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Author Topic: Where the name "Iron Duke" came from  (Read 15401 times)

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TopNotch

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Where the name "Iron Duke" came from
« on: June 22, 2010, 04:00:36 pm »
If you try to find the answer online, you get conflicting answers.
However, I have a memory in my mind of a Pontiac TV ad from the late 70's that used the name "Iron Duke" to describe their "new 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine". I never found anything to substantiate that until now. Below is an ad for the 1977 Pontiac Sunbird from Road and Track Magazine:

The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.

Fierofool

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Re: Where the name "Iron Duke" came from
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2010, 08:24:54 pm »
I wonder what the bolt pattern on those wheels is.  Always loved the Snowflake style wheels.  I also wonder if the 3.8 that came in some of them had the same tranny pattern as the Fiero.  It was rear wheel drive, but had a separate bellhousing from the transmission and used a cable activated clutch.

I've worked on the Monza versions with the V6 and V8 and just changing the starter on the ones with dual exhaust is a major task. Worse than changing plugs on a Northstar in a Fiero.  Aside from removing the exhausts, I think I had to remove the crossmember, too.  It was a right side starter like the 3.4.

I wonder why the 84 Fiero had so much engine trouble if the engine had been around for 7 years.
There are three kinds of men:

1.    The ones that learn by reading.
2.    The few who learn by observation.
3.    The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.    Will Rogers

TopNotch

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Re: Where the name "Iron Duke" came from
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2010, 08:37:11 pm »
I wonder why the 84 Fiero had so much engine trouble if the engine had been around for 7 years.

The usual explanation is a batch of bad rods. By then, the engine was no longer "Pontiac's exclusive" engine, and they were making zillions of them. Quality control probably slipped.
The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.