z28luvr01

I think most non-Harleys have wet clutches, so you could ride them all day if you wanted to. If that's the case, definitely use the clutch.

Well, I would have loved to have seen the car come out as a pillarless hardtop because that's a trend that is just itching to come back. Pillarless hardtops are cool to look at and fun to ride in - even in the back seat. I would love to see GM spearhead the return of a "volume" pillarless hardtop. I would hate to see Toyota come out with a pillarless Solara and be perceived as a style leader for it. With all of that said, I think there is a lot worse they could do to the Camaro than put a B-pillar on it. They did more of a disservice to it in 1993 by making it unsafe to drive for some body types, and even more of a disservice to it by killing it in 2002.

He kind of was asking for it, standing in front of a car doing a burnout.

If I ever stop being cheap, I will get one of these. Right now my restified 80s-vintage Schwinn is doing too well to consider retiring it.

I will try to balance needs and wants as best I can. My daily driver has to handle the vast majority of tasks I need it for. I'll settle for adequate acceleration if it gets me the economy, utility, and affordability I need, but I don't want anything that lumbers and wallows in the twisties. Good handling and steering is a must. And of course I need to be drawn to the looks.

I rented a base 2006 GP for my trip to Carlisle. It was bright red with the tan/charcoal cloth interior. Overall, I liked the car. The color combo worked well with it. The handling was excellent, and the 3800 pulled very strongly. I loved the big trunk - the day after Carlisle I threw my bike in there for my ride, and it was just so easy to load and unload. My most serious gripe with the car was the seats, which were excessively firm and very uncomfortable for a 4.5 hour ride. The center stack felt kind of hollow, but the rest of the interior felt pretty well built. PCS, how are the seats in your GXP? Are the leather seats comfortable enough for long trips? I'm curious.

Well first off, we miss you around here, and not just because of the inside info you provide. Please stick around, even if it's just to shoot the bull. 1) I could answer this question a million ways. If I were replacing the Cobalt tomorrow with 30K in hand, given my current state of mind, I'd probably spring for an Impala SS. There are times where I could use the utility of having a bigger car, and I'm just not willing to get a truck, van, SUV, or crossover. If adding to the fleet, a Solstice GXP. You can never have too many toys. 2) The Malibu. The Saturn Aura aside, the new Malibu is GM's best (and possibly last) chance to make serious inroads on the Camry/Accord/Altima bread-and-butter segment. They need this car to take off, sustain really good retail sales numbers, and be profitable. 3) I'll tell you that I would love an appearance package to make it look like the concept Aura on the outside, but that's just personal preference, as is the addition of a stick. I see GM fixing the niggling complaints about the car, mainly on the inside. The cheap bits need to go away. A change in marketing strategy is possible as well, since this really is not the car to go against the Japan Inc midsizers. 4) The search for a way to ease our dependence on oil will intensify. Gas engines will shrink and become even more efficient, with direct injection and possibly turbocharging leading the way. The race is on to build a better battery, increasing the efficiency of hybrids and making pruely electric cars more viable. Efforts will be made to iestablish an infrastructure for E85 distribution, but I have a really hard time seeing that happen while Captain Oil is in Washington. One last question: define excellent computer skills.

You've still got all the correct fuel plumbing, so that's a non-issue. I would think that the EFI manifold would bolt right up to the 350 without issue. You'll still have to get the computer to think that what you have in there is a 350 and not a 305. A PROM change is probably in order, and maybe the fuel injectors. I would go to an auto parts store (autozone.com) and look up replacement injectors for your 305, then a 350 with the same EFI unit, and see if they are the same part number. This sounds like a cool project, whatever it is, and I'd love to hear more details.

I'm holding back tears of joy while typing this. Thank you. Thank you Thank you!!

chipawah - If you're putting the 350 in the same car that currently has the 305 with the TBI, you already have everything you need in the car - the baffled tank, the pump, the lines are already there. Cappy is right about the throttle body. You at least probably need to get stock 350 unit, if not an aftermarket one. I think the 305 and 350 use different units but am not sure. You might also need to change the PROM in the engine computer. Camino - a GM tank unit should go right in your tank without modifications at all. I think the FI unit and the carb unit use the same size hole. They did in my Blazer, which at the time only came in carbureted form. It's just that they're a PITA to service because you need to drop the tank. I also think an in-tank unit might yield a bit more power. My father put TBI in his '83 Silverado years ago, and he started with a Holley unit that mounted externally. Once he got right tanks/pumps/etc, he switched to in-tank pumps and the truck felt a little quicker.

BV: Does your dad have a pressure gauge that he can hook inline with the fuel supply line? If he does, hook it up, crank the car, and see what the PSI is. I'm not sure on this, but I think a good fuel pump will put out 12PSI. Hook it up one time so that it's between the tank and the fuel filter, and another time so that it's after the fuel filter but before the engine. If it's a fuel delivery problem you'll find it that way. If he doesn't have a gauge, they're pretty cheap to make or buy. All he needs is any pressure gauge, some fuel-line hose (probably 1/4" rubber), and some fittings.

We just got back from getting this thing home in driving rain. It's a 2003 Monte Carlo LS that needs some engine work. There's water in the oil and it makes a loud tapping sound. No matter for my dad - he can rebuild or replace engines blindfolded with one arm tied behind his back, so this is a pretty cheap way for him to get a decent car to finally replace the Skylark. It's silver with a grey cloth interior, has the 5 spoke aluminum wheels, and the 3.4L V6. He was impressed with the ride/handling, and it's a W-body so it should be stone cold reliable for him. I'll post pics tomorrow morning.

I'm more of a road biker, but I do enjoy hitting the trails every now and then. I have a blue/magenta Roadmaster Mt. Fury that I got at Wally World 11 years ago. It's OK for the relatively light trail riding that I do, but I want better braking performance, and can't get it out of that bike, so I've been scouring craigslist for a good used disc brake equipped mountain bike.

I could really kick myself for forgetting my phone - If you're up for another Carlisle drive, I did see on my way in a blue and white 76 or 77 El Camino which would make a nice donor car. It's on PA-11 between the I-76 intersection and Calvary, which we turned down to park the car. SOrry about the (lack of) quality of the image, but it's inside the black circle. If you were going westbound on PA-11, it'd be on the right.

I hear that. My dad's friend saw a nice looking girl and said something to us about her shape, and my dad and I are both like "What?" while looking at parts.

Wow, it feels kind of strange sitting here relaxing. I've been going pretty much nonstop since Thurdsay night when I picked up the rental car (a 2006 bright red GP). My dad and I left the house at about 4:20AM and made good time for the most part except for a tractor trailer veering into the median on I-81 and some congestion on PA-11 between I-81 and I-76. We finally park the car at 9:30AM or so. It was probably half a mile to a mile between the car and the admissions booth, which is where I realized I left my phone in the car. I spent almost all the time in the parts marketplace. That place is huge and I'm not sure we hit all of it. We were there until about 6:30PM. I picked up a Muncie M21 rebuild kit and a Corvette hoodie, and my dad got a set of Rally wheels, rings, and center caps for the '73 Monte. I've also got cards from all the Corvette parts vendors, and a coupon for 10% off plus free shipping from Ecklers. Given the drive and the cost to get there, the parts weren't such a great deal, but I enjoyed just being there in a place that had cars and parts as far as I could see. I can't wait for the GM Nationals and I hope I can stay over for that one.

Sorry, dude. How bad is it in relation to the parts car hood, which IIRC only had a touch of surface rust.

If you're talking about less than 10 miles each way for a trip, a mountain bike will be OK. Longer trips will set your quads on fire. An old school steel-framed 10 speed road bike is probably perfect for a commuter. There are some phenomenal deals on bikes on craigslist. Keep your eye out - so many people spend a ton on a bike, ride it for a season or less before deciding they hate it and want to unload it. I found an $800 Schwinn mountain bike, ridden 4x, for $200. And 10 speeds are plentiful - whatever you've got in your pocket is enough to snag one.

Cadillac Bicycles

Go for it, guys. Stick it to Big Oil - let them drown in surplus oil. I will be doing the same thing once things warm up in the morning. I'm training to ride 100 miles in May, so a 7 mile commute to work I can practially do sleeping. If you're serious and need help picking out a bike or learning to ride effectively, send me a PM.

I don't think so. What's sadder is the fact that the Torrent, G5, Montana/SV6, Aztek, Terraza, and Rainier are or were at one time Buicks or Pontiacs. Under the B-P-G umbrella, vehicles like these will not need to exist anymore. GM effectively eliminated two underperforming full-line brands by combining Buick, Pontiac, and GMC. These three combined will only need to perform like ONE full-line brand, and each brand in the channel can be given a tightly focused mission that plays to its hertage.

Before I answer the question, are there any cops on the board?

Given GM's (mis)management at the time, I think they'd have screwed up even if they did keep the G-bodies around. The B-bods IIRC were supposed to get certified for the LS1 among other improvements, and were selling pretty well thanks at least in part to the Impala SS. But GM decided to pull the plug and flood America with Tahoes instead :angry2:

Little Nemo?

Honda Magna