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theoldwizard

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Everything posted by theoldwizard

  1. Other than the redesigned driveshaft (which took years !) I have not seen any "significant" improvements in this vehicle (skipping over the soon to be released electric version). Heck, they even stopped offering a diesel engine option ! A couple of major areas of improvement come to mind : A high end interior (Titanium) for the passenger van. A complete re-thinking of the rear axle. Get rid of that ridiculous set up where you have to pull the rear axle to change the brake rotors Widen the DRW version so that the second set of wheels is OUTSIDE the body (like on all SuperDuty pickups) I am sure there are other areas that need improvement.
  2. It will be at least another 5 years, probably more, before any part of Michigan Central can be used for office space. Those unfamiliar with this renovation need to look at a Google earth image (below). There is nothing there, including NO PARKING !
  3. Tell that to the stock holders who are not getting any dividends !
  4. One of the key building in the Research and Engineering Center will meet the wrecking ball very soon. The Design Center has been the birthplace of every North American vehicle for more than the past 60 years. This is part of the planned total R&E make over that will cost more than $1B ! Last I heard the train station, once fully restored, will also cost over $1B !
  5. Sell or trade in the car. If will get worse. Much worse !
  6. Worldwide powertrain software and engine/transmission/emissions calibration is what I would call "mission critical". Probably less than a dozen servers running in floor space that would easily fit in a large closet. Add another couple dozen highly customized "work stations" for software testing. Networking is split off from mainstream IT and has been for many years. The jumped on gigabit and fiber optics when they first became available. I would give them an A- (always some room for improvement) Storage is another issue. They use MASSIVE NAS box (probably multiple petabytes). Acceptable for most application, but it fell flat on its face when doing multiple parallel "builds" of powertrain software. For the entire corporation, it is not. But corporate IT has lead shoes set in concrete. They can not react to engineering needs or timing. Many (most?) production are not designed, implement or run by IT. Their entire focus is email (Microsoft Office/Outlook or whatever it is called these days) and making sure that financial systems meet the Sarbanes–Oxley Act and more recently that personnel system meet EU requirements. Important task, but engineering typically needs to find its own solutions.
  7. That is a GREAT video ! I always knew that worn parts were part of the death wobble problem. I always SUSPECTED that more caster would help and it was explained very well in the video.
  8. I was there when this happened. The quote from Jack Nasser was "HD truck only makes about 3%-5% profit. We could make more profit by putting that money in the bank !" I don't know where the money went from the sale of HD truck, but that profit was year after year, with next to no engineering or production investment. And yes, it did help to see the Blue Oval on those rigs running down the road. Class 8, like the old L-Series and AeroMax, is hard to make a profit when the customer demands certain engine, transmission axle combinations. Effectively there is no profit on component that are made by others. After the Blue Diamond disaster, Ford was smart by bringing back the F650/F750 with in-house powertrains. Being able to use the same "base" powertrain from Class 3 through the bottom of Class 8 is a brilliant idea. The only thing holding Ford back from expanding deeper into Class 8 is the cost of developing an large, emissions compliant I6 diesel aimed exclusively at Class 4 and up and the cost of any necessary upgrades to their current 6R140/10R140 transmissions.
  9. In a few small cases, they are using public cloud but only because IT can not react fast enough to purchase and install new equipment. Your second statement is COMPLETE WRONG ! Again, I have first hand knowledge of this. 30+ years ago your statements are accurate. Today, with the PROPER personnel, design and implementation (admitted, not exactly up to Ford IT standards) less than a dozen people can support a key internal software development process (powertrain controls) on equipment that fits in 2 or 3 racks and would fit in a large closet. 30 years ago, this was 50+ people and server rooms the size of a couple of tennis courts ! I know this because I know the person who took over my job 13 years ago. The process has not changed much, but the equipment and personnel has.
  10. One of the biggest Ford IT disasters was something called Everest. It was a purchasing system meant to replace the ancient IBM main frame system. It was meant to be a "no touch" system. Order were entered and when received at shipping and receiving were checked into the computer and the vendor was paid. That is how it was supposed to work ! The short version is it did not. "Non-production" turned into a nightmare for vendors who only did a few order with the company annually. Many did not get paid "net 90" and there was literally no one left in "accounts payable" for them to talk to ! Some just refused to sell to the company. After about a year, when IT threatened to shut down the old system, assembly plant managers got involved. I don't know what their specific problem was, but Everest failed to solve it. When a plant manager says a plant will shutdown people listen ! After several months of fumbling around, IT said that V2 of Everest would address all issue AFTER more detail analysis of what the open issues were. The analysis and implementation phase were going to be much longer than V1 and cost much more than V1. In the end, the decision was made to upgrade the IBM mainframes because it would cost a fraction of what the project Everest V2 upgrade was going to cost ! Everest, quickly amd quietly disappeared. Automaker dumps Everest procurement system to revert to older technologies.
  11. Now you are talking about something I know about (this was my job before I retired and I still have friend working in this area). First, the cost of computing and storage for software development for automotives is DIRT CHEAP theses days. Servers today cost $10-$20k. 20 years ago they were $100s of thousands ! A decent sized server room would fit in a large walk-in closet. 20+ years ago, you need a server room the size of a couple of tennis courts with multiple A/C units that were the size of 4 or 5 residential refrigerator. Ford HAS recognized that they need a better, probably standardized, software development process than the dozen (or more) different "ad hoc" processes that they have. Some people are trying to "build empires" on this premise. Middle and upper level management don't want to touch this subject because it is so foreign to them. The Ford IT Organization is a joke ! First level tech support is "off shore" and has no native English speakers. Second level support is local, but their response window is 48-72 business hours. Executives are insulated by having their own IT staff that is on call 24/7, including home support. Worse, the Ford IT organization are nothing but a policing organization. They are great at telling you what you can not do and do nothing about helping you "get the job done".
  12. I believe that with some minor modification to the E-Series dog house (at the expense of interior space) at "big" I6 diesel would fit. Not that expensive. Concur !
  13. My gut says that it is too old of a design (and too big for Class 4-7) to be worth investing in. Better off with a clean sheet. Do we know that yet ? From my observation point, the usefulness of diesels in Class 4-7 is long past its peak. Emission has emasculated the power and fuel economy is nothing exciting (especially since diesel sells for more than regular around here). Add in the initial cost premium, the cost of DEF and those 4 GALLON oil changes with expensive filters and things don't look very promising for it future Diesels niche is very high loads and very long hauls (>50K/year). Frito Lay delivery trucks in this area are all propane powered. While propane may be more expensive than CNG, if you have your own pumping station with a large storage capacity you can negotiate non-seasonal prices and the conversion cost is much lower.
  14. Not enough power for the E350 payload. I guess you could put a 4.10 or 4.33 rear axle in it and a limit the RPM so it does blow itself up.
  15. I don't know enough about the medium duty business, but I still see a lot of "box trucks" built on the E-Series chassis. Anyone hoping for any significant upgrades on the Transit can forget about it ! Full frame ? Nope ! How about dual rear wheel that go outside of the body (like all dually pickups). Nope ! Why, ? Because EU is in charge of the Transit. Same reason there is RIDICULOUS second and third row seating. Don't forget, E-Series is by far the most the most common platform for shuttle buses and Class C motor homes. Those are worthwhile markets as long as Ford does not have to spend a lot on unique upgrades.
  16. Remember Kwick Fit ? (IIRC, it cost Ford $1M to buy it and $1M to sell it. These were just the bankers/lawyers fees !) Who in their right mind wants to go up against the likes of Google, Amazon and Apple ? New Ford CEO Jim Farley plans to expand into technology fields
  17. If Ford wants to get serious about the "commercial vehicle business", maybe it is time to do a "real" commercial diesel, an I6 ! The only issue is, it has to fit in the E-Series. Wouldn't that shake up the industry !
  18. Or maybe they have rear seats that are sized for American adults !
  19. Probably NOT ! I don't believe that the standard maintenance schedule says anything specific about testing front suspension components for wear,
  20. I had never owned a SUV/CUV or truck (unless you count an E150 Club Wagon as a truck) until I bought a 2016 Edge. Still not a big fan of the body style, but I love the interior and the functionality of the hatch.
  21. Hooke's Joint (a.k.a. U Joint) work fine as has been proven for many, many years !
  22. History has shown that Ford will not fix a serious problem like this until there are a significant number of buy backs.
  23. Engineered in EU. They use small motors. They can not go that fast !!!
  24. The lug nut issue has been around on different vehicles since the 1970 when GM started using chrome lug nut "covers" on standard lug nuts. If you have Lincoln Black Label service, the dealer should replace them, either as a warranty item or eat the cost.
  25. In general, Ford used recycled plastic or parts made from "non-traditional" raw materials in areas that you do not see or come in direct contact. Recycled plastic does not always have uniform and consistent color.
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