trinacriabob

Yesterday, I was cleaning around the engine bay with a rag, an old toothbrush and some cleaning fluids for this purpose. When I had my very first Cutlass (carburetor, no electronics), I would go to those wash places and steam clean the engine on a self-serve basis. Not any more. I am willing to employ elbow grease. BTW, are there are benefits to a clean engine other than the way it looks (which can be very nice)?

Please do...I take it we will be seeing samples of their work.

Middle Easterners (they need it, especially the hairy ones... )

Good observation. GM was almost wasteful a couple of decades ago in this regard and now they are spartan. Look at GPs in last 2 gens that have seen virtually ZERO changes from year to year. I think minor freshenings are due periodically.

Sir, you with some 30+ posts, are making all the sense in the world. 2008 is when the mid cycle enhancement is supposed to occur for the W body GP and LaX...and I'd like to see that occur. Not that I'm lamenting the upcoming Zeta (as I struggle to successfuly tinker with my sideways mounted 3800 W body) Also, as you point out, the economies of scale for these cars are fantastic. Except for some face-lifting, this is technology that has been in place since the 1997 model year (GP, Regal) that has been "paid for," so to speak.

secret (shhhh)

What's a "camera date"? Answer to last post: optional

This brings up several questions: 1. Are LaCrosse sales slow? Really? Part of it is their fault - there are areas in which it could have been better and people have chimed in on that? 2. Will there be a mid-cycle enhancement? That is, 2008. How about for Grand Prix (which is supposed to continue). And how does GP continue when it is pretty much accepted that LaX, on the same platform, is the better of the two? 3. P-L-E-A-S-E don't bring back the Skylark name. So dorky, sorry. Maybe they should have gone "Allure" across the board. GM's maneuvers and shell gaming is getting really hard to follow. Does anybody have a clue as to what their compact to full-size line-up will look like in 3 years? I am truly flustered.

Ocnblu :AH-HA_wink:

WMJ - since this is a av/sig thread, I will have to tell you I am digging that car. Now, if you had only put a pristine condition 76 (or even 77) GLM in there, I'd be drooling. I'd almost go pop for one of those as a toy if I could find one!

Australia

Captain

Me, I'm digging the non-human scenery. Where is that? Anywhere near Lake Louise or Lake Moraine or Banff? I am thinking of doing a Spokane-Edmonton-Calgary-Montana loop next summer out of Portland (Mom's area) prior to a relocation after which it will be more difficult.

nerd

Mr. Roper

pretentious

Grand Le Mans (that's not a Grand version, though) WMJ - LOVE that signature

I've been twice now. Wednesday of last week and on Monday (when I also got a very helpful massage by a LMT in that same practice). I go tomorrow. It's weird. Each movement and adjustment doesn't get a popping sound, but some do. It seems to help, but then there is still pain that returns about a day later. So it's like 2 steps forward, 1 step back....at least I am 1 step forward per each visit. This whole thing has been so weird....all from rolling off an air mattress into a cold lake. It's definitely a pull of some kind and it occurred on July 29. God, I swear, I hope I'm back to about 95 % by Labor Day because I plan to be out of town.

Benjamin Franklin

That's what I'm asking. Grab only the rubber boot inside the heat shield... ...or grab the heat shield from the outside including the rubber boot? What is the heat shield attached to...if anything? Thanks.

Ok, time to change the plug wires. Brought a dirty change of clothes to work and so did a co-worker who is very cool and helps me with minor items. Have a 3800 V6 in W-body Regal. Got the 3 in the front in about 10 minutes. It cranked over fine, so I did it right. YAHOO! Started in on the rear firewall plugs. Took of the manifold decorative shroud and the clips for the plug wires. Good God. There are these heat shields around each plug and he and I tried EVERY plug and we couldn't pull ANY of them. We tried pulling on the rubber boots and then on the heat shield... NOTHING on any of them. WHAT'S THE DEAL? I mean...my hand clearly reaches every plug. Is there a TRICK to this? H-E-L-P. Thanks.

Very creepy looking, too.

speculation (Ocn's, that is)

Well, that's the only way I would buy a 3500 (or what was a 3400)...to get those 32+ mpg. I've reported elsewhere that I have consistently gotten 31 to 33 mpg on rented Impalas and MCs when driven purely on the freeway. For such a heavy and comfortable car, that is stunning. It is the high mileage number that would justify the purchase and have me grinning ear-to-ear. At 29 mpg, I'm just "eh" with it.

I love the "ravine look" of the 90s dashes...be it the Lumina as shown or my Regal with instrumentation spread across the "western" 1/3 of the dashboard. In fact, I think the Japanese secretly coveted it such that the 2nd gen Avalon has a "ravine" type dash, as well. Now, while I like wraparound cockpit dashes such as on the current GP, the "ravine" dashes with a cowl extending all the way across impart a feeling of spaciousness and "cleanliness" to the interior.