theoldwizard1

In the mid-80s and early 90s, the automotive industry was the "flea on the tail that wagged the dog" of the IC industry. All of the IC makers wanted to build chips for the auto companies ! By the late 90s, this had completely changed. Intel would not even bid on ICs for Ford any more. Cell phones and now game consoles are the dominate devices. How things have changed.

Are you refering to the PSI springs or typical valve springs. IIRC, there is some fancy metallurgy used in the PSI springs.

The key to the mind blowing near;y 9,000 RPM NASCAR pushrod engines are special valve springs ! The Spring That Revolutionized NASCAR

Swapping a 10R in place of a 6R is practically a zero engineering cost solution ! With a new engine, the PCM will likely be different, even if it is new software and calibration. I'm sure the 10R costs more to manufacture. Maybe in MD applications 10 gears don't help fuel economy ? (I read one thing on the web were he owner of a T250 complained it would never get above 8th gear on the highway when fully loaded.)

With big fleets (hundreds of trucks, not dozens), money talks ! The accountants must be sleeping or Ford is overcharging for their Medium Duty trucks.

It uses pressurized air to move the valves.

But is it cost effective !

Sales volume on Super Duty and Medium are not that high. Splitting that volume between the 6R and 10R just does not make sense ! Please explain. Are you saying the Medium Duty need larger engines ?

I would take that bet, especially on a non-roller cam follower ! I think it is a lot more than you would expect. For years, the "holy grail" has been electrically actuated valves. Not because of timing, but because of friction.

Ford got back into Medium Duty because they could use their own engines and transmission making it profitable. With Godzilla and the 6R140 (why isn't the 10R available in Medium Duty ?) the "total cost of ownership" should be kicking butt on the rest of the world Mediums. Yes, it has a lower payload. Is this what is holding it back from being a sales leader ? I have to believe that the rental fleet (Ujaul especially) will LOVE the F600 !

The really big MISS on the 6.2L was they could not use it in the Medium Duty ! (Was it even offered in F450/F550 ?) The Modular family was sold to upper management as a flexible, "low cost" solution. The 4.6L and 5.4L (and maybe the 6.8L ?) could all be machined on the same line. Common pistons and connecting rods were supposed to be a big cost savings. Many other components (valve train, oil pump) were supposed to be shared between all engines. The 6.8L was a good engine ! Thirsty, but it got the job done. It was used extensively in motor homes. The big complaint there was it was load ! You had to spin it up to make power. I'm sure the data exists, but I would love to see the losses due to friction, etc when comparing a roller lifter pushrod valve train to a OHC roller finger follower. I don't know if one versus the other has any advantages of combustion chamber design or valve placement.

Going E85 on a boosted engine requires a whole different tune a possibly different injectors.

Multiple repairs for the same problem. ? Check into your state's Lemon Law !

and the youngest was 16 !

One of the main design goals for the 7.3L was better low end torque/hp. You are going backwards. Modern engine machining lines can machine engines with different deck heights and bores. The most important thing is to keep the bore spacing the same.

$$$ Plus it would require sleeves or spray-bore. More $$$

I'm still wondering why the 7.3L is de-tuned so much for the E-Series. That, and when are they going to bring back the E450 chassis ?

The Biden administration has announced that it "look into" key industry (including transportation) dependence on key imported items. Most people don't know this, but most (all ?) compacted graphite iron (CGI) engine blocks for all manufacturers are made in one or two casting plants (IIRC) in Brazil. I know that the vast majority of fuel injectors (diesel, gasoline and DI) are NOT made in the US (I think Bosch is still the world's largest supplier). Same with HEGO and air/fuel ratio sensors. Last I knew, Ford did not own ANY iron or aluminum casting plants. Maybe overseas, but not in the US !! The only way to restore this domestic production is tariffs.

The term "hydroelectric" typical refers to "falling" water, from a dam or a waterfall. Several attempts have been made to submerge devices in large rivers (like the Hudson new NYC). None have lasted very long. Not sure why, because the flow rate is not that great.

WOW ! No oil changes ? Hopefully an occasional filter change ! Many parts of the country have strict annual inspection laws. In combination with road salt for snow and ice, few vehicles last longer than 10 years.

No one has been able to harness tidal or river flow successfully for more than a few weeks/months.

They are making this out to be a difficult problem to solve ! I don't understand why ? A couple of days with a shunt and a recording meter should be able to isolated the problem.

I am all for "renewable"/"green" energy but I have been saying this for years. If practical super conductors existed, we could cover much of AZ and NM with solar arrays and huge batteries. Don't hear much, if any, research on this topic. Same with no research on alternative methods (fail safe and no waste) of nuclear power.

I agree with you but I have made the same argument for gasoline or LP/CNG over diesel for a few years, but the market still wants diesel ebgine mediums even though the have a much higher "total cost of ownership" !

My crystal ball does not see that far into the future ! Plus, "I'm from Missouri ..."