Will New Vehicles Last?

You can build your own EFI computer today, design the whole system yourself using whatever sensors and bastardized components you want, then plug in and tune it with a laptop. (Megasquirt) No way would you have done that in '68. I think 40 years from now, the "complicated" electronics we have in cars today will seem crude and simplistic, just like electronics from 40 years ago do today. The kind of electronics we had back then are now the kind of stuff a child can build for a science project. (Ever built a transistor radio? I did when I was 13)

So, yeah, I think given the technology of 4 decades from now, we will be able to restore today's cars. Maybe not all systems will be 100% original. Just like we almost always replace points with electronic ignition I think some things will be replaced with the technology of the day.

And I also think that parts, particularly plastic parts, may not have to be reproduced commercially to be available. Machines exist today like these which can take a CAD drawing and create a functional plastic part out of it. These rapid prototyping machines or "3d printers" are getting smaller and cheaper. And they are conceptually little more than an inkjet plotter with a Z axis that spits out molten plastic. Eventually they will end up on your desk where you can draw up your one-off reproduction instrument cluster, then watch it get built from ABS plastic, sand it, paint it, and install it. With money and CAD skill you could do that today. In 40 years the software should have advanced enough that a hobbyist can use it with little training.

So, I totally see it happening.

Now, whether or not any cars of today will be worth the effort, that's another debate....

 

Well said, Dave. In 20 or 30 years, there will still be those cars that are restored, the Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, etc. Hot Rodders will always figure a way to engineer junkyard parts to work for them. The question is, will the Government let them? Will they decree a certain lifespan for cars, after which they would have to be scrapped? The Port of Los Angeles is trying to do that RIGHT NOW with heavy trucks. They have a progressive scale that by 2020 all trucks entering the port will have to meet 2010 emmisions standards. They want all trucks retro fitted with emmisions equipment that meets the new standards, not the year the truck was built, or you won't be allowed in their port. You know the old saying, " As California goes, so goes the rest of the country". Who's to say the feds won't adopt the same thing, you can keep and drive your old vehicle, but you have to upgrade it every time the emmisions specs change. How many people are going to take a 2000 model and upgrade it to 2020 or 2025 standards? Not many. They will just junk them out,and buy something newer, and the Govt will help those that can't afford to upgrade with "smog credits" and "buyout" programs, which will only make the older parts harder to comeby, as well as increase the costs of new vehicles.....

 

Another problem that might come about (like leaded gas) is will gas still be available then. It's possible that battery/ hydrogen/ deutronium/ or what ever my be the only fuel available. Tough to make a 2009 challanger run on battery power

 

i say the majority of todays cars will be gone in 40 years, but there will still be some. we americans dont throw stuff away, we hand it down. ya its complex now but the younger generations grow up with it and its norm to them. im sure each decade people said the same question. look at the ls series of engines and cars they are in. 15 years ago those power levels were not ever thought possible. if we goto alcahol based gas the car builders are going to up compresion and make more power. hot rodders, car tuners, custom car builders and what ever they are called in the future, will be seaking the desirable cars of today to mod. the current generation of mustang, the new challenger, the new camaro (if ever released) will defintly be here in 40 years.
i think the trucks of today stand a even beter chance of being around 40 years from now. in the last 10 years the truck boom was huge. full frame trucks have more durabuility than todays cars so i would fully expect to see todays f-150 in 40 years.

 

facelessnumber hit it on the head IMO. I have no doubt many of the vehicles being produced today will still be around 40 years from now.

As for the trucks, my uncle's 2000 F150 is getting very near 400,000 miles. He's replaced the water pump, alternator and starter aside from the other normal routine maintenance. The truck has never failed to start and absolutely never left him stranded. Still has the original clutch. He continues to drive the truck 230 miles a day, 5 days a week. Show me a 1960 or 1970 F100 that has done the same.

 

built ford tough

 

Don't know and don't care about the modern ones, what worries me is will OURS be around/legal in 40 years. If I can't drive it, it'll become my new yard decoration. I seriously believe automakers are indeed trying to engineer them to run better than the others for a while to make a good impression, and then let the buyer down nice and slow so they'll buy another car of the same company. They know people put their car up for sale after a few years, and a private seller makes the company no money, so they don't want it to be re-sellable. They only make money on the car itself once, they want one person to buy it. Aftermarket parts are just to keep the buyers happy. I have no doubt, however, that there will be people like us, who refuse to let their cars from this era die out. Sure it'll be tough, but I'm sure it wasn't easy to fix fuel injection when it first came out, or electronic ignitions, and look at what's happening now. everythings becoming "common knowledge" and I'm sure whatever's around now will do the same in the future. Eventually we'll be making our own hydrogen engines in our backyards and filling up our tanks with water. (and the governmet will imply a fuel tax on our drinking supply.) After that, we'll be converting our cars to flying mavericks and such.
in short, maybe not in large numbers, but there will be stubborn people to save them as a hobby. So kind of like model t's, How many originals do you see? but then again, Every major popular "hot rodder" and his dog has a t-bucket with a modern v-8 or some wild modern engine. Only time will tell.

 

I'll be driving a Maverick for as long as there is a means to make it propel itself.. Anyone know if I can get a hydrogen engine in there without notching the shock towers?

I'd love to see what we're talking about on this board, 40 or 50 years from now.

 

electric maverick...anyone??

 

I'm not so sure I want to think about that...in 50 years I'll be 101. I think I better slow my car down a little bit. I'm getting dizzy. Anybody got a good 6 banger they'll trade me for this 347?

 

i'll trade

 

It's not too peppy is it?

 

it probably has too much pep left. i just had it out on the street and it spun it pretty far... of course i was on the ice. it was fun!!! :bananaman

 

I'll be 71! Yea, on second thought, lets not go there.

 

i'll be 65 in 50 years