On Sep 11, 1:50*am, "Eisboch" wrote:
"Eisboch" wrote in message

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"Calif Bill" wrote in message
om...

I think the only "aluminum" cylinder was the Chevy Vega.

I think you are correct.

Aluminum can be hard anodized however, resulting in a surface hardness on
the Rockwell scale very close to steel.

Eisboch

Further on this: *(I looked it up because I was curious) .....

The original Vega block was a cast aluminum alloy, called 390, that was
16-18% Silicon, 4-4.5% Copper and the rest, pure aluminum.
It had no cast iron cylinder liners. *The Si content increased wear
resistance by allowing primary crystals of Si to precipitate out of the
aluminum.

This was all part of a general industry driven evolution of the use of
aluminum as new alloys were developed and applications were being tried.

It's also one of the reasons I've never been a big GM fan. * It seems like
they, more so than the other manufacturers, have a history of experimenting
with things, like metallurgy in this case, using their customer's cars as
the guinea pig test beds.

In the case of the Vega, it certainly was a flop.

Eisboch- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'll tell ya something about the Vega and Pinto. Although they were
both pieces of crap, it was the start of new technology that produced
smaller power plants that had decent weight to power ratios. A lot of
the technology from those days drove what's in today's vehicles.

wrote in message
...

I'll tell ya something about the Vega and Pinto. Although they were
both pieces of crap, it was the start of new technology that produced
smaller power plants that had decent weight to power ratios. A lot of
the technology from those days drove what's in today's vehicles.

----------------------------------

We had a '72 Pinto. It was the first new car I ever bought. $2,600 bucks,
financed through the Navy Federal Credit Union.
Other than the issue of the exploding gas tank if you got hit from the rear,
it was actually not a bad little car.
When I was transferred to Puerto Rico, I shipped it there. About a month
later a local walked up our driveway and asked, "How much?" At first I
didn't know what he was asking (speaking in Spanish). He pulled a wad of
bills out of his pocket and offered me $3,000. I shook my head "No", and
he added another 200 bucks. I took the cash and handed him the keys.

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:
wrote in message
...

I'll tell ya something about the Vega and Pinto. Although they were
both pieces of crap, it was the start of new technology that produced
smaller power plants that had decent weight to power ratios. A lot of
the technology from those days drove what's in today's vehicles.

----------------------------------

We had a '72 Pinto. It was the first new car I ever bought. $2,600 bucks,
financed through the Navy Federal Credit Union.
Other than the issue of the exploding gas tank if you got hit from the rear,
it was actually not a bad little car.
When I was transferred to Puerto Rico, I shipped it there. About a month
later a local walked up our driveway and asked, "How much?" At first I
didn't know what he was asking (speaking in Spanish). He pulled a wad of
bills out of his pocket and offered me $3,000. I shook my head "No", and
he added another 200 bucks. I took the cash and handed him the keys.

Eisboch




Smaller power plants with higher power to weight (and displacement)
ratios were being used in European cars long before the American
manufacturers began to market them in a serious manner.

Are any U.S. manufacturers still using pushrods instead of overhead cams?

On Sep 11, 9:31*am, "Eisboch" wrote:
wrote in message

...

I'll tell ya something about the Vega and Pinto. Although they were
both pieces of crap, it was the start of new technology that produced
smaller power plants that had decent weight to power ratios. A lot of
the technology from those days drove what's in today's vehicles.

----------------------------------

We had a '72 Pinto. *It was the first new car I ever bought. *$2,600 bucks,
financed through the Navy Federal Credit Union.
Other than the issue of the exploding gas tank if you got hit from the rear,
it was actually not a bad little car.
When I was transferred to Puerto Rico, I shipped it there. *About a month
later a local walked up our driveway and asked, "How much?" * At first I
didn't know what he was asking *(speaking in Spanish). * He pulled a wad of
bills out of his pocket and offered me $3,000. * I shook my head "No", and
he added another 200 bucks. * I took the cash and handed him the keys.

Eisboch

My wife tells a funny story about a Pinto she owned. It got stolen in
San Francisco. If I remember, it had the Rolls Royce looking front
end. Anyway, she calls the cops, cops come, ask her for information.
She's crying. goes through the description, and she tells them it's a
such and such color Pinto. The cop just looked at her and said, why
are you crying?!