAD with current backing up through it at low speed....or, worse yet,
not turning at all, which cooks whichever rotor and commutator core it
happens to be sitting on at the time.

This is why old people are always so crazy about NOT leaving the key
on when their car isn't running. *The modern car, it makes no
difference. *The old cars, it cooked the generators and contact
ignition systems, killing the battery in the process.

My Guzzi Marelli problem was always switches, in the handle bars. *
They corroded in the rain and you rode in the dark or it wouldn't
run...or it wouldn't crank, and had no foot crank on it. *Replacing
the entire handle bar assembly including electrics with one from a
wrecked Honda 750 cured this problem for the rest of their lives.

I lost a starter, once. *It's core came apart. *Being in rural SC, my
only choice was an auto electric shop that looked like it had been in
business since rewinding Ford coils in the 1920's. *The owner, a nice
old guy, pulled it apart to look, shook his head we weren't gonna fix
that one and said, "This is just a Fiat starter running backwards. *
Let me pull the gear off the end of it and put it on a rebuilt Fiat
starter and you'll be fine. *You can't beat expertise in any field. *
He instructed his worker what to do, an hour later they had it mounted
back on my Guzzi and she cranked right up. *It was on there when I
sold it years later. *The points in its little distributor were also
the same as the Fiat rear engine Spider I also owned at the time.

There are rumors that FIAT is planning to re-enter the American
market...again.

I had a FIAT Abarth 850 for about three months once. Used. Awful car.
Now they are collector's items and fetch big bucks. They're still awful
cars.

But the prettiest awful car I ever had was an MG-A. Gorgeous, white with
red leather. Looked very pretty sitting in the driveway where I lived in
Kansas City. That's where it spent most of its time, too, sitting in the
driveway. It was a mechanical and electrical P.O.S. It was sort of like
the girl I was dating at the time...very pretty, with really nice
upholstery, but it was damned hard to start her up and keep her running..

Did you ever think it might be the operator and not the equipment?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Oh comeon, it was a clever story, wonder where he got it.. Mabey from
the same guy he stole the pictures from...

GM loses big-time

"hk" wrote in message
. ..

I had a FIAT Abarth 850 for about three months once. Used. Awful car. Now
they are collector's items and fetch big bucks. They're still awful cars.

The 850 Spider we had in Italy looked just like this .... same color even
....

http://www.motorbase.com/uploads/200..._my_850_14.jpg

Eisboch

GM loses big-time

On Aug 5, 9:26*am, "Eisboch" wrote:
"hk" wrote in message

. ..

I had a FIAT Abarth 850 for about three months once. Used. Awful car. Now
they are collector's items and fetch big bucks. They're still awful cars.

The 850 Spider we had in Italy looked just like this .... same color even
...

http://www.motorbase.com/uploads/200..._my_850_14.jpg

Eisboch

I owned an Austin Healey (sp?) Sprite for a while when I was traveling
in the south.. Cute little car...

GM loses big-time

On Aug 5, 9:49*am, "Jim" wrote:
"hk" wrote in message

. ..

Larry wrote:
Tim wrote in news:7e6b6b40-3ade-4572-917c-
:

Evenw ith the old Generator, I never really had any proble with mine.
But To note, that the "gen" light in the dash always did glow. I never
figured that one out....

A DC generator, unlike the alternators used today, only generates power
after a certain RPM threshold, caused by the counter EMF of the battery.
There are no blocking diodes, so a generator is actually a LOAD with
current backing up through it at low speed....or, worse yet, not turning
at all, which cooks whichever rotor and commutator core it happens to be
sitting on at the time.

This is why old people are always so crazy about NOT leaving the key on
when their car isn't running. *The modern car, it makes no difference.
The old cars, it cooked the generators and contact ignition systems,
killing the battery in the process.

My Guzzi Marelli problem was always switches, in the handle bars. *They
corroded in the rain and you rode in the dark or it wouldn't run...or it
wouldn't crank, and had no foot crank on it. *Replacing the entire handle
bar assembly including electrics with one from a wrecked Honda 750 cured
this problem for the rest of their lives.

I lost a starter, once. *It's core came apart. *Being in rural SC, my
only choice was an auto electric shop that looked like it had been in
business since rewinding Ford coils in the 1920's. *The owner, a nice old
guy, pulled it apart to look, shook his head we weren't gonna fix that
one and said, "This is just a Fiat starter running backwards. *Let me
pull the gear off the end of it and put it on a rebuilt Fiat starter and
you'll be fine. *You can't beat expertise in any field. *He instructed
his worker what to do, an hour later they had it mounted back on my Guzzi
and she cranked right up. *It was on there when I sold it years later.

GM loses big-time

On Aug 5, 9:26 am, "Eisboch" wrote:
"hk" wrote in message

. ..

I had a FIAT Abarth 850 for about three months once. Used. Awful car. Now
they are collector's items and fetch big bucks. They're still awful cars.
The 850 Spider we had in Italy looked just like this .... same color even
...

http://www.motorbase.com/uploads/200..._my_850_14.jpg

Eisboch

My mother owned a red Fiat Spider convertible in the early 70's. It had
some minor problems but that was her version of the male mid-life
crisis. She had always wanted a sexy sports car, so she figured it was
now or never. She kept it for about 5 years when it started to show
it's age. Cars of that era didn't hold up as well as they do today.

GM loses big-time

hk wrote in
:

But the prettiest awful car I ever had was an MG-A. Gorgeous, white with
red leather. Looked very pretty sitting in the driveway where I lived in
Kansas City. That's where it spent most of its time, too, sitting in the
driveway. It was a mechanical and electrical P.O.S. It was sort of like
the girl I was dating at the time...very pretty, with really nice
upholstery, but it was damned hard to start her up and keep her running.

Isn't it interesting this is the same English company that made the Morris
Minors I always loved. I had a little green saloon, a drophead coupe and
always wanted the little woody wagon but never found one I could afford on
sailor's pay.

My 37hp drophead, with its white racing stripes to match the 6 light and 8
badge bar, not to mention its 37hp monstrous 4-cylinder powerplant, was my
favorite. A little '41 Ford convertible, made in 1964.

The only thing it lost was the master cylinder in the hydraulic brakes.
The hand brake worked good until I saved up enough money to buy a new
master cylinder on my measily $100 Navy check....

There's a towtruck company downtown that has a lot of Morris and Austin
Minis....the real ones not the new BMW fake ones. They are pretty proud of
them when you ask the price....(c;

GM loses big-time

"Eisboch" wrote in
:

The 850 Spider we had in Italy looked just like this .... same color
even ...

Mine was a horrid orange, but what can you expect for $1200...(c;

Someone told him it needed an expensive radiator, so he dumped it on me.
The radiator shop guy shrugged and said, "Come back on Wednesday." when it
was ready to go for $65...??