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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    Because traditionally chrome was always more expensive a finish than paint (or plastic). Look at modern houses- the higher the price tag the more trim it gets. The age-old 'what am I getting for my money?' demand. - - - - - Are you going to make a standing point to associate everything you don't find to your favor as 'the fault of baby boomers'? It's getting a bit long-in-the-tooth already, D. Chrome plating greatly predates the baby boomer generation, as I'm sure you are aware if you review the history. It DOES make the auto richer looking.
  2. balthazar
    it's still the most cohesive large SUV design-wise of them all, but I for one will miss the signature Buick waterfall grille.
  3. balthazar
    One day, when either Spacely Sprockets or Cogswell Cogs invents the fully autonomous, quadruple-amputee operable, brainwave-reading, medically-trained flying aerocar, we'll have the answer.
  4. balthazar
    Still wrapping my head around "cars from 5 yrs ago are in many ways obsolete vs. modern, better stuff, but chose something older than 5-6 yrs old/obsolete (but not older than 1990s obsolete) you want to live with for 20 years". IMO, if stuff from 5-20 yrs ago is troublesome in terms of obsolescence to one as an owner, why even make that constraint? IMO, once ECMs and body panels of plastic started showing up, IE: circa 1980, you either fall on one side of that line or the other for something you WANT to own. 2007 vs 2017? I don't see any significant distinctions. Personally, I have 3 project vehicles I am happy to live with for the rest of my days- I am quite lucky in that respect. But they are all older than me.
  5. balthazar
    Fairly damning review (vs. common perception / expectation) of Tesla's AP : http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-no-way-drive-car-itself-2016-7
  6. balthazar
    Why? You're not a Cadillac consumer.
  7. balthazar
    What the F is the everlovin' point of that??
  8. balthazar
    Took the truck down the road today (residential street). Beautiful day for a groaning, rattly, stop-n-start drive in a truck so archaic it almost wasn't fun. First off, my buddy decided he was going to 'teach me to drive my truck'. He's driven plenty of everything trucky & manual, but the issue is he's 6'4" and (he says) 315 lbs. He somehow crammed himself inside, but he shifted much worse than me. He blamed his fitment into the cab. His foot got caught getting out- I had to lift his shoe out. This is the most ungraceful-egress vehicle I've ever seen. Seriously, this gen COE is akin to WWII submarine, I really think like 5'10" and 225 lbs is it, and if you have disproportionally large feet, forget it. Anyway, he drove it down the street where we turned off on a side road and stopped a bit. Then I drove it back home. No real issues except one- the generator still may need to be pulled & greased; after a bit it screeches. It has an oiling port, but even back home & oiled, it ran for another few minutes & started screeching. I ended up pulled it head-first in to the shop because I don't want to ruin anything by taking the 10 minutes to back out on the street, turnaround, and back in to the shop. Speedo isn't working- something with the cable perhaps, but I expect I had the truck doing 30 MPH in 4th- seemed fine. Going to be a long acclimation curve tho, and there's a local show the 23rd this month, only 4.5 miles up the road I'm shooting to attend.
  9. balthazar
    Height, IMO, is your critical factor here. Stock '66 sneaker would've been a 6.70x15 which equates to a 205/75-15, which is 27" tall. A 245/50-17 is 26.6" tall. Every '10' the middle number rises, the tire gets 2" taller : a 245/60-17 would be 28.6".
  10. balthazar
    If the Regal is 73 x 193 and the LaCrosse is 74 x 198… I don't remotely get the point of having 2 models there.
  11. balthazar
    hyundai / kia don't build their own engines??
  12. balthazar
    Impala production number was down for '66 partially because Chevrolet took the '65 Z-18 Caprice Custom 4-dr hardtop option and introduced it as a separate 4-model series for '66. The increasing popularity of the intermediates was another factor (Chevelle). • 1966 • Impala : 654,900 Caprice : 181,000 subTOTAL : 835,900 Then figure in the other full-sizers: Bel Air : 236,600 Biscayne: 122,400 full-size wagons : 185,500 TOTAL : 1,380,400 Out of the above, there were 118,400 SS V8s and 900 6-cyl SSs.
  13. balthazar
    Seems the Jersey Contingency is on the rise. For better or worse remains to be seen. Welcome GHP & others, from the Brunswicks NJ.
  14. balthazar
    Chevy built 118,400 Impala SS V8s in '66. That aside, 'building your own' has likely upped the number of survivors 10 times over. The point is the '65-66 Impala, en total, is the most common year/make/model car in history. But I do agree; if it's an original SS 396, better to cut a non-SS Impy and apply the 'clone' touches.
  15. balthazar
    The only higher volume than the '66 Impala is the '65 Impala.
  16. balthazar
    STS is 5 x 115 (4.53"). '60s Chevy typical BC is 5 x 4.75. That's not going to interface. ^ These are a new one on me, but apparently they have these. Will increase your track by 2.5" (1.25" per side, but may be the answer as long as the rear tires don't rub. https://jet.com/product/4pc-125-Black-Wheel-Adapters-5x475-to-5x45-CHANGES-BOLT-PATTERN-with-12x15-studs/7aaa330d861e492ea219e6636882d2f3
  17. balthazar
    No doubt you can get 17" Chevy Rally wheels, just don't put too low of a profile tire on them. Big car like an Impala needs some rubber under it (visually).
  18. balthazar
    Pretty sure the STS is a metric BC.
  19. balthazar
    Well, I think/hope it's all done. • Had to replace the voltage regulator, an aftermarket bit probably 40 years old. $58 @ NAPA. Battery is charging now. • Installed the doghouse, the passenger seat, put the grille back on • Gave a stab at adjusting idle speed; tried to get a Mac Tools test unit to work (clip over a spark plug wire to read RPM) but the needle just wiggled around 900-925, even when I revved it. Idle is supposed to be 400- I think I'm fairly close. • Front tires were quite low the other day, could see they were down. I had the tubes changed out in the heat of summer, I think I had them aired to 50 and they were down to 25, but hopefully that was just the time/weather change. Aired them back up to 40 this time and they've held for 4 days. Truck is consistantly starting real easy & quick; she wants to go. Calling for rain tomm, I'll toss another 2.5 gals of 87 in her and if it's clear Friday- go out on the actual road.
  20. balthazar
    Nice… for a Chevy.
  21. balthazar
    Neither does the Buick. It's just blacked out trim. Take yer pill.
  22. balthazar
    IMO, "cladding" is what Pontiac did in the '90s, and what mercedes did before that (and Pontiac took after) and subaru did after : thick plastic panels attached over the sheet metal, panels generally an inch or more proud of the sheet metal, and usually molded with all sorts of 'rugged' indentations. The Regal & all road don't have cladding, just textured black plastic edging. I frankly don't care for it, it's like a non-functional scoop, but it certainly doesn't have me rolling on the ground, tearing my hair out in anguish. BFD- there's a 1.5" black stripe along the bottom edge. If you want my petition signature, can we reduce & eliminate those black plastic 'diapers' that so many care have under the rear bumpers, because aero has jacked the decks of cars so high they NEED a visual break to not look like a brick rolling along in front of you?
  23. balthazar
    Not in this market:
  24. balthazar
    FFS- it's the same F'ing car. A literal grille-n-badge job.
  25. balthazar
    Uhhh, I feel compelled to point out that Americans don't buy the VW Allroad either- it averages mere 175 units/mnth.
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