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theexbrit

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Posts posted by theexbrit

    Gas tank protector

    in The Garage

    Posted

    The idea of Gary Busey endorsing anything other than Valum pills is a scary thought. :laugh:

     

    The best Pinto reference was in the hilarious 1984 movie "Top Secret".

     

    Don't mean to hijack the thread but here's an interesting Pinto snippet..........

    "Fuel tank defect

    Controversy followed the Pinto after 1977 allegations that the Pinto's structural design allowed its fuel tank filler neck to break off[6] and the fuel tank to be punctured in a rear-end collision,[6] resulting in deadly fires from spilled fuel.

    Allegations and lawsuits

    Critics alleged that the vehicle's lack of reinforcing structure between the rear panel and the tank meant the tank would be pushed forward and punctured by the protruding bolts of the differential[16] — making the car less safe than its contemporaries.

    According to a 1977 Mother Jones article by Mark Dowie, Ford allegedly was aware of the design flaw, refused to pay for a redesign, and decided it would be cheaper to pay off possible lawsuits. The magazine obtained a cost-benefit analysis that it said Ford had used to compare the cost of $11 repairs against the cost of settlements for deaths, injuries, and vehicle burnouts. The document became known as the Ford Pinto Memo.[14][17][18] This document was, technically, not a memo regarding the Pinto specifically, but a general memo Ford submitted to the NHTSA in an effort to gain an exemption from safety standards; it was also primarily focused on the cost of reducing deaths from fires resulting from rollovers, rather than the rear-end collision fires that plagued the Pinto. It was nonetheless submitted in court in an effort to show the "callousness" of Ford's corporate culture.[4]

    An example of a Pinto rear-end accident that led to a lawsuit was the 1972 accident resulted in the court case Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co.,[19] in which the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District upheld compensatory damages of $2.5 million and punitive damages of $3.5 million against Ford, partially because Ford had been aware of the design defects before production but had decided against changing the design.

    Recall

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ultimately directed Ford to recall the Pinto. Initially, the NHTSA did not feel there was sufficient evidence to demand a recall due to incidents of fire. 27 deaths were attributed to Pinto fires (the same number of deaths attributed to a Pinto transmission problem) and in 1974 the NHTSA ruled that the Pinto had no "recallable" problem.[20]

    In 1978, Ford initiated a recall providing a plastic protective shield to be dealer-installed between the fuel tank and the differential bolts, another to deflect contact with the right-rear shock absorber, and a new fuel-tank filler neck that extended deeper into the tank and was more resistant to breaking off in a rear-end collision.[6][21]

    Schwartz paper

    In a 1991 paper, The Myth of the Ford Pinto Case, for the Rutgers Law Review, Gary T. Schwartz[4] said the case against the Pinto was not clear-cut.[22][23]

    According to his study, the number who died in Pinto rear-impact fires was well below the hundreds cited in contemporary news reports and closer to the 27 recorded by a limited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration database. Given the Pinto's production figures (over 3 million built), this was not substantially worse than typical for the time. Schwartz said that the car was no more fire-prone than other cars of the time, that its fatality rates were lower than comparably sized imported automobiles, and that the supposed "smoking gun" document that plaintiffs said demonstrated Ford's callousness in designing the Pinto was actually a document based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations about the value of a human life — rather than a document containing an assessment of Ford's potential tort liability.

    Schwartz's study said:

    • The Pinto Memo wasn't used or consulted internally by Ford, but rather was attached to a letter written to NHTSA about proposed regulation. When plaintiffs tried to use the memo in support of punitive damages, the trial judge ruled it inadmissible for that purpose (p. 1021, Schwartz study).
    • The Pinto's fuel tank location behind the axle, ostensibly its design defect, was "commonplace at the time in American cars" (p. 1027).
    • The precedent of the California Supreme Court at the time not only tolerated manufacturers trading off safety for cost, but apparently encouraged manufacturers to consider such trade-offs (p. 1037)."

    I was living in England at the time, so to me an exploding Pinto was just a horse that trod on a land mine! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    • Like 1

    Gas tank protector

    in The Garage

    Posted

    I'm not sure about an aftermarket protector but, there are very strict guidelines set by the government that regulate collisions from all angles. She SHOULD be safe.

     

    Does the word "Pinto" mean anything to anyone.............. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    • Like 1

    more power!

    in The Garage

    Posted

    The other answer is not to worry what others do and appreciate what you have. :shrug:

     

    B

     

    I second that.

     

    I seemed to get a lot more power out of my VG33 by doing a throttle body clean, installing manual hubs & adding electric fans.

     

    Just my 2 cents worth.

    Water pump

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    Depends on how long you've had the car? Has it been changed before?

     

    Water pumps shouldn't make any noise so it's probably on the way out. On a recent trip to the desert a Mitsubishi Montero was with us & it had a noisy water pump. The water pump finally gave up the ghost in the middle of a place called Fish Wash & I ended up towing the Montero about 10 miles, most of it off road.

    Water pump

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    Here's a comment I posted after I did mine........

     

    "The timing belt isn't that bad, take the rad out, remove the belts, pulleys, plastic cover, etc. The only problem I had was the nut that holds the crank pulley was a bee-arstard to get undone, had to put a long breaker bar on it, rest it against the inner fender & then kick the engine a couple of times :lmao: I know "purists" are going to scream bloody murder that I used such a half-arsed hillbilly method, but hey, it got the job done :lol: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:".

     

    You don't need a light, just make sure you mark the pulley's & the back plate with white paint or something so that you can keep them lined up, then you won't have to worry about the timing. If you try to start it after the TB change & it runs rough, you're a tooth off.

     

    Here's a link to a thread with a couple of photos......

     

    http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/34405-timing-belt-job-done-thanx-npora/

     

    As devonianwalk says, make sure you replace the belt, tensioners, etc, while you're there.

    What did you do to your Pathfinder today?

    in The Garage

    Posted

    Wow! Your truck came factory with a tranny cooler? Never knew these had that option?!?

    Pretty much same cooler I have. Except mine is a Hayden. With the amount of room available, and where you wheel with the heat. Why not try cleaning up the old one and running with the new cooler in series?

    Into the new cooler, out the the stock then back to the transmission? For a little bit of extra cooling capacity?

    I think the SE's &/or models with a tow package as Tungsten said, are fitted with tranny oil cooler (it's in "section 310" of my dealer workshop manual). The diagram looks exactly the same as my cooler......

    cooler_zps5f50430e.jpg

     

    I thought about using both coolers but I think the B&M will be more than sufficient on it's own, I never had any overheating tranny fluid problems I'm just making sure I don't get any. I'm keeping my old one though, just in case :D

    What did you do to your Pathfinder today?

    in The Garage

    Posted

    Where are you planning on installing the second battery? (I'm assuming this = 35 mins of debating?)

     

    I'm trying to get it under the hood as I'm too lazy to run a 4gauge wire to the back of the car :laugh: Apparently, you can fit 2 side by side if you turn them 90 degrees. I need to make new tray first though. If I had my snorkel finished I'd probably put the second battery where the old air filter box was.

     

    90seven said "No pics, didn't happen", so here's a couple of pics of my latest "mods"...........

     

    B&M cooler with oem tranny cooler

    2013-04-20114446_zps8d87696b.jpg

     

    Installed, through the grill, fog light removed

    2013-04-22100249_zps5f24865e.jpg

     

    Missing Link bar installed

    2013-04-22100324_zpsff3a590c.jpg

     

    I actually prefer the look without the fog lights, makes it less "mall cruzer" I think. I just did the fog light mod so that I can switch them on any time, with or without headlights, so when I get my bumper I'll use the circuit for some other front lights. I also have a couple of other lights that I'm going to install on the front somewhere, shine them out to the sides of the front, it's a barstaaard trying to see what's there when making a turn in pitch black desert nights, the headlights don't shine out to the sides nearly enough.

    • Like 1

    Euro Cam question-California

    in The Garage

    Posted

    $200 for cams.

    Or search for new job, new place to live, new strip club.....err places of entertainment.

     

    As much as I hate where I live, (the jobs here suck) I sort of like where I live. 2 hours to the ocean, 10 minutes to 2 different lakes and some decent wheeling, and an hour to snowboarding.

     

    I've thought many times about registering my truck at my moms address in Colorado though........

     

    Trog, your second paragraph sums up the whole reason for putting up with some "inconveniences" in regards to certain laws & regulations :laugh:

     

    Try living in Britain, you have tons of "inconveniences" without any of second paragraph benefits! :lmao::D :D

     

    Just kidding :itsallgood: There are a few benefits to living in Britain::: good TV comedy, non-sensationalized news programs & morning fry ups!! :whistle:

    off road lighting,

    in Western Canada

    Posted

    Depends what you mean by "cheap", I bought an El Cheapo Rage Motorsports rack ($80) & it's been good so far. It's a smaller rack maybe 45"x50" or so, no problems yet.

     

    As for lights, I have some KC Daylighters that go for $100 a pair from Pepboys, nice & bright but they're regular bulbs so they're a tad yellow. I saw some LED lights for about $160 that I'm interested in. Believe me, once you're tried HID or LED you won't want to go back to halogen. :thumbsdown:

    What is the normal water-temperature range for our trucks?

    in 96-2004 R50 Pathfinders

    Posted

    How hot was the tranny and do you have an aftermarket tranny cooler? If not and it is plumbed through the radiator, you are actually adding heat to the radiator from the tranny.

    B

    I'm planning on installing my new B&M tranny cooler in a week or two, it's wayyy bigger than the stock one so I'm wondering if it will be ok to bypass the pipes that take hot tranny fluid to the bottom of the rad & just go straight to the B&M from the tranny? :shrug:

    Need new tires 31x10.50x15 recommendations

    in 90-95 WD21 Pathfinders

    Posted

    I've had my 31x10.5x15 Kelly Safari AT's ($100 a pop, Discount Tires special) for about a year now & overall they've been pretty good tires for the type of Froading I do, but they do have weak sidewalls (that's where both punctures were). Also, they only air down to about 26psi before they start feeling really "slushy" & feel like they're going to pop off the bead. I'm saving my pennies, I think my next set will be Duratracs or Kevlar mud pluggers.

     

    As the others have said, you're going to be lucky to find any tires for $100 each & Precise1 is right, they won't be good tires.

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