76ChevyTrucker

I'd say my truck has soul...and after 30 years of being driven, and driven, and driven, and towing, and hauling, and being beaten, and cursed (at least once a week), and the being beaten some more. I'd say my truck has a BIG soul. And I don't think that the differential breaking is something that I'd call minor, although with over 270,000 miles on the odometer and its still slinging around the original 1976 80W-80 rear end oil is pretty damn good for anything. I mostly don't like the Japanese trucks moving into the full-size market simply because everyone is going to latch onto them, then find out they AREN'T as capable as their ga-billion year old Silverado, F-150, or Ram and then the backlash would be huge.

I'll stick to moonshine. I love living in the South! 'shine is plentiful and I know all the right places to go and get it. And yes, you can use it as an octane booster, but not in very powerful concentrations, you'll destroy the valve guides otherwise.

Yeah, the train is normally a healthy alternative, if you have rail service into your city, unlike me. I'm stuck doing one of two things. I can either go buy my FBO (Fixed Base Operator) and rent a trusty Cessna, or I can hop in my Impala and drive wherever I need ot. Either way it goes I'm going to have to pay for something in order to get there.

yeah, Sinatra drove a charger, or was it a daytona, either way, based off the little dodge omni-thing. I was actually thinking of Jim Nabors and Don Knotts, the TV show was The Andy Griffith show. And the one about the orang, or as they called it in the movie, the chimp, he was also in the Clint Eastwood movie, Any Which Way But Loose. And the Shiek's real name is Jamie Farr. And yes, he was the dear and beloved Corporal Clinger.

All right y'all. Lets see if you know these. What car did Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr drive in the movie? What car did Frank Sinatra drive? What car did Burt Reynolds and Dom Delouise (sp?) drive? What, at the time, very young martial arts star was in this movie? There were two characters on this movie from the same TV series. What series and what two actors were they? One character from MASH was in the movie, what was his character's name and his real name? And one final one, what was the name of the orangutang (sp?), and what other movie did he star in along with another actor?

Proposition

That's one reason I like the salesguy that I bought my Grand Am from. He was relatively knowledgeable, courteous and when I at first said I was just looking, he gave me a "That's cool. If you've got any questions, just holler" and he more or less followed me around, but at a respectful distance, you know, within earshot, but not hovering over my right shoulder. He's also the same salesguy that sold mom and dad their '03 crew-cab S10. And we leased the wife's Cobalt from him. Basically we've built up a relationship with the guy, and its a good one. I regularly stop buy and cruise around the new and used lots, just keeping at eye on things for when the Impala is paid off, and for when Amy gets finished up with the lease on the Cobalt and wants her mommy-mobile (a damned minivan), that way I'll know what we've got the play with when the time comes. Everytime his first question is "So, ready to step out of the Impala" Its not a nagging question, its an honest one becuase he knows that I more or less got suckered into the Impala by another dealership after my GA got totalled. Normally I give him a "Nah, just checking up on my options" and he moves along knowing that he's already got my business and he'll get it again as long he remains professional and courteous like in previous encounters.

Thanks CSpec. So within all rational thoughts they are taking direct injection from diesel applicatons, slapping it into a gas burning engine and calling it a day. I still don't like seeing fuel/air ratios that high though. 65:1 is REALLY lean, if you've got one factor that doesn't add up, you've got a burned piston, or worse.

I've always thought that the TB SS was a great looking ride and would probably perform great, although I've never test driven one to find out. I'd like to though before they probably get cancelled in favor for some other vehicle to take its place. Good article, I enjoyed the read a lot.

Yes, the very first generation 4.3s were very rough idling engines. At RPM you don't notice the shaking, but at lower rpms, and particularly at idle she will shake a little bit. And you are also correct, the balance shaft does rotate in the opposite direction of the engine and cam, so it cancels everything out. Normally if you were to yank the timing cover off say, my 3.8L V6 in my Impala, you'd see the timing chain (Long Live Timing Chains, they hardly ever wear out!), then beind that you'd see another gear set and chain, that's the balancer shaft.

that's true Biz, very true. Although sometimes, there are real scumbags out there. Even you have to admit that not all dealers and salesmen are the most honest, down-to-earth, people on the planet.

All right, from what I've read on here, and elsewhere, Direct Injection is going to be the new fuel delivery system on a lot of vehicles. Just a few questions about it. When I think of direct injection, I think of diesel engines with an electric supply pump from the tank, then an engine driven Fuel Injection Pump that boosts the fuel pressure up insanely, finally ending in a fuel injector that shoots the fuel directly into the combustion chamber. Is that how a gasoline-burning DI vehicle works also? And if it does, then how does the fuel mix with the air and become atomized? Another thing, wouldn't that do harm to the injector since its exposed directly to combustion chamber temperatures? I'm not trying to sound like a dick here, but I am honestly curious about how the system works.

I'm not going to get in the middle of this one. I'm an RDM member, and I welcome the competition of the FDM members in anything. Good luck y'all, transmissions, engines, CV axles and all.

I've always liked the TB. I don't really have a need (yet) for a Tahoe or Suburban, and I do like my trucks, but I might not necessarily want a full-size pickup (considering I honestly have one with my '76). Were they not well thought out? Yeah, they could have definitely occupied a few more brain cells when they were on the drawing board. But overall, they seem to do well for those who need an SUV, but don't need a short-wheel base covered crew cab (Tahoe) or its long-wheel base brother (Suburban).

Hmm, an accounting oops. To me that's nothing big. We all sometimes make ooops-es, its part of the game. How many times have you been accidentally shorted a few cents while getting lunch? I know I have several times and if its a slow time, I'll bring it up, otherwise, I just let it go because there are a lot bigger things to take care, of, like the eighty other hungry people behind me. Same basic story here. It was a mistake, it was admitted and recorded, time will pass.

that is sad to see the Fisher plant in disrepair like that. I think it'd be good to see those plants refurbished and turned into workable body plants again. "Body by Fisher" used to mean something.

That ain't even right. Most people don't know about the balancer shaft in the engine, but it is the one part that's responsible for the engine running as smoothly as it does, if your ride has such a monster. and believe me, if the balancer shaft belt (as in Honda Accords), that sucker will run ROUGH.

I think that they will since the Malibu is supposed to be the new big, FWD car to compete with the CamCord. I don't see why they wouldn't build one since we're going to be getting Hybrid models of other vehicles too.

Crap like that should get people in a lot more trouble than simply just a slap on the wrist. Someone should be losing a job.

I've always been a fan of the Battlefield: series of games, so I have the entire WW2 anthology, and Battlefield Vietnam. I also have Star Wars Battlefront, and I miss Janes Combat Simulations. I have Fighter's Anthology, Janes WWII Fighters and USAF. I like flight sims a lot. As far as console games, I'm a big fan of the old school stuff. Mario Bros 1, 2, and 3 are all-time favorites.

Let see, I hate ricers. They don't know how to drive, other than what F&TF taught them. Left Lane Vigilantes: Can't we all just stop them, drag them out of their car, and shoot them? Then there's the doofus-es that are running around in their 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Classic covered in faded grey primer with 2-grand in stereo equipment, another 3-grand in wheels/tires, with a engine that reminds me much of a skeeter sprayer, and they think their the best thing since sliced bread. Get a life, make the car run efficiently for what it is, THEN make it look pretty. And finally: big wheels and tires. 20" wheels and tires are fine, if they are in proportion with the vehicle in which they are being run on. But if we're putting 28" of wheel and tire under a vehicle that was designed to run about an 18" wheel and tire, that just looks stupid. A car isn't supposed to have 3-FEET of ground clearance. Damn stump jumpers.

That's one reason I didn't have a whole lot. I just had enough to make me feel comfortable in there. A few of my friends in my dorm had just gobs and gobs of stuff on the walls that just seemed un-needed.

I agree with Fly's idea. Most my travel will be in the US, so after I get my pilot's certificate back, I'm going to purchase either a Cessna 172, or maybe a Piper Cherokee and fly all myself. Besides, its like taking the backroad somewhere, you're going to the same place, you're just seeing more of the country while doing it.

I had my model cars and trucks on the bookshelves. I had a couple of airplane posters on the walls (aerospace engineer). Other than that, I really didn't have that much decorating my dorm room. Other than the TV, Sega Genesis, 1st Gen Nintendo (I kept things old school), and the computer and the phone. There was also the microwave (since our dorm was weird and didn't allow anything else).

Now THAT'S a funny mental image *you poking head out window "If it won't ring up, its free, right?"*