Cheeze n' Frickin Rice!

[*13*]

I just changed the 6 Plugs on my 2004 Nissan Frontier. Think they could include a special set of extensions, swivels & vacuum with the car?!!! The 6 plugs are all on top of the motor. One of them was a monster to get at, 2 of them a pain & they all have debris around the hole ready to go down in the cylinder. Who designs these things?
We changed the alternator out on a Saturd once. 2 guys, 5 hrs. the motor mount has to come out...Come on!!! Should have junked it, the wasn't worth the time we put into the alternator. Ever want to punch an engineer square in the mouth?

[Jim Werth]

My neighbor wanted me to change an alternator on a Ford Taurus wagon. One look and I said no !! Couldn't see a way to get it out. Jim

[Jamo]

That's twice you've made me think of my old Fiat 131...the plugs were down between the cams. Assolutely a PITA to keep stuff from falling in.

[trularin]

The Nissan engines are Japan designs.

And, the engineers that do the design work in a sterile environment. They do not see the engine after 100k miles with sand and grease all over it.

But, I do not think there are any worse than a Toyota. They have a guaranteed thread replacement for the cylinder head on their 4 cylinder engine. And those are on top as well.

[*13*]

I remember we had a 74 chevy pickup that had some carburetor problems. It was raining. Two of us sat up under the hood in the engine compartment & worked on it. Those were the days! You could get to to just about anything unless you threw on a funky set of headers.

[rustyBob]

At one point in time I thought if someone put it together I could take it apart.....not any more.......the only way to take some of these cars apart now is with dynomite...........

[Dan40]

At different times the Sunbeam Tiger was available with a Chrysler V8 and at others with a Ford V8. I don't remember which one it was, but on one you had to PULL the engine to replace the right rear plug. Then the royal engineers got smart and put an access door in the firewall so you could go in thru the cockpit to change a plug!

[Jamo]

...on the other hand, the Vega.

You could stand on one side over the engine...reach down and remove the oil drain plug and the oil filter, and, without moving, change the spark plugs while the oil drained.

[*13*]

Until someone went shelby on it & installed a V8

[Jamo]

I was going to put a little Rover-Buick V8 in it (less weight) but instead I let a good engine shop have at it. Put some sleeves in the block, rougher cam, a Weber and headers...the little basturd woke up and maintained the 50/50 weight distribution. I did muy goodo autocrossing that thing while in college, and it ran great until it was sold for the Fiat several years later.

I guess that's why I was comfortable with a Shelby block later in life.

The Monzas were the Shelby-ized Vegas...lifting engines to change a plug or two, etc.

[Silverback51]

Well I have to speak up in defense of the engineers.

Spark plug location. If it's a dual overhead cam engine, your options are very limited. And if you are trying for the best flame pattern, there is no option. You want the spark plug in the center of the cylinder.

For *13*. Look at the size of the 74 Chevy pickup and the size of todays cars. Also look at the amount of equipment that is under the hood now days. It's a packaging nightmare for the engineers. And believe it or not, good engineers do look at these items. However, sometimes the requirements for serviceability get out weighed by other items, such as maintaining the low hood line for a lower CD number.

There are a lot of trade offs in any design. Some we see as the consumer, and some we do not.

[*13*]

To be quite honest, the sooner the car companies leave the Gasoline powered automobile to us hobbyists the better. The hybrid cars are a bad joke that play to the insensibilities of the Tree Hugging Generation on both sides of the loan. Sad thing is, they just can't see it. As it is now most of the Gasoline cars, we can't work on! We have check engine lights that tell us that either our gas cap isn't tight or that that $1500 dollar fuel injection part is failing & you better bring it in so we can charge you to fix it. Sorry, nope it's not covered on that insurance plan we sold you & it's a 15 hour job to change out because you have to pull the motor to pull the oil pan to get to it even though you can see it from the top of the engine . I think you know what I mean. They need to develop the electric technology already so we can buy cheap electric cars that we can give to the recyclers every 5 years on receipt of our next new cheapo commuter.... Ok, My rant & sad excuse for a dream have both been accomplished. Continue on....

[trularin]

I made a living replacing Vega engines.

The guy next to me made his living replacing the fenders.

The Vega was the disposable car.

[*13*]

You don't see too many of them these days. I can't remember the last one. Been a while, that's for sure.

[trularin]

Two weeks before Woodward Dream cruise. Friday night, I saw a red one that someone had put a SBC in. He thought he was hot stuff, there's no getting around it. Had to spin the tires every chance he got.

[Jamo]

Yup...my GT definitly fell apart around the rebuilt motor. When the one cylinder let loose (before the rebuild), I drove it for 3 months on 3 cylinders between college in Riverside and work in San Berdoo. Block was still in good enough shape for the rebuild (with sleeves). Made it up and over Sierra passes during the summers, and through Imperial Valley heat after school. But the rust began to make it look like Mr. Mustang's sign pole. I finally gave up when the back window fell into the car because the rusted hatch couldn't hold it anymore...that's rusty.

[trularin]

That's a vega.

You should try Michigan salt as an added incentive.

[*13*]

I had a Datsun truck like that. I finally gave up trying to kill that thing . The Air vents in the cab (rust holes) weren't attracting the ladies the way I'd hoped.