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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    I think I want to change out the dash lights in my '81 this year. But are LEDs dimmable?
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Semantically you are not incorrect, that he did not say it. But let us be honest, given Encore is Gamma based, unless Alpha can shrink to that size, I do not see it coming on an Alpha platform. When car manufacturers talk size, they almost always mean interior volume and never exterior size. That's why the SRX competes with the GLK and X3 rather than the M-Class and X5. The Encore has such a small exterior footprint due to very efficient packaging, but that also makes it more upright and stubby. I'm a bit biased, but I think Buick pulled it off.. I do not think Cadillac could. The same volume interior in a car that adhere's to Cadillac's recent "longer, lower, wider" mantra isn't going to fit on a Gama platform vehicle. Encore has a 100.6 inch wheelbase, Cadillac ATS has a 109.3 inch wheelbase. That alone is a switch from FWD to RWD right there. You don't think alpha can go down that small? This has the same wheelbase as the ATS. Dude that is a 9-inch difference in wheelbase. That is long. 7-er SWB and 5-er 4-inch between them, since they are essentially platform mates. I can see a 3 to 4 inch drop but 10% is pushing it. Another note, CTS on the other end of the spectrum has another 6 inches added to the platform. So a 15-inch difference between smallest wheelbase and longest wheelbase vehicles on the same platform (there might even be a stretched CTS) is not good for structural rigidity or may cause porky smaller cars. Furthermore, structurally, I do not think alpha can go that small, unless I am wrong. Even Camaro vs. Caprice is an 8-inch difference and Zeta had to be cut to accommodate the Camaro, which led to an inherently heavy car. I'm not saying to cut the Alpha's 109.3 inch wheelbase down to the Encore's 100 inches, I'm saying that turning the engine 90 degrees would take up those 9 inches and make the nose longer while keeping the cabin roughly the same size. Encore length body, ATS length hood.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    the shifter in the 8-speed automatic Charger is not the typical pull lever.... in fact, that is exactly the problem. It is rather confounding to use.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    I wonder how much longer Acura can go on with that grille.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    I think it is interesting that they were so closely looking at the Hudson... I didn't think Hudson would be on Cadillac's radar
  6. Drew Dowdell
    I'd go with a Scion TC type car with a 2.0 base and a 2.0turbo upgrade. AWD Optional and overall lightness a priority.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    I think SMK just posted the most likely scenario.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    Semantically you are not incorrect, that he did not say it. But let us be honest, given Encore is Gamma based, unless Alpha can shrink to that size, I do not see it coming on an Alpha platform. When car manufacturers talk size, they almost always mean interior volume and never exterior size. That's why the SRX competes with the GLK and X3 rather than the M-Class and X5. The Encore has such a small exterior footprint due to very efficient packaging, but that also makes it more upright and stubby. I'm a bit biased, but I think Buick pulled it off.. I do not think Cadillac could. The same volume interior in a car that adhere's to Cadillac's recent "longer, lower, wider" mantra isn't going to fit on a Gama platform vehicle. Encore has a 100.6 inch wheelbase, Cadillac ATS has a 109.3 inch wheelbase. That alone is a switch from FWD to RWD right there. You don't think alpha can go down that small? This has the same wheelbase as the ATS.
  9. Drew Dowdell
    It's included in the purchase of the car.
  10. Drew Dowdell
    I too hate that gear selector. Just give me the rotary knob.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    I think it does actually.... kinda like a perky chipmunk... lively and ready to dart around bigger, slow moving obstacles like Suburbans and Excursions.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    They deliver to your home. No need to be near a dealer. Even service is done on the back of a trailer. They give you a loaner while your car is trucked away.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    They need a new Galant and new Eclipse.... they have to be out of the park good.... or just close it up.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    He didn't say it would be encore based, just encore sized. No reason it couldn't be Alpha based and RWD. Interior might still be Encore sized, but it would be longer in the nose to accommodate the longitudinal engine.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    chargers do come in AWD ya know....
  16. Drew Dowdell
    My crawler has deep pockets for that reason.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    I think there is a bit of a mixup because of us referring to the coming mid-size Buick CUV as the Anthem, perhaps a bit prematurely. There is a China Only Buick mid-size crossover being prepared (Think another Vueick) and possibly using that name, but it will be different from what we get here.
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Metwrenches aren't really for super seized stuff anyway, but again, he's working on a low mileage Vette or Acura.
  19. Drew Dowdell
    Maybe we should keep our audience in mind, he's not working on a 40 year old rusty Buick, he's working on a low mileage, recent Corvette.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Metwrench for sockets. Metric and Imperial in a single socket. Makes for fewer sockets to keep. Good for just starting out.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    A few weeks, no longer driven often. 103k miles No whining at all, just no assistance Worse in cold. Same right or left. Fluid level good.
  22. Drew Dowdell
    In the CRV, the power steering doesn't seem to work if the car has been sitting for a a bunch of hours. After start up, it takes 3 to 4 minutes before it kicks in with assist, but is fine the rest of the day after that. Ideas?
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Oh I do like that Alfa, BV.
  24. Drew Dowdell
    in the back or front?
  25. Drew Dowdell
    What happened to the MKC Wheel?
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