Posted by Chris Davis - UT on Thursday, July 20, 2006 at 1:32PM :
The radiator on my wife’s 1995 Nissan Altima failed the other day. The plastic top split along a seam just behind the filler cap. Unlike the radiator in my WC-51 which shows evidence of solder repairs made over its 60 + years of service, the 10 year old plastic and aluminum radiator on the Nissan was not repairable. The entire unit was scrap because the plastic failed… a waste really.
A replacement radiator cost $170 at my local Checker Auto. I set aside an evening in the garage for the job, and worried that I may be in for a long night. Turns out the removal and replacement took me, a guy who had never done one before, about an hour. I’ve got to hand it to the Japanese engineer who thought up that design. There were about six steps to remove the thing, and all I needed for tools was a 10mm socket and Philips head screwdriver.
It’s interesting to look at the change in design philosophy over those 60 years. The WC Dodge is simple and rugged, a well engineer design, built to last… with proper (and somewhat labor intensive) maintenance.
I would describe the Altima as a well-built machine too. It has close to 200,000 miles on it now, and still zips us around at 75 mph in air-conditioned comfort and gets 30mpg doing it. Besides the consumables of oil, tires, and brake pads, it has only required an alternator, timing chain, and now the radiator be replaced. Truly a marvel of engineering when you think of it… but I suspect it will not be around 50 years from now. Even if it was parked in a barn for the next 50 years, it would not be restorable when found. Too many “throw away” components that just won’t be available 50 years from now. It won’t be possible to find the bits you’d need to do it, unless you have your own plastic injection molding plant.
The assemblies that make them up, and the cars themselves, have become consumables… the way of things I suppose. But I’m glad we’ve got these old Dodges to remind us of a different time and design philosophy… a design that means these trucks will likely still be going another 60 years from now.
Chris Davis
Centerville, UT
'45 WC-51
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