Story Notes: Sunbeam II · 4:24am Apr 24th, 2021
It’s no secret I get a lot of ideas while at work. From things people say, to things I’m working on, to things I hear on the radio, to just the everyday minutia and what if there were a pony involved in the process?
Ever since I penned the first story, I thought about her buying things with her name on them.
I don’t order parts much any more, although I do have a few occasions to call our supplier when the boss is away. There was a time when I was running the show and I’ll be honest, I hated it; I had to herd cats and idiots like the Kody of this story, where I had to deal with customers and the constant ringing of the phone. Now I’ve been demoted back into the shop and that’s much better, all the managerial stuff isn’t my problem any more but of course I can still complain about how it’s done.
Fuel lines and brake lines rust on GM trucks; in fact, GM cut the prices on brake line kits to avoid a recall. You can get a complete set from the dealer, pre-bent with fittings and everything, for under $200. And the new lines are coated, which the old ones weren’t.
Dorman does in fact make a fuel cooler for Duramaxes, it’s a 904-180 if you’re curious. The last one of them I did, yesterday, it wasn’t rusty enough to fall off on its own, but it was nearly that bad. One of the inlet or outlet pipes (not sure which, and it’s not important) broke off when I touched it, that’s how rusty it was.
For the non-mechanics in the audience, traditional rear-wheel-drive front rotors had a pair of tapered bearings that rode on a spindle. A nut, castle washer (there’s probably a technical term for it), cotter key, and dust boot secured it in place. Once you got the outer bearing off, the whole rotor and hub assembly would slide off, and if you didn’t know what you were doing, you’d forget to remove the inner seal and extract the inner bearing.
I fixed two trucks where the customer did their own brakes and didn’t know about the inner bearing.
More or less like this, I’m too lazy to find a better image
Sunbeams are in fact real cars.
There also is a storied Sunbeam appliance company and also a yacht company based in Austria.
I suppose the fact that Austria is kinda land-locked if memory serves isn’t a problem in these modern days with trucks capable of carrying said yachts to larger bodies of water.
Since this is a sequel, I should confess to one change. In the original version, the pizza was from Imperial Pizza of Buffalo, but upon further research, Imperial Pizza’s about 15 miles from Felton St. Franco’s is a lot closer, and they also sell white Pizza.
And, as I’m sure you all know, pizza has a very storied history; according to Wikipedia, the word ‘pizza’ dates to at least 997 AD, and similar foods date back to the Neolithic age (i.e., bread with stuff on it). Plakous (πλακοῦς) is one example, often flavored with “herbs, onions, cheese, and garlic.”
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My favorite "legend" involving pizza was something I heard once on 'Legends of the Hidden Temple.' Someone created it by dropping a cannonball on a pepperoni and cheese sandwich. Blatantly untrue, but it's still good for a laugh. >^_^<
So how long before this finishes its transformation into a cozy and satisfying multipart romance story?
I bet batponies give pineapple pizza the respect it's due.
(Although I hope those are jalapenos in that picture and not kiwi slices, because kiwi on pizza would be going too far)
Dennis could also have a British vehicle that shares his name! I hope he likes fire-trucks.
I loved your first Sunbeam story.
In fact, it’s got a place on my “top shelf” of stories for when I can’t sleep at night and just need a good read.
I love little British cars - I had a MG Midget several years back. I remember the first Sunbeam I saw up close at a British car meetup the owner had replaced the "S" in the name with an "F" - "Funbeam". No idea where they got a letter that matched the rest of the script, maybe they had it made. Neat cars, wouldn't mind having one!
"girls are unicorns" waht?
5505375
It's a term that doesn't neccessarily mean an actual unicorn. What he's saying is that a girl in the automotive industry is a rare creature. You could also call finding the perfect date akin to finding a unicorn.
5505375
5505386
And as I pointed out on the first one, the joke is that this one happens to also be a literal unicorn.
5505386
Oh, fuck, I know that phrase. >.< Context is killer.
5505386
Fixed that for you. (Or did you not read the actual story?)
5505396
Oh I got the joke and read the story. I found Sunbeam to be a sweet little read.
Sweet story! My mom used to have a Sunbeam electric scooter!
Yes. Yes I loved this one and I admit it. I'm so glad you did a sequel. Yes, please I do want more
.
Good stories, both.
Used to mechanic for Toyota. That wheel bearing translucency looks just like the rear wheel bearing/brake drum setup on the Tercel and Paseo cars. Brake drum + wheel hub. All one piece of cast/forged, machined steel. Want to properly inspect the rear brakes? Gotta undo the wheel bearings. All their other (drum brake equipped) vehicles had it right.
Fun story: Once had a customer who needed a replacement taillight assembly. Took the repair order to the parts desk, ordered the part. Next week, they come in to get the broken taillight replaced, it's the wrong one. Right light, wrong year. Parts counter, reorder (hopefully) the right one. Next week, another wrong part. Pretty sure it was the SAME wrong part. Took a close look at the RO. Took a close look at the car. Spoke to the customer. (Usually the service writer or service manager does that (I'm just the guy with the tools and grease under his fingernails)) Turns out they traded their Celica in on another Celica one year newer/older. Toyota had changed the visual design of the taillight for the newer model year. The 'wrong' taillight would still fit, but it would not visually match the other one. Once we had the new car's details added to the system, and a new RO written up to match the new car, we were able to order the correct taillight and fix that pesky cracked/broken lens.
Good one for you today, sisters husband had a corroded 4 cylinder DOHC engine block he said he would take a look at for his back garden mechanic freind a few doors down the street. Took the cam belt cover half off to let the rocker covers come free. Down the the abyssal trench between, 3 sparkplugs totally rusted in place, the 4th one, to deal with, held in place with Liquid Steel. It fell out. Then he used a stud extractor to drag the head thread part of the plug out. Then used a Dremel to cut that away from the stud extractor.
Ive only ever seen aluminium corroded that badly once before, and that when the TV ariel fell off the roof in three parts.
They use the same bearings on washing machines? How heavy a load could you put on a small cars stub axel? For a similar price?
I've only shot two Alpines, but I've got pics of a bunch of Sunbeam Tigers. Here are both the Alpines I've got pics of:
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/7c867467-fa6f-457a-a5f1-ae7cf0a3184d/d9i0trg-d05108db-4e17-4ec3-bbd8-aa39f8689a16.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_683,q_75,strp/1_owner_unrestored_beauty_by_swiftysgarage_d9i0trg-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD02ODMiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC83Yzg2NzQ2Ny1mYTZmLTQ1N2EtYTVmMS1hZTdjZjBhMzE4NGRcL2Q5aTB0cmctZDA1MTA4ZGItNGUxNy00ZWMzLWJiZDgtYWEzOWY4Njg5YTE2LmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMDI0In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.AVwuGx1KgECZJ-408PUa27LoGFuYIJKkMXzL6Kh3uvg
The other Sunbeam Alpine (the black car; the white one is a Datsun Sports) I shot on a hilly road, passing a horse and buggy. This was another covered bridge cruise I've been on (not a Mustang one!). Please note that while both Alpines are the same color, they're not the same car. The above is a 1962 (Series II), the below is a 1966 (Series V). Of note, Series IV wais the only one that had an automatic transmission option. So the question is - did Kat/Sunbeam acquire one of the rare automatics, or did she opt for a manual?
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/2908cd95-ef02-41e7-a303-eeeb79bd81af/deiea9w-02699dde-4a08-4037-8053-1610d00901a5.png/v1/fill/w_1280,h_960,q_80,strp/7754_by_alwaysdressesinstyle_deiea9w-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD05NjAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC8yOTA4Y2Q5NS1lZjAyLTQxZTctYTMwMy1lZWViNzliZDgxYWZcL2RlaWVhOXctMDI2OTlkZGUtNGEwOC00MDM3LTgwNTMtMTYxMGQwMDkwMWE1LnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0._MfAEPB7YJTr-TYeuzUD12tdbVPWHeqGC1YNCnWzwyE
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/2908cd95-ef02-41e7-a303-eeeb79bd81af/deieagw-68bd3f4b-8c66-45e7-905c-6e2fe594ad3f.jpg/v1/fill/w_1280,h_960,q_75,strp/7698_by_alwaysdressesinstyle_deieagw-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD05NjAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC8yOTA4Y2Q5NS1lZjAyLTQxZTctYTMwMy1lZWViNzliZDgxYWZcL2RlaWVhZ3ctNjhiZDNmNGItOGM2Ni00NWU3LTkwNWMtNmUyZmU1OTRhZDNmLmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.xp2oyELXPNBA63TBvK3_Qbo_SUbbt5KNDSZ8Gsdfh_o
I have to admit, my only question coming out of these two stories is: what's on a white pizza?
5505287
That’s a funner origin story than some guy looking at a loaf of flatbread and wondering how he might make it more appealing, which is probably closer to the real origin story.
According to Wikipedia, anyway, the idea of pizza goes way back.
5505297
Who knows? Stay tuned to this channel to find out!
5505309
Well, pineapples aren’t that far removed from mangoes. At least in my opinion.
I assume jalapenos, although in theory one could make a dessert pizza that kiwis would work on. Googling suggests it’s been done (because of course it has).
5505326
Or busses, looking at the link, he could get a bus, too.
And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want a fire truck? I know if the opportunity arose, I’d buy one.
5505351
Thank you!
I hope this one also finds a similar place of honor
5505364
As far as I can recall, I’ve never been in one, but they do seem kind of nice for proper rural roads with curves and hills. I never really liked how low any kind of proper sporty car is, to be honest, at least for a daily driver on the highway. I have driven Miatas which are to my mind spiritually similar to little British cars, and that was a lot of fun, even if getting into and out of it was a chore for a guy my size.
5505393
5505490
Thank you!
Until just now, I didn’t know that was a thing.
5505512
Thank you!
Dennis and Sunbeam are such a cute pair, I should write more about them.
5505559
Thank you!
Chrysler did that on some cars, and so did Ford on the Focus. Tapered bearings on the Chryslers, roller on the Ford, and you can buy the rotors with the bearing in it. I suppose it’s a cheap solution for a cheap car.
Some of the aftermarket drums on the Chryslers weren’t press-fit on the hub, and you could pull them off like a more conventional arrangement.
I ran into that once with a customer who had multiple Escapes and told us the wrong model year with the one she dropped off. I didn’t check, why would I, and couldn’t figure out why the front brakes we ordered for it were wrong and that the catalogue didn’t list the correct front brakes for it. It wasn’t until my third call to our supplier when I was reading off all the vehicle specifics that alarm bells started ringing, it wasn’t the same trimline as the order said, nor was it four wheel drive like the order said. And looking at the VIN, it was also two model years earlier than the order said.
The correct info got us the correct parts.
5505636
We had a customer who’s late-model Ford was rusted so badly underneath I thought she must park it in brine. Turns out it was nearly that, her driveway was mulch. Also, Chrysler made some of their shock mounts out of the worst aluminum ever, you could flake it apart with your fingers. At least disassembly was easy, just snap the old one off and put on the new, steel one.
Similar, I’d imagine; I don’t know much about washing machines. In terms of weight, you’re probably good for a ton on a normal car’s stub axle. Less on really tiny commuter cars. Price-wise, you can get a set of decent-quality bearings and races for a one-ton truck for under $50, and if you could find a set that was sized for your washing machine, as long as you kept them greased you’d never wear them out unless you’re washing bricks.
5505840
White pizza generally is pizza that doesn’t use tomato sauce. Franco’s has mozzarella, parmesan, diced ripe tomatoes and fresh onions. Sometimes they have a béchamel sauce on them in place of the tomato sauce, other times they don’t.
Urban Pie’s Pesto and Mozzarella is one of my favorite white pizzas, and of course everywhere that used to carry it doesn’t any more.
5505713
I debated back and forth between her having an Alpine or a Tiger, but the Alpine felt more natural.
Also it’s a name that sticks in my mind, ‘cause when I was a kid and Chrysler was in bed with Renault, I got to ride in the only Renault Alpine in the US.
I did legit consider this, and while it hasn’t come up in the story, I think that she’s a traditionalist, and she’d want a manual transmission. What’s the fun of a sporty car if you can’t choose the gear it’s in?
5505958
I have a hard time picturing ponies liking things named after predators. Alpine is definitely the obvious pick.
Super jealous of your Renault Alpine ride! They're old enough to import now, so I've shot a few of them. Though not an A610.
A108 (with a twist: made by Willys do Brasil as the Interlagos!):
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/7c867467-fa6f-457a-a5f1-ae7cf0a3184d/datuad9-29855d71-c5b2-4896-a069-ebcf798f1cac.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_683,q_75,strp/french_sports_car_made_by_american_firm_in_brazil_by_swiftysgarage_datuad9-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD02ODMiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC83Yzg2NzQ2Ny1mYTZmLTQ1N2EtYTVmMS1hZTdjZjBhMzE4NGRcL2RhdHVhZDktMjk4NTVkNzEtYzViMi00ODk2LWEwNjktZWJjZjc5OGYxY2FjLmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMDI0In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.3loPBPOjpnH-MXwNg6Je5Uc9JPTaE44STyeG_kzySlo
A310:
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/7c867467-fa6f-457a-a5f1-ae7cf0a3184d/da4a67j-321a7e2a-c6e9-411b-84d2-059e83aa5229.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_683,q_75,strp/exotique_by_swiftysgarage_da4a67j-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD02ODMiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC83Yzg2NzQ2Ny1mYTZmLTQ1N2EtYTVmMS1hZTdjZjBhMzE4NGRcL2RhNGE2N2otMzIxYTdlMmEtYzZlOS00MTFiLTg0ZDItMDU5ZTgzYWE1MjI5LmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMDI0In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.qLoDcjONe2OF4bflzW-QIEOh0Q33rDZFyIBDq2C3kOs
5505713
Interestingly in that community while Datsun Sports is the correct name the white car is almost always called a Datsun Roadster (SRL311) and occasionally a Fairlady (if non-US spec) or 311. A bit hard to tell but it looks like given the license plate trim, lack of "Datsun 2000" rear badge (hard to see) and non-chrome mirror that is likely a 67 with the 1.6L engine.
Many of the British Sportscars or even other British cars of the 50s-60s end up with Datsun drivetrains anyways due to increased reliability and better high speed operation. Also, as much of the Datsun stuff was derivations from British licensed designs anyways it tends to fit decently well (looking at you MG owners).
Not being one to underestimate the uhm "creativity" let's call it of customers, but how in the hell do they miss that?
Oh dear.
Sorry to hear that my friend. But hey! More cute bats so
"Ever since I penned the first story, I thought about her buying things with her name on them."
Oh, by the way, have you seen this before? It came to mind just now, for fairly obvious reasons, and I thought that you might find it interesting, at least enough for sharing the link to be potentially useful.
Hm. I wonder if I could have white pizza? Shouldn't have any oregano (which quite disagrees with me) in it, but there might be contamination; so far of the two times I've attempted to get pizzas that I was assured lacked it, one of those turned out to be true and the other, ah, didn't. That was a fun night.
And thank you, again, for writing. :)
5506008
But ponies are predators.
Fuel cooler? Admittedly that's a new one for me. Diesels don't come in that often. Makes me think of old Mercedes' air conditioned fuel lines.
This line makes absolutely no sense. Also why would you reuse bearings on a rusted out old truck? Replace them. Most rotors don't have the hub as part of them. It's just a disc that slides off once you pull the caliper. Especially on FWD vehicles as then you have a CV axle splined into the hub. The bearing then is pressed into it. Only on 2WD or RWD trucks would you have a spindle on the steering knuckle. Still a good read nonetheless.
5506035
Very good eye - the pictured car is indeed a 1967 with the 1.6. Here's another shot of the Datsun:
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/2908cd95-ef02-41e7-a303-eeeb79bd81af/deiiu3s-a342f32b-90ce-495d-921e-faad9c5f7bdd.jpg/v1/fill/w_1280,h_960,q_75,strp/7702_by_alwaysdressesinstyle_deiiu3s-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD05NjAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC8yOTA4Y2Q5NS1lZjAyLTQxZTctYTMwMy1lZWViNzliZDgxYWZcL2RlaWl1M3MtYTM0MmYzMmItOTBjZS00OTVkLTkyMWUtZmFhZDljNWY3YmRkLmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.pNajRi1tQoMSQUsp1-jUZbWUZT43J83otgY_gtMYweo
5506008
That was my thought, too.
I can’t remember exactly what it looked like, just that it was sporty and white. I’m guessing it was a test mule/research mule for the ones they were thinking of importing with/for Chrysler or AMC (now that I think back, it might have been AMC who was working with Renault and not Chrysler) . . . at the time, we lived like five miles from AMC’s headquarters, a particularly ugly and out-of-place skyscraper (which is on-brand for AMC).
5506035
On the one hand, I feel like that would offend a purist; on the other hand, I’ve heard horror stories about Lucas. And if you’re building a fun driver, better to have one that’s reliable and you can get parts for instead of one that’s all-original IMHO.
I can assume if you’d never done one before, the outer bearing would be obvious, since it falls out when you take the nut and washer off. The inner would stay in, since the seal would hold it, and if you didn’t know to get it out to reuse it, you might put it back together without that bearing.
At least that’s my theory.
5506149
I have, yes. And in fact I’d assume that Sunbeam owns one, because it is the coolest toaster ever.
I do watch Technology Connections--it’s a great channel, and I’ve learned all sorts of cool stuff from it.
Having worked in a chain pizza store (admittedly more than 20 years ago), we weren’t careful to avoid cross-contamination at all. I would guess that some independent stores or proper restaurants would be far more careful with their ingredients. Or a frozen pizza is a possibility, I don’t know what’s out there (besides an Urban Pizza I really liked but nobody around me seems to carry it any more). Or you could make your own if you’ve got the time and the kitchen space. Pre-made pizza crusts can be bought, and from there it’s just a matter of creativity. Having said that, I’ll admit that I’ve never made a proper pizza on my own, pre-made crust or not.
You’re welcome!
5506238
Doesn’t mean they want to admit it.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/5/29/335985.gif
5506862
I don’t know if it’s a thing that they all have, but Duramaxes have them just in front of the fuel tank, to cool down the return fuel before it goes back into the tank. I think Ford does something with the fuel filter housing that’s on the framerail by the radius arm bracket (like, it’s got some kind of thermal valve so fuel that’s too hot goes back to the engine instead of the tank), and I have no clue what Chrysler does with the Cummins.
5507557
I think it was AMC (not Chrysler).
According to Wikipedia: AMC's plans to reinvigorate sales with higher-priced Renaults continued for a little longer, with the plan being a three-pronged lineup beginning with the mid-sized Medallion, the larger Premier above it, and the sporty Renault Alpine providing a halo car. The Medallion and the Premier both did go on sale, but the Alpine never made its planned mid-1987 rollout.
Renault bought into AMC in the late '70s, eventually acquiring a controlling interest. Georges Besse was AMC's champion inside Renault (as CEO, he could do that). All was good until he was assassinated... Renault dumped AMC quickly. Lee Iaccoca was all too happy to get his hands on Jeep. He got a bargain, as it turned out.
AMC really was on the verge of being profitable. Jeeps were (and still are) riding an unprecedented surge in popularity. They'd just built a state-of-the-art facility in Brampton, and the Renault Medallion and Premiere were in development. Those cars reached market just in time to rebranded as Eagles by new AMC owner Chrysler. The Medallion and Premiere bombed, however, due to reluctance by Chrysler to market the vehicles and because Jeep/Eagle dealers were more interested in selling Jeeps. To be fair, Jeeps were more profitable, and cars even vaguely French in origin were more-or-less salesproof in this country. After five years of disappointing sales, they were reworked into the the Chrysler LH/Dodge Intrepid/Eagle Vision.
Pity the Alpine A610 never reached market here.
I've never seen one, and probably never will. Though I'll keep my fingers crossed that someone imports one eventually.
5507145
Probably in part because of the typo; it was supposed to be rear-wheel drive.
Up into the 2000s on RWD vehicles, the front bearings were typically tapered bearings on a spindle, and the hub was typically cast as part of the rotor. There were exceptions, of course; if I remember right, the Mustang and Crown Vic in its last years had a slip-on rotor over a hub assembly which had a roller bearing and slid onto a non-tapered spindle, and I think some Dakotas did, as well as the Astro and baby Blazer in its last years. Ford also had the press-in roller bearings in the Focus rear drums, and you can get the drums with bearings already installed (in theory, you can get them without). Some traditional solid-axle 4wd designs were like this, too; Ford kept it into the late 90s on the F-series (I think 96 was the last year before they went to IWEs, but I’m not sure that was a hard cutoff). I think some heavy-duty trucks still use tapered wheel bearings on the front; I can’t remember what the F650 dump truck I put brakes on had. GM kept that design until 2000 with the 3500HD, and may still with the heavier trucks; we don’t normally work on those.
Likewise, in the US, rear-wheel-drive cars tended to have tapered wheel bearings in hubs cast with the front rotor (or drum, if it’s old enough). 90% sure my 97 Grand Marquis was done that way, and of course my older RWD cars are. In fact, I own more vehicles with the front hub cast into the rotor than not, I’m reasonably sure.
Because they’re expensive, and there’s no need to replace them if they’re not bad. Same reason you wouldn’t just replace the calipers when doing a brake job—if it doesn’t need them, why replace them?
Yes, that’s true of most modern vehicles. A lot of cars these days, going back about a decade more or less, have pre-loaded hub and bearing assemblies where you don’t even have to put an axle through them any more. A lot of domestics that might be available in AWD or only FWD/RWD (depending on product) are designed with such bearings to save on production costs. Weirded me out when I first started seeing them, because of course with the older designs if you didn’t have preload on them, the bearing was going to fail sooner rather than later.
Thanks!
5507564 Ah, I was talking about older gasoline Mercedeseses. The fuel line was run through special section of the low side a/c line. Thus, air conditioned fuel. I'm not sure why, I'm imagining to avoid vapor lock on hot days.
On diesel Sprinters, though, I know they have really big, dense coil of tubing hanging off the fuel tank. Never looked into it much, perhaps it is to cool off returning fuel.
5507576
Man, I want a blocky 70-80s Crown Vic. Or a late model Cutlass.
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My 2002 Ford F-150 XLT RWD still has the spindle and rotor/hub assembly. Bearings are expensive? What? Uh okay... Shadetree mechanic or do you do it as a profession? I really do like your PoE style stories. It's really a breath of fresh air in a mostly HiE ocean of stories.
I really like the actually mechanic knowledge you dispose in these stories. I'm going to school right now at UTI actually, so when I read the first story, I had no clue what you were talking about, but now I understood a lot more of what was going on. Either way, I really like the premise with Sunbeam. I think I can safely speak for just about everyone when I say I would love another sequel :)