Posted by MoparNorm on Monday, January 06, 2003 at 1:24AM :
In Reply to: With all due respect.... posted by DAvid on Monday, January 06, 2003 at 0:51AM :
DAvid,
Those flimsy lightweight parts ARE because of the government CAFE standards. (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) You cannot meet the standards if you have emmission controls, crash test requirements AND fuel mileage goals, unless you get very, very light. The vent windows hurt mileage, the computers that control emmisions are used for all tasks of vehicle management. A co-worker leaned against the bed of his new gm Sierra crap and promptly bent the sheetmetal. His door holder/stops broke right off. At least my Dodge still has metal hinges, but all of that lightweight cheap junk IS mandated. No vehicle can be made with a metal dash anymore, look at VW, they tried to recreate the Bug, with todays standards look what happened to it! The Power Wagon, if built today, would be stopped at the end of the assembly line and confiscated by the emmisions/safety police! Besides even when most Americans weren't sissies, they still only bought about 3,000 PW's a year. Today the lines cannot afford to stay open unless 100,000 units are sold. I think todays vehicles are better than ever in overall fit and finish and longevity of drive trains. I just think that a "classic" Power Wagon could still be built for under $20,000 AND still meet the latest socialist requirements.
MoparNorm