Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[ultrarunner]

I hope you agree that would be simpler to calculate for some odd quantity of gas, easier to remember, and easier to teach to an apprentice, if that gallon were 100 ounces.

Look, you are already doing a conversion of a memorized odd number (that doesn't appear elsewhere in automechanics) to 1/100ths, in your example! Who needs 1/100ths? Well everybody. The example illustrates this.

Everybody in the whole rest of the world.

The early Volvos I owned - back in the era of SU carburetors - were a mix of Metric and SAE. Possibly some Whitworth as well. BSA motorcycles were unique too, mostly Whitworth. On a used motorcycle there were often some rounded-off nuts from someone using whatever wrench they actually owned instead of buying the correct - expensive - Whitworth tool.

Didn't Fords have some odd Ford spec fasteners or wrenches too, up through the 30's?

Yes... the one I have is 21/32 for Model A Connecting Rods... actually, 32nd size was not all that uncommon prior to WWII

 

[IslandTractor]

I would guess the wife was the passenger, so the explosion centered on her, look at that roof on the passenger side! I wonder is she's given up smoking since or if she's going to wait until all her singed hair to grow back?

Not sure if she'll give up smoking, but I bet she looks around every time and cringes before she lights up.

Gotta wonder about BBQ management too. I always always shut off the tank when I turn the burners off. I'm guessing they had a little picnic BBQ using a non refillable canister. They left it attached and somehow turned the gas back on while loading the car. Boom.

 

[Creamer]

"Mechanics need both sets now days."?? We've needed both since I was a boy and first started wrenching in the 70's. I've grown up with both and am used to it.

As for 1/50th of a gallon: Well, 1/50th is 2%, and a gallon has 128oz. So 1/50th of it is 128 * 2 / 100. Or just over 2.5oz. Which is a lot easier to do in my head than it is to write out for you. And actually measuring 2.5 oz is a lot easier than trying to measure the same in centiliters. Who has any type of measuring device graduated in cl?

But the biggest reason not to change to all metric stuff is that I just don't want the US to "be just like the rest of the world". If they all jumped off a cliff would you too? Think independent!

Rob

There are a lot of things Europeans do that I do not want but the metric system is not one of them - in fact it is about the only one I do want. I have been working farms, machines, and industry my whole life and it is time to simplify. 40+ years of being half and half on everything is lunacy and the metric system is so much simpler. Yes I can do the 50:1 calculation in my head but there are also plenty of milliliter and centiliter measuring devices available and it is a much simpler calculation. Furthermore if you did not buy a German made chainsaw, string trimmer, or whatever it would probably not be 50:1 as they would have have designed it to a more normal American ratio. But now tell me - what is an American designed and built chainsaw, string trimmer, or other 2 cycle engine. We need to make the change to be easier on ourselves.

 

[Woodeye]

Very well said.

 

[Raspy]

Yes, well said.

Using both systems is absolutely ridiculous and leads to many problems. We are not going back to all SAE, so let's just get on with it. Unfortunately, there are so many who are against change of any kind. As the current generation fades away and a new one takes it's place, the change will come naturally.

And it actually seems like we've made a lot of headway already.

 

[Redneck in training]

"Mechanics need both sets now days."?? We've needed both since I was a boy and first started wrenching in the 70's. I've grown up with both and am used to it.

As for 1/50th of a gallon: Well, 1/50th is 2%, and a gallon has 128oz. So 1/50th of it is 128 * 2 / 100. Or just over 2.5oz. Which is a lot easier to do in my head than it is to write out for you. And actually measuring 2.5 oz is a lot easier than trying to measure the same in centiliters. Who has any type of measuring device graduated in cl?

But the biggest reason not to change to all metric stuff is that I just don't want the US to "be just like the rest of the world". If they all jumped off a cliff would you too? Think independent!

Rob

The problem is export when the rest of the world uses SI. So you would make US and export version of stuff you make? Most if not all US made cars are metric. NASA uses SI exclusively for years, and if I am not mistaken also US Army. Standard system is just a big headache for engineering calculations. We deal with it every day. In fact we do everything in SI and then convert just the results to Standard units if that is what the client wants. It is just matter of time when due to economic pressures US manufacturers will convert to SI. Then we will be left only with Miles, Fahrenheit, Pounds and Gallons just to confuse foreign visitors. The rest of the world uses SI for a reason. It is better.

 

[Redneck in training]

Not sure if she'll give up smoking, but I bet she looks around every time and cringes before she lights up.

Gotta wonder about BBQ management too. I always always shut off the tank when I turn the burners off. I'm guessing they had a little picnic BBQ using a non refillable canister. They left it attached and somehow turned the gas back on while loading the car. Boom.

Many yachts disappeared without a trace. Reason: They used propane for cooking. They should have used kerosine. Learned that from a guy who has a oceangoing sailboat. With a kerosine stove!

 

[dragoneggs]

The problem is export when the rest of the world uses SI. So you would make US and export version of stuff you make? Most if not all US made cars are metric. NASA uses SI exclusively for years, and if I am not mistaken also US Army. Standard system is just a big headache for engineering calculations. We deal with it every day. In fact we do everything in SI and then convert just the results to Standard units if that is what the client wants. It is just matter of time when due to economic pressures US manufacturers will convert to SI. Then we will be left only with Miles, Fahrenheit, Pounds and Gallons just to confuse foreign visitors. The rest of the world uses SI for a reason. It is better.

This indeed is a problem for my company. We make both imperial and metric sized threads, internal and external for various fastening systems. Since we sell mostly domestic, imperial is most popular sell. Metric equivalents are more expensive because of smaller lot runs. Thus, international sales are tougher. If we moved to a common system, our competitiveness as an exporter would increase. I think USA manufacturing would benefit but it would be a painful transition for sure.

My college engineering professors promised us students that we needed to know both systems because metric was coming to the US (that was early 80s). It was a pain because all tests were a mix of imperial and metric measures even in the same problem. Conversion isn't hard but it is not second nature. A feel for measured amounts should be... second nature whether it is simple length, weight, or pressure, viscosity or other. Having a feel in two different systems is not common.

 

[redman135]

Re metric and sae, new zealand is a metric country. Yet go to the chain hardware stores ,in the bolt section (prepackaged) you have to read carefully or you will get sae nuts and bolts !!!

 

[TomSeller]

Many yachts disappeared without a trace. Reason: They used propane for cooking. They should have used kerosine. Learned that from a guy who has a oceangoing sailboat. With a kerosine stove!

I recall houses blowing up that had propane heat and had leaks.