Non- original mods, was: Safety is overrated

["D. Dardalis" <dardal@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is an endless thread.  We are dealing with a subjective matter that 
each individual has his own (perfectly acceptable) position.  It started by 
somebody replacing a generator that needed service with a non-original 
alternator, apparently just because the mechanic did not want to deal with 
it and learn how to work on it.  But the statement below of the 
improvement's drawbacks has its merits.  I love my 68's disk brakes, but I 
understand that with drums you can still function when you know the 
limitations.  However, I like driving fast, so it would have been too hard 
for me to live with these limitations.  So, if I had a drum car, I would 
probably go out of my way to install disks.  EFI has its advantages, and 
disadvantages.  Most of the advantages are concerning exhaust emissions, 
which have little direct consequence to the owner of the car, so 
personally, I can't see this improvement as a "must".  And if you consider 
the failure potential of the many electronic parts that are prone to 
failure, it makes EFI even less desirable.  However, modern cars HAVE to 
have it in order to pass emission regulations, its not an option for 
them.  Overdrive transmissions?  In the case of 60's Imps, the low rpm 
highway operation that the overdrive could offer is not an issue because 
they all have tall gears anyway.  However, I can see performance benefits 
by lowering the gear ratio on my 68 sedan and improving low speed 
acceleration while maintaining upper end performance and quite 
cruising/long engine life.  I might do the conversion one day on one of the 
two cars, but I see the drawbacks also: more complexity.  A 3 speed 
torqueflite is tougher and far cheaper to rebuild than a 4 speed.  So, when 
my financial situation permits, I will allow myself to enjoy the higher 
performance of the 4 speed.  Till then, I will take advantage of the 
reliability of the 3 speed.  Others might want to keep the original 3 
speed, partly because they could care less about performance... perfectly 
acceptable
D^2

At 05:00 AM 3/15/2002 +0100, you wrote:
>Keep in mind that
>most "Improvements" have their drawbacks too.  Yes, my
>drum brakes are a pain and they fade, but they with
>them it is much easier to choose whether or not to
>lock up the brakes (and we all know that many of us
>hate AntiLock brakes with a passion for good reason if
>they are used to controlling the skid themselves).
>EFI is great but it requires a computer (blech!) and
>dealing with unrepairable throw away parts.  Modern
>"overdrives" have their issues too, I love and hate
>the one on my winter beater.