Random Thoughts Thread

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

Special ? order color ~

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Edited January 6, 2020 by balthazar

[ocnblu]

SWEET!  Doeskin Tan!

[balthazar]

I think 'Butterbean' would be a sportier name. Or maybe 'Garbonzo'.
And while I like those beans, I do not like that color Ford.

[ocnblu]

"Ford" LOL

[balthazar]

See- the color blinded me as to the brand!

- - - - -

 

?

Edited January 7, 2020 by balthazar

[ocnblu]

Ugh, that "Porsche" is an ugly step sister compared to the Pontiac.

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

I think 'Butterbean' would be a sportier name. Or maybe 'Garbonzo'.
And while I like those beans, I do not like that color Ford.

Toyota has a similar color currently, maybe a bit darker.  That tan reminds me of a color Ford used in the 80s, as a solid and as part of a two tone.  I remember F series in tan and a brick red, tan and green, etc.   

[balthazar]

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Ugh, that "Porsche" is an ugly step sister compared to the Pontiac.

They have like identical greenhouses, except one is from 2020 and one is from like 1999.
I really did like the concept Mission E's looks, and although this is close- the Taycan just lost the details. What's with the different offset wheels front to back? It's just dated, already.

If frickin Porsche can't built their concept cars exactly as is, no one can.

[ocnblu]

7 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Toyota has a similar color currently, maybe a bit darker.  That tan reminds me of a color Ford used in the 80s, as a solid and as part of a two tone.  I remember F series in tan and a brick red, tan and green, etc.   

Doeskin Tan has been a GM special order color for decades and decades

5 hours ago, balthazar said:

no one can

TAY can!

[oldshurst442]

To be fair...

1973 Porsche 911 RS (the design language and actual car, really, dates back to 1963...)

 

 

And yes, the 2nd gen W-Body Grand Prix is a sexy design, but a Porshe-uh  dude will tell you that 'tis Pontiac plagiarizing  that design language. 

 

I like the Taycan's exterior. Its sexy.  

Tesla, as we could see, also uses that design language on both of their sedans.  The Model 3 looks frumpy though as a longer vehicle benefits from that design better.

The Panamera just butchers this styling trend so I aint gonna post it in fear of vomiting on my keyboard....

The Taycan looks good. Its fresher than both the Model S and the Panamera. Lets be honest about it!!! 

OK...Ill retract some of my post.

The Taycan does not flow as smooth as the Grand Prix does. The Taycan's front wheel arches to that fender vent opening to the front doors seem awkward. 

The Grand Prix flows better. But towards the back, a tad less. 

The Model S, flows the best from front to back from the side view!!! 

So...Ill agree with Balthy, the Taycan DOES seem dated!!! 

Edited January 7, 2020 by oldshurst442

[G. David Felt]

Appears that Ford is bringing out their own 4 wheel steering option for their full size pickups and I would not be surprised to see this go to the full size SUVs.

https://www.autonews.com/video/autonews-now-ford-files-patent-4-wheel-steering-f-series

If Ford is successful with this unlike the over priced option GM made it, will prove GM was not looking big enough or long term. Having driven a GM 4 Wheel Steering Pickup, they are amazing and it should have been a default standard option on all full size trucks/SUVs from GM. The video even states that GM packaged it as part of a $7,500 option package with leather, sun roof, etc. stuff that had nothing to do with the 4 wheel steering. Reporter believes if packaged right by Ford, it will be a huge success due to the very large increased size of the trucks today and the need to get the turning circle down below 3 1/2 lanes of room needed to turn.

 

[G. David Felt]

Seems MB lost the Luxury Sales Crown for 2019 to BMW.

[G. David Felt]

Old muscle cars stashed in Semi Trailers

 

[balthazar]

6 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

...a Porshe-uh  dude will tell you that 'tis Pontiac plagiarizing  that design language.

One certainly could argue that...

[trinacriabob]

On 12/22/2019 at 2:24 PM, balthazar said:

College roommate had a ‘76 Cutlass coupe with the 6. It was really clean, red w/ a white half top. Don’t recall if it had A/C. We drove it from Detroit to NJ for winter break in an awful storm that had 80% of the interstate traffic being semi’s.

I forgot to ask you about this when I saw it.  I've known people who owned V6 Regals and Centurys of that time, but not one person who owned an L6 in the Olds, Chevy, or Pontiac mid-sizes.  I'm thinking the L6 of that year would have outlived the V6 of that same year, all things being equal.

Did this road trip car go the distance ... in terms of longevity?  I ask because I wonder if "underpowering" the car affects the longevity of the engine.  These engines were meant for the models one rung below, which weighed 500 to 600 less pounds.

[oldshurst442]

32 minutes ago, balthazar said:

One certainly could argue that...

touché

But still does not change the fact that that roofline defines Porsche-uh non-the-less.    

Edited January 7, 2020 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

13 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I forgot to ask you about this when I saw it.  I've known people who owned V6 Regals and Centurys of that time, but not one person who owned an L6 in the Olds, Chevy, or Pontiac mid-sizes.  I'm thinking the L6 of that year would have outlived the V6 of that same year, all things being equal.

Did this road trip car go the distance ... in terms of longevity?  I ask because I wonder if "underpowering" the car affects the longevity of the engine.  These engines were meant for the models one rung below, which weighed 500 to 600 less pounds.

My buddy just pulled the running I-6 out of his '77 Malibu coupe last week (to replace it with a 454). Not sure of the miles on it, but it was running fine / car is in good shape.
The '75 I knew only in '84-85; never saw the guy after that. At 10 years old, it was in excellent shape and ran the highway fine. It had no power to speak of, but once it got up to 80 MPH, it held it fine.

I had a Super Six (Slant Six) Plymouth, a '78, and that was the same way. Sold it at about 95K miles because I just HAD to get into a 14 yer OLDER car instead (You know me!). Not powerful, but it got the job done. I heard that car was still going at least 5 years after that (at which point it was about 18 yrs old), but the MoPar Slant Six was the SBC of sixes- runs forever.

[balthazar]

19 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

touché

But still does not change the fact that that roofline defines Porsche-uh non-the-less.    

To porsch-O-philes, I guess.
IMO, the GP is a heritage modern version of past Pontiac designs.

[oldshurst442]

I aint gonna argue. You are right. 

 I aint a Porsch-O-phile though.  Im calling it as I sees it 'cause I know many folk dont and wont make that connection with Pontiacs from the 1940s with any GP but they do have that connection with the 911.

Id say though that that styling started with the VW Beetle and the Chrysler Airflow. 

But Ill still stick to my guns and say that 'tis Porsche and its 911 and now Taycan that have taken the torch.

 

 

[balthazar]

I guess my initial point was, porsche styling is stuck in 'P'.

[oldshurst442]

I aint arguing that point either. You are correct with that too. I didnt catch what you were saying though. But yeah.  

I still like the Taycan's looks regardless.  But today's car designs are stale no matter what company we are talking about.  With maybe Hyundai and KIA as an exemption.   

[balthazar]

Car design is basically dead. It’s been a long, fun, interesting time, but its done.

[riviera74]

8 hours ago, dfelt said:

Seems MB lost the Luxury Sales Crown for 2019 to BMW.

How did Cadillac do compared to other luxury marques in 2019?

[balthazar]

^ 156,246.

[balthazar]

Lowly lil ol' Plymouth, duking it out with a factory LeMans 3-time champion prototype and a couple italian "exotics". :D

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, riviera74 said:

How did Cadillac do compared to other luxury marques in 2019?

For all of 2019 Cadillac had a total sales of 156,246 auto sales. Have not had a chance to look at any other luxury line than the one report above for the top 3 luxury lines in the US.

Seems Cadillac is half of what the two Germans sell and almost that for the single Japanese line. Cadillac really needs to buckle down and focus on the Luxury segment and add some damn good marketing.

[balthazar]

Try and deny it.
 

[ccap41]

1 minute ago, balthazar said:

Try and deny it.
 

Both look turrible. 

[balthazar]

new MB reminds me of the Cadillac :

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

Both look turrible. 

I think they both merely look ‘current’.

[trinacriabob]

16 hours ago, balthazar said:

My buddy just pulled the running I-6 out of his '77 Malibu coupe last week (to replace it with a 454). Not sure of the miles on it, but it was running fine / car is in good shape.
The '75 I knew only in '84-85; never saw the guy after that. At 10 years old, it was in excellent shape and ran the highway fine. It had no power to speak of, but once it got up to 80 MPH, it held it fine.

I had a Super Six (Slant Six) Plymouth, a '78, and that was the same way. Sold it at about 95K miles because I just HAD to get into a 14 yer OLDER car instead (You know me!). Not powerful, but it got the job done. I heard that car was still going at least 5 years after that (at which point it was about 18 yrs old), but the MoPar Slant Six was the SBC of sixes- runs forever.

So, there's two of them you knew of.  Amazing about those coupes and their I-6s, especially the Malibu which, when optioned correctly, could look nice.  I hope they were Classic and Supreme grade, respectively, and not the ones with the triangular rear window which were the lower cost models.

As for "underpowered" engines, our neighbors with the '75 Cutlass (Supreme) were in sales and their 260 V8 was running fine at slightly under 150,000 miles when the transmission gave out.  This would have been about 8 years into the car and with a lot of city driving.  THM 350s with 3 speeds and no lock up converter were probably $ 500 to $ 700 repair jobs in that era.

[balthazar]

That wasn't a THM200 behind the 260?  Dad had a TH200 (I think) behind a '77 Pontiac 301 V8.

Looking at a '75-82 Chiltons, there were the following:
THM180
THM200
THM 250 / 350 / 375B
THM400
THM425
The above are grouped by pan shape, so the 250/ 350/ 375B were the same basic unit.
The 400 & 425 are strongly related, but of course the 425 was configured for the FWD E-Bodies.

I never heard of the THM180 before today.

Edited January 8, 2020 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

29 minutes ago, balthazar said:

I never heard of the THM180 before today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo-Hydramatic_180  

Interesting detail is in most markets, it was used in small RWD 4 cyl models (like the Chevette or Fiat 124), but Holden put it in larger 6-cyl (and maybe V8) models..  Looks like they are still in use, in those funky little Grumman postal trucks that I see skittering around..

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by Robert Hall

[ocnblu]

9 hours ago, balthazar said:

Try and deny it.
 

This is your future on EV... a sea of sameness.  Doldrums.  Lifelessness.  And misery.

[G. David Felt]

33 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

This is your future on EV... a sea of sameness.  Doldrums.  Lifelessness.  And misery.

Exactly like all of today's ICE cars. Thank you for pointing that out.  

[ocnblu]

25 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Exactly like all of today's ICE cars. Thank you for pointing that out.  

Haha... no way

[oldshurst442]

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

This is your future on EV... a sea of sameness.  Doldrums.  Lifelessness.  And misery.

 

1 hour ago, ocnblu said:

Haha... no way

Perhaps you want something more recent then?

[ocnblu]

Early J-cars! ?

Modern station wagons with AWD!  ?

[oldshurst442]

2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Early J-cars! ?

Modern station wagons with AWD!  ?

Hahaha...No Way!   ?

[trinacriabob]

22 hours ago, balthazar said:

That wasn't a THM200 behind the 260?  Dad had a TH200 (I think) behind a '77 Pontiac 301 V8.

Looking at a '75-82 Chiltons, there were the following:
THM180
THM200
THM 250 / 350 / 375B
THM400
THM425
The above are grouped by pan shape, so the 250/ 350/ 375B were the same basic unit.
The 400 & 425 are strongly related, but of course the 425 was configured for the FWD E-Bodies.

I never heard of the THM180 before today.

No.  Not at all.  Theirs was a '75 CS - a beautiful silver and burgundy colonnade coupe.  It had a THM 350 behind their 260. 

In my dad's CS of the following year, with the typical 350 V8/THM 350, the transmission didn't quite make 120,000 miles, so theirs fared better. And I don't think they changed their trans fluid as often as we did.

For some reason, our car ran hot.  We did some stuff with the fan clutch and the thermostat, which finally caused it to run normally, or even cool.

It was rust that finished off our car, with me taking it to grad school.  Since I changed the oil more often than usual, it still had the trademark Olds V8 exhaust note and the transmission shifted beautifully after the rebuild.

Wouldn't a large '77 Pontiac have been too large for a TH 200?  I think they were used a lot beginning in '78.

I'm going to guess that a THM 250 is closer to a THM 350 in layout and quality.  I've heard of them.  I don't know of their applications.

I know that the THM 400 was the bullet proof one on that list.

Edited January 9, 2020 by trinacriabob

[balthazar]

7 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I'm going to guess that a THM 250 is closer to a THM 350 in layout and quality.

I know that the THM 400 was the bullet proof one on that list.

• As listed above, the 250 & 350 have the same pan, so yes.

• THM400 is a monster, can be built to handle anything.

[trinacriabob]

Dear folks of C&G, today is "I AM NOT A CROOK" Day.

Happy Nixon's Birthday!

[oldshurst442]

8 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Dear folks of C&G, today is "I AM NOT A CROOK" Day.

Happy Nixon's Birthday!

 

Pierre Trudeau V Richard Nixon

When the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau heard that President Richard Nixon had called him an "asshole", Trudeau responded,

"I've been called worse things by better people"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and then there is this:

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2008/12/08/nixon_tapes_include_testy_trudeau_chat.html

 

Ah yes....Nixon...

 

 

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by oldshurst442

[ocnblu]

[USA-1]

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

Pierre Trudeau V Richard Nixon

When the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau heard that President Richard Nixon had called him an "asshole", Trudeau responded,

"I've been called worse things by better people"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and then there is this:

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2008/12/08/nixon_tapes_include_testy_trudeau_chat.html

 

Ah yes....Nixon...

 

 

 

Ah yes...those Canadian Trudeau's...

[balthazar]

2020 Silverado Midnight Edition ~

[balthazar]

Dig the wackadoodle TN license plate frame ~

 

Why can't we do anything cool like this anymore?

Edited January 10, 2020 by balthazar

[ocnblu]

4 hours ago, balthazar said:

 

Why can't we do anything cool like this anymore?

Interesting.  It appears the duck went on to become a captain of industry, producing yardsticks for the people.  And to think, as a kid, he was afraid he didn't measure up.

[ykX]

7 hours ago, balthazar said:

Dig the wackadoodle TN license plate frame ~

 

Why can't we do anything cool like this anymore?

Because will be pretty hard to put letter or numbers on NJ plate made in a state shape