trinacriabob

Had the opportunity to drive a rented (big) Thunderbird with a 4.6 L V8 up to Vancouver, Canada and back down across the border. I was surprised how much I liked it. That, too, turned out to be a workhorse for FoMoCo.

That's what I figured. Olds: 4.3 (260) Chevy: 4.3 (262), 4.4 (267), and, much later, 4.3 (263, I think) ... it would be interesting to see how bore and stroke differed, telling you if/which larger displacement small block they were derived from Pontiac: 4.3 (265) - - - - - I vaguely remember a Ford 255 V8. It was only around in 1980 and 1981, upon looking it up. It was a 4.2 L. It would have probably worked well with the last rehash of the retro Thunderbird.

Your wording has me confused. Time changed a lot with what they could squeeze out of displacements. The latest Chevy 4.3 put out 200 hp. The old carbureted 3.8 (231) put out 110 hp. In Series I, II, and III form, the 3800s put out 170 hp, 205 hp, and 200 hp, respectively. With time, they seemed to dial in on better fuel injection and ignition systems, and really kicked up the hp. I'm just saying that, had they kept engines like the Pontiac 265 and 301, they could have done a lot more with them, just like they did by keeping the Olds 5.0 (307) and making small improvements from when it was introduced as a carbureted engine, albeit a damn good one.

Cincinnati Reds baseball team. And a bunch of car dealerships. This is when her husband passed and she inherited them. I'm thinking baseball team and car dealerships could have made her rough around the edges real fast. Right ... she does have that office villainess look ... sadly, these types can do a lot of damage before HR deals with them as they should have earlier.

I had bookmarked a few things after this post and looking for info on these small displacement Pontiac V8s. First, I found this. A very cool 1982 Pontiac Grand Prix Brougham for sale up in Canada. Check out the full exhibit of photos. It's a Brougham that has manual windows and no A/C. I guess they wanted the interior but not the typical Brougham options. It can be hot and dry on the inland Canadian prairie. It says 4.4 V8, but we know it would be a 4.3. https://www.adrenalinmotors.ca/vehicles/776/1982-pontiac-grand-prix-brougham Then I pulled up an article on "the forgotten V8" - the 265. The article and the many comments said a lot about this engine and small V8s in that era. It's all fairly interesting ... at least to me. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/the-almost-forgotten-engine-1980-1981-pontiac-265-cid-4-3l-v8-why-did-they-bother/ The article claims to have the ONLY photo on the internet of this engine ... super clean engine bay, nice layout with the distributor in the back, and an expected smaller air cleaner assembly. First, the effort was part CAFE and part marketing. The CAFE gain might have been 1 mpg, but that moves the dial in the right direction. The marketing is that people who didn't want to give up a V8 could have a V8, save "some" gas. Buick was going to move buyers to a V6 (the 231) and some folks didn't want that. Note that 3 divisions of GM had a "baby V8," with Pontiac coming in last, chronologically, with this smaller engine (after Olds and Chevy). Buick was focused on the 231 V6 and did not bother with making a smaller V8. (I think Buick including "even firing" on the 231 at its reintroduction would have gotten them more buyers, seeing how well this engine sold later.) However, in their line up, Buick offered the 260 in some cars (Skylarks) and the 265 in others (Regal, Century, and possibly the smaller, less trimmed out full-sizes). This undertaking would not have been a Cadillac thing ... they didn't make one, either. People say some interesting things in the comments. In one post by a guy named Larry, he said that the smaller Pontiac V8, specifically the 301, was better than Chevy's 305, and it was a political thing inside GM because the Chevy one was cheaper to build. I'll buy both of those claims. Most said that the small V8s were extremely durable - "smooth as butter" - if less power than what's typical in a V8 was acceptable. But the acceleration off the line in everyday driving was fine. It's that they petered out toward the top end. This Pontiac "baby V8" actually made a whopping 10 hp more than the one by Olds and Chevy! We've had one of these small V8s in the family and it was the Olds 260. Our neighbors also had an Olds 260. "Smooth as butter" definitely applies. And, @balthazar I do like it because it's serviceable and durable, as you say. None of these engines bring home the bacon when it comes to some of the steep grades a person might encounter in the West. However, the torque output of a "baby V8" is superior to that of a GM inline 6 or V6 of that era, having been in cars with both of those climbing up the Grapevine (~ 500 ft. to 4,100 ft.) What might have been so appealing about these engines is their quiet operation when accelerating, being revved while in park, or when idling because less cubic inches probably had a different breathing set-up than a 5.7 liter type powerplant. People did mention that these small V8s were still too much for the plagued THM 200, and did better with a larger transmission behind them. Also, I'm thinking the drivability would have been even better if these were outfitted with rudimentary TBI instead of a carburetor, with 10 or 20 more hp. But, over 10 years later, one could have their cake and eat it, too. The '94 to '96 only Chevy 4.3 V8 with TBI made 200 horses and they last and last.

I have been told that I can be fairly random.

Regarding Marge Schott, mostly I found her amusing. But then I was over 2,000 miles away from her reign when she was presiding over it. Here's the funny thing. This is a photo of a young Marge Schott taken when she was 28, according to the caption beneath it. How does one go from peaches and cream to boorish, considering how much money she had? The 180 degrees is perplexing. Most "debs" with coin go on to be society ladies and matriarchs.

Haha. Good one. Much like when I was once looking at a map of Mexico and saw the city Merida. Now, I don't know if Merida is a nice, safe place ... or it's not. However, a quick scramble of the letters makes it "mierda." Got it. On those seats, with all the pleats, moving around could be challenging. They look more suited to a parlor in a chateau in France. But I think a French chateau would keep it classier, with a "c." However, regular Brougham seating on my Cutlass Supreme was easy to move around on and provided the most comfort on long road trips than any car I've owned. That horizontal bolster landing near the shoulders - right above the pillow type part of the seat - also helped.

Thinking about @balthazar ... ... not really. - - - - - (saw this the other day)

I think that their taking it slow is better. It has been riding on essentially the same platform since 2005. So true. Over the years, each of the updates on this car have involved fine tuning and making it more modern looking and more relevant, and I have liked how it has morphed. I think they will be careful ... and hope they tuck any enlarged infotainment center under the cowl or embed it in the dash. But, then, come to think of it, the name Stellantis is a "F" up.

I just found this. I don't know if it's legit. It shows an upline Dodge Charger for 2022, with changes that probably didn't cost the automaker that much. Mostly, I like them. Plus: Hidden door handles ... good ... but hidden where? I wouldn't mind the gullwing look flush with the pillar The big character line moves forward, into the front fender ... that's fine There is a sculpted flank on the rear fender ... that would depend on what the car looks like from the rear, both straight-on and in 3/4 view Minus: The BIG woven air dam and scoops under the front bumper ... it looks like they've compared notes with Toyota Camry designers* They've scaled back the expanse of the narrow front headlights ... I liked them more when they reached further toward the center - - - - - * now, this just might be the "apples to apples" for their flashy V8 models ... and not be on the base models - I would hope not.

Random thoughts for this Saturday: 1. I am almost disgusted by how many people in my area do NOT recycle. All those boxes for their endless Amazon Prime packages are in the trash instead of the recycle bin. 2. I like Greek festivals, and ethnic festivals in general. I just picked up a lamb gyro along with desserts (1 baklava and 1 galatapoureko). When you go to these festivals, the a la carte pricing can add up. I wish they offered combo dishes. But then, there's no sales tax, tipping is optional, and it goes to support the efforts of small non-profit organizations that mean a lot to their members, so I roll with it.

A klass act, with a "k" Now that I have your attention ...

Spot on! Too funny.

Bingo. I liked the front end the next year a little better, where the lights are outside the grille and in the sheet metal. That's what my Dad had. But, so true about your statement, because when my Dad had one, it was basic a basic coupe (Bimini Blue) with an in-line 250 c.i. 6 cylinder engine. Nothing to go wrong. Dependable beyond words. And, our dog loved that car. When we said, "You want to go for a ride?" she started to wag her behind - because she didn't have a tail - and headed right for the Pontiac. She knew the Olds wasn't for her. (Whether or not she figured out that that it was because the Olds had velour seating, and my parents wanted to keep it clean, is beyond me.)

LOL. A loaded statement ... and a piece of work on various levels. It's all good.

If I am a future owner of a 3.6 base Charger, I will definitely not be in that crowd! LOL. Instead, I will be endeavoring to achieve 30 + mpg on the open road. And that would have been the same when I was in my 20s and 30s. But, yes, I know that type and see it fairly often, usually in the V8 equipped Mopars with the more "juvenile" decals and striping. As for me, I prefer to go about life like a cheapskate so I can do things ... such as traveling like a cheapskate.

I might venture to say that I've always had a soft spot for both the Camaro and the Firebird just because they are Camaros and Firebirds. As for the last-gen (when both coexisted), I'd have to say I liked that they had the 3800 V6 as the base engine, RWD, and a basic 4 speed automatic transmission, if I recall. In that form, they also priced out nicely. I probably liked the Firebird more than the Camaro. Chalk that up to all the circular gauges and vents on the dash and those pop-up headlamps ... and liking Pontiac more than Chevrolet.

Yes. I like some of it, for sure, and some of their foods. But Hispanic and Asian are big chunks, which are better broken down by country. As for Spain, bingo. As for Latin America, a big thumbs up to Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile ... all beautiful and with a modern standard of living and an almost European feel. I loved these three Latin American countries. Would very much like to visit Cuba, too. I don't think I could roll as easily with Ecuador or Costa Rica, which are on these lists. I once had to change planes in Panama (City) in flying from L.A. to Buenos Aires and spent the day there. It's really lush with all these dense crazy thickets of banana plants or whatever they were. I thought that I would not want to be walking around there, waiting for some snake to grab me or something like that. "No" to anywhere with jungle like vegetation and animal life. Madrid, Spain (Plaza Mayor) Madrid, Spain (Parque del Retiro: Palacio de Cristal) Buenos Aires, Argentina (Avenida 9 de Julio and Obelisco) Montevideo, Uruguay Punta del Este, Uruguay Santiago, Chile (inland capital) Vina del Mar, Chile (on the coast, and twin city of port city Valparaiso) On the first trip, I flew from Miami and made damn sure I got to fly on this! Incredible experience. I went to South America for the first time over 15 years ago with a good impression ... and came back with a great impression.

Random thoughts on this random thoughts thread on this first day of September: 1) Rankings of places based on criteria are often ridiculous and not relevant to a lot of people. They may about the best suburb to live in, the best place to live overseas, and blah blah. As for suburbs, you might have Overland Park, KS, The Woodlands, TX, Cranberry Township, PA, Cary, NC, and Wilsonville, OR on the list. But if those regions are not your personality, then you'd be S.O.L. For foreign countries, they've got places like Ecuador, Costa Rica, Spain, Portugal, France, Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, etc. If you don't think you'd eventually gel with Hispanic or Asian sensibilities and pace, then a person shouldn't consider them. Then they've got "best town in every state" ... more mind numbing reading ... 2) When I was a teen, Arby's rarely ever entered my stream of consciousness. It's like they were invisible. They have really upped their game, and, now, I go in more often and find sandwiches and wraps on their menu that I like. 3) The start of autumn is a mere 3 weeks away.

When it rains, it pours. I saw 4 of these within 48 hours, just staring me in the face. I see them, but not this often. One: Red one - the reason I even took a photo is because I preferred this combination of rubber bumper strips and body colored bumpers. - - - - - Two: This one is in really good shape, and in that bronze color ... it's hard to tell with these, since I think they all looked much like this from 2000 to 2004. The cosmetic changes came in 2005 and were even more helpful to the Monte Carlo than they were to the Impala, IMO. - - - - - Three: This is probably a 2002. I remember this color, which was also available on the Monte Carlo, and looked good on the MC: Cappuccino Frost Metallic. - - - - - Four: This is the last one I saw. On all of these sightings, these wheel covers are fairly decent in that they "sort of" look like upcharge alloys. = = = = = Okay, so here's the story with these. These ran with Chevy's 3400 V6, presumably born of the Chevy 3100 V6. These 3400 engines were stickered with EPA numbers of 21 / 34. Any time I have had one as a rental and driven it for some distance, they always did get about 33 and 34 on the open road. These sipped fuel. They did it with 4 speed automatics, not 6 or 8 gears. No cylinders were deactivated. I felt that the Chevy 3.4/3.5/3.9 just had to be inferior to a Buick 3800 V6. You know ... it's a Chevy "high value" V6 engine. The reality is that many have been pushed around pretty hard and have busted past 200,000 miles. They feature iron block and aluminum head construction. And they are a 60 degree design. Truth be told, these Chevy V6s were fairly rhythmic when you revved them. And a 60 degree design in a V6 is supposed to be more "balanced" than is a 90 degree design. It's interesting to see which cars and engines are in it for the long haul.

Spotted today - August 31 I hadn't seen one of these in a long time. It's a Chrysler (New Yorker) Fifth Avenue! I remember being tasked with driving one of these (belonging to a friend's parents) from Norwalk, CT to Storrs, CT (UConn) and back, returning late at night. I was not impressed. Two views of a first-gen Ford Mustang

Argh. Airlines are starting to use the Airbus 321-LR Neo to cross the Atlantic. It's single aisle. TAP Air Portugal is already using it for that service, along with their Airbus 330. I prefer the latter. The news about Alitalia is soul crushing. I'm hoping it's a reorg rather than completely ceasing to do business. So many memories. All good. I love their livery. Our family always got good service aboard their planes. And they had the coolest 747s. Watch it all the way until the end, when the take-off takes the jumbo toward Manhattan. Their fleet of 747s was named after resorts in different parts of Italy: Portofino, Cervinia, Capri, Taormina, Porto Cervo, Cortina d'Ampezzo, etc. Beautiful.

@oldshurst442 and @Robert Hall - I like the kink in the rear sail panel. The treatment in 1994, and before, was ugly. That's what some friends of my parents must have had. It was a big white base model that was a "hippo on wheels," as I've heard them called. Caprices of the '90s had to be the right year, the right colors, and trimmed out in certain ways to make them attractive sedans.

A lot of good info. I recall the 425. It shed a lot of cubes ... and weight. It could have made for a nicer and more respectable experience if they had put basic fuel injection on it. They did so 2 years prior for the Seville. The malaise at Cadillac during the Roger Smith years was a real black eye for the division. There was the 8-6-4, the initial problem ridden aluminum 4100 V8, their use of the diesel, and their use of Buick's 252 c.i. 4 bbl. as an option for those trying to squeak into a more basic Cadillac. It was funny to see a 4.1 L (252 c.i.) V6 in an Eldorado that was otherwise slicked up with a padded landau roof and fancier wheels. It took the division moving along from the 4.1 L to the 4.5 L to the 4.9 L V8 during the '80s to ratchet things up toward better engines by Cadillac for their new FWD products and using 5.0 liter V8s using the Olds blueprint for RWD boulevardiers to "right the ship."