# Manufacturer's design shortcuts **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046 "2022-05-08T22:23:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/102 "2022-05-15T12:22:38Z")
I only have replaced one timing belt myself, 1970-something Pinto. Belt broke in my driveway. Fifteen minute job, line up the timing marks on the pulleys, slip on the belt, done. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/103 "2022-05-15T15:44:23Z")
And you got it done all on your own Great job! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/104 "2022-05-15T16:13:48Z")
> [@VOLVO-V70](#): > > So why not use as many parts from vendors who already make them and have prices set in place. That is standard practice across EVERY automaker to a small (Ferrari) or huge (Corolla) degree. Most would not be able to afford a car made with 100% bespoke parts. Engineers are encouraged to use ā€œshelfā€ parts whenever possible as wellā€¦ That flange head 60 mm long 10mm bolt instead of a _63.5 mm custom_ bolt. After all, they arenā€™t the Government and canā€™t afford $600 Allen wrenches! ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 4:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/105 "2022-05-15T16:21:56Z")
In 1949, Ford bought the General Motors Hydramatic automatic transmissions for its Lincoln division. The Hydramatic was used in the Lincoln for several model years. Nash, Hudson, Kaiser-Frazer purchased the GM Hydramatic as well. ---
**Author:** ![Scrapyard-John](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Scrapyard-John](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Scrapyard-John)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/106 "2022-05-15T17:28:27Z")
> [@Nevada\_545](#): > > I once spent 45 minutes trying to prove to a warranty inspector that a heater core was leaking on a Dodge Ram. Coolant odor was present through the vents, but he wanted to see coolant dripping, they donā€™t always leak bad enough to drip. Mine didnā€™t leak either. You could smell it through the vents. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 6:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/107 "2022-05-15T18:34:30Z")
Fogging up all the inside windows was a dead giveaway, but I am my own warranty provider and only had to argue with myself. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/108 "2022-05-15T20:03:58Z")
> [@Triedaq](#): > > Ford bought the General Motors Hydramatic automatic transmissions for its Lincoln division. The Hydramatic was used in the Lincoln for several model years. Nash, Hudson, Kaiser-Frazer purchased the GM Hydramatic as well. +1 And, shortly after Studebaker launched their automatic transmission, Ford offered to pay a pretty large sum in order to license the rights so that they could use it in their cars. Studebakerā€™s management refused, which was just one more example of bad decision making on their part. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/109 "2022-05-15T20:14:52Z")
Heh heh. More Gm parts in a ford than ford parts. Just kidding. But them Iā€™m told the best engine replacement for a Morris minor is a Datsun engine. Evidently bolts right up with maybe an a dapter kit as Johnny cash would say. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/110 "2022-05-15T21:55:07Z")
> [@bing](#): > > maybe an a dapter kit as Johnny cash would say. Iā€™ve always enjoyed Cashā€™s music, even in the 60ā€™s when he wasnā€™t super popular among the teenagers of the time, but donā€™t understand the ā€œadapter kitā€ reference. When the Johnny Cash show was on tv, I was there on the couch. His show had some great guests who you might not expect for his genre, including an early appearance by Neil Young. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/111 "2022-05-15T22:01:34Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > but donā€™t understand the ā€œadapter kitā€ reference. It is from the song one piece at a time. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 10:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/112 "2022-05-15T22:22:31Z")
In the song one part at a time where he stole a part every day through the years building caddyā€™s. Got all done and started putting it all together with parts from over 20 years or so, he says they got the engine to fit With the help of ā€œan a dapter kitā€. Funny song. Got it one piece at a time and never cost me a dime. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2022, 10:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/113 "2022-05-15T22:28:10Z")
Yeah, thanks for the reminder about that song. Iā€™ve heard it many times. I just read the lyrics, got a good chuckle šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/114 "2022-05-16T13:55:47Z")
> [@bing](#): > > Heh heh. More Gm parts in a ford than ford parts. Just kidding. I know you were joking, but itā€™s possible. Before my brother-in-law moved to Michigan to become a plant manager for Chryco he was a General Manager at New Process Gear in Syracuse. NPG was part of Chrysler. And at that time only 45% of their transfer-cases went into Chryco (Dodge, Ram) vehicles. Most went to GM and Ford. My GMC S-15 had a NPG transfer-case in it. This isnā€™t new. Been going on for decades. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/115 "2022-05-16T20:46:04Z")
Ford incorporated New Process xfer cases into some of their 70ā€™s 4WD trucks. Maybe even earlier than that. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/116 "2022-05-17T02:13:17Z")
GM used to sell Turbo 400 automatics to Rolls Royce, Jaguar and others. ---
**Author:** ![Scrapyard-John](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Scrapyard-John](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Scrapyard-John)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 2:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/117 "2022-05-17T02:56:45Z")
Iā€™ve seen NP transfer cases in GM, Dodge, (and I think Jeep) vehicles. Back in the older days, youā€™d see Borg Warner transfer cases (and manual transmissions) in a lot of trucks. NP seems to have somewhat taken the place of BW in the transfer case game. For whatever reason. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/118 "2022-05-17T13:03:42Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > GM used to sell Turbo 400 automatics to Rolls Royce, Jaguar and others. Thereā€™s a company here in NH (Hitchner Manufacturing) that makes brake caliper bracket for RR. Big casting company. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 1:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/119 "2022-05-17T13:08:11Z")
> [@Scrapyard-John](#): > > NP seems to have somewhat taken the place of BW in the transfer case game. NP became New Venture Gear in the 90ā€™s. The plant closed in 2011. I had at least 10 relatives that worked there over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Scrapyard-John](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Scrapyard-John](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Scrapyard-John)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 1:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/120 "2022-05-17T13:20:18Z")
Hmmm, All of my 4wdā€™s have been older than 2011, so I suppose Iā€™m out of touch. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2022, 9:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046/121 "2022-05-18T21:58:24Z")
@Jerome-Silverman mentioned ā€œtiming belts instead of gearsā€ Not sure exactly what you are referring to? By ā€œgearsā€ do you mean you prefer an engine w/a timing chain rather than a timing belt? Or do you mean you prefer an engine that syncs the crankshaft to the camshaft directly, using gears? Iā€™m not an engine configuration expert by any means, but the only engine I can think of that might do it that way was the VW air cooled engine from the 60ā€™s & 70ā€™s. Or are you referring to engines with two camshafts, and you prefer one camshaft drive the other w/gears? Thatā€™s how my Corolla is configured, one cam sprocket drives both cams using a gear arrangement. Most dual overhead cams on newer cars are each driven by the timing belt, using separate cam sprockets. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046.md?page=5) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/manufacturers-design-shortcuts/184046.md?page=7)