How odd, …or not: Engines with odd-numbered cylinder configurati
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- Dan_Ellsworth
- humorous_sage
- Dan_Ellsworth
- dancooper
- dancooper
- H2O
- dancooper
- humorous_sage
- dancooper
- humorous_sage
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» Dan_Ellsworth - I-setta here ...
In response to Re: I've been rewarded! posted by dancooper:Odd or merely odd, the Isetta briefly flashed by my consciousness as I rode the school bus about 1960. Where did the name come from? On the bus, the joke was, "I setta here, you setta on top." (All done with a low-quality attempted Italian accent.)
My guess is that there was a lot of unconfirmed engineering lore against odd-cylinder cars for a while, and with the improvement of computer simulation, the lore could be tested short of actually putting together a prototype. Then after a computer simulation, the resources for a prototype were not such a crazy investment. If so, information technology might have had a lot to do with the resurgence of the "fives" and other odds.
That guess and four quarters gets you a buck. ;-)
-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth
» humorous_sage - Cylinders
In response to Re: I've been rewarded! posted by dancooper:My friends used to tell me that I had one cylinder missing. In those days, I scoffed. Now I see the need to take them seriously. They might have known what they were talking about.
Hank
-- posted by humorous_sage
» Dan_Ellsworth - Re: Cylinders
In response to Cylinders posted by humorous_sage:Hank, it might have been metaphorical, like "the light's on, but nobody's home", or "elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor", or "two bricks shy of a load". Modesty forbids my telling where I got all this lore. Good to hear from you. Don't try to crank it with the spark lever advanced -- or something like that.
-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth
» dancooper - Re: I-setta here ...
In response to I-setta here ... posted by Dan_Ellsworth:I'll side with you on this one. You are probably right.
"My guess is that there was a lot of unconfirmed engineering lore against odd-cylinder cars for a while, and with the improvement of computer simulation, the lore could be tested short of actually putting together a prototype. Then after a computer simulation, the resources for a prototype were not such a crazy investment. If so, information technology might have had a lot to do with the resurgence of the "fives" and other odds."
The most sophisticated "stuff" in the automotive industry right now shows that we cannot develop competitive models today without computer simulations. I bet you are very right in attributing the resurgence of the "odds" to computer technology.
Dan
-- posted by dancooper
» dancooper - Re: Missing Cylinders
In response to Cylinders posted by humorous_sage:Hello Henry,
I know I have been accused of firing on too few cylinders every once in a while, myself. And aside from my own personal shortcomings in the cylinder department, there have been a couple of occasions when I drove V-8 powered cars that were in such a poor state of tune, they were actually more like V-5's. Since I have been a five-banger all this time, I guess this must be ‘my time’ to shine. It feels good to think of myself on the ‘cutting edge’ of things again. Hmmm... Maybe not.
Anyway, I want to direct both you and Dan to another new article I just wrote. Clarissa Adkins has just published it at her Fake News topic. It was fun to write, and I thought of you, Dan, when I penned the name, E. B. Billygoat. Actually, what I thought about was your article on the evolution of titles like Ms., and pronouns like he and she being shortened to ‘e.’ E. B. Billygoat jumped off the page at me when I wrote it.
Take a look when you have the time. It is at
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/fake...
Thanks for hangin’ around, guys.
Dan
-- posted by dancooper
» H2O - BMW
Didn't BMW make a 5-cylinder for years? Or was that Urban Legend?I believe that in the way early days of automobile manufacture you may find a number of odd-number cylinder cars.
And if you are ever in Waukon, Iowa, stop in at the Clock Museum where they have a Sears Allstate from 1903. I'm not sure how many cylinders, but if that mail order car lost parts in the mail, well, I'll bet you'd be lucky to have 3 or 5 cylinders...
John
-- posted by H2O
» dancooper - Re: BMW
In response to BMW posted by H2O:Hello John,
I can’t remember, nor do I find on my rather quick research of the question, a five-cylinder BMW (bike or car). That doesn’t mean it didn’t exist, and I will continue to look for it, but I don’t think I am going to find it. The two most interesting engine developments I can think of off the top of my head, are the (motorcycle) flat twin, and the new V-10 (which does have two banks of five cylinders each).
And concerning Sweeney’s House of Clocks, I checked out a couple of Websites but found very little about the cars they have there. My Encyclopedia of American Automobiles does list an Allstate, but only for the years 1952 and 53. As an interesting aside, my encyclopedia says those “mail order” Allstates carried only a 90 day guarantee, but the tires “were guaranteed for 18 months, and the battery for two years.”
There is also a listing for a Sears, but that car supposedly was made from 1906 to 1911. Not that this source is unassailable for its accuracy, but it is an acknowledged source among people in the know. I am interested in finding out more about the car you referenced. Have you visited the museum?
Dan
-- posted by dancooper
» humorous_sage - Re: Re: Cylinders
In response to Re: Cylinders posted by Dan_Ellsworth:
On the other hand, "Don't tripple clutch when double clutching will do."
N'cest pas?
Hank
-- posted by humorous_sage
» dancooper - Re: Re: Re: Cylinders
In response to Re: Re: Cylinders posted by humorous_sage:I remember some comments about double clutching I shared with you, Henry, in another thread somewhere. Can’t remember which thread it was…
Thanks for reading, as usual.
Dan Cooper
Guest author, Fake News
-- posted by dancooper
» humorous_sage - Re: Re: Re: Re: Cylinders
In response to Re: Re: Re: Cylinders posted by dancooper:A clutch
Isn't much
Still I'm using the thing
For shifting and such
-- posted by humorous_sage
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