Chapter 66

It was almost mid-December, and the leaders of the 69th Division sent Dong Cheng to check on the modification of the off-road vehicles.

Lin Qiangsheng led Dong Cheng to the vehicle modification factory, which had already been completed, and all the equipment from the original auto repair shop had been moved over.

The modification factory had no walls, and six modified off-road vehicles were lined up outside the factory. From a distance, they didn't look special, but as they got closer, Dong Cheng, sitting in his Jeep, felt as if he was facing a group of fierce beasts!

He jumped out of the car and carefully examined the vehicles. Turning back, he smiled at Lin Qiangsheng and said, "How did these cars turn out like this? Amazing!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled, crossed his arms, and accompanied Dong Cheng on another tour.

These were six large off-road vehicles that resembled military Humvees. During the modification, the ground clearance was intentionally increased, and wider, thicker military tires were selected, with the tire size also significantly increased.

After several rounds of inspection, Dong Cheng turned to Lin Qiangsheng and asked, "Can I take a few laps?"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "Sure, no problem, but the diesel fuel inside is not much."

Dong Cheng rubbed his hands and said with a smile, "Just a few laps, to test the car. I need to report back to Comrade Gao."

Watching Dong Cheng get into the car, Lin Qiangsheng became a bit nervous, hoping the car wouldn't break down!

These heavy off-road vehicles, with their own weight plus the weight of the personnel, required more power from the existing diesel engines, which were not sufficient. Therefore, the diesel engines had to be modified.

To increase the power of the diesel engine, Lin Qiangsheng increased the cylinder bore while keeping the stroke the same, reduced the intake and exhaust resistance, and made the cylinder thinner and the piston larger. This increased the heat effect inside the cylinder, producing more heat, which in turn increased the air volume and oxygen content, making the diesel burn more efficiently and thus increasing the power of the diesel engine.

Actually, the most direct way to increase the power of a diesel engine is to use a turbocharger. However, the researchers at the special materials institute were still testing the metal materials for the turbine and the intermediate housing, as well as solving the manufacturing process issues.

Lin Qiangsheng called and arranged for Yu Mingquan and Yang Wanli to invite several skilled workers to assist in production.

Dong Cheng took a few laps, speeding through the wilderness. Although the high ground clearance made it a bit unfamiliar at first, the vehicle still felt robust and reliable.

With a "click," Dong Cheng stopped the off-road vehicle, jumped out, and laughed, "Great! Although it feels heavy, the power is still strong! And the steering is very agile. Its off-road capability is much better than the 202! It even climbed that steep slope just now, great!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled, feeling relieved.

He said to Dong Cheng with a smile, "Come, let me show you some other things we've modified! It's really interesting!"

"What things?" Dong Cheng asked curiously.

Lin Qiangsheng led him to the workshop, where the workers were busy disassembling vehicle parts.

One old Jiefang truck was particularly special. Its rear body had been cut off, and the rear wheels moved forward. The front part of this old Jiefang looked very strange, like a toad lying on the ground, and its front was protected by steel plates.

"What's this for?" Dong Cheng didn't understand why Lin Qiangsheng wanted him to see the front of the old Jiefang. What was special about it?

Lin Qiangsheng chuckled and waved, "Come, get in the car!"

He shouted to the workshop, "Lu Guangming, come and turn the crank. Then you guys bring out the 'wheels'!"

Lu Guangming heard Lin Qiangsheng's shout and responded with an "Oh."

Lu Guangming took a crank and inserted it into the old Jiefang, turning it several times with both arms, and then gave it a hard turn. The old Jiefang started with a "putt-putt."

Lin Qiangsheng drove the old Jiefang out of the workshop. Soon, the workers dragged out a long iron wheel-like object. It was a long iron bar with bearings at both ends that could rotate. The iron bar was welded with many iron spikes, which stuck into the ground.

"Hey, what's this?" Dong Cheng asked, puzzled, as he saw the workers attach the long iron object to the front of the car.

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "This is our factory's modified simple mine-clearing vehicle! The front wheel, when rolling on the ground, will have its iron spikes stick into the mines, causing them to explode! This mine-clearing vehicle is much safer and faster than manual mine clearance!"

"Really? Let me see!" Dong Cheng said, opening the car door and jumping out to observe the iron wheel.

Lin Qiangsheng started the old Jiefang and controlled the steering wheel, moving forward and occasionally adjusting the direction. When he turned the steering wheel to the left, the iron wheel moved to the right, and vice versa, similar to reversing a tractor.

Dong Cheng saw that many iron spikes were welded to the iron bar, and each spike left a small hole in the ground, with a weight similar to that of an adult.

Dong Cheng laughed and shouted, "Hey, this thing is great! It will definitely be effective against mines!"

Lin Qiangsheng poked his head out and shouted, "The entire iron bar is made of thick steel, very heavy! The mines used by the Vietnamese can't explode such a heavy object. If we modify a few more of these mine-clearing vehicles, we can quickly and smoothly clear the minefields, surprising the Vietnamese army!"

Dong Cheng exclaimed, "Great! I'll report back immediately. This thing is really good! Ha ha, how did you come up with this idea!"

Lin Qiangsheng chuckled, knowing that the Vietnamese had planted a large number of mines on the border, causing significant damage to our vanguard troops. If his modified mine-clearing vehicles could be used on the front lines, he would have done his part for the soldiers.

Dong Cheng immediately returned to the division headquarters. In the afternoon, he and Gao Jun drove a large Jiefang truck over to load the iron wheel. The ugly old Jiefang front, which looked like a toad, was also driven away. It was said that they would take it back for the leaders to inspect.

Lin Qiangsheng knew that after the leaders inspected it, they would certainly have some suggestions. The factory would also modify a few more, but that would be none of his business.

With the arrival of winter, the cars produced by the car factory in the early stages suddenly had more problems.

Lin Xiangrong recently received countless calls from various units, all complaining about the quality issues of the cars.

At this moment, Lin Xiangrong was smiling and talking on the phone, "Don't worry, Director Zheng! Our factory will send people to tow the car back and replace the new parts for your unit for free, ensuring the problem is solved! Yes, our products come with a three-warranty service!"

"Which three warranties? Three years of repair, three months of replacement, and three weeks of return!"

"Can your car be replaced? It depends on which month it was produced! Last year's cars can't be replaced! The car can't be replaced, but the parts that need to be replaced will definitely be replaced. Our car factory will definitely fix your car!"

Lin Qiangsheng walked into his father's office and heard the person on the phone say, "Great! Director Lin is really straightforward! I'll wait for your factory to fix the car! Sigh, it's really inconvenient without a car! Great! As soon as possible, as soon as possible!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiangrong rubbed his forehead, looked at his son, and said with a smile, "The cars produced by our factory last year are all having problems. I've been getting calls non-stop!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "Those cars were just sold as shells, with the internal parts just to get by. It's already quite good that they've lasted this long!"

Lin Xiangrong also smiled and said, "That's true. Last year, our factory was still hand-beating the car bodies, and the power system was imitating the Lada! Now our factory has its own engine. Replacing the old cars with the new engine is like buying a new car, and it won't be unfair to them!"

The leaders of the car factory felt guilty about the cars they had sold before, as they were just to get by. Now that the factory was on track, they wanted to give something back to the old customers. Lin Qiangsheng proposed the three-warranty service plan for the cars.

Lin Qiangsheng casually said to his father, "I see you often personally answer such calls, which isn't a good idea! We should set up a customer service department to handle issues related to product quality, performance, and the three-warranty service! The customer service department can handle calls. Two people would be enough. This way, we can promptly answer customer questions and summarize product quality. It would be great!"

Lin Xiangrong nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Picking two people from the workers to answer calls, wouldn't that be too easy? There's no precedent, and it might not be good for the image?"

Lin Qiangsheng laughed and said, "How is it not good for the image? As the factory director, always humbly answering customer complaints about product quality, wouldn't that be bad for the image? Over time, other units and enterprises would look down on us!"

Lin Xiangrong nodded silently and said, "That's true! Let's temporarily find one person from the workshop!"

Lin Qiangsheng waved his hand and said, "Find two, one person won't be enough! And find two female colleagues, which will make customers less angry!"

Lin Xiangrong thought about it and agreed. Qiangsheng was right; as the director of a large factory, frequently answering such calls did indeed lower his status! How would industrial units, sister units, and superiors view him?