balthazar

"Start-up visas" ??? Why any paperwork or requirements at all? And requiring a quota of American hires ???? How racist! They should be able to hire illegals under the table for sub-minimum wage, so the customers of said businesses can get cheaper goods and 'get richer'.

Audi doesn't do much for me. Not bad at all, but it's a bit too stubby & it somehow looks very heavy.

I know this car fairly well, but no I didn't... so I just did; twice. I didn't learn anything new aside from the bit it was intended to intro the 426 but ended up being built with a 383. I still recall reading that Bortz located street 426 Hemi block #0001, and that's the one in it now. What did I miss?

Granted & agreed. A stripped-down, purposeful statement. A bunch of the '60s concepts fell into this category IMO : '63 Silver Arrow, '61 Corvair Sebring Spyder, '62 X-400, '63 X-400... clean, different yet understated, and purposeful. '64 Hemi Charger is an oft-overlooked exercise. IIRC, it was restored using 426 Hemi block #1. Nice pick.

Would like to kno what specifically appeals to you on this one (not that it doesn't have lots of appeal- just looking to see where you're coming in on this one).

Vinyl. Covered. Headlights.

Holy $h!; e-mail me one of those RIGHTNOW!

What was in the mixing bowl, hmm? You baking cookies for us all, DF?? Cookies..... -- -- -- -- -- Haven't thought of the whole tree thing yet. Have been doing the plastic tree for maybe 5 years now- before that it was always live. I drag it out of the attic, plug the 3 pieces together and wander off. 4 hours later, the wife & one of the boys have it clunked up so you can barely see green, and I get to hear the annual comment 'We really need 2 trees- I have so many ornaments'. Something in the basement or garage beckons and I wander off again....

Looking over the windo stckr again; the things this truck has over mine : > fully boxed frame (would still like to kno the rail height x width) > skid plate package > RR park assist > StabiliTrack w/ trailer sway control > fog lamps > heated mirrors > remote start > tailgate assist > dual zone A/C > 12-way power seats/ lumbar/ heated & cooled > 6-disc changer & USB port > DIC > auto-dimming mirror > power pedals > steering wheel radio controls > universal home remote > power sunroof > 20" wheels > RR vision camera > heated steering wheel > step bars Yeah, I can believe all that weighs 800 lbs or so.

Yes, it is (2004), and tho mine doesn't have some of the weighty options this GMC does (NAV, sunroof, stepbars, heated seats, etc), mine has the same powertrain and it's an HD to boot. Still, knowing my truck, it's quite hard for me to imagine how it could've gained 800 lbs. And agreed; the only car that comes to mind that doesn't add weight at each new generation is the Corvette.

That cannot be right. My truck on a scale was right around 6500 (subtracting for me, and there were some tools in the back seat). To answer Cubitar's question as close as I have handy: 1986 GMC 3/4-ton CrewCab 8' bed : 4834.

As is the majority case now, there are those that prefer Chevy & those that prefer GMC. Fleet Option was obviously a value-priced option for those who wanted the most affordable GMC. Remember- the Divisions were run independently then- this was not 'GM decided to pit Chevy against GMC', it was GMC fighting for sales against everyone else.

The Fleet Option grille is a fascinatingly cheesy, period treatment. -- -- -- -- -- The '55-56 is my favorite.

In looking around- these so-called 'mood cars' may have been a Cadillac staple moreso than across GM. '55 Cadillac Celebrity '55 Eldorado St Moritz '55 Fleetwood Serie 60 Special Westchester '56 Cadillac Castillian '56 Cadillac Gala ('Wedding Car') '56 Cadillac Palamino (!) '57 Cadillac Series 60 Special Dictator These were all mostly production-bodied cars with custom trim/ interiors and shown at Motoramas and other public shows. It can be challenging to separate the factory prototypes/ styling exercises from the shown cars.

Here's one: '56 Cadillac Maharani ("kitchen sink Cadillac") :

GMC used optional Pontiac V-8s '55-57. Had their own smaller 336 CI V-8 in '58-59. The GMC 305 V-6 came out for '60, and 'replaced' the V-8 option, as the 305 was the new 'top' motor for a few years. Other motor was a GMC 270 I-6. By '63, GMC offered the GMC 305, the Chevy 230 I-6 and the Chevy 153 I-4. V-8 returned starting in '68 (Chevy 307 & 396). Last year for the last unique GMC engine was the venerable 305 for '70.

^ Well, it's not a true 'dream car', just a 'paint & trim' job. They tend to fly under the shadow of the 'true' dream cars, but there were plenty of them, even in the '50s. The general consensus is that GMC had but 1 dream truck; the '55 L'Universelle.

See; here at least we're approaching the situation with logic and the proper level of care for the native citizens the Government is sworn to protect & serve. After that, we have to get accurate, reliable models for the future's economy & resources, and plan a prudent volume of immigrants to share a piece of the American Pie. So we all can hopefully move upward. Unlimited, uncontrolled immigration only invites hardship, strained resources, and the cruel snatching away of said Pie, leaving only crumbs.

So our current population is absolutely 100% not using any net resources, not taxing infrastructure and is absolutely 100% employeed? What a coincidence.

Understood WRT the hood- I would have to believe they interchange physically. I'm not up on the story of the Palamino without looking it up, but your info on the Suburban is correct. >>"GMC The First 100 Years"<< <-- You all know I hate this erroneous title, right? GMC's 100th is next year.

Targeting only those who've managed to sneak into the country for the many benefits of American life is unjust- we should send troops into Mexico (for starters) and gently round up those living @ ANY level of poverty below the mean of the U.S. and bring them here. In fact, convert aircraft carriers & warships to passenger transports, remove all restrictions and ship in all from China & India below the mean income level here, too. 250 million here... 500 million there; howevermany- it doesn't matter; we have unlimited resources, infrastructure & employment available. Doubling or tripling or quadrupling the U.S. population will only flood all of our pockets with wealth beyond tabulation. After the 1 billion New Americans are all millionaires, we can import another billion 3rd worlders to 'do the work the New Americans' are too rich to be interested in. Eventually, the entire world's population can live here, and all the other continents can be wildlife preserves we can view via satellite. It's all good, I tell you!

You are right in that no one does 60- it was just a point of comparison. If you're doing 2500 @ 60, you should be around 2900 @ 70. But wait- a 24" tall tire ??? Wow that's short. RPM calculator sez 3.73 x 24" x 60MPH = 3217 RPM. IMO you are entering into a range where an OD gear is a worthy consideration.... but still not in the case of your limited driving. How about you post the exact tire size. RPM calculator here : http://www.ringpinion.com/Calc_RPM.aspx BTW : my B-59's numbers : 3.73 x 29.9" x 60MPH = 2582. Well below tolerable and good thing; cause the OD trans for my projected level of TRQ is the 4L80E, about $5K with the electronics.

Hood are definitely different stampings as Roger stated: -- -- -- -- -- The Palamino:

OK- you have the optimal conditions for why what happened: extreme slope, uneven pavement, dirt at the bottom and a turn to boot. You need to 'roll' thru that with just enough moxie to get the RR wheels onto the macadam, then you'll be fine. That... or back in.

Very interesting WRT the Fleet Option- I missed that in the initial view. Something still looks ascew tho. This: http://www.oldgmctrucks.com/page0384.html Shows the 'GMC' logo on the Chevy hood, but this one wears a GMC hood. A lot can happen in 55 years tho. Roger, I'm not picking up this era Chevy vs. GMC fender differences tho- what are they? I assumed they were the same. Site claims less than 100 Fleet Option trucks ('55-59) are left.