Just removed the headers from my 1990 ZR1 today. I have removed headers on many vehicles before. This: was the darn hardest.





Some context: I have spent my life as a technician and engineer, and am close to retiring. Worked in aerospace and automotive my whole life. If it is one thing that I wish for this world to understand and to improve upon: It would be OEM engineering. The above example is a testament to retarded people, who find themselves behind computers designing garbage that causes nothing but pain and misery out in the real world.

The folks who look for "the most convenient jobs" - are typically the most retarded, and the most careless. I have witness this over and over and over again. I remember a situation with 30x engineers in a prestigious Germany automotive company: and 2x young engineers who were "only" doing aftermarket exhaust systems by themselves came in to teach them about designing exhausts that the workshops can easily take off. These 30x engineers, my former collegues, were the most darn convenicent people you would ever meet. Most of them overweight, lazy, and simply darn stupid - had to be told by 2x youngsters who loved what they are doing (TIG welded exhaust systems) to improve their work. The only engineer in that department with half a brain was the chief engineer, who modified cars himself and got these 2x guys into the company.

Beware of folks who are looking for convenience - fat asses sitting behind computers. Cannot move their *** for a half a mile run. Start their day with 3x coffees and a whole bunch of **** talking before doing anything. I could only ever get them to do anything useful from 11:00 to 11:30 before lunch. After lunch: they were sleeping, no wonder as they destroyed 3kg of deep-fried garbage for lunch every day. The rest of the time: was just a complete waste.

For anyone out here who is engineering the future: beware of convenient clowns. I met many, many people in my life, and hired more then 300 individuals. The best people I hired: were motivated people who loved the product. Do not hire degrees / a motivated technician who loves cars will outperform 99% of the engineers out there. Look for the motor crazy folks, who lay below their cars after work. Do not choose the every day typical retard that spends their time at the pub or worse: instagram after work. Do not hire the degree he has on his CV. Ask them for a "overview of personal projects" when they apply. Understand if they love cars, and are part time technicians themselves. For if not, do not hire them. Any FEA or CFD simulation can be outsourced. Do now allow smart asses to talk **** that nobody understands, simply because they cite some partial derivatives from the Navier-Stokes equations. That is not the skill that is cutting a great product. That is a pretender, that you should not hire.

I have myself released products from our department - where it was damn impossible to change headers. Engines had to be removed. This - is retarded. It is the pinacle of complete retardedness, and for a long time, I made the wrong decisions with the net effect: of hundreds of tons of automotive garbage out there now. Complete waste as it cannot be repaired. Alusil engine blocks was my favourite, purposely made the cylinder liners so thin that they could not be sleeved for repair. In hindsight, I should have gotten up my desk, and told my retard supervisor in the face that I will not be releasing **** into this world, and I will inform the press about his suggestions. When I became a department lead myself, I made the same mistakes, driven by bonus agreements drafted by another-level-of-retardedness MBAs. Bean counter morons that traded off 3 Euros versus a design that can easily be repaired for the next 50 years on 3 Million cars.

My message: **** all the retard OEM engineers, MBAs and managers who play this game. I was there. You have a choice, dont be so selfish. Stand up and say no. Start your own shop and do something good. Employees working at OEM and the car companies themselves: cannot cut it. These large companies hire at best "average". They will not hire excellent. Excellent will not go there. I have not purchased anything new since about 10 years, and will not do so unless things change again.

I wish I could turn back the hands of time and take a stronger stand. OEM = absolutely sucks since the days that bean counters have taken over making decisions. The best feeling here I get is when I hear that these automotive companies are having huge financial troubles now. Well, look at the ******* **** we produced in the last decade. Complete garbage. Wiring looms that purposely bio-degrade, with the net effect that the car is garbage after 15 years. **** that, and a huge **** you to the folks who pulled and are pulling these strings. You will rot in hell. You are not engineers. I can say that, I have seen it all.

Motivated people crazy about cars, degree or no degree: may be able to cut it.
OEM engineers, MBAs and managers of todays automotive companies: rarely cut it these days.

 

Tell us again how you really feel.

 

I recently bought a new German car. I'm planing on a future project that requires the removal of the outside door handle. Considering I've most only worked on GM products I was dreading the idea of completely tearing the door apart on my new car. I look on YouTube and it takes less than 15 seconds to remove the door handle,without doing anything else. American engineers do exactly as you've described,the easiest design to get it out the door. After sale service is NEVER built onto the design.