balthazar

OK again.... waitaminnit, that makes sense. I guess my question should be then: what was the corporate symbol when ChryCo was getting raped... I mean: in the "partnership" with mercedes??

Another thing- any filler-repairs: I would grind all the paint out in that area to 100% bare, shiny metal, rough up the surface with 36 or thereabouts grit, hit it with a quality primer, then fill with a fiberglas filler (shrinks a lot less). Then leave the filler alone for the paint shop to see. The current school of thought is primer UNDER the filler. You should definately talk to your paint shop first- they will want to know anything they spray over for compatability reasons and what type of filler you used. Your filler work may end up being stripped out by their method of paint removal.

Ahhh... OK, we're going from the current winged logo back to the Pentastar. I don't mind it from a corporate perspective, but I'd like to see the vehicles continue to use the winged original.

POR-15 is not meant for either 'seen' surfaces (ie: exterior sheetmetal) because it does not dry finish-grade smooth & it does not sand well. It is also UV-sensitive. Rustoleum works great... for up to 2 years max before it starts rusting thru. The best way to make a permanent paint repair is to sandblast (there's definate do's & don'ts here) the rust to 'white metal', then primer seal it, then use automotive-grade mixed paint. Kudos to you RF for undertaking the project- your best weapon is knowledge: learn about the upcoming task form multiple sources and don't panic or expect perefection. Keep us posted.

Anybody seen this "new logo"?? Welcome back, ChryCo!!

One hopes with the ever-intrusivity of computers, soon we'll be able to get sales figures every 15 minutes for the prior hour.

Oh... BV could probably spare you 50 or 60 of his top 1000 favorite asians models.

I've always appreciated C-58s. A '58 Series 75 was one of the first old cars I ever saw (riding the school bus- it was parked, layered with dust, under a carport). A C-58 was the first print ad of what would grow to be 4500-5000 pieces. Tons of attention to detail sadly lacking in modern cars, vainly supplimented by gimmicky electronics. A beaut. Funny how we Americans are told we want 'European' attributes in our cars, but so many of our American classics are so highly sought after in Europe.

scion tc = 'hallowed' performance sports car =

Eldos got the Wreath & Crest in '64, tho not as a stand-up hood ornament until '71. Lamp Monitors were also in use at least as early as '67.

>>"...made by bolting 2 V6's together...how much harder would it be to bolt 2 V8's together?"<< It goes without saying that this is a grotesque & figurative oversimplification, right? >>"...you're going to have to put two LS7s together. LS7s cost $15k as a crate engine, which doesn't include the exhaust system or some of the other things such as the dry sump system. I'm guessing those push it to about $20k/engine. But you don't want just one of them, you want two. Price per engine: $40k."<< IF 2 LS7s cost GM $40K, then a V-16 would cost far more.

By most academic design standards, BMW has 1 truely classic design, the 507 (and even that falters in the details IMO). Everything from the late '60s thru the pre-Bangles has been unendless mild reshuffles of the exact same design elements. It's tremendously boring to 'countless' of us. The new uber concept sedan in the rags this month is the first car to legitimately have a chance to be on the same level as the 507... if it even gets built. At least the Challenger is modeled after a car long gone from the roads, an iconic car from their heritage, a car so collectible and sought after that examples have sold for over $3,000,000 and as stated, a car that compliments the Charger perfectly. What?- you mean there was another Dodge about 40 years ago that bears a strong resemblence to this? Why am I supposed to care again?" The Challenger looks very close to fantastic- everything else about the past doesn't matter in the least or change anything in 2008.

Sweet Cad-doo. For some reason I've been seeing the occasional '71-78s on the road by me again (saw a '77-78 Biarritz yesterday). This gen just has fantastic lines.

SHF- I think you're missing plane's point. He's not saying toyota doesn't use the new mandatory SAE J1349 testing standard, but that they do NOT use the optional independant 3-rd party verification proceedure as a follow-up.

Sure: like any new launch, the higher content/option vehicles sell initially to the many impulse buyers. In light of fuel prices and once the newness wears off (in light of the incentives siutation, seemingly soon), that's unlikely to be sustainable. Regardless, it still does not excuse a timing belt design in 2007. Nothing about GM's 4-spd automatics will strand the motorist just because it's got 4 speeds vs. 5 or 6, yet how much whining about "aaaaannccciieennntttt" 4-spd autos have we had to endure on these boards...

GM has been using SAE net HP ratings since the 1972 model year. So toyota was up to THIRTYTWOYEARS behind GM in using the modern net rating system that the entire rest of the industry had adopted long ago ?? Amazing. >>"Prior to the new SAE specifications in 05, some manufacturers like Toyota and Chrysler used to specify gross HP"<<

Buick never used the Thermo-Quad on the 455. In fact, I've always only associated the T-Qs with MoPars.

From what I read the other night, the guy who guessed closest diad circa 1979, but his son said his 2 eldery sisters are still living. I don't believe there was any indication whether they would take it or not.

Dear God- Do not F around with coil springs. Too many web horror stories. I used an internal compressor to re-install my front springs, plus I wrapped a chain around everything in case the compressor was chinese and would decide to let loose at any given moment. Bound coils store a S-load of energy.

Among 4bbl carbs, Q-Jets are easy. That said, it's far too complex to describe step-by-step on a message board. In general: take your time, do it all in one session, keep everything cleaner than clean, have at least 2 cans of BrakeKleen on hand if you don't have access to a parts washer, get a quality kit, tiny plastic-bristle 'bottle brushes' are handy, don't ever assume the tiniest part 'isn't necessary', keep a tight grip on the C- & E-clips, .... On second thought, I've rebuilt Carter 2- & 4-bbls, Rochester 2- & 4-bbls, Holley 4-bbls AND I have my own parts washer. If you decide you'd rather farm out the job, I would be up for it.

Pretty sure this depends specifically on the heads you are using> what CR they have as is. Most of what I've read seems to frown on dished pistons as 'not the ideal solution', but then again, that may be more from a performance standpoint rather than a 'cruiser' standpoint. Poke around on the web- there are formulas/calculations to determine what CR you'll be at and if it'll have to be reduced via piston design or other means if too high. This is if you can't find scads of info for your direct application as it is (it's a SBC, after all- is there anything left that hasn't been done 800,000 times already?) A cam 1 to 2 'notches' above the factory 4-bbl cam is right about where you should be, but again, there should be scads of info on this from those who've already done it.

"As for bad memories there are a lot more than you may recall. " This depends enormously on your perception and interpretation. I lived thru it all as a fan, I remember it pretty well. "I have owned driven or been around almost every kind of Pontiac built since 1960. " Ditto. "I am as big of a Pontac fan as you will ever see. I have two Pontiacs..." Ditto; I have 2 Pontiacs now (3 if you count the one I'm parting out... it's very apart) and have owned 7 to date. Wife has owned 2 more. Can't count how many more among family & friends.

>>"My pet peeve w/ badging are the cars where the model name is on the left side of the decklid/hatch and the brand name is on the right side... don't see it as much anymore, but it just looks wrong, esp. in English where you read left-to-right. This reads correctly--'Toyota Camry' but this is just plain wrong, reads as 'Grand Marquis LS Mercury'..."<< Agreed 100%, and this is yet another weird twist that was primary introduced by the imports (along with off-center trunk locks). Absolutely hate it. Doesn't the 'i' in --say-- 325i signify fuel injection?? B-59 had a large decklid emblem, a large rear fascia "Buick", small front fender "Invicta"s and rocker trim "Buick"s, plus a hood ornament with "Buick". I think the hubcaps had "BUICK" in the centers, also. It's all come off, tho I may use the rocker "Buick" emblems. The "Invicta" emblem will move to the inside, where the only original ID was the old-style emblem in the steering wheel center and an echo of the hood ornamant on the pass side of the dash.

>>"Detroit 3 hear they've already 'lost' on CAFE"<< >>"The alliance represents the Detroit 3, Toyota and five other automakers."<< I don't get the headline.

A thread with 86 pics is basically a fat FU to us 56K'ers, you know. Not to knock Fly's new machine, but IMO, the mid '70s are so very disappointing for what they are in contrast to a mere 10 years earlier.