A: I have often wondered how tires filled with Helium might react? Tough to keep it in there probably and the cold would make it worse. From: farna@xxxxxxx Subject: Re: was Car Craft Ramblings, now Alky fuel To: mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx Message-ID: <ADVANCES62ix4A2DreB0000021c@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Yes, hydrogen fuel cells that produce electricity, not burning hydrogen gas. Big difference, especially as far as safety! Remember films of the Hindenburg? I don't know about interchangeable bodies -- cost would be to much for most people. It would, however, be VERY cost effective for the manufacturer! One chassis, many bodies. Would even make it cost effective to remanufacture the vehicles. Hmmm.... upgrade instead of buy totally new by buying a more powerful or efficient chassis and having your body swapped on. Now THAT concept sounds interesting, but most people will be tired of a body style, especially if the car is worn, and will want a whole new one. But that's where remanufacture could come in. Trade your old car in, it gets sent back for a refurb and new body, saving roughly 20-25% of the initial manufacturing cost even if all moving parts are replaced. That could work as long as the manufacturer can sell the resulting vehicle as "new" again rather than as a lower co! st used or remanufactured vehicle.... I'd have no problem with it but would expect some of the savings to be passed on to the consumer. Say the "high line" cars are all new, and the lower tier cars get the remanufactured chassis along with the lower price. Sounds like a perfectly workable deal to me, and would keep resale value up a bit. Remember a few years ago when we discussed a remnaufacturing venture on this board? Well, the conclusion was for a truly remanufactured car (everything gone through to like new status) you'd need one of the high volume mid size models (like a Taurus, Lumina, etc.) that was built over a long period to have enough raw material. At first it would probably work well, but then the price of the refurbed model would go up. I finally concluded that even in a mass production facility the final selling price would have to be equal to the next model down as a true new car. Buy a remanufactured Taurus that still had 4-5 year old styling or a brand new, and new looking, Contour (or whatever replaced it)? Some would want/need the bigger car, but there are to many hurdles. IF banks and such would finance it as a new car instead of used that would help, but I don't think there would be a high enough percentage of totally new parts to get a "new car" rating from the government. Going with on! e model you could have something like a new nose/grille and some side trim to make it look slightly different and maybe a bit more up to date, but I doubt enough. Now with the common platform and the chassis going back to the manufacturer such a remnaufacturing will work, especially if a totally new body is put on it. Volume and a steady, easily obtained source of cars to remanufacture is ensured for one thing. Trucks going in delivering new cars have to turn around and go back, so shipping cores doesn't cost quite as much either. Then there is the number of parts that will be replaced and the fact that you're "buying" the new parts from yourself that makes the whole operation more efficient. Would be nice if that's what they have in mind! The "lower line" remnaufactured cars could even be a spin-off make instead of one of the more well known brands. My first thought would be for GM to keep the higher end names as they are and make Chevy the remanufactured brand (because it's the price leader), but Chevy sales volume is to high. Oh well, maybe John Mahoney (who seems to have ears in the auto industry) can pass some of these ideas alon! g! Would be nice to at least get recognition for it, but I don't mind so much if it actually improves the US economy and environment.