Video: Building the 1957 Corvette SS
#1
Posted 26 April 2013 - 09:39
Video: Engineering the 1957 Corvette SS | Mac's Motor City Garage.com
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#2
Posted 27 April 2013 - 00:40
And as Mac says, the brakes were out of the date as the car was built
Did the car ever run with that perspex top? I doubt it would have been nice to drive,, or see out of.
The basic car though seems very trick for its day. I doubt the fuel injection would have been an asset on a racecar, doubtfull it even was on the road version. But race what you sell ofcourse.
#3
Posted 27 April 2013 - 11:54
Rochester mechanical fuel injection proved superior to carburetors for road racing.
#4
Posted 01 May 2013 - 16:15
#5
Posted 02 May 2013 - 23:04
Ah - the days when you could continue working while smoking instead of standing 15 feet outside the doors like a social pariah.
Not that I am a big fan of smoking (not anymore, anyway) but I love all the Mad Men moments in these old films. Guys working on cars in shirts and ties, etc.
#6
Posted 02 May 2013 - 23:24
#7
Posted 03 May 2013 - 22:49
A bloke I know used a 8" bench grinder wearing a tie. Just about strangled himself but managed to hit the switch just before he lost his face! He has not worn a tie at work since!! He is a hands on manager who likes to play on the tools occasionally.
Got to tuck the necktie inside your shirt when using power tools.
#8
Posted 03 May 2013 - 23:15
And they should be no where near power tools, ever.
#9
Posted 04 May 2013 - 00:27
#10
Posted 04 May 2013 - 10:17
Mines green!I won't do a clutch or brake job without my immaculate white lab coat. One must have standards.
#11
Posted 04 May 2013 - 11:34
#12
Posted 04 May 2013 - 12:24
#13
Posted 04 May 2013 - 17:18
http://www.caranddri...-chassis-page-4
Okay so far. The air pipe that connects the two vacuum cylinders can be sealed off by actuating an electric valve—undoubtedly a solenoid—which leaves the cylinder for the rear wheels completely isolated in whatever position it was when the valve closed. The electrical impulse is released by a mercury switch, mounted in the cockpit where it's handy. This switch is angled forward so that the mercury will slide up toward the end a given distance for a given quantity of car deceleration. When the mercury hits the end, in a stop of a preset negative "g", the solenoid is closed and rear braking force stays just as it was then—it can't increase; it doesn't go down. Front wheel force can then continue to rise in proportion to pedal pressure, but it's absolutely impossible to lock up the rear wheels no matter how hard you try! They're isolated from the circuit until the mercury switch and the valve open up again. With that mercury switch at just the right angle, braking at all four wheels can be fully used much more often than at present, when ultimate deceleration is limited by rear wheel locking. The switch angle could also be changed during a race to compensate for wet roads or different surfaces, or changing fuel loads. We've ridden in a car equipped with this rig, and think it's very promising.
What a fascinating idea. I assume this didn't make it into any series production cars... ?
#14
Posted 04 May 2013 - 23:32
I know cheapskates who have adapted the valve as an adjustable proportioning valve on racecars. And they work fine.
#15
Posted 05 May 2013 - 06:37
#16
Posted 06 May 2013 - 11:19
Many cars, especially station wagons and most commercials have a variation on this. The more the vehicle is loaded the more rear brake you have by a simple mechanical ride height sensitive proportioning valve. When the linkage breaks often the vehicle will be very senstitive as it has way too much rear brake, either that or very little depending on the linkage.
I know cheapskates who have adapted the valve as an adjustable proportioning valve on racecars. And they work fine.
My old Nissan ute has one; it sticks sometimes - get's....interesting....
#17
Posted 06 May 2013 - 11:48
#18
Posted 06 May 2013 - 22:24
#19
Posted 07 May 2013 - 05:59
They were especially common on utes due to the wide variation in weight distribution with varying payloads.My old Nissan ute has one; it sticks sometimes - get's....interesting....
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#20
Posted 07 May 2013 - 11:09
They were especially common on utes due to the wide variation in weight distribution with varying payloads.
The older Toyota Hilux certainly had a linkage-connected proportioning valve for the rear brakes. The Ford (Mazda) Courier of the same vintage also has a proportioning valve at the back - but oddly it appears to have no connection to the rear axle - but it still works OK.
Edited by Kelpiecross, 07 May 2013 - 11:09.
#21
Posted 19 June 2013 - 15:31
Video: Introducing the 1953 GM Motorama | Mac's Motor City Garage.com
#22
Posted 19 June 2013 - 18:08
As a person who wears ties, sometimes , for weddings and funerals I think they should be declared a noxious weed and be banned by governments world wide.
And they should be no where near power tools, ever.
I am a disciple of the Richard Branson school of tie wearing. I hate the things!
#23
Posted 20 June 2013 - 12:16
I am a disciple of the Richard Branson school of tie wearing. I hate the things!
Then check out the Motorama video. Everyone is in a tie. Manhattan, 1953.
#24
Posted 21 June 2013 - 05:27
Then check out the Motorama video. Everyone is in a tie. Manhattan, 1953.
OT but...
This was the corporte policy I guess.
When I worked the oranisation I worked for once told a colleague that he must wear a tie at work. He rightfully agreed to do so when all employees - including the females - were so obliged. The company insisted. He took legal advice that pointed out to the employer that UK legislation supported my colleague's stance.
Tie wearing was less evident after this.
#25
Posted 05 September 2013 - 17:56
#26
Posted 29 September 2013 - 16:19
#27
Posted 30 September 2013 - 12:59
Here's another GM film....This is a priceless piece of Americana and a pop culture treasure, and easily the weirdest carmaker commercial you will ever see, I promise you: the six-minute General Motors film promoting the 1956 Motorama, Design for Dreaming. Watch this.
Priceless indeed! Wonderful. Thanks!
It didn't seem to focus on the Motorama very much. And the kitchen bit was a little weird to my much younger eyes, though I guess it made sense at the time
#28
Posted 30 September 2013 - 16:51
Priceless indeed! Wonderful. Thanks!
It didn't seem to focus on the Motorama very much. And the kitchen bit was a little weird to my much younger eyes, though I guess it made sense at the time
I'm not sure it made a lot of sense to anyone at any time. I am still trying to imagine the GM meeting in which the film was approved. They must have passed around the bong first.
#29
Posted 03 November 2013 - 11:17
Here's another old GM film for the technically curious. Crystal clear, in beautiful color, this one shows the design and construction of the 1958 Firebird III turbine car. There's some delightfully oddball stuff here -- check out the drum brakes at 6:20, among other items.
Video: GM Firebird III Experiment for Tomorrow | Mac's Motor City Garage.com
#30
Posted 09 November 2013 - 04:27
Again, wonderful.
I suspect there's a good reason why real world cars don't have controls like that. Would probably not be very good in panic scenarios.
#31
Posted 09 November 2013 - 18:14
Again, wonderful.
I suspect there's a good reason why real world cars don't have controls like that. Would probably not be very good in panic scenarios.
Very primitive force-feedback mechanism.
#32
Posted 15 November 2013 - 03:45
Very primitive force-feedback mechanism.
Again, wonderful.
I suspect there's a good reason why real world cars don't have controls like that. Would probably not be very good in panic scenarios.
It's one of those things that seems like a good idea at the time...but once you implement and test, you quickly realize that it's a horrible idea. Steering, acceleration, and deceleration should be de-correlated. The Firebird 3 design adds too much mental effort to the task of driving.
#33
Posted 15 November 2013 - 07:45
It's one of those things that seems like a good idea at the time...but once you implement and test, you quickly realize that it's a horrible idea. Steering, acceleration, and deceleration should be de-correlated. The Firebird 3 design adds too much mental effort to the task of driving.
Exactly. There is one guy on earth who knows how to drive and/or fix the thing, it seems, and they fly him in and out when the vehicle is demonstrated.
#34
Posted 28 November 2013 - 12:23
Here's another GM film....This is a priceless piece of Americana and a pop culture treasure, and easily the weirdest carmaker commercial you will ever see, I promise you: the six-minute General Motors film promoting the 1956 Motorama, Design for Dreaming. Watch this.
We've gotten more comments on this video than almost any so far, mainly because it's so darned weird.