Crazy car parts

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So some of you might know I drive a Fiat, a nice little Italian car the didn’t come from Italy, it was manufactured in Brazil.
So the other day I ordered some parts for it, shopped online at RockAuto. I ordered Bosch spark plugs and an AC Delco air filter. I was looking at my German brand Bosch plugs
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and noticed the word Russia stamped on it, I looked on the box and sure enough, made in Russia.
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And my nice American AC Delco air filter....of course, it was made in China.
CE96C036-2119-4299-AEA1-34CA99D5704F.jpeg

So what have I learned, my Italian car is really Brazilian, my American parts are Chinese and my German spark plugs are communists. o_O
Go figure.
 
Привет comrade Bob... I'd strongly suggest keeping the vodka away from your little Italian (?) beauty after you install them plugs....you know.... just in case.
ваше здоровье. :D
 
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Genuine hand crafted made in USA a long time ago. (early 1900's) just look at the individual components of these. Even the electrode pin was pushed into a cross drilled hole before the threads were cut. The gasket is fibrous wrapped with copper sheath.
Found these at an antique aircraft swap meet years ago.
Seen em Jim?
Think V8 Curtis biplane ..
https://www.waaamuseum.org/collections/airplanes/452-curtiss-aircraft
 
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View attachment 185437 View attachment 185438
Genuine hand crafted made in USA a long time ago. (early 1900's) just look at the individual components of these. Even the electrode pin was pushed into a cross drilled hole before the threads were cut. The gasket is fibrous wrapped with copper sheath.
Found these at an antique aircraft swap meet years ago.
Seen em Jim?
Seen 'em in museums.
 
View attachment 185437 View attachment 185438
Genuine hand crafted made in USA a long time ago. (early 1900's) just look at the individual components of these. Even the electrode pin was pushed into a cross drilled hole before the threads were cut. The gasket is fibrous wrapped with copper sheath.
Found these at an antique aircraft swap meet years ago.
Seen em Jim?
Think V8 Curtis biplane ..
https://www.waaamuseum.org/collections/airplanes/452-curtiss-aircraft

Those are very cool little plugs Randy!
 
Back on subject
Some Nokian Hakkapeliitta snow tires made in Russia.
Lots of Bosch parts made in china. That was an issue with the old Sprinter van.
It's one thing to offshore production , another to abdicate on your quality control while still charging "Name Brand" prices.
 
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The reason you don't see old Fiats is they were made from cheap Russian steel that almost by magic converted into iron oxide. I miss the tiny engined "Eye Talian" cars. Two speeds on/off.
 
FIAT - Fix It Again Tony
My Dad owned two of them back in the '70s. There is a reason you don't see them much anymore.

The 70’s Fiats ( and a lot of cars from that era really ) had reliability issues for sure. When I bought my 2012 Fiat 500 I was driving about 300 miles per week , still working and commuting. Gas was brushing up against $4 per gallon at the time and I was looking for a compact car to save me some gas money. It is certainly no powerhouse, but it has no trouble driving on the highway. It has a six speed automatic transmission, I’ve taken many driving out of state vacations in it, you have to pack duffel bags for luggage :laugh2: because the trunk is tiny. It’s not fast but it’s stylish ( kinda like my xs650’s :D ). The pleasant surprise has been its reliability, I have never done more than change oil ,filters ,tires, and spark plugs for the last 9 years. I’m still driving on the factory brakes! 75,000 miles and still going strong. :thumbsup:
 
The 70’s Fiats ( and a lot of cars from that era really ) had reliability issues for sure. When I bought my 2012 Fiat 500 I was driving about 300 miles per week , still working and commuting. Gas was brushing up against $4 per gallon at the time and I was looking for a compact car to save me some gas money. It is certainly no powerhouse, but it has no trouble driving on the highway. It has a six speed automatic transmission, I’ve taken many driving out of state vacations in it, you have to pack duffel bags for luggage :laugh2: because the trunk is tiny. It’s not fast but it’s stylish ( kinda like my xs650’s :D ). The pleasant surprise has been its reliability, I have never done more than change oil ,filters ,tires, and spark plugs for the last 9 years. I’m still driving on the factory brakes! 75,000 miles and still going strong. :thumbsup:
Keeping up with servicing and parking in a garage is the biggest part of it. If it’s bringing you joy, that’s what counts.
 
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