<VV> Length of LM Corvairs

[Mel Francis]

I think it has to do with the manufacturer's preference for a continuous 
linear measurement from a zero starting point, which is then applied to the 
engineering drawings.

GM's engineers, especially during the Corvair design period, worked out 
their full-size designs on a 5-inch grid pattern, with all drawing 
dimensions being easily transferred
over to the clay and final wood patterns with this continuous measurement, 
rather than switching back and forth to feet.

Same thing in Europe, where all dimensions are drawn in centimeters for 
overall length, width, wheelbase, etc.

Mel

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick Norris" <ricknorris at suddenlink.net>
To: "Alan and Clare Wesson" <alan.wesson at atlas.co.uk>; 
<virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 6:03 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Length of LM Corvairs


>
> Hey,
> When a new mother is talking about her child they will say , He's 24 
> months
> old! Why not say the little snot is two years??
> Go figure!
>
> Rick
>
>>> The overall length is the same (shop manuals).
>>
>> Talking of lengths, I have always wondered why American car lengths are
>> always given in inches, rather than feet and inches, in the shop manuals
>> (Vairs included), and also in books like the Standard Catalog of American
>> Cars.
>>
>> What happened to feet? Y'all still use those, doncha? Ever since I have
>> owned American cars I have got used to having to do feet and inches
>> conversions in my head if I want to know how long my cars really are. And
>> the only one I can ever do off the top of my head is 180 ins, which is 15
>> feet (120 + 60, of course).
>>
>> But a lot of the full-size 50s cars I used to own were a few inches 
>> either
>> side of 200 inches, and that always used to take me ages to work out in
>> feet. Finally I got used to the fact that 192 ins is 16 feet, and so 16
>> feet
>> 6 ins (a relatively popular length) is 198 ins, or 200 ins near as 
>> dammit.
>>
>> But why not just tell us in feet to begin with? Vair content is that I am
>> pretty sure without checking exactly that Vairs were nice easy 
>> 15-footers,
>> or 180 ins (or thereabouts). Haven't checked for about 10 years though -
>> am
>> I right?
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Alan
>>
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>
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