caddycruiser

Thanks Roger...and thanks for reminding me to actually get some of this stuff posted here :AH-HA_wink: I have not forgotten about that black beast...we'll email. I will say this. I understand "forget this...I just want something new and not a project". I do. But I can also say, even old and even a project, in the end it's still more affordable and sane to have something like you do now, than a new payment and still always "want" more. Mine is NEVER done and it, ahem, just rolled 10k today, and is new, and has a warranty, etc. I love it, but sometimes I just think if only I had stayed with something like Roger has now and kept playing. It's a thought, at least, but then I move on.

Thanks to a GREAT performance shop in Maryland this time, today I took the day off (that's rare...) and drove over the bridge to have my car un-lowered & straightened out otherwise. The new dampers & springs I had driven on for 5k miles in stages definitely tied it down to the road, got rid of the extra wheel->fender gap, and generally still rode well for what it was. But I continued liking it less and less since the start, even going back & forth on the stance (especially after curbing my front fascia and recently hitting my new one on the road trying to get out of a relative's driveway), plus I started having more and more vibration issues and got a nasty creak & groan in one back corner. It had a nice look & was flickable, but my butt just never liked it, and I was always wincing over bumps & fretting new rattles. So today back to stock it went, aside from bushings (which did make great fixes/changes and should have been the only thing I did all along), just with the twist of now having a bit more GXP underneath...new FE3 struts & shocks from the GXP. From that it was found that the alignment I had done at one point was a mess (I could have sworn something was off...but kept driving, no time to even check it out again), and after removing the aftermarket pieces, fitting new OEM, and properly aligning, I LOVE it. It looks like it raised to the sky and is almost 4x4 now, but a lot of that I think is just my eye not used to the original stance. Regardless, it now rides 100x better, handles just as well for how I drive, and is thankfully noise free again. Not good photo lighting...but on the alignment rack, newly raised to the clouds again, and getting ready to roll: Yeah, THAT was an expensive mistake...well, not a mistake, but more of a I didn't know what I really liked or wanted until after I had done it. Typical Derek, in other words :AH-HA_wink: Things are calming down for a while, I think, aside from detailing now...that I can do without spending any more dough...

There are a couple of different vendors based in Australia who specialize in basically selecting, pricing with the conversion rate, selling and shipping Holden spec parts to the US on order. Very easy and for a while there, and still to some extent, it's no more expensive to get than you'd pay for similar things here. JHP and "Crazy Paul" are the ones, and generally, especially Paul (very well known Australian guy on one of the G8 forums) can get ANYTHING for these cars you might want or research which part is which, and figure things out. They also go as far as to sell full Holden front fascias/hoods/etc. for conversions, which are easy. It's actually kind of funny because even the "Pontiac" stuff you order for a G8 from GM here, whether it be a grille, a bumper, or a piece of trim, still comes in an Australian box with a Holden sticker. All Holden, through and through, even the twin kidney grilles. Center stack is just a lot of Omega (lower model) pieces swapped out in place of what was there. There's a few different dash arrangements for the VE & long wheelbase versions of these cars, all with the same basis, and made as such so things are different but still often swappable.

A red '10 GMC Terrain SLT with the standard machined wheels and all new-shiny with PA tags...looks very cool on the road from the front & sides, and makes that "small" crossover platform seem trucky, if only the rear were nicer and less Rendezvous. It's just like when the Envoy-Trailblazer came out. I didn't like the Envoy and thought it looked strange, vs. the "cool" Trailblazer, then the Chevy got too common and the Envoy became the ritzier twin. Love the new Equinox lines inside & out, but I've already seen so many of them, everywhere, in every color and trim, my eye is now going more to the Terrain as the unique choice with those guts, and more standout.

Aye, THAT'S the event I missed this weekend...I knew I was forgetting something good, over in DC. Nice overview & reviews :AH-HA_wink:

Another one I didn't remember until you brought it up. Initially, I thought the exterior, black rub strips and all, was awful, then I saw & sat on the inside of a few. Wow, not only poor materials & fits, but actually the reverse of style, with the flat but bumpy slab across the dash, and then the occasional "whoa...is this an old truck?" cloth upholstery. That car was a poster child for advertising bad design, materials, and all else. Good thing the mechanicals and drive were solid enough, as otherwise, yeck.

Good question...since SO much of everything now has a higher and higher and higher beltline...it's almost off putting to climb in an older, "thinner" car with more glass and less door panel/dash and see out of it.

Exactly. Here in retirement land of Delaware, as the original "old" people cars started to thin out, more and more and more xA's, xB's, and xD's started littering the roads traveling 39mph in a 50. Literally, everywhere. Several who have gone as far as the typical old people deflectors, pin stripes (or graphics...) and some even with "upgraded" department store hubcaps. They...literally...LOVE them. And it's easy to see why. Small, cheap, efficient BUT also easier to get into & out of and comfortable than even a lot of their barcalounger sedans. Mmm. Modded. Scions. Argh.

Suspension is changing again, for sure, now too. Driving to a different shop across the bridge in Maryland next week to have the aftermarket (and still, VERY high quality) springs & dampers I had installed starting back in May removed & stockers swapped back in. The only small difference this time will now be a new set of GXP/FE3 struts & shocks vs. the original FE2 pieces we tossed when installing the current. Ah, well, if only I could make up my mind on such big, expensive things :AH-HA_wink: It will raise back up again & be a little softer, but that's A-ok with me. Then I'll just do upgraded sway bars instead, to help control some extra roll at some point...or...well, something. We'll see.

Very, very similar just a different part differentiated by the embossed insignias on top and, potentially, a mount or ridge underneath. Apparently the ones I have were used on a few specific Holden models with 6.0L small blocks over the past couple of years. G8 guys & gals have done a lot of custom work with the original 1-piece engine cover from adding mesh to the center portion vs. solid plastic to painting it in a rainbow of ways, and for these 2-piece covers the main change is just the decals in whatever colors over the 6.0L part. I'm still undecided on specifics of that. Then there are various custom covers...lots of them. I'm just a stickler for unique but still OEM, well, generally.

Even high miles and beat to death, I STILL don't understand how vehicles a few year's old--and not cheap SUV's to boot--ended up getting turned in. Either the people were stupid, and couldn't understand the $4500 credit ONLY, or something...it just doesn't make sense at all...

Agreed on the '97-03 Grand Prix. And, no way around it, those materials and the way they were assembled (I have nightmares of the airbag->dash part line on these cars and the Intrigue of similar vintage...) was horrific. The design, overall, of that earlier gen not that bad, but the materials were nothing but hard, shiny, mold-lined plastic with glassy sheen and wavy, big gaps. The '04+ cars weren't great, but they certainly looked and felt a few rungs up from the predecessor in a lot of ways, at least from dash to door, etc. solidity and how things were put together. Mine...at least that I can remember... '97-03 Pontiac Grand Prix, as stated '98-02 Olds Intrigue, not all of it, as I like the seats and parts of the doors but just bizarre things at how "did a 3 year old use scissors?" things like the airbag cover were shoved into a rough hole on the dash that were "worsts" to me '07 Dodge Caliber...co-worker's...actually more solid and fitted than I expected, and not much in the way of excess shine, but rock hard and scratchy plastics, mixed with never been cleaned grime on that terrible no texture shiny cloth (why so common?) and all the plastic... '92-93 Buick Roadmaster...loved the seats and overall size, but even compared to our Fleetwood of similar vintage the plastics of the dash and doors and their designs were just CHEAP...rock hard, poorly fitted, shiny, plastic door armrests that shrink & warm, screw heads exposed without care, etc. The '94+ models got a lot better, however '86 Buick Regal LTD...sorry...I just can't stand mushy bench seats and that 70's/80's click clack, big gap, it's clearly head on with a few screws you can see and Armor-all shiny plastics and really bad fake wood trim & chrome; my brother would kill me if he heard this... 90's/early 00's Fords...the damn flat black square of a radio & HVAC controls with the same scratchy little rectangle buttons & green numbers...just those parts alone Wow, a lot of GM's, but that's just a smidge of everything overall out there...I just have only really experienced mostly these, for more than a few minutes at a time. There's more...but too much else to do instead... :AH-HA_wink:

Following you now PCS... I haven't Tweeted in a long time since making an effort to cut all online chat (forums aside, of course, although there just a little) and focus any extra awake time I have on a massive career change. Hey, on that note... :AH-HA_wink:

New one, for me at least. Lack of communication about anything, from what they want you to do to that the office is moving (the latter, yes, literally and TWICE...and I quote, from his assistant to me after I asked what he said..."I don't know why everyone wants to know so much..." and then it trailed off into a mumble) but they get LIVID when you don't let them know every single detail from every day about what you're working on, or just don't talk to them anymore as I...or if you do, they don't care & still flip out later :AH-HA_wink:

LS engine in an MG or a new Nissan 350Z, people do it...whatever works, why not I guess it certainly prescribes to my brother's "put a 350 in it" whether you're talking about my mother's Malibu or a Bug...all depending on the day.

Yes. I'm just trying to decide on colors for the decals to go on the embossed 6.0L sections...red/silver are what's on the 2nd picture and likely, but not fully sure yet. Or maybe nothing.

Heehee. Before I decided to go new and get what I REALLY wanted back in February thanks to new dealer cash & special GMAC financing, I looked at & drove an orange ex rental '08 GT being sold certified at a Chevy dealer with 10k for $22.5k. It drove flawlessly but looked like 10k or a little more miles & I just couldn't do it coming from a loaded new Malibu with 3k on it, problems and seat comfort issues regardless. Still, for the price, it being certified, and driving perfectly, I thought about it long & hard, because one like it would have even made more sense to start modding. Oh well;-) Used ones can be a good buy, even though values have now gone back up after the "no more". I have to say, true to my car form, I've a few times now explored deals on a remaining GXP in exchange for this one and $$, and it could work, but I've just done too much and am too attached to this one in the end. Well, you know, I'd still take a new GXP in addition, so it had a friend...right!

I concur, but the change I'm making is more akin to that Hemi decor, again thanks to more OEM Holden parts. The stock G8 GT/GXP 1-piece engine cover: The 2-piece covers that were used on some Holdens: and with decals over the 6.0L sections: Well, when I get to it, at least. The first step is to remove a secondary intake cover in the center (looks like the intake, but it's really a secondary insulated cover with the same profile fitted over the actual one, for whatever noise, etc. reason. Hah, and what's great is I NEVER realized that until it was pointed out here. The clunky old but low mileage oil burner... :AH-HA_wink:

I know, that was my one hold up & why they're not on the car yet...they're extremely high quality & true to form in dimension & such, but still don't have the right silver "texture" background with the OEM typical piece of clear plastic over. Still, I've seen them on several G8's and they look great, and better than my decal covered variety, so we'll see. It's a Pontiac and I'm not changing that, I just didn't like the red anymore, or something. I don't remember. I just get an idea & order. Last weekend I installed an oil catch can (those of you who are more mechanically inclined know this one), on the PCV system as it's quite a common mod and a few companies offer them, and after a week there's already oil in it. Great intake, etc. saving addition and a beautiful piece of billet. Underhood is another area where I'm unsure...at least visually. The big clunky stock engine cover is removed until I can get a secondary intake cover off & snap on my Holden 6.0L side covers, but otherwise aside from my catch can I'm undecided on more billet, more red, more hmm. Here's mostly what it looks like under there, by the way, with no engine cover and the Roto-Fab intake and front radiator support cover:

Not at the moment, no, but I do have a set of those still in a box...of course. They're not exactly the same, but there's a small company that got license by GM to produce "those", they machine them, and then you can have the centers painted or made whatever color--or no color--that you prefer. I have a set of silver ones, but for the time being just have silver metallic decals made for all of the emblems (front, rear, center caps, steering wheel) over the red instead. Here's the ones I have just sitting, made for this car front & rear by that company: Brother's '86 Regal LTD 307. Light blue, black factory partial vinyl top, dark blue velour tufted interior, etc. Behind the G8 now, not seen, is a new '68 Dodge Coronet 440 project...then the Legacy, Fleetwood, and Malibu.

Mine would be exactly the same...they're too busy & in their own removed world to really get involved with the actual operations of the business, but go nuts at a weekly progress/goals for the week meeting, get pissed, throw something & F bomb away then get up saying "whatever, you figure it out", slam the door and leave. Classy. And so inspirational. One one hand they'll continue saying they need to and trying to micro "manage everyone because this isn't working", but can't, and then at other have no clue how things below them actually work and when they hear certain snippets of "that's not done yet" completely fly off the handle like a 3 year old temper tantrum. For me, the tantrums and lack of any sense whatsoever how things in the company actually run aside from their initial backing & start, and then making unrealistic demands. When you can't even stand to be near or converse, even a hello, with a boss, there's a problem...trust me. It's a big reason why I'm currently in the midst of gradually exiting & trying desperately to figure out my next start :AH-HA_wink: It's terrible to have work and complain about it when so many people are out of it, but that's no reason to stay. As my grandfather said to me while on a visit a few weeks back "Life is way too short to be miserable, and if you're somewhere or doing something that doesn't make you happy, stop it & move on. Even if you have to go live in a tent in Florida to figure it out, do it." Hah. The tent in Florida comment still makes me chuckle, but otherwise it's something I'm about to follow through with... More bad managers please...this should be good!

Here's one of the "others" just snapped today, finally, and in bad lighting. The removal of Pontiac on the trunk & replaced G8 & GT in the correct order:

Thanks. It certainly is just a little different than when you last saw & drove it...actually the next weekend was when it all really started, suspension & otherwise...

Something like that would probably be a great choice. I think my ideas were a little far fetched as far as price, but regardless...I'd do this over a really old 70's, etc. anything even if it is solid.

It really is. Hence, for example, my father's '96 Legacy. He was still unsure of what he wanted and looked at a lot of "meh" and all it took was me, 5 minutes and Craigslist and wa-la, PERFECT, exactly what he wanted. White, a wagon, reliable/efficient, maintained very well but also cheap because it could use some visuals...dead on. Now he sees the same cars or less still for 3x as much, so all it takes is the right search. Any other idea cars you might fancy? Anything in that short list I came up with...heh?