Chapter 30: Go for It, I Support You

The 212 Jeep is a rugged, all-terrain vehicle developed from the automotive technology of the 1940s. In more familiar terms, it's a hard-core off-road vehicle.

However, due to the limitations of the era and technology, while the 212 Jeep offers good off-road performance and reliability, it must make significant compromises in other areas. It cannot achieve a balanced performance across all aspects. Among the elements that were sacrificed, comfort is the most neglected, to the point where it was not even considered by the designers from the beginning.

How poor is the comfort of the 212 Jeep? Those who haven't experienced it might not be able to imagine: some people have been so jolted while riding in a 212 Jeep on an unpaved road that they vomited.

As for the poor sealing, anyone who has ridden in an early model 212 Jeep in the dead of winter can attest to this. For example, the 1979 three-speed 212 Jeep that Chen Geng borrowed from the military district, when driven in winter, had cold air like knives piercing through the floor, door gaps, and every conceivable and inconceivable place, making the ride extremely uncomfortable.

By now, you should understand that this car has no heating, yes, no heating, and of course, no air conditioning. But that's not the most outrageous part; it doesn't even have seat belts...

Liu Qianjin hadn't thought about all these details, but his thoughts were simple: if Chen Geng really had a way to make the 212 Jeep less bumpy, even if it couldn't compare to a sedan, if it could be as comfortable as a Hongfada minivan, it would be a gold mine.

"Sure," Chen Geng nodded and said, "Actually, it's quite simple. In my third year, our department had a research project on how to improve the comfort of the 212 Jeep. Under the guidance of our teacher, we took a 212 Jeep and put it into practice. After the upgrade, the comfort level improved significantly. Although it still fell short of the Santana, it was on par with the Shanghai and Volga sedans."

Although it sounded incredible, Liu Qianjin immediately believed it without any doubt: after all, this was the Automotive Engineering Department of Huqing University!

Thinking that Huqing University had already conducted such research, Liu Qianjin was so excited that he couldn't stop rubbing his hands. It really felt like a windfall!

"How did you do it?" Liu Qianjin couldn't help but ask.

"Simply put, we adjusted and modified the chassis and suspension structure of the 212 Jeep and replaced the tires," Chen Geng explained. "As you know, the 212 Jeep uses a leaf spring and hydraulic shock absorber suspension design, and the tires are very hard. These two factors combined make the ride very uncomfortable. Our design, without significantly altering the existing chassis structure and using the existing front and rear solid axles, introduced a four-link suspension. The elastic elements were changed from leaf springs and hydraulic shock absorbers to coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers. We used the tires from the Santana. After these improvements, although the 212 Jeep still falls short of a sedan in terms of comfort, the difference is not significant."

Liu Qianjin nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining. He had deep experience with the bumpy ride of the 212 Jeep and understood that if Chen Geng could indeed improve the comfort by upgrading the suspension and tires, the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory would have a good chance of making money.

The only concern Liu Qianjin had now was, "Where will you get the coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers, and tires? Can we find qualified parts that meet the requirements domestically?"

Liu Qianjin's concern was valid. The domestic automotive industry was weak, and the focus on economic development led the country to prioritize heavy trucks over passenger cars. As a result, while our truck technology was not advanced but still manageable, the passenger car industry was very weak. For example, the two major domestic car brands, Shanghai and Hongqi, still used non-load-bearing body structures, similar to hard-core off-road vehicles, with simple leaf spring and hydraulic shock absorber suspensions.

Internationally, sedans had long abandoned non-load-bearing body structures in favor of lighter, more cost-effective load-bearing bodies. As for suspension structures, mid-to-high-end sedans generally used independent front and rear suspensions, while lower-end models mostly used independent front and semi-independent rear suspensions.

Someone might say, "What you're saying is incorrect. You mentioned that the 212 Jeep's suspension is a leaf spring and hydraulic shock absorber, but why is the Hongqi CA770 known for its comfort? Isn't there something wrong here?"

This can be explained, and the reason is simple: the Hongqi CA770 is very heavy!

Non-load-bearing bodies have a heavy frame, which is much heavier than the thin metal body of a load-bearing vehicle. The Hongqi also had to consider bulletproof versions, requiring the addition of bulletproof armor and glass, which further increased the weight. Both the bulletproof CA772 and the non-bulletproof CA770 are very heavy, with the non-bulletproof CA770 weighing over 2.5 tons and the bulletproof CA772 weighing 4.93 tons!

A significant characteristic of leaf spring suspensions is that they are very bumpy when lightly loaded but become more comfortable under a certain load. Everyone has ridden in a minivan or pickup truck, which use leaf springs in the rear suspension to increase load capacity. When empty, the rear axle of a minivan or pickup truck is very bumpy, but when loaded with a few hundred pounds, the rear suspension becomes surprisingly comfortable, rivaling some well-tuned semi-independent suspensions.

Another reason is the tires. The 212 Jeep had to consider off-road performance, cost, and durability. Our tire technology was not advanced enough to balance cost, off-road performance, and comfort, so comfort was sacrificed in favor of cost and off-road performance. The 212's tires were very hard but durable, and it was not uncommon for a 212 to go seven or eight years without changing tires. In contrast, the Hongqi used imported sedan tires, which were softer and better at filtering out bumps, enhancing comfort.

The last reason is the road conditions. Where does the 212 Jeep often drive? Dirt roads, mountain roads, and poorly paved roads. But the Hongqi? To put it bluntly, when has the Hongqi ever left the capital? In the capital, wherever the Hongqi goes, is there an unpaved road?

Is there?

Let's get back to the domestic automotive industry. Due to lack of demand, although we have the industrial capability and potential to produce complete shock absorbers using "coil springs + hydraulic shock absorbers," we have not actually produced any. Similarly, we do not have the capability to produce comfort-oriented passenger car tires.

We do have the capability and potential, but due to the direction of industrial development, we cannot produce them now.

However, this raises a problem: Chen Geng's plan relies on comfort-oriented tires and "coil springs + hydraulic shock absorbers," but these products are not available domestically. What to do?

Import from abroad? Please! Importing from abroad requires foreign exchange, which is not an option for Liu Qianjin.

Chen Geng smiled and said, "I was lucky. I helped the Wolfsburg company solve a few small problems when I was at the Volkswagen factory. Taking advantage of this opportunity to work with Mr. Kintler, I mentioned this issue to him, and he agreed to help us.

With Mr. Kintler's help, the headquarters in Germany agreed to supply us with a certain number of shock absorbers and tires from the Santana each year, 1,000 sets annually, and we can pay in RMB.

Additionally, the wheel hub mounting holes and sizes of the 212 Jeep are different from those of the Santana, so we need to custom-make some flanges for the conversion... The first batch of shock absorbers and tires from the Volkswagen factory in Shanghai should arrive in the next couple of days..."

Although Chen Geng made it sound simple, Liu Qianjin was amazed! Although he didn't know what help Chen Geng had provided to the Germans, he knew that foreigners were very proud. For them to be willing to provide such significant assistance, the help must have been substantial. If it were money, it would have been worth thousands of dollars. But Comrade Chen's ideological awareness was high; he didn't ask for money, and this opportunity for the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory to develop was invaluable!

Tightly gripping Chen Geng's hand, Liu Qianjin, with tears welling up in his eyes, said, "Comrade Chen Geng, on behalf of the 600-plus people in our factory, I thank you! Whatever you want to do, go for it without any hesitation or pressure. I will support you from behind..."

Liu Qianjin, who usually maintained a serious demeanor, was now so excited that he was almost incoherent.

...

PS: I wrote some technical details. I'm not sure if you like them. If you do, I'll write more; if not, I'll write less. Please let me know in the comments if you like these technical details.

Also, today is the 28th, and tomorrow is the New Year. The day after is the first day of the New Year. During the New Year, I want to spend more time with my family and attend some social events, so I will update both new and old books once a day. I hope for your understanding. Thank you all.