IML: Longevity of Our Beloved Imperials

[dardal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I agree with Paul, nobody really had any clue nor cared how long the cars would
last.  However, machinery back then was built with the intent of maintenane and
repair.  Unlike modern cars, the idea of going back in there and replacing worn
out parts was incorporated in the design process.  Also, there was a lot of
over-design as mentioned before.  Part of the reason was that it was harder
back then to do exact stress calculations and design the parts in the "just"
safety factor.  Another reason was that the design criteria was very much
different back then, especially for the manufacturers that respected
themselves.  So, I think that the designers of these cars back then considered
the cars like many types of aircraft.  As long as you maintain it, it will keep
on going.  You may have noticed that a 20 or 30 or more year old aircraft does
not lose its value, due to the high standards of maintenance.  I think that
this is how many engineers would view their products.  

As for the radial tires exerting higher forces, that's hard to swallow.  The
radials have more flexible sidewalls, so the forces should be lower if
anything.  The corossion sounds like a better possibility. 

D^2

Quoting RandalPark@xxxxxxx:

> You make many good points, but you won't convince me that the manufacture
> intended for our cars, or any others, to last 40 plus years. If they did,
> parts would not be pulled off the shelves and discontinued after 10 years.
> 
> What the manufacturer planned and what we Imperial owners do are two
> different things. That said, keeping a 40 year old Imperial on the road isn't
> easy. After the first 5 or 10 years, it has a lot more to do with the owner
> than the manufacturer. Parts, including wheel rims, wear out. This happens
> from age, mileage/use, and exposure to the air. The last one of these is the
> one that we have the most trouble with.
> 
> I'd say if our car's creator planned on them lasting this long, they would
> have done a lot more to keep them from rotting away due to exposure to the
> atmosphere. The cars were warranted for 5 years or 50,000 miles. For me, that
> pretty much tells the story.
> 
> Paul
> 



-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please 
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be 
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm