Are we getting more for our money??

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318willrun

318willrun

Utube channel 318willrun
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Take me back to the days of simplicity... where 1/2, 9/16, and 5/8 wrenches would fix almost anything along the road :) I think there was more value for your money then. 225 - 440. Nowadays horsepower, torque, mpg, and highway speeds are all way up, but is there more value for your money???
 
Actually, highway speeds are down- 75 mph then, 70 now... at least around here. (Except for that 55mph fiasco that started in the '70s, and didn't go away until the mid 90's.)
 
318willrun said:
Looks like 2835 sold ... not worth the time and effort to even offer it. Especially at 105 hp and 168 torque... slant six numbers :D :D :D
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Heck, Dodge offered a 120 hp Perkins 6 cyl. diesel back in '62, at least in the 1 ton D300s (and up). They had been using a 4 cylinder Perkins in cars and trucks in Europe for years before that.
They even had a turbo-diesel version of the Mitsu-sourced Dodge D50 mini pickup in the 80s.
 
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318willrun said:
Take me back to the days of simplicity... where 1/2, 9/16, and 5/8 wrenches would fix almost anything along the road :) I think there was more value for your money then. 225 - 440. Nowadays horsepower, torque, mpg, and highway speeds are all way up, but is there more value for your money???
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I'm on the prowl for certain length 5/16-3//8, 1/2-9/16, 5/8-3/4 end wrenches for the complete kit lol.

Screenshot_20240824-003040_Gallery.jpg
 
Professor Fate said:
Heck, Dodge offered a 120 hp Perkins 6 cyl. diesel back in '62, at least in the 1 ton D300s (and up). They had been using a 4 cylinder Perkins in cars and trucks in Europe for years before that.
They even had a turbo-diesel version of the Mitsu-sourced Dodge D50 mini pickup in the 80s.
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jeebus, what was 0-60 measured with? a sundial?
 
318willrun said:
Take me back to the days of simplicity... where 1/2, 9/16, and 5/8 wrenches would fix almost anything along the road :) I think there was more value for your money then. 225 - 440. Nowadays horsepower, torque, mpg, and highway speeds are all way up, but is there more value for your money???
Click to expand...

I think we do get more value now... cars do well over 100k miles without much more than oil changes and tires.. i have seens kias turn 400k with very minor repairs (love to kill coils around 90k) i love old cars but at least here in michigan 60k was bout it til they were falling apart.

Plus.. heated seats/steering wheel when it's -20... yes please :)
 
I had a 58 Fury with the 350 and 2 4bbls with 147,000 miles when I quit driving it and bought a 68 Road Runner. That 58 sold me on the B engines. Just couldn't keep a tranny in it, auto and then converted to stick.
 
I ran across one of these 78 Dodge diesel pickups in a Missouri junk yard back in the 90's. I did scarf the fender tag off of it. The only one I have ever seen.
 
I still believe that any of the gas engines backed by the 727 would be the lowest maintenance, long lasting and mechanically friendly trucks one could buy. If my '13 Ram stops, I'll have less of a chance than a 10 year old in 1978 at getting it going roadside.
 
I can imagine the elderly gentleman in 1978 seeing that ad and thinking to himself how complicated trucks have become with this fancy electronic ignition nonsense and fancy suspension.

Nothing like the simplicity of his first truck in the early 30s. He probably sighed and thought "vehicles have been going to **** since the war"

New vehicles now are really not that complicated nor hard to work on. Those who are growing up with what we have understand this world, especially after doing a bit of homework. Realistically with the way the internet is now and the resource available to genZ, there is really no excuse to not understand the current batch of available vehicles.

I think most of you guys here on fabo are baby boomers and understand 60s and 70s better than anything else but really the new stuff is just different, not really much worse or better, just different.

Decades from now someone will be sitting here talking about the good ol days in the 20 teens and 20s.

For now, you old guys should just savor and enjoy tuning your carbs. History is just an old broken record and it's going to be the same story over and over until the end of the universe.
 
Princess Valiant said:
I can imagine the elderly gentleman in 1978 seeing that ad and thinking to himself how complicated trucks have become with this fancy electronic ignition nonsense and fancy suspension.



New vehicles now are really not that complicated nor hard to work on. Those who are growing up with what we have understand this world, especially after doing a bit of homework. Realistically with the way the internet is now and the resource available to genZ, there is really no excuse to not understand the current batch of available vehicles.

I think most of you guys here on fabo are baby boomers and understand 60s and 70s better than anything else but really the new stuff is just different, not really much worse or better, just different.

Decades from now someone will be sitting here talking about the good ol days in the 20 teens and 20s.

For now, you old guys should just savor and enjoy tuning your carbs. History is just an old broken record and it's going to be the same story over and over until the end of the universe.
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I kindly disagree with your assessment and opinion of us "old guys" :) :poke:
If the "old guy" (lol) in '78 didn't like all that "electronic ignition", in less than 3 minutes on that '78 truck he can be running points and not using all the new fancy ECU. :) What can I do in 3 minutes (or 3 weeks) to change my '13 ram to anything I'm comfortable with .. ??? And what on earth are we to fix roadside today when this new stuff stops running and it has gas ??? :)

My son-in-law is a mechanic at the Dodge dealership, and HE can't even diagnose it without a 10k dollar hand held computer... LOL How does a 10,000 dollar device compare to a half inch wrench? And that's just to learn of the problem, not fix it! :D
 
When my daughter dragged me outta my recliner, kicking and screaming, to build her hubby a modern, computer operated racecar, I was terrified.
Simply now, - took some study, but u-tube is a lifesaver .

Used to be you did first valve grind at 60 - 80k, an over the fender re-/ring about 110 - 125k.
Now cars go to 300k with a few oil changes.

Modern lubricants and metallurgy are a wonderful thing.
 
Inertia said:
When my daughter dragged me outta my recliner, kicking and screaming, to build her hubby a modern, computer operated racecar, I was terrified.
Simply now, - took some study, but u-tube is a lifesaver .

Used to be you did first valve grind at 60 - 80k, an over the fender re-/ring about 110 - 125k.
Now cars go to 300k with a few oil changes.

Modern lubricants and metallurgy are a wonderful thing.
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I remember couple of neighbors having vans. ONe was a 318 TQ, had 246k on it then caught fire. The other was at 306k when I last looked. Not sure what happened to it eventually. They both worked at the same place and had riders along the way getting there.... Both maxi vans and usually fully loaded. Think of the weight and no overdrive... :)
 
Princess Valiant said:
you old guys
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Who you calling old? you young whipper snapper, lol
Modern auto tool kits require extensive metric sets, code scanners $$, test meter, and a whole lot of patience to dive in these modern asinine jamb packed, damn near gotta pull the engine packaging.

I think we should have a national slap an automotive engineer day:rolleyes:
 
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