35% of Chrysler sold to FIAT

[RalphVa]

I also had a Fiat 124S 4 door sedan plus a couple of Fiat 1100s that were STILL all over India just 25 years ago. Loved the Fiat but it was a torch and hacksaw car. Seems no bolt ever unbolted like a bolt should. It had to be either hacksawed or cut off. Replaced the ball joints twice in 80k miles on the 124S. Even had to replace the rear anti-sway bar, again, having to cut the bolt that held it on one end. The first refinery I worked at had Fiats as work cars about the refinery. Parts kept falling off the dash on them. These were ones just a smidgen bigger than the little 500s. Must have been 850 sedans. I've rented several Fiats my 12 times to Sicily plus 2 or 3 Alfas. My most favorite sedan was an Alfasud.

Hopefully, Fiat has solved its quality and, in particular, its rust problems. Think almost all manufacturers found the fix to rust back in the 80s. Seems to be mostly a by-gone problem with the phosphate dipping, etc. My Alfa was a MUCH higher quality machine. It was it that got me onto higher quality machines like our present 1983 240D Benz that'll probably go on forever. Just replaced the timing chain on it to get back maybe about 5 hp of its 65 hp, due to retarded valve timing by the stretched chain. It's a bit sassier now.

Oh, there's an Alfa bob-tail (probably a 1750) spider that I see occasionally about the Charlottesville area.

Ralph

 

[dgl24087]

Further info on this deal; If the addtional $3B comes through, Fiat has the option of acquiring and addtional 20% of Chrysler (Daimler's stake?) for $25 Million.

 

[Renze]

Renze, Thanks for the reply. I was under the impression that Fiat had made some significant improvements. It sounds like their reputation from the '70's may still be accurate. Not good, If their going to have a chance here they're going to get any corrosion and electrical issues under control. If they're rusting in Europe, they wouldn't last very long here with the salt thats put on the road.

I do think they got the styling thing mastered though

I was speaking for the entire Fiat group: Fiat, Lancia, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo is still the same junk notorious for electric problems. Fiat is better though, but still not very popular in Northern Europe.
About the rust, at least its not as big of a problem as it used to be.

 

[WilliamBos]

yea just like they need more money.

Diamond i disagree i belive ford a GM can make a fuel efficent car by 2010 they have them now really,but Dodge really needs to get off the hemi and if they dont there gone even with Fiat.

I agree. They need to loose the Hemi obsession and start building something better. It is a pig that won't pass a gas station. And they could also do something with that Ram front end, they are putting it on everything. Makes them all look bland.

 

[Renze]

I agree. They need to loose the Hemi obsession and start building something better. It is a pig that won't pass a gas station. And they could also do something with that Ram front end, they are putting it on everything. Makes them all look bland.

Half a hemi would be a nice engine to have in a mid sized saloon... just chop off one cylinder bank and there you go..

 

[ray66v]

After 30+ years of working on cars, I doubt they could ever do anything that could make me a Chrysler owner.

I see pairing with Fiat, just like paring with Mercedes, and Mitsubishi in the past, as going full speed toward the cliff.

 

[RalphVa]

Alfa has had a "hemmi head" engine since about the 1950s. Those engines were dual overhead cammers with the spark plugs at the top of the combustion chamber, e.g. a "hemmi head". Toyota also has been making a hemmi head for quite some time. Their current 4 cylinder engine basic design dates back to about the 80s. They have 4 valves per cylinder with the spark plug right at the top of the "hemmi head".

Ralph

 

[tomd999]

Hiya,

Why all the bad vibes about the Chrysler Hemi? It just won Ward's 10 best engines of 2009. Currently it's making 390HP out of 353 CI's, that's a better ratio than 95% of engines in muscle cars of the 60's and 70's. It's also getting 19 to 20 MPG while making those #'s in a pickup truck.

Seems pretty good to me.

Tom

BTW, the new Hemi isn't a true Hemi like the one from the 60's, it uses a crescent combustion chamber with an 18 degree valve angle with 2 plugs located to the outside of the chamber. The earlier Hemi's used true half circle combustion chambers, 45 degree valve angles and centrally located plugs. The 60's Hemi made truckloads of HP for it's displacement but pretty much sent raw fuel out the exhaust at anything less than full throttle, the new one meets 2009 standards in all 50 states, Mass and Cali included, very good if ya ask me.

 

[WilliamBos]

Hiya,

Why all the bad vibes about the Chrysler Hemi? It just won Ward's 10 best engines of 2009. Currently it's making 390HP out of 353 CI's, that's a better ratio than 95% of engines in muscle cars of the 60's and 70's. It's also getting 19 to 20 MPG while making those #'s in a pickup truck.

Seems pretty good to me.

Tom

BTW, the new Hemi isn't a true Hemi like the one from the 60's, it uses a crescent combustion chamber with an 18 degree valve angle with 2 plugs located to the outside of the chamber. The earlier Hemi's used true half circle combustion chambers, 45 degree valve angles and centrally located plugs. The 60's Hemi made truckloads of HP for it's displacement but pretty much sent raw fuel out the exhaust at anything less than full throttle, the new one meets 2009 standards in all 50 states, Mass and Cali included, very good if ya ask me.

Real world mileage is alot lower, a local paper tested one, 12MPG was all they could squeeze from it.

 

[Renze]

Alfa has had a "hemmi head" engine since about the 1950s. Those engines were dual overhead cammers with the spark plugs at the top of the combustion chamber, e.g. a "hemmi head". Toyota also has been making a hemmi head for quite some time. Their current 4 cylinder engine basic design dates back to about the 80s. They have 4 valves per cylinder with the spark plug right at the top of the "hemmi head".

Ralph

Hemi stands for hemisphere, which refers to the shape of the combustion chamber in the head. When i looked that up in wikipedia, i read that hemi heads are from the early 1900's

Hemi engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia