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dmthamade

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Posts posted by dmthamade

    A simple illustration of differences in automotive engineering philosophies...

    in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)

    Posted

    On 6/15/2025 at 9:00 AM, tim boyd said:

    Interesting thread. 

    Car engineers are faced with many competing priorities much the same as those characterized by Craig above. 

    But on top of those they must contain many competing priorities from governmental legislation, and not just single governments but political entities across the world. Then add on NGOs like the insurance, safety and anti-petroleum lobbies and their agendas.  Some of the resulting requirements are exceedingly poorly envisioned and driven by political considerations rather than what is truly best for the customer and the world.  They often overlap and compete against each other and require sub-optimal results.  So much of what people complain about automobiles today is the result of factors the automakers have little or no control over.  

    Automotive engineering in particular is a series of tradeoffs.  Ease of repair is almost always a consideration in design of autos but when placed up against the many other issues auto design must contain these days, it does not always end up at the top of the decision matrix. 

    Just a comment from the sidelines from someone who worked in the regional (US) and later global automobile industry in sales and marketing and later on in design, with about half of my 35-year career in executive level assignments....TB     

    Pretty much says it all. Lots of people you could point your finger at, but not knowing how it got to that point you're probably going to be wrong with who the culprit is. Probably not one individual but a "committee" decision.  I don't even worry how the vehicle got to the end product now. It's what we have to fix, it's what the customer bought so i'll take the work order/keys, and fix the car.

    Don

    Don

    Vallejo gloss varnish

    in Model Building Questions and Answers

    Posted

    I bought a can of this a while ago. Your description is spot on, sprays like a firehose. I think if you're doing a BIG project the spray rate ...would still be too much. It is flammable, so i often wonder what a spraycan flamethrower would be like.... I've been looking at different spray nozzles to try, (sprayed my shirt trying one of them) because with the lack of Tamiya sprays, i need to find something else. Vallejo has hobby paint sprays, i've tried 3 different colors, stuff works great!! Comparable to Tamiya sprays but limited colors. They come with two nozzles, the low discharge flow gives excellent control, never used the medium discharge nozzle. unfortunately the low discharge nozzle won't fit the clear can.

    Don

    Very Cheap Airbrushes. A Recipe For Frustration?

    in Model Building Questions and Answers

    Posted

    Lots of dislike for the Aztek, always has been. Only complaint i have with mine is no parts, now. Have owned three beginning when they first came out. first two damaged due to mishaps, third still going strong. Have put pretty much all types of model paints through it, with no damage done. I clean the tips the same way, disassemble drop in appropriate thinner/cleaner, shake, rinse, reassemble start spraying. I use two different tips, grey and tan large and fine. Happy with the results. Seem you either love 'em or hate 'em.

    Don

     

    • Like 3

    $530 halogen headlight replacement? Tell me again that today's vehicles aren't designed by idiots.

    in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)

    Posted

    31 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

    Having spent a large part of my professional life designing and engineering and fabricating stuff that was not only functional, but also easily serviceable, I just don't get it.

    Good thing I'll be dead soon, eh?

    EDIT: The guy in the vid demonstrates that the bulbs can be accessed in literally seconds by going through the fender liners, so 'splain to me why the factory "service data" doesn't reflect that?

    Intentional ripoff of the owner by the factory department that prepared the data (to justify insanely inflated dealer labor prices), or just total incompetence?

    It's one or the other.

    Like i said, not always necessary. FSM says to pull cover/grille, look around first. When we get a car in we've never done bulbs on, first thing we do is see if there is a workaround. Sometimes there is, sometimes not. 

    Don

    Tamiya LP48 Sparkling silver for chrome?

    in Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Big John said:

    another option... On the big intake tubes I used Tamiya Bright Silver spray and over coated that with the Tamiya "Semi-gloss Silver Anodized Aluminum". The seemi gloss is like a clear coat and durable to the touch.

    Big Bad Blower 1.jpg

    Unusual motor!! Looks like a v-12 with an old school 6-71, dual mags. LSR Bonneville car or dragster?

    Don

    Tamiya LP48 Sparkling silver for chrome?

    in Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials

    Posted

    1 hour ago, peteski said:

    That looks very realistic for plastic representing aluminum parts, but I would never use that for depicting chrome.

    I also believe that model chrome should be as bright and reflective as it is on 1:1 vehicles. The "muted" or dull chrome some modelers use and prefer looks too dull to me.

    It seems to be easy to duplicate aluminum finishes, but chrome...i agree, chrome is chrome, bright mirror-like super shinee chrome. Or nothing. Have seen examples that would be ok, but they don't seem to endure or they are fragile to the point installing the part could be disastrous. Honestly, it's getting to the point i won't do a build with chrome, 50's-60's builds without chrome work done close to perfect just don't look right.

    Don

    .

    • Like 1

    Dead battery and column shifter will not go into neutral.

    in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)

    Posted

    Ok, so back in the day, fords had wiring problems at the brake light switch. Wire would break right at the connector, disabling the interlock system. Like i said before, turn the ignition key to accessory position, this unlocks the shifter and you can shift the car into neutral. This lets you start car or roll it around if it's dead for other reasons. Have to say, most newer cars have interlock systems fairly easily bypassed, usually can be accessed in less than a minute. Knowing how is the issue...

     

    Don

    A Tale of Two Funny Cars

    in Drag Racing

    Posted

    17 minutes ago, Maurice Henderson said:

    Thank you sir..The Firebird is actually AL Hoffman car..He was sponsored the GM Performance Parts Pontiac for about 8 years..I used a ton of decals from various kits to get it 97% right.

    Still really like them!! Really wish they would mold or reissue more funny cars or fuel dragsters. Getting back into cars, built the MPC Ramchargers and Blue Max, ended up as curbside builds.

    Don

    Prime example of just plain stupid engineering...and a smart mechanic.

    in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)

    Posted

    On 2/22/2025 at 9:57 PM, oldcarfan said:

    We bought a 65k mile Jeep Patriot or Compass, I forget which a few years ago for our son to drive to school. It looked spotless. 91 days to the day, the CVT transmission went out. The dealer said, 'Oh well.' Took it to a repair shop and they said the CVT was listed as non-rebuildable. Ended up selling it for a big loss.

    Also, a my FIL had a Ram diesel and the transmission went out. I don't remember all the details, but the local mechanic tracked the problem to a bad sensor of some kind. It looked simple enough to fix. Then word came from Chrysler parts. You couldn't just buy the sensor, it was part of a larger component. Turned out the price went from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

    CVT transmissions....OK in theory.....replaced a lot of the Nissan units, with used...when they grenaded, we installed new from dealer. Now. new is all we install on Nissan. We have done a few CVTs in house, can't remember make. If hard parts in good condition, belt, clutches,seal kits/etc available, can be rebuilt. Ram diesel valve body, yeah. See this more and more, sometimes they outright won't sell the part to you.

     

    Don

    Tamiya LP48 Sparkling silver for chrome?

    in Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials

    Posted

    Yeah, not "chrome" enough for bumpers or anything that needs to be ...chrome. Looks like something that will have uses, though. I've used TS83 before, so i do know what it looks like, hard no on chrome work. Thanks for giving a real example, i was going to go to the hobby shop, now i need another excuse/reason to go. Cockpits look great, super clean.👍

    Don

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