katy
Well-known member
I usually use .03937"
Model A shops
- Thread starter Pete
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I usually use .03937"
TomInCologne
Senior Member
...and then i'm under my Model A with an 11/16 wrench in my hands. and it's just a tad too small and i have to think and calculate in my head which size is the next up...
much easier in metric: 8-10-12-13-14-...
much easier in metric: 8-10-12-13-14-...
bavArian
Senior Member
10 guys from metric countries, trying to convince 10,000 of us from the USA that their system is better. Good luck with that!
It's not necessarily 'better' or 'worse', as both systems by themself work for day-to-day use. Metric is imho just easier to work with.
Let's take a look at measuring distance:
You guys have inch, foot, yards, miles. That's a factor of 12, 3 and 1760 from inch to foot to yard to mile.
The metric system has millimeter, centimeter, decimeter (VERY rarely used nowadays), meter, kilometer. 10 mm = 1 cm, 10 cm = 1 dm, 10 dm = 1 m, 1000 m = 1 km.
If you take a look at how the units themselves are defined, the current metric system makes more sense too. The length of 1 inch is even based on the metric system, it's defined as 25.4 mm.
I guess there's a reason that most of the world uses the metric system.
That both systems still coexist and probably will for the next 20 or 30 years is weird. Regardless we'll still have to use the imperial system because I don't see myself changing every bolt to metric on the Ford or the Harley.
But I do think that some day in the (probably distant) future new, american Fords and Harleys will be built using metric bolts.
It's not necessarily 'better' or 'worse', as both systems by themself work for day-to-day use. Metric is imho just easier to work with.
Let's take a look at measuring distance:
You guys have inch, foot, yards, miles. That's a factor of 12, 3 and 1760 from inch to foot to yard to mile.
The metric system has millimeter, centimeter, decimeter (VERY rarely used nowadays), meter, kilometer. 10 mm = 1 cm, 10 cm = 1 dm, 10 dm = 1 m, 1000 m = 1 km.
If you take a look at how the units themselves are defined, the current metric system makes more sense too. The length of 1 inch is even based on the metric system, it's defined as 25.4 mm.
I guess there's a reason that most of the world uses the metric system.
That both systems still coexist and probably will for the next 20 or 30 years is weird. Regardless we'll still have to use the imperial system because I don't see myself changing every bolt to metric on the Ford or the Harley.
But I do think that some day in the (probably distant) future new, american Fords and Harleys will be built using metric bolts.
You grew up with your system, so that’s easier for you. I grew up with our system,so that’s easier for me. They tried to shove the metric system down our throats in school, but then they seemed to let go of that nonsense. I’m happy with what I currently use.
TomInCologne
Senior Member
...and i think that's already the case, new Fords and Harleys are produced with metric screws, nuts and bolts...
Jeff/Illinois
Well-known member
THAT is funny!!!!
Ivan in southeast va.
Senior Member
Fifty years or so ago in grade school, they told us metric was coming. I'm not waiting for it, and I'm okay with that.
Synchro909
Well-known member
It should come as no surprise to anybody that we all feel most comfortable with what we grew up using. In this country when I was a kid, it was the "proper" imperial system. (The American imperial system is different - WHY?.) Then, in the 1960s, we converted to metric. That caused some people, especially the older ones some temporary difficulty but it wasn't long before everybody was comfortable with it. Nowadays, younger people - younger than in their 50s, can't believe we used such an awkward system. It makes no sense to them at all and I can see why.
My career was a Licensed Land Surveyor and when I started, we used to have to work from plans and land titles often a century old that were in links and chains - another almost metric system. In those days, we worked in feet and decimals of a foot. It takes me a second or two to convert a dimension from inches to decimals of a foot, even today - 50 years later. It has been many, many years now that we have all used metric and I can jump from links to feet to metres and back again like flicking a switch. The same goes for gallons and litres, degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius. I am quite at home with them all except some of the American version of imperial (because it was never used here).
Obviously, it is difficult to become proficient in another system when almost everybody around you is using something else. IMO, if there were a genuine attempt at change over there, people would adapt quickly and you'd be better off. We did and we are.
My career was a Licensed Land Surveyor and when I started, we used to have to work from plans and land titles often a century old that were in links and chains - another almost metric system. In those days, we worked in feet and decimals of a foot. It takes me a second or two to convert a dimension from inches to decimals of a foot, even today - 50 years later. It has been many, many years now that we have all used metric and I can jump from links to feet to metres and back again like flicking a switch. The same goes for gallons and litres, degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius. I am quite at home with them all except some of the American version of imperial (because it was never used here).
Obviously, it is difficult to become proficient in another system when almost everybody around you is using something else. IMO, if there were a genuine attempt at change over there, people would adapt quickly and you'd be better off. We did and we are.
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Brad in Germany
Well-known member
bavArian
Senior Member
Robert/Texas
Well-known member
Some years ago the icehouse about 3 miles from here converted both of their gas pumps to the metric system. About 6 months later they converted them back to the old system. I never saw any other metric gas pumps back then and felt sorry for the owner of the icehouse who took this hit.
Bruce of MN
Well-known member
My US made 1977 Chevette had all metric thread fasteners.
Our two sons are engineers (ME and ChemE) who graduated in ~2011 from Wisconsin and they did all their calculations using metric units.
Our two sons are engineers (ME and ChemE) who graduated in ~2011 from Wisconsin and they did all their calculations using metric units.
CT Jack
Well-known member
Those who oppose the metric system are half awake. I wonder if they have worked on any of the newer USA made Ford, GM, or Chrysler cars lately. If they have they probably had to use metric tools to do so. The US of A is probably the only country on the planet not officially using the metric system. In case you do not realize it, indirectly we are using the metric system as a result of our huge amount of international product consumption and trade. Working in single digits and tens is a lot easier then remembering water freezes @ 32F and boils @ 212F versus 0C and 100C in the metric system.
I’m quite sure that I’m fully awake! I also have all the metric tools, but I can look at a standard nut/bolt and tell if it’s 3/8”, 1/2”, 9/16”, etc. I can’t do that when I look at a metric nut/bolt……can you? It’s all trial and error with the metric crap.
Oldbluoval
Well-known member
It’s a vast conspiracy against a consumer of anything.
I just recently had to buy Tri-wing screwdrivers to work on a small appliance.
As to USA going metric….why not? Or just use it all; mix and match! What the h@#&!
Things are screwed up enough…let the insanity continue,
I just recently had to buy Tri-wing screwdrivers to work on a small appliance.
As to USA going metric….why not? Or just use it all; mix and match! What the h@#&!
Things are screwed up enough…let the insanity continue,
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