longtooth

I appreciate your help and good wishes. I hope you solve your CD player dilemma too.

Thank you. I have boxes of stuff such as this dating back to a Panasonic 9" DVD player received as a Christmas gift in 2001. I'll look for it later and explore this latest diversion after dinner I think.

Thank you Dodge'. Seems I have an HDMI interface right next to the S-Video port. Which way do it go? (likely feeds out huh?) To the users manual!

Agree 'Panther, yet it is all in the eye of the beholder. That shape has suddenly seized the imagination of the majority at present.

Can we plug in to a high-def TV? I'm not sure I have the proper connecting cables for this. This is actually on my short 'to-do' list.

Makes our domestic Impala seem dated and overly bulbous. Malibu has shown that folks like something sleekly styled. Would that GM could keep apace of the market in refining Malibu.

My first, and last, speeding ticket was on May 21, 1977. Four days before the original "Star Wars" opened Nationwide. Clocked by the Pennsylvania State Police going 85 mph in a 55 mph zone on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike at around 1 p.m. about 6 miles north of the Lehigh Tunnel. The tunnel was a single-bore in those days. The State Police were conducting a speed limit enforcement operation that day. I went smokin' by the static vehicle and was waved-over by a uniformed officer as I was rounding a bend about a half-mile further up the road. I was northbound at the time. The weather was classic late May Pennsylvania mild with only diaphanous cirrus clouds to accent the deep azure sky. Visibility was unlimited yet I didn't see this coming. I down-shifted the auto-trans of my spouse's blue 4-door Gran Torino (dazzling white vinyl top) slowly through the gears and finally into L all the while sounding like an F-14 hitting the pitching deck of the Nimitz, snagging the 3-wire. I definitely couldn't run. The fine assessed me was $120.00. The trooper said I was lucky in that he did not tear my then-paper PA Driver's license into a million little bits and release the confetti to swirl into the Mosquito Creek Gorge. I was likely as pale as recent death. Arrangements were made by phone to pay for my transgression in four equal installments of $30.00 payable to the Kidder Township Municipal Fund. Something bizarre and along those lines or akin to that. No interest charged; no points assessed on my license. I don't recall if PA had any such system at that time. I didn't inform my dear Wife of this until some years afterward. The costly lesson learned from this stinging rebuke of being caught and fined stayed with me though. I have been as diligent as possible in observing the speed limit since then. $120.00 looked to me as 2 grand might today and I didn't want to have to face anything like that again.

Van Halen, dammit!

So once again, in my opinion, Phil LeBeau distills GM's 'situation' down into it's essence.. [the article] Saving GM: Inside the Crisis, Automobile Industry, Bailout, Business, Manufacturing Behind the Wheel - Phil Lebeau Talk about a re-structuring. In one full swoop, the White House has made it clear it will re-make America's largest auto maker from the top down. This goes way beyond dumping the CEO of a company gasping for air. This is the start of the Treasury Department actively changing who and how GM operates. So what happens next for GM? Here's my take on the biggest questions swirling around GM. - Wagoner out/Henderson in The White House asked GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner to step down. Call him a political sacrificial lamb if you want, but the White House is sending a strong message that GM needs a new approach, new ideas, and new leadership. Fritz Henderson has long been considered Wagoner's heir apparent so his move to the top job is not a surprise. He's also a long time GM executive who was the architect of the company's recent restructuring plans. It brings up the question as to whether he is an interim CEO to get GM through this re-structuring or if he will keep the job long term. - How active will the White House be in re-shaping GM? Very active. Put it this way, the White House says it will have people in Detroit working to make GM leaner, more efficient, and likely a more conservative company. Don't be surprised if GM cuts more plants and sheds even more brands as Washington strips this company down to a more manageable, and hopefully, more profitable level. - Will GM go into bankruptcy? Maybe. The White House says it may consider a "quick rinse" pre-packaged bankruptcy that would let the government use the bankruptcy code to eliminate costly liabilities. That's code for Washington telling GM bond holders, "You better agree to cut the company's debt even further or we'll force that to happen in bankruptcy court." There is a lot of saber rattling in that threat aimed at GM bond holders, but it is also a very real threat. - Will GM become smaller? Probably. I expect the White House to pursue a Toyota-type strategy (similar to what Ford is doing) of paring the company down to three brands (Chevy, Cadillac, GMC) and focusing on a more limited line-up of vehicles. Also, the government will back GM developing more fuel efficient models like the Chevy Volt. [end quote] http://www.cnbc.com/id/29954963/site/14081...C&par=yahoo

The unfathomable strength of the 'toaster lobby'.

Roger Penske, age 72, would do well as an interim Chair. Provided he wanted to and his health permitted.

End of an era. Eras end every day. "If Rome be weak where shall strength be found?" - variations attributed to Saint Jerome circa 409 A.D.

Big Boi from Outkast. Drove his 'roller', a 300 Hemi with not-too-bad looking DUBs, into a BP station off of Cotillion Road in Dunwoody, Ga to fill-up. His female companion (damned longest legs I'd seen in a while) got the gas and Big Boi went inside, following me as I held the door, and scooted toward the cooler for some Red Bull. The people behind the counter seemed plenty familiar with him and it wasn't until he turned to pick up a pack of gum that I recognized him from the video back in '03 for "The Way You Move". I told him nonchalantly that I had willfully confused him w/Sleepy Brown in the video. He said my 'accent' was 'foreign' or words to that effect and said "Didja like that video?". "Yeah", I said. "The 'man-whore' part where every outlet that played the song edited that naughty word out". This was on Thursday August 25, 2005. About 4 days before Katrina tried to dissolve New Orleans. We went outside into the humidity and heat of that prototypical-Georgian summer's day. I was on my way to work. I admired his car and his leggy friend was lightly leaning against the passenger rear fender of my GMC Sierra Denali which was parked at the pump on the same side as his Chrysler. Her lipstick and nail polish matched her crimson stilettos and brief introductions were exchanged. I shook his hand and when I took her hand in mine I was struck at how cool and thin it was. Not weak but very delicate as the dainty hand of a porcelain figurine. 'F*ck'; I thought to myself. She was tall, very lithe and comely. 'I'm in the wrong line of work'; thought I. So then Big Boi mentions my truck. "Those back wheels turn?". "Yep"; I said, "4 wheel steering takes about a week to become accustomed to the effect and then it's pretty sweet". His lady-friend stepped lightly to stand almost between us and said that she liked the depth in the black paint. Rhonda was her name. I weakly thought that I might plaintively ask her to help me.. ...I always allowed plenty of extra time to get to work and do sight-seeing. I remember thinking clearly that I was about to be asked if I would take them for a spin in my truck. I was giddily nervous yet eerily in control outwardly. I didn't want 'em to think that I felt overwhelmed by them but I guess I was. I was thinking that I'd buy a magic-marker and ask them both to sign my leather seats. Then, 'Boi's cell rang. Some casual chatting ensued and while Big Boi was talking on his cell, Rhonda's got her leg up on the tubular step of my truck and is unwittingly providing me with enough X-rated footage, stored-in-memory, for the rest of my days. I kept thinking, 'I'm about to run off and become a roadie for Outkast'. A previously un-thought of fantasy of mine... ...Big Boi gets off the phone and starts off toward the Chrysler and Rhonda twigs to the idea that departure is at hand. She passes me while lightly brushing against my right thigh, saying "So long sugar". I thought my leg had been seared by the fires of hell. My throat felt dry. The moment was over and she got in the 'roller' and thunked the door solidly closed. Big Boi put the car in gear and maneuvered around my truck and headed-off toward Cotillion Road while I stood next to my truck just taking it all in.

Should result in a sales up-tick for KIA (appropriately named) since their just announced 'burial/life support assurance' will doubtless be a winner for parent Hyundai.

It's a sin to cage an animal. Just a belief of mine.

Fascinating reminiscences regarding a very interesting car Cletus. Just the name alone is so evocative. Thank You.

Right here. http://www.egmcartech.com/2009/03/19/chrys...general-motors/ "Chrysler sees itself better off than General Motors" A Chrysler executive said today that the company is better equipped to survive the current economic recession than its rival General Motors. While comments like these are expected from Chrysler’s Jim Press, this one comes straight from the man responsible for the company’s financials - CFO Ron Kolka. Kolka said that Chrysler is a safer bet for U.S. tax payers who are helping keeping the company afloat. He said that Chrysler can become profitable and repay its federal loans at a lower level of sales than General Motors. “If you look at it on a pure-business basis, we are clearly more viable,” Kolka said in an interview with Bloomberg. What did GM have to say about this? While spokeswoman Renee Rashid-Merem had no comment about Kolka’s statement she said that GM is on a “clearly defined path to long-term viability.” [end quote] Kolka: The Nightstalker

I'll try 'data-mining' the source later Dodge'. Heard it on CNBC while in transit.

Give us: Bread and Circuses. And countless iterations of same.

I still much admire the Camaro. I'm about to waffle on getting one though. I'm thinking of letting my brother have my inbound-2SS (now vaguely coming in late September) Suddenly the idea of getting a G8 GXP seems more fitting to my age and needs. I've started looking on the 'Net.

Someone from Chrysler, maybe a CFO-type, said something on Wednesday about GM's viability as a "going concern" being much more tenuous than Chrysler's viability. I think that for the sake of sanity that they should be playing nice in the press as opposed to slinging mud.

I think Chrysler is going at it full-tilt as to playing "Head Games" (Foreigner?) in dissing GM's position earlier this week and now this. And they ask if GM's Wagoner should step down. At least GM's Chairman is uniformly coherent and stalwart conversing with the media. I would have imploded were I exposed to the crushing weight of the scrutiny that GM's chief has been subjected to. My theory as to why some of these guys are paid the big bucks. For meritoriously commendable composure under the harshest conditions. One has to wonder who's minding the store at Chrysler/Cerberus.

I think that they calculate the mean-time between failure for these various items and count on: Premature failure as a rarity and 8 to 10 years down the road that someone would either be an enthusiast looking to do some restoration or someone wanting to extend the life of an otherwise dependable car. 4th generation Camaros are/were notorious for 'slow' power windows. They had that somewhat under control by the time that the '98 F-bodies were reworked. Nonetheless I did have an entire assembly replaced on an '00 Z28 within the first 14 months. I think that the drive to reduce costs by all manufacturers have led to some corner cutting. Noisy seat operation, for electric seats, is a common complaint for still-in-warranty cars. Keyang, a South Korean supplier, built some of the loudest that I'd ever heard during my time spent inspecting/testing them back in the '90s. In my opinion it all relates to cost. Especially if you're a project engineer calculating cost to the 5th decimal place over a 5 or 6 year model run lifespan. Even longer if component commonality remains the norm.

I will Dodge'. I'm going to make a serious inquiry into the matter and try not to gut any friendships which I've left intact. As to the panels, or related to it, about 15 years ago or so at our plant an engineer brought in samples of what was later to evolve into the so-called 'superplug'. It was the guts of the inner door mechanicals containing the window regulator assembly (manual or electric) speaker(s) and wiring etc. The 'plug is in wide use today and is a difficult repair to just replace one failed component although replacement pieces are sold individually. Typically for a warranty replacement the entire assembly is replaced. The perforated heavy-duty nylon tape used to lower or raise the window is even sold separately. It feeds onto a spool riveted to the regulator housing assembly. 'Easy-to-fix' mechanical linkages are somewhat rare these days. Injection-molded ABS plastic handles are the norm too. They once were chrome-plated die cast items secured to the crank stud with a circlip. [edit] The "door handles" are composite construction using high impact ABS too. The bother with replacing those lies in doing it without removing the door cover panel. Have some nylon push-clips handy in case of breakage. Some clips become brittle with age and break easily.

Seriously. I don't exactly know the science of wrapping but I think it involves some heat and pattern matching (if any) and shrink-to-fit. Leather seems somewhat more straightforward and more costly. When I was in Doraville I had placed a suggestion into the system re: Wrapping an entire vehicle on-site. I left the location before receiving any disposition on the suggestion and I never renewed it. About a year later I read where GM was going to 'look into' wrapping. Then, not a peep since '07. Yes, the panels are glued, ultrasonically welded, riveted or friction-fitted together. If I screw it up in doing it myself I'd best be ready to eat the cost to buy replacement panels for a brand-new car. I don't know if I'm ready to take a hatchet to it as soon as it comes in. Years ago I had some success in covering dash panels with anodized/brushed sheet aluminum .008" thick which caused me to think of doing this to the Camaro. Using a variety of materials and textures. I'm still trying to get the definitive word on the ambient lighting. If it continues to be on constraint it wouldn't bother me to have my order skipped until it's widely available. I'm not fretting it though. These things happen at launch with many vehicles. Then, in 18 months you see them sitting in a row at a dealership with 0% financing and a rebate on the hood. I hope GM can match quality with quantity and keep demand in balance.