Monday, Aug 14, 2017 at 12:20
Can't beat those old Dodges! The old man had 2 Dodges, a '28 ute and a '38, 3 ton truck. You couldn't kill them.
Not a lot of people realise how advanced Dodge and Chrysler engineering was between WW1 and up to the 1960's.
Chrysler was the first to use hydraulic brakes, the first to use high-strength steels in chassis's and drivetrains (it was called Amola steel, a patented Chrysler steel, and it was a high-strength molybdenum-chrome steel) - the first to use rubber engine mounts - the first to use adjustable front seats - the first to use downdraught carburettors, high compression ratios, engine temperature gauges, and replaceable oil filters.
They were also the first to introduce helical gear teeth in transmissions for smoother, quieter running.
The list goes on and on for them. The old Dodge Flathead Six was introduced in 1934, and was still being built in the late 1960's!
I have one in my Yale forklift, it is absolute pearler.
Chrysler introduced micro-finished crankshafts for longer life and improved performance, and others copied them.
I've got a book called "The Birth of Chrysler Corporation and Its Engineering Legacy", by Carl Breer. It's a great read if you're interested in engineering history.
Breer was one of the three outstanding Chrysler engineers - Zeder, Skelton and Breer - commonly referred to as "ZSB - the Three Musketeers" by Walter Chrysler - who had a major impact on automotive engineering design.
The Dodge Bros started the ball rolling with their good products, but Chrysler and the Three Muskeeters advanced all the Dodge products to outstanding success.
Cheers, Ron.
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