RoadmaSSter

I've enjoyed reading Sixty-Eight Panther's posts in anticipation of this event. Too bad about the water though. I doubt that plastic could have kept it out.

OMG, this is one of my favorite things to do, when I have the time, strange as it sounds. There is a fairly new yard here in Detroit that groups the cars by manufacturer and keeps them elevated on steel wheel stacks so it is easier to pull things off the cars. The rotate the stocks fairly often too. I can wander through there for hours, they even have a section called "Old Stuff" where vintage cars end up. I've been saddened at what I've seen there. In the regular GM section, it's amazing to see all the different samples of cars that were popular in the 80's, like Centurys and Cieras, and to note the huge variety of build combinations. Floor shifter in a FWD Century wagon? Check. '87 Olds Ciera Brougham 2.5 with a mint velour interior, digital dash option and only 66k on the odometer? Check. Buick Roadmaster with 283k on the odo.? Check. Each visit is like an archaelogical dig!

Raspberry Beret by Prince. Liked it at the time, now it's just seems weird.

Um, no thanks!

Yeah, besides, who's hot and wet?

That sounds the most appealing thing at many times, especially of late.

LOL...Nah, this stuff is all too good!

Mine was my parent's '74 Monte Carlo that they got new when I was 2 and sold when I was 6. I just loved the massive front end, the grille and basically everything about it. We also had a '77 Cutlass Supreme Brougham which existed with the Monte for 1 year. Liked that a lot too, but the Monte was "mine."

Autoweek, Road & Track, Car and Driver, Automobile, Motor Trend, Hemmings Classic Car, Popular Mechanics, Hot Rod...and I think that's it, not counting non-automotive ones like Details, etc... I think I need an intervention. I'm thinking strongly of letting some go next time they come up, specifically Automobile, Car and Driver, and Road & Track. Motor Trend has a lot of good news and information now, at least in my eyes.

Do it! Those wagons are getting very scarce. It would be great if you could breathe new life into one and have a companion to the El Camino too.

Hey, what a cool project. I love these El Caminos, along with all '73-'77 Intermediates. I'm looking forward to seeing the updates on the Camino. Good luck with it!

Exactly! What seems to get lost in many topics I see on how risky "new V8 cars" could be in light of gas prices is that compared to the rest of the vehicle population, many of the V8 cars will still be better than the countless small and midsize SUVs which are on the roads in huge numbers. When looking at the fuel economy numbers that the GM pushrod V8s can produce, especially given their power and torque output, it's mind boggling as to why there are lesser V6 cars out there that can only match or even those that can't beat them in fuel economy, let alone performance. My '94 Buick Roadmaster (4,000 + pound BOF sedan with over 200,000 miles on the factory original LT1 5.7 and 4-spd auto) would still consistently perform within range of the original 17 city and 25 highway window sticker rating. Co-workers and people in general would always look at that car and ask me "what kind of gas mileage does that thing get" in a tone that implied they believed it was something like 9 mpg. I would have to kindly tell them that I knew for a fact I was getting better mileage than they were in their V6 Explorer, for example. To that they would just give me a blank stare, they just could not understand how their 1970 notion of large car fuel economy could be wrong. No one really asks me about the Caprices, though they perform not as well as the RM did, partially due to their more performance-oriented rear axle ratios. I guess the RM just looked bigger. Anyway, I can't wait for the ZETA V8 cars to come out with what I expect to be perfectly reasonable fuel economy given the power and performance output, and V6 versions will be available for those who want them, and if that's not good enough, there are smaller 4-cylinder cars to choose.

Got my vote in!

Driven all but Gen 1...unless my brother's '71 Chevelle SS counts.

I wish I was the full moon shining off your Camaro's hood

Good to see gains, and retail improvements at that. Nice to see that the new pickups are gaining. That said, is 1,900 considered acceptable for the Outlook? Not bashing it, I really don't know what the target is, it just seems low.

Ugh. Like daves87rs says...I'd say all, but personally, the coolant one alarms me most for some reason, especially if not yet known where it is coming from. Fine taste in automobiles, by the way.

The dash gauge can have its own temp sensor/sending unit that is completely separate from the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor which is there to communicate with the car's computer. So yes, the dash gauge can be functioning properly even with a bad ECT sensor. In my '95 Caprice for example, the ECT sensor is located near the water pump while the sending unit for the dash gauge is located in the pass. side cylinder head. I have an intermittent failure condition with the ECT sensor which is setting the CEL and causing the computer to switch both cooling fans to run (a fail-safe to protect from overheating while it is not getting a signal from the ECT sensor and a big clue to a bad ECT sensor) all the while the thermostat and dash gauge are functioning normally. I just need to get a new ECT sensor and put it in, but its cold out and it is not yet acting up everytime I drive it. I would guess it is your thermostat first, but it could also be the ECT sensor. Anyway, hope you got it sorted out.

This was a good read. Having had 4 different S-10 pickups and 4 different S Blazers ranging from the years 1995-2003 either by myself or someone in my immediate family, I think it was downright sad what the long-awaited replacement 355 pickups brought to the table in terms of their engines, interiors, and the overall price/package. The interiors and the dash of the 1998 + S trucks were head and shoulders above those of the new trucks, and the S truck was considered so very old. The 4.3 V6, though down on horsepower to the 5-cylinders, was far more liveable with that great low-end torque and decent economy in 2WD versions. Anyway, I think the revised '08 Dakota would end up being the way to go for someone in this market who wants something reasonably attractive and useful without wanting to deal with the mass of a full-sizer every day. Just my .02

That is just hateful.

Hi Cort, this is my first post ever here, so, here goes: