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balthazar

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Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    • Funny you should ask- I was @ the DMV today & asked that ? but I don't place a ton of faith in those DMV 'receptionists'. But he claimed if it didn't have it as original equipment, they can't retroactively require it. I've always subscribed to that theory… but that doesn't mean that every traffic cop knows that mantra. NO ONE is going to know what this had as original equipment- I barely do. If it was conventionally registered, in NJ it would have to be 6001 lbs or more to require them. What you see above is 4570 lbs according to FoMoCo lit; I would shoot for 5900 if I was doing conventional reg… but apparently, that's not an issue either way. No flaps here, don't want 'em. • I do not have plans for any sort of bed. I dislike flatbeds/stake bodies because they look too 'farmer-y' to me. I've drawn a long teardrop enclosed container… or have also contemplated a really vintage, round-nose horse trailer box with ribbed sides… but there's no active plans to do that. I like the 'factory' cab/chassis look just fine.
  2. balthazar
    Ran her outside for insurance / DMV pics, then back in- no problems to report. Truck idles in 2nd gear with no pedal- she's turning out to be easier to drive than my recollections of modern 4-spds…. tho I reserve judgement 'til out on the road and hitting 4th.
  3. balthazar
    There's a lot of room between "ignoring the [EV] market" and 'making an EV variant of most models and selling 20% of total production as EV in 8 short years'.
  4. balthazar
    I do not question the eventual commonality of EVs, merely the purported timeline of such. That is all I have ever stated WRT EVs. Some here think they will be 50% of the market in 10 or 15 years. There are brands which are still scrambling to serve up CUVs and the penetration there is 100s of times that of EVs. OEMs cannot ignore the business cases for product planning.
  5. balthazar
    Wrong Bill, Fappy.
  6. balthazar
    EVs aren't even a niche segment yet tho. Percentages don't drive profits. 2016 U.S. EV sales soared like 37% IIRC (half are sold in CA due to that's state mandate), but that 37% growth only equated to POINT ZERO NINE PERCENT of all U.S. vehicle sales. (160,000 units out of 17,550,000 total). Want to bring on 10 EV models?? Sure, go ahead, but no one is buying.
  7. balthazar
    Sticky throttle was the linkage rod under the gas pedal: an adjusting nut was catching the edge of the floor. Clearanced it there and no more hangups. Perhaps a two-fold positive of the previous throttle issue: 1. Ran the engine probably close to redline 3 or 4 times (no tach, but HP is rated at 3800 RPM) and 2. I didn't panic at all, which is a good sign for going out on the road. The 3 bystanders watching it roll back & forth reported it sounded really good: ran smooth and had a nice minor rumble. I was trapped in the cab with a roaring non-clutch fan so I didn't hear it well. Still want to go over all the brake fittings and double check, check all the fluids again, then start the registration/insurance dance.
  8. balthazar
    it's alive! Overall went really well- I's happy! • There's a lot going on in the cab- the process is : manually choke the carb, turn the battery switch on, turn the ignition switch on, (has electric fuel pump), hit the starter button. I had the doghouse off so I could watch things, so you have a V8 less than a foot from your knee, fan whirring. • Shifted really easily for a non-synchro 4-spd. Everything is probably really 'broken in" inside the gearbox. I hadn't driven a manual trans in over 20 years before today. • I expected more metal-on-metla sounds of panels rubbing or clanking but there was none of that. • Also expected it to be bouncier, but I only ran up & down the driveway (my driveway is fairly rough) but it felt smooth to me. If you watch- the rear tires catch air- I felt the bump but wasn't aware of the hop. • One thing that strikes you is the manual steering. You have work to do in there; the wheel is 18" diameter for a reason. • Throttle stuck a few times, have to go thru the linkage and eliminate that. • Need another go-round the brake fittings and make sure everything is tight. But the brakes worked just fine. It's the steering you have to plan for. IMG_0970.MOV
  9. balthazar
    The '42 Goddess...
  10. balthazar
    Yessir! 4bbl 383, A/C, bucket, 4-dr hardtop. A bit worn but all there. I would prefer a '65 300-L hardtop coupe, but hey.
  11. balthazar
    I couldn't find a 3.8L TRQ number higher than 230. 3.6L LFX is over 270. 3.6L LGX is 285.
  12. balthazar
    Got some short wheel time in this today- thoroughly enjoyed it.
  13. balthazar
    • LFX 3.6 torque plot is as flat as can be- there's barely any 'peak'; it's not remotely peaky like a Honda : • Where is the 2.0L S-class, of which half it's global production goes to China? Cause starting April 1, engines over 4.0L get slapped with a 20% consumption tax!
  14. balthazar
    Your inflation formula cuts both ways : the s-class was 86K in '06, it should start at $105K today with inflation. Why is it down 10% in price ($96K)? It should be up & start @ $116K instead. Because the inflation calculator is an invalid metric for vehicular pricing.
  15. balthazar
    In 2007 the Escalade started at $57K. Now it's $74K - $110K. In 2006 the CTS started at $30K. Now it's $46K-$110K. Cadillac has made major moves while you were sleeping.
  16. balthazar
    OK; update. • brakes are all bled. Had some minor leaks, tightened everything down, seems sealed now. System filled pretty quickly for one bone dry. Expelled about 7 oz of fluid after bleeding them twice. • bolted both seat backs in place. • bolted tool box down behind the cab. • Ummm…. truck is done. Cleaned everything left on or around the truck away, moved a car & trailer blocking the door…. it's ready to roll. Friday afternoon is T-Day. Stay tuned...
  17. balthazar
    The Enclave is easily among the nicest, most upscale-styled larger SUV out there. I would like to see the domestics move to the European model of car styling, and basically run with the same language for 20-30 years, since that seems to work on that end. There is a glaring dicotomy where U.S. brands are expected to radically restyle on a regular & frequent basis yet that expectation doesn't seem to apply to foreign brands. I've always assumed that was from a lack of talent, but who knows. To wit: the minor whining over the current Camaro styling vs. the prior generation. My response to those whiners: suck it; go buy a Genesis if you value stylistic indivi— never mind; bad example.
  18. balthazar
    The blacked-out emblem & the walkie-talkie point to it being a 'beta' car out for testing. Those gauges look right out of the 1980s, and all that high-gloss piano black across the dash is going to look horribly filthy in no time.
  19. balthazar
    My dreams are so fucked up. Last night I was wading out into this serene lake at dusk, pushing an inflated 'funeral raft' ahead of me, with an upright inflated 'tombstone' at the head. On it was a boy about 2 years old, blonde hair/blue eyes, dead. Yes, his eyes were open, staring upward. He was dressed in a simple white gown. As I waded out, I did what I was 'supposed to', which is push downward slightly to allow the water to spill into the raft. As I watched -and I knew it was coming- and the dark water rose around the boy, when it rose up the sides of his face, the dead child closed his eyes and slipped under. I could see the raft gliding lower and farther out under the water. This -in it's utter strangeness to me personally- is completely typical.
  20. balthazar
    If people were 100% loyal to one brand, sales numbers would almost never change. You imply that only Cadillac customers are buying the XT5, but you have no evidence to support that. And once again you pull the same old tired, transparent schtick; the XT5 STARTS at $40K, there are 4 trim levels and the Platinum STARTS at $64K. You can easily slip into the mid $70K range on the XT5, and there are more configurations to come, so there is loads of pricing room under the XT5. That said, it would be a colossal mistake for Cadillac to build a compact CUV- it's the wrong direction.
  21. balthazar
    This has been gone over again & again : drive wheels are not a component of "ride". Stop tacking it on. And frankly 'handling' is seldom ever pushed to even 50% for 90% of consumers. If RWD was critical, MB would have spent the money to build the CLA & GLA in RWD; to introduced (hopefully) future customers to "the best or nothing". Instead they get vinyl upholstery, cheap plastics and FWD. RE the XT3 : the CUV market (currently) doesn't require 'standing out'; which one of those in your lengthy list 'stands out' above the others? Tell us you assessment of how the XT5 'stood out' to so rapidly rise in the segment sales-wise (your criteria for vehicle competency)?
  22. balthazar
    Bleeding brakes: blah.
  23. balthazar
    Looking forward to hopefully trying out my 4+2 spd manual tommorow!
  24. balthazar
    Cheap plastics, horribly dated body hardware (exposed screws & gaskets), snap-on top cover & whatever that folded thin sheetmetal box is with the 'nerf bar bumper' out back just screams 'cheap'. Again I state: it's not luxury.
  25. balthazar
    ^ That's not a luxury vehicle. It's also not from this century.
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