balthazar

What I want to know is: on the "3-door", which side gets 2 doors and on the "5-door" which side gets the 3 doors? Is the extra door a slider, and is it power?? Anything marketing can do to avoid the 'hatchback' moniker, eh? So stupid.

Of course, that's your opinion. I disagree completely. The press is incompetent in every respect.

As far as I have read, the Corvette Corvair was rumored to have been in Warhoops in the '70s, but when Bortz & son pulled the 4 dream cars out circa '89, but it was not there then and he doesn't have it/ never did. I have only heard rumors of rumors about that one surviving- the above chiefly being it. #003 is not all-original: it's chassis is under a '55 Corvette and the short-block has a '58 casting date. However, otherwise it was all 1953 and the experts decided the frame swap was done by Chevrolet (it has no VIN stamp & the date code is very late in the '53 MY)- the car was originally sold in '53CY. It's really a very interesting story- documents were uncovered that revealed it had done 14-hrs at -20 degrees by Harrison Radiator and 5000 miles on the Belgian blocks at Milford, among other tests. Article I'm referencing here (Corvette Quarterly) says there were 2 Motorama Corvettes.... I assume the 2nd one was the white hardtop (as opposed to the red Corvair). Another diamond needle in the haystack to keep an eye open for. #003 publically "redebuted" in 1987, #002 'reappears' circa 2006.... what's next?? All sorts of gems still hiding out there, why can't I find one damnit?!?

1933 Packard Eight 1102 Packard Super Eight 1103 Packard Super Eight 1104 Packard Super Eight 1105 Packard Twelve 1106 Packard Twelve 1107 Packard Twelve 1108

Is that true: the spring pack is on top of the axle tube on the '07s? Just seems weird to me- wouldn't that limit travel/suspension compression that much more? Doesn't seem logical, but I've not stuck my head under a GMT900....

Here she is, the lil' sweetie: See that lil' shiny doo-dad just aft of the front tire? That's the header dump. To be specific, it's a 1963 Pontiac Super Duty Tempest wagon, a 1-of-14 factory-built race car with an aluminum front clip, factory slicks and a 12:1 dual-quad 421 with a transaxle. HP is about 550 in a car that might weigh 3000 lbs. Zoom. A private collection was liquidated at auction recently, and 5 Pontiacs sold (individually) for $1,720,000: '63 SD 421 Tempest : $625,000 (1 of 14 Tempests, 1 of 6 wagons) '63 'Swiss Cheese' 421 SD Catalina : $440,000 (1 of 14) '63 421 SD Catalina : $285,000 (1 of 60) '62 SD 421 Catalina : $235,000 (1 of 162) '61 SD 389 Ventura : $135,000 (1 of 25) These are record prices for the pinnacle of Pontiac Engineering. If any one action of General Motors makes me exceedingly angry, it's was the elimination of Pontiac Engineering and the 'corporate' engine system.

I don't know that the Solstice was in fact inspired by the '71 'bird, but it's a great inspiration either way. Both the 'bird & the Solstice have strong traditional Pontiac design cues- which is why the Solstice is so striking on the road.

Lowering blocks on a leaf-spring vehicle should install between the axle and the spring pack (assuming the spring mount below the axle tubes). The axle would remain in the same position of course, but the springs (& frame & body) would now be lower. This would not effect the spring compression (the arch would remain the same), just the relative position of the 2 to each other. Ride would be unchanged. Lower away!

I have been studying the pics and I watched the 'In Action' vid... but I am still undecided. After about a year from the CTS's '02 debut, I moved to loving the design, and I still love it. It's very clean & classic, yet it's completely unique and unapologetic about it. Oh, and I love the slatted grillework. My initial reaction is that altho the new CTS is more dynamic, it seems less inspired and now, slightly apologetic. I need to see it in person at length. Then again, maybe I should reevaluate after a year...

>>"Does anyone miss those vanquished industries?"<< I sure as &#036;h&#33; do. >>"They disappeared because they were uncompetitive with foreign competition, meaning the imported goods were cheaper."<< Losing an industry because another country's labor pool works 12-hr days, 7-days a week for 20-cents an hour is not exactly being uncompetitive- it's having your retail knees knocked out from under you with slave labor. There is no competition for that unless you advocate the US adopt 3rd world labor practices. And why anyone would want to support those industries' practices over a dollar, I have no idea. >>"We have more goods at a lower price today than ever, and after some grumbling for a little by the displaced workers while in frictional unemployment, the country was made better off."<< Please tell me you're being facetious. For a lot of people (tho perhaps not enough), price is far from the only criteria for evaluating being "better off". For many people, the abhorrant quality is something too huge to overlook in order to save 2 bucks. Work on your own car? Use Chinese tools to 'save a buck or two'? Yeah- I've made that mistake, too. 3 broken pieces in a 3-yr old Husky (chinese) metric ratchet set. 0 broken pieces in a 20+ yr old MAC (US) SAE ratchet set. Never again. >>"Does anyone care that almost no clothing is made in the US anymore?"<< I do. I've sifted thru the bagged socks in Target until I found a brand marked 'Made in USA'. You haven't, I'm guessing. Further guessing- I'll bet you've poured numerous used crankcase drainings straight into the storm sewer, haven't you? Why bother with taking it somewhere to be recycled when there's so many storm sewers around making life "better", right? What you can't see can't hurt you (or anyone else). >>"It makes everyone better off, because we get the clothing at a lower price."<< Have you looked at the quality of clothing recently, esp over time? Worse and worse and worse garbage. You think you saved $5 by buying that $10 t-shirt vs. a $15 t-shirt? Not when you have to buy 7 $10 shirts vs. 4 $15 ones. I used to get shirts that would last me for years and years, now the sizing is always off, the material is worse quality (tho the tag claims the makeup is the same), the thread has greatly reduced longevity- WTF? Thank God there aren't more components in shirts (well... add buttons- which I've had break in 2 in recent years). Who the hell thinks this is "better"?

Yeah- I thought of that! 003 was complete and in decent shape- not a tough resto as restos go, tho who knows how much detail got put into it (G1s are simple cars). Bet he still could make a profit if he sold it. Being one of 300 built over 50 years ago is never a downside. But 002 again sounds like it's only a body. If it got restored (re-chassis'd), the question is how much would a non-original chassis devalue it (if any)? And how easy is it to even find a '53 chassis/powertrain anymore??

I don't know that I've ever seen such an attractive, powerful, feature-laden vehicle disqualified as luxurious over something so totally insignificant.

Looks like a damned bmw from the side. Please no.And isn't that nearly the same 4-spoke steering wheel the malibu dumped last year? Not bad, but overall: very underwhelming. A sedan-ized Solstice front clip may save it, tho that's a very narrow tightrope to walk....

The number of displaced workers is still far greater than the number of foreign-company hires. I believe the figure is in the 100,000s. Without some sort of limits in place, entire (non-automotive) industries have completely vanished. This has --if at all-- only made a handful of people richer- not the average person nor the displaced worker. How has imports made "everyone" (namely me) richer ??

The lineage of corporations today is getting increasingly muddled- which is why where they are legally organized remains the only constant, IMO. One can purchase shares of -for example- Chinese companies where no market presence in the U.S. exists. That doesn't make that company one iota 'more American' just because an American holds x shares of stock. Shareholder citizenship has no bearing on the legal 'nationality' of a corporation. Again: if toyota, etc, is now 'American'- then I expect to read glowing reports on the state of the 'domestic auto industry' within 24 hours.

It will take many many years for the vast majority of consumers who had bad experiences with hyundais of the recent past to give hyundai another try. It's a very steep uphill perception battle to turn people's minds around with only an occasional decent product. Oh, waitaminnit- hyundai is foreign: all those horrific, worst-auto-you-can-buy scenarios are out the window like yesterdays dishwater. It's all great and fine- buy as many as you can afford and talk it up far & wide!!! With the second lowest repeat ownership stat in the industry (26%)- it's overwhelmingly likely you'd quickly regret that check endorsement. Just a friendly PS reminder...

Having to look at toyotas and nissan everyday (and mazdas once a month or two) will do that to a patriot. Seriously, as Ringo Starr once said "It's just me face". I was smiling for the most part there....

Well; billing themselves as the world's largest Corvette dealer, I would imagine it's on display, but I would certainly check to see if it's there or on tour/on loan before making a side trip.

Dunno- it shows up above for me. Kerbeck stuff won't post (dynamic links) but this one was from another site. Motorama Corvette is 'standard' in appearance compared to production '53s, but has the short side trim with the fin pointing down instead of up. Here'a another try:

-- -- -- -- -- -- Pete Wilzbach recently discovered a First-Generation Corvette body that may have originally been mounted on the second chassis ever built. Evidence indicates this is the case – which would make this the oldest Corvette in existence. A report in Old Cars Weekly cites an article by Ken Amrick (Solid Axle Corvette Club) that appears in the Fall 2006 issue of the club’s magazine On Solid Ground. The body has some differences and modifications that seem consistent with historical records showing that body No. 002 was used on a car that served as a test mule for production Corvettes. Wilzbach believes it was used in tests done to determine if the small-block V-8 engine that Chevy was developing around 1953 would fit in the two-seat, fiberglass-bodied sports car. According to Amrick’s research, General Motors records indicate that body No. 002 was assigned to be engineering test vehicle No. 3951. It was later used in various tests of the V-8 engine, the new V-8 cooling system, a 12-volt electrical system, Powerglide automatic transmissions and a dual exhaust system. The body was removed in May 1955, when test vehicle No. 3951 received a new body. Here are several strong indicators that the body found came off the second Corvette built: • The body has a one-piece floor, a design thought to have been used only on the first 12 Corvettes built. • The body’s fiberglass finish is extremely crude, especially in the trunk area and behind the seats. This is typical of very early bodies. • The right-side inner fender has been reworked to accommodate a 12-volt battery. • The brake pedal arm and emergency brake have differences from the standard Corvette parts, backing the impression that this body was used in experiments. • Several sets of holes in the firewall indicate that the heater motor and heater hoses were relocated several times. • The normal exhaust outlets were covered with factory-type materials. There are signs that extra exhaust outlets, resembling those used on 1956 and 1957 models, were cut into rear fenders. An early photograph of body No. 002 shows two sets of exhaust holes in the same locations as those on the recently discovered body. Previously, the earliest Corvette known to survive was No. 003, which was restored to show condition. It’s been documented that Corvette No. 001 – the first Corvette – was destroyed in a GM burn test. -- -- -- -- -- -- Sounds like only a body, but hopefully it'll be reunited with a chassis & restored. This is NOT the oldest Corvette to survive tho; altho #1 was destroyed, the 1952 Motorama prototype Corvette EX-122 is alive and in fine spirits in Atlantic City NJ at Kerbeck Chevrolet. Lots to read on EX-122's history: EX-122

Good- that's a step in the right direction. Now to address the foreign corporation licensing situation.....

Here's my 'big' truck, the '40 COE. Had to add another panel to the garage door to get her inside.

Correct- flat spots take much longer than 7 weeks to appear- years is the norm there. You could put a trickle charger on the battery if jumping it when you get back is a hassle. You should not have any other issues in only 7 weeks. The next step would be at 6 months or more, where you might consider a gas stabilizer. I have a semi-'photographic' memory when it comes to numbers (only, unfortunately). When I took a look at a sweet '64 Catalina with a buddy once, it was sitting unlicensed in the owner's driveway. Odometer read 69,242. A solid 2 years later when I was jonesing for a vintage daily driver and went back to buy it, it hadn't moved a single mile in the meantime. I did buy it and drove it happily for 2 years until I centerpunched a deer at 100MPH at 92,xxx miles. I did swap out the tires almost immediately because it had bias plys and it was rather squirrely changing lanes on Rt 1. Also the trans seals had dried out, requiring a rebuild, but then again the car was then 27 years old.

That is beside the point that the vast majority of jobs (75-80%- don't have the exact number on hand) are sourced from the domestics- how is catering to the 25% over ignoring the 75% the proper thing to do? What is being done to protect the 75% of jobs that is steadily dwindling?????????? Laws are overwritten every day. U.S. sales arms are not independant corporations, but subsidiaries of a parent corp organized in a foreign country, no? They -for the most part- are banking billions (75% of corporate profits for toyota) from this country- That's cargo ships of money sailing offshore... they need to be somehow licensed or taxed on that profit. Tax them thru licensing- they WILL NOT LEAVE: the income from the US Market is their primary bread & butter. Be consistant, U.S. Government: if you don't care about the future of the domestic auto industry, you shouldn't be afraid to not care about the foreign automakers here either. Like I said: THEY WILL NOT LEAVE. Meanwhile, the money floats over the ocean....

Of course that's correct: inches have never been divided into fifths. "3/5ths of an inch" is professionally ridiculous. thank God 95% of everything I did in school was in English measurements- which I now use everyday. All housing/plumbing/utilities plans & tool settings are in English. I would've initially been F'ed otherwise.