>From a reputable source:
"Update: my girlfriend's stepdad is a mechanic at a european auto repair
shop, and he has verified that the valve covers, intake manifold and
exhaust port patterns of the Mercedes engine are identical to the Dodge
4.7's. In fact the valve cover gasket of a 450SL will fit any 4.7 Dakota
engine. Go Figure...
But granted, Chrysler couldn't leave well enough alone and had to
"Moparize" it so it would be that "same-but-different" thing and be more
cost-effective to recycle old inventory, and in turn it makes things
less expensive to manufacture and keep the overhead amounts lower. I've
also heard that the 2.4L 4cyl PT Cruiser engines are nothing more than
"modified" MB190E motors built on Dodge Neon chassis. All of this
wouldn't surprise me since Daimler-Chrysler sent 1/2 of their german
engineering team to detroit and took over the R&D duties. Hmmm...
Rover Industries did the same thing with their Range Rover SUV's - their
3.9 & 4.0 V-8 engines are nothing more than old Buick 215cid V-8's that
GM was going to scrap anyway, so Rover bought the entire lot of rusty
old long blocks that were sitting in a forgotten GM warehouse, and they
eventually found homes inbetween the fender wells of $80,000
grocery-getters driven by rich snobby soccer moms. "
- Bernd
(I'm not the one who wrote this.)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:01:54 EDT