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Bill Crowell

Bill Crowell

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Joined
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Location
Diamond Springs, CA
In Britain, Australia and New Zealand they call the part of a car's frame where it narrows in the front, and where it kicks up at the rear, the "dumb irons". That never ceases to crack me up every time I hear it. We really ought to adopt the phrase here in 'Murica!

Imagine how great it would be to tell a fellow FABO member there's a problem with his dumb irons, and he wouldn't really know if you were referring to the frame of his car or his head.

Speaking of heads, what do people mean when they tell you they've seen better heads on a boil? I never did understand that. And here's one off the top of mine:

"Surely you jest! Those aren't dumb irons. I've seen better dumb irons on a tricycle!"

"STFU, my irons have a high IQ! And don't call me Shirley!"

Shirley you can do better than that one.

But Shirley we can start using the term "dumb irons" on FABO in order to make things even more interesting, don't you think?
 
You mean like the bonnet or the boot, putting air in your tyres, using a spanner, no let’s not do the metric conversion on those phrases. Hood, trunk, tires, wrench perfectly good terms that go with North American technology
 
Shoot....I'd just like to be able to use the word "Eh" at the end of my sentences. I don't have a Makenzie Brothers accent though. I have an Appalachian American accent and would worry that if I used Eh all the time, that Canadians would think I was making fun of them. :eek: :D
 
Or the drop head coupe' eh?
Rag top or convertible for ever.
Canadians... Were not you forced into the metric system back in the 70s?:lol:
Hey at least our friends from the great white north drive on the proper side of the road. lol
 
Let's not and say we did. We already have carby's, dizzys, and trannys. :rofl: Oh an occasional posi.
Bill Crowell said:
In Britain, Australia and New Zealand they call the part of a car's frame where it narrows in the front, and where it kicks up at the rear, the "dumb irons". That never ceases to crack me up every time I hear it. We really ought to adopt the phrase here in 'Murica!

Imagine how great it would be to tell a fellow FABO member there's a problem with his dumb irons, and he wouldn't really know if you were referring to the frame of his car or his head.

Speaking of heads, what do people mean when they tell you they've seen better heads on a boil? I never did understand that. And here's one off the top of mine:

"Surely you jest! Those aren't dumb irons. I've seen better dumb irons on a tricycle!"

"STFU, my irons have a high IQ! And don't call me Shirley!"

Shirley you can do better than that one.

But Shirley we can start using the term "dumb irons" on FABO in order to make things even more interesting, don't you think?
Click to expand...
 
mopar head said:
Or the drop head coupe' eh?
Rag top or convertible for ever.
Canadians... Were not you forced into the metric system back in the 70s?:lol:
Hey at least our friends from the great white north drive on the proper side of the road. lol
Click to expand...
You are right but we made out ok. The gov. knowing that we would have to pay for metric tools gave us up to 300 dollars to buy the metric tools and they also paid for a new tool box up to the value of the tools we bought. Back in those days tool boxes were no way as expensive as they are today.
The GM vehicles built in Canada came with a combination of metric and standard bolts etc. So you knew what tools you'd need to do the job and then crawl up under the dash to find out this car was all metric and sometimes it would be mixed. All this screwing around while on flat rate. You'd have to make money with your pen in cases like that.
 
JDMopar said:
Shoot....I'd just like to be able to use the word "Eh" at the end of my sentences. I don't have a Makenzie Brothers accent though. I have an Appalachian American accent and would worry that if I used Eh all the time, that Canadians would think I was making fun of them. :eek: :D
Click to expand...
Uh huh lol
 
Mark Wainwright said:
You are right but we made out ok. The gov. knowing that we would have to pay for metric tools gave us up to 300 dollars to buy the metric tools and they also paid for a new tool box up to the value of the tools we bought. Back in those days tool boxes were no way as expensive as they are today.
The GM vehicles built in Canada came with a combination of metric and standard bolts etc. So you knew what tools you'd need to do the job and then crawl up under the dash to find out this car was all metric and sometimes it would be mixed. All this screwing around while on flat rate. You'd have to make money with your pen in cases like that.
Click to expand...
Oh, we had the mutant metric/SAE standard cars in the U.S. too. Thank God a BFH doesn't care what it's hitting.
 
Professor Fate said:
Oh, we had the mutant metric/SAE standard cars in the U.S. too. Thank God a BFH doesn't care what it's hitting.
Click to expand...
I've played with a few over the years. It QUICKLY becomes a " get this POS fixed and out. I'll NEVER do another like it again!!!!" kinda deal. Never had to deal with on a ride I liked! Or Owned, Thank God!
 
Give 'em an inch and they take 1.6 kilometers.

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Used to be you could tell where something was made by the metric or standard hardware being used. Now you can't tell at all.
Here in Canada you could tell where a Model T or A was built.
If it was built in The U.S it had straight headed screws, if it was built in Canada it has Robertson Screws.
 
Mark Wainwright said:
Used to be you could tell where something was made by the metric or standard hardware being used. Now you can't tell at all.
Here in Canada you could tell where a Model T or A was built.
If it was built in The U.S it had straight headed screws, if it was built in Canada it has Robertson Screws.
Click to expand...
True there are other things that are different between the Canadian built and U.S. built model A but that’s one of the main ones. Robertson screws a Canadian invention, go figure a one handed screw
 
Ahoey said:
True there are other things that are different between the Canadian built and U.S. built model A but that’s one of the main ones. Robertson screws a Canadian invention, go figure a one handed screw
Click to expand...
I like those better than the Phillips any day. They hang on to a screwdriver whether you have a magnetic end on the screwdriver or not even if you turn it upside down. Great invention!!!
 
Mark Wainwright said:
I like those better than the Phillips any day. They hang on to a screwdriver whether you have a magnetic end on the screwdriver or not even if you turn it upside down. Great invention!!!
Click to expand...
One handed screw. Put one on the end of your impact driver give it a tap with your hammer after driving a 3” screw you’ll have to fight a bit to get the bit out of the screw.
 
I just learned this year fenders are “wings” in britain. Dont know why.
Sae/metric- my worst experience i think was a timing chain job on an 84 ish crown vic with a 302. There are sae studs into block, that held brackets on with metric nuts.
Think the metric system was put in place during the reign of our present prime minister’s Father. It caused more problems and expenses than benefits.
 
Tooljunkie said:
I just learned this year fenders are “wings” in britain. Dont know why.
Sae/metric- my worst experience i think was a timing chain job on an 84 ish crown vic with a 302. There are sae studs into block, that held brackets on with metric nuts.
Think the metric system was put in place during the reign of our present prime minister’s Father. It caused more problems and expenses than benefits.
Click to expand...
Metric is more accurate than standard and metric is used world wide except the U.S.
They were supposed to change over with us but they backed off at the last minute.
Personally I like the Standard much better. But it's crazy when you buy some things in standard like building materials etc and then food etc is all metric and our snow and rain is measured in MM or CM or winds in Km
 
Tooljunkie said:
I just learned this year fenders are “wings” in britain. Dont know why.
Sae/metric- my worst experience i think was a timing chain job on an 84 ish crown vic with a 302. There are sae studs into block, that held brackets on with metric nuts.
Think the metric system was put in place during the reign of our present prime minister’s Father. It caused more problems and expenses than benefits.
Click to expand...
That’s true had experience’s like that myself. Like trying to repair an imperial concrete block wall with metric blocks, there are ways around it no prob. But there’s a story about how all these men wanted to build a tower to heaven so the lord made them all speak different languages and the tower wasn’t built. At least now we speak the same language as the rest of the world almost.
 
Mark Wainwright said:
Metric is more accurate than standard and metric is used world wide except the U.S.
They were supposed to change over with us but they backed off at the last minute.
Personally I like the Standard much better. But it's crazy when you buy some things in standard like building materials etc and then food etc is all metric and our snow and rain is measured in MM or CM or winds in Km
Click to expand...
The only reason building material except for masonry is imperial, you guessed it export to the good old US of A. Working in the building trades I wish everything would be metric it would make layout a breeze, figuring angles and such much easier in the base 10 format.
 
Ahoey said:
The only reason building material except for masonry is imperial, you guessed it export to the good old US of A. Working in the building trades I wish everything would be metric it would make layout a breeze, figuring angles and such much easier in the base 10 format.
Click to expand...

Rad.

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No matter where you live, 40 degrees below zero is cold.
 
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