GM in Bankruptcy

[jimandmandy]

There is no way to convert an auto plant to make airplanes today like it was back then. Planes and cars used much more similar technology. Everything is very specialized and its no longer just a machine shop, simple tooling and lots of manpower. That is a false argument. As far as making Jeeps, etc. If FIAT were to deny use of its US/Canadian/Mexican plants for war production, the governments would just take them over anyway. Jim

[dkf]

Having the auto companies around to produce products for the war was only a small piece in the pie. The biggest advantage we had was our strong manufacturing base and to be able to build and produce things quickly. We were also able to produce our own steel, aluminum and cast parts because of our manufacturing structure.

[gearhed1971]

I agree,I saw a segment on the news about the obscene rape going on by unions,they showed a guy who looked like a reject from a convenience store unemployment line who made $40 an hour to stand there and do some mindless ,repetitive task for 8 hours aday.I bust my ass and maintain7 production lathes and the surrounding shop to the tune of $13 an hour-no union.
And to the other guy,could you envision the new ford troop transport with a "man step"?I'll take my '73 f100 any day,still runs better than 75% of the junk on the road today!!

[Freaksh0w]

I think GM's horrible, horrible rep from the mid-late 80's to the early 2000's is what put them under. Expensive gasket and transmission jobs, all the time. Poor quality.

Same for Chrysler, sludge motors and faulty transmissions.

Sure, Ford had a headgasket eating 3.8 for a short while, but those lasted longer than the intake gaskets on the 3.1/3.4.

Like I've always said, I became a Ford man when I worked in a garage for nearly 5 years. Worked on so much GM junk, lots of Chrysler junk, and honestly (I know this is a Ford site), rarely any Fords.

[jimandmandy]

Ford has had its share of bad transmissions. Taurus/DiSable transaxles, E4OD (my personal favorite, NOT!) and A4LD? used on Rangers.

"I'll take my '73 f100 any day,still runs better than 75% of the junk on the road today!!"

With that attitude, no wonder the car business is broken. We would look like Cuba if no one bought new vehicles. You arent helping Ford to survive unless you buy new product every few years. Personally, I think the 1970's were the low point of US automotive design and quality. My 1974 E-100 was a rust bucket with Rube Goldberg vacuum hoses all over the engine and the first-generation NotDurable SometimesSpark ignition. At least the C-4 tranny always worked.

Jim

[gearhed1971]

Maybe the attitude needs to shift toward maintain,not replace.If the car companies still manufactured vehicles that were affordable to maintain and more do-it-yourself friendly,many more people would be employed.Parts people,mechanics WITHOUT 4 years of college,maybe even consumerswould SAVE some money,securing financial futures for ourselves,not select few people who get pensions from unions.Some of us live hand to mouth and can't afford to but a $30,000 dollar,base model P.O.S.For God's sake,I still have to send my kid to college.Its hard to make a commitment to that kind of cash when
A-you know that were being hosed by car manufacturers and unions to the level of almost rape
B-Monday, anybody in these 50 states may get the pink slip.Do you really want to put yourself in that kind of debt right now?
Maybe somebody needs to take a pay cut from the top down.The financial pyramid is an idea with much disregard to the welfare of the community.Eventually its going to tip over.

[dkf]

I agree Ford had quite a bit of bad parts and vehicles out there. Ford too tried to jump on the "make it cheaper" band wagon. It was actually good for the consumer that competition like toyota, honda and etc came along. If they hadn't we could be driving around in some real crappy cars.

Buying new cars on a regular basis is a complete waste of money in my eyes. Shure its better for the car company but I want a good vehicle that will last and I can keep for a lot of years without putting in tons of money in it. I look out for myself, not auto companies.

The 70s was worse for cars than trucks because trucks had different emission requirements than the cars. The 70s was also netorious for rusty steel also regardless of vehicle. My 74' F-100 is all original with not a spot of rust but its not your average truck it was taken care of. My 74' isn't in the same league as my 04' F-250 but its simplicity is refreshing and the thick sheetmetal is nice. If the goverment and Carb/EPA would keep there nose out of certain aspects of the automobile industry the cars would be more simple. (drive by wire, air pressure monitoring, DPFs and etc)

The cars of today are overal pretty good compared to years ago, they just cut corners where they can and sometimes where they shouldn't.

[Fordsflylow]

How do the unions and working folk always end up in these convo's without rarely a mention of the corporate white collar and upper management's endless BS that ends up costing much much more? IMO The blue collar worker is unfairly criticized when it comes to company/corp demise. You all do realize dont you that you're actually shooting yourselves in the foot don't ya!?!

As for japanese, chinese, german, etc. goods being sold in this country and many of us not liking it. My $.02 worth is it's well past time to even the playing field through fair trade, not the "free trade" bs that helped get us to this recessed/depressed point to begin with. I also don't think it's about prejudice regarding other country's products sold here as it is moreso some folks lack of American pride in our society - generally speaking/writing. That goes for US work ethic across the board as well, and that's from the top to bottom in the ranks.

This country has been sold to the highest bidder(s) and we're reaping the bs benefits - actually takin it up the hiney. The folks who run the show keep us in the lower ranks warring with each other over petty crap while they continue there marry BS way's jettin off to who-knows-where suckin down 3 martini lunches worryin only about where there next cool million is coming from, and could give a rats arse who they step on getting it. The poor are being raped yet again. As long as the status quo continues, so will the raping. Welcome to the fascist world of capitalism, they run the show and we're going to have no choice but to suffer through it.

Again, just my $.02 that's now worth only $.01 if that

[gearhed1971]

Yeah,I'd like to see a white collar guy buy a $.02 bullet and shoot HIMSELF in the the foot,but do you really think that's ever going to happen???In a perfect world.....
Let's focus on the changes we can really make happen.When (if) the economy truly heals,we can pick and choose where we WANT to work,not what we have to do to make it.He who throws the first stone should throw it right at himself.

[460swmo]

Actually in the 70's Ford had some of the best cars ever made, the fullsize cars like the 75-78 LTD and 75-78 Mercury Marquis, I have one of these Mercurys and it's the best car I have ever driven and like it says on the glove compartment it's ride enginered and such a smooth comfortable true fullsize car. It was when they tried to make econoboxes that the quality went downhill.

[gearhed1971]

I agree,my grandfather had an"82 ltd that he pulled a small travel trailer with,and also drove daily.That was a very comfortable,nice driving car,plenty of power.Not a hotrod by any standards,but good car for its purpose.

[92f150I6]

I will have to agree with the above that the 70's was not rthe worst time for cars. I had a 76 pontiac that was daily driven for 25 years and had NO major mechanical failures in it entire life (i bought it from the origional owner and had every maintance record done to the car). Most reliable car I ever owned including my 03 F250 that went through ball joints, 3 sets of brakes and rotors, fuel pump sending unit before the truck even hit 30K miles. BTW, the pontiac still had the origional rotors on it when I sold her last year.

[jimandmandy]

Originally Posted by 460swmo

Actually in the 70's Ford had some of the best cars ever made, the fullsize cars like the 75-78 LTD and 75-78 Mercury Marquis, I have one of these Mercurys and it's the best car I have ever driven and like it says on the glove compartment it's ride enginered and such a smooth comfortable true fullsize car. It was when they tried to make econoboxes that the quality went downhill.

If you want smooth ride above all else, fine, but I dont and I think the market has spoken. 1970's cars had low power and gas mileage due to unleaded gas and sticking with carbs instead of fuel injection. If I dont want to corner or stop, give me a 1960's American boat, not 1970's. At least they had power. Dad's 1964 Continental was the finest car Ford ever built, as far as being a mobile living room and mechanical fine art.

Henry Ford II was running the company back then and personally hated small cars, bad idea in the long run. Maverick and Pinto were the result. There was almost a joint venture with Honda. He vetoed it. That would have put Ford in a far better position vs the Chrysler-Mitsubishi cars. Ford-Mazda has been some help more recently, but Honda has proven to have more small car "Mojo". Remember 1973 and 1979 Mideast oil embargoes?

Jim

[dkf]

I don't regard the cars of the 70's and 80's very highly either. They were for the most part ugly as sin and slow. Lots of guys were gutting cats and constantly screwing with carbs just to try and get them to run right.

[150ford]

Yeh Henry Ford II hated the Mustang when it came out. He really didnt think it would sell. Boy was he wrong. It sold like hot cakes. Ford could have very well went bankrupt in the late 40s. Henry II after his father died got the company back on track. It was losing several million dollars a day back in the mid to late 40s. A new styl car ccame out the 1949 Ford.Got ford back on track with that car.. The emmisions crap wa a problem for those seventies cars although we had a 1973 LTD an a 78 LTD that were excellent cars. I cant remeber them being low on power though. She would bark the tires pretty good. I had Dads old 73 LTD. A friend off mine had a 1972 LTD with side pipes an a 400 under the hood.. That was real fast car for him. He raced it somewhat. Beat Lots off cars with it.