Things the car factories did that made no sense to you

[Kern Dog]

Being blessed/cursed with a curious mind, I always wonder why, what if and how come.
Companies like Chrysler always seemed to swing between being flush with cash to then being borderline bankrupt. You'd think that they would have had better control of themselves and controlled costs better by finding ways to reduce costs.
Few people liked the 1972 and later side marker lenses but they used those for MANY years. Outer door handles were also used across many models.
What confused me was why automakers made post sedans and hardtops. Why two different designs? You then have to have different glass, door frames, weatherstrips, the post models sometimes had taller windshields meaning different A pillar covers inside, different wiper arms and other parts. Why? All these different parts cost money to make.
How about K members? Why use a different K member for slant six, regular V8 and then Hemi engines? They all had different motor mounts anyway, why have a different K member? That made no sense at all. GM didn't do this stuff.
Ford was stupid in many ways. 4 lug hubs for 6 cylinder, 5 lugs for V8s? That was dumb as ****. What did they really save by doing that?

 

[eldubb440]

 

[Kern Dog]

Well, styling aside.....
We all could post examples of some stupid styling choices that actually got greenlit and built.
The early 70s Matadors were unusual too. There were some weird Mercurys as well.

 

[eldubb440]

Well, styling aside.....
We all could post examples of some stupid styling choices that actually got greenlit and built.
The early 70s Matadors were unusual too. There were some weird Mercurys as well.

it's the X thing I was referring to

 

[Kern Dog]

 

[OneWheelPeel]

I only discovered those Matadors about a year or so ago when on the search that led to my Coronet, there was one in down in nice shape for sale. I was actually pretty tempted but figured it would be a bigger pain to get parts for.

 

[Kern Dog]

Unique is great until you need a part for it.

 

[Jerry Hall]

View attachment 1928281

I had a brother-in-law that bought one of those.

 

[66 Sat]

Ford was stupid in many ways. 4 lug hubs for 6 cylinder, 5 lugs for V8s? That was dumb as ****. What did they really save by doing that?

They would have saved millions of dollars. My father worked in the auto industry his whole life, by the end of his career he was the European Purchasing Manager for a company that supplied all manner of components to major manufacturers such as Nissan, Honda, Volvo etc.
He reckoned the car manufacturers would go through the whole car and look for savings, right down to the cent. Because of the huge volumes involved, over the course of a model's lifespan, these tiny savings add up to big dollars.

 

[OzCharger69]

I'll never understand why exhaust manifold threads reach into the coolant jackets

 

[Kern Dog]

Steve Magnante said in a video that Mopar wasn't the only manufacturer that used LEFT hand threads on their cars.
They sure saved money on the trunk weatherstripping because dang near every old car has a rusty trunk.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Why is there a 1" difference in wheelbase lengths between Dodge & Plymouth B & E bodies?

Why short chrome exhaust tips on Chargers & long ones on Coronets?

 

[66 Sat]

Why is there a 1" difference in wheelbase lengths between Dodge & Plymouth B & E bodies

Everything is a compromise between the engineers, the accountants and the marketing department.
Marketing obviously won that time. A point of difference between the brands that they thought they could use to their advantage.

 

[1967coronet]

This came in later years.....
Mopar moving the battery location into the front lower fenderwell.
Or Jeep ..... under the passenger seat with a vent hose. WTF, you have a little tiny 4 or 6 banger with a air filter box that would service a Kenworth and a 2 gal. Washer resivor so let's bury the battery.
Or ford escape and exploder , let's mount that sucker under the cowl.

 

[YY1]

Why is there a 1" difference in wheelbase lengths between Dodge & Plymouth B & E bodies?

Why short chrome exhaust tips on Chargers & long ones on Coronets?

As I've said before, in the early 60's wheelbase was a status symbol and selling point.
Manufacturers touted their longer wheelbase than yours cars.
LOTS of period promo model cars (and JoHan kits) had the wheelbase length cast into the frame rails.

Bottom line- sales gimmick to make the Dodge cars seem more upscale than the Plymouths.

 

[HawkRod]

View attachment 1928283

My parents owned a 4 door Matador like the yellow one pictured, only ours was white with a green interior. It actually was very comfortable and ran great, albeit without much power. Definitely a weird front end though...

 

[toolmanmike]

I'll never understand why exhaust manifold threads reach into the coolant jackets

It's a casting/core thing. Producing a mold with the bosses in the cooling jackets for the bolts didn't make sense for them back then. Studs and sealer was cheaper and easier. Same with the small block water pump bolts.

 

[69hemibeep]

They did away with ash trays and put in cup holders. Now we have more fires and fat people.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Ford and there different engine families. 289, Boss 302, 351C, 351 w, 352, a few between here and the 427, 428, 429, BOSS 429 bet I missed a few. Look at the inventory to service these engines!

 

[oldbee]

They would have saved millions of dollars. My father worked in the auto industry his whole life, by the end of his career he was the European Purchasing Manager for a company that supplied all manner of components to major manufacturers such as Nissan, Honda, Volvo etc.
He reckoned the car manufacturers would go through the whole car and look for savings, right down to the cent. Because of the huge volumes involved, over the course of a model's lifespan, these tiny savings add up to big dollars.

Yes, just like removing grease fittings from u-joints.