Re: Engineers...

["Rich Wagner" <drsavage@domain.elided>]

FINALLY, I've got a convert.

Scott wrote:

>The grain of truth in there is that a lot of us
>"shade-tree" types learned a tremendous amount about working on and
>improving cars of the Fifties and Sixties, but which had been designed
>using engineering from the Thirties and Forties. 

Indeed, even into the '70's, much of the technology and design philosophy
applied to American cars was vintage 1915.  I'm not being sarcastic.  I'm
dead serious.  Except for fuel and ignition systems, reciprocating engine
technology hasn't advanced appreciably since about 1926.  (There is one
notable exception which occurred around 1945, but isn't used anymore.  The
identity of that advancement is left as an exercise for the interested
student.)  Nobody has been able to make any great improvements since that
time.  The engines in our Alfas are representative of that latest design
philosophy, but are also backed by about 80 years of compounded experience
and compiled data.  When organizations like Porsche, Ferrari, Honda, and
yes, Alfa can't vastly improve upon what's already been done, what chance
does an individual have?  Precious little.


>The sum of all this introspection has been the realization that some of
>the tricks we learned...may not work on an all-alloy block with
>steel liners, a high-pressure oiling system, and inverted bucket tappets
>driven directly by two overhead cams.

Yes, it's easy to improve upon a poor design.  Improving an already
excellent design is another story altogether.

Thanks Scott.  I'll put the check in the mail tomorrow.


Rich Wagner
Montrose, CO
'82 GTV6 Balocco

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