SAmadei

Someone here considered the fires a non-issue because the NHTSA was not investigating? Yeah, that's changed now: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/business/us-safety-agency-opens-inquiry-into-tesla-fires.html

Chevy SS is just sucking worse in every news update. Spiffy. Five colors. Let me guess: Silver, Black, White, Red and Gray. As far as the Avalanche goes, I feel it should have been integrated into the truck line as an option. Do you want the standard cab, extended cab or the 2 in 1 extended cab extenda-bed.

I foresee it raked over the coals once it suffers in a crash test because it doesn't weigh 6 tons and one can't look down on tractor trailers anymore. I laugh at the talking heads in the video predicting the future. Little do they know that in 2005 that average popular GM vehicle is over 2 tons, squared off and 6 foot tall. It would be nice if future cars looked like they were from the future again.

SSR stood for Super Sport Roadster. Modern day El Camino could be a SST... Super Sport Truck. I would prefer El Camino. Ain't going to happen. GM hates us. They might make a few thousand and give them to some other 3rd world country... not us. We'll get a Sonic with the rear half of the roof Sawzall'd off.

IMHO, yeah, can be. Its sure a clean fuel that the engine will run longer. I have one of the kits and its pretty simple. I never used it because I didn't locate a decent tank... and back then, refilling stations where nonexistent. I bought it because in NJ you can forgo emissions if you have an alternative fueled car. Every so often, you find the old kits popping up on eBay. Usually removed from a western vehicle undergoing restoration that no longer needs the kit.

Doesn't surprise me there is money on the hood. The Dart has not gotten rave reviews since it hit the streets. The V6 shoehorn is supposed to provide something for those unimpressed with the 4 cylinder offerings. I think its bizarre that the Dart might get a V6 while the Malibu is now 4 cylinder only (well, unless you are in the Middle East).

Actually, FSM is the Factory Service Manual.

Subaru is not a constellation, its a star cluster... Japanese for the Pleides.

No it wouldn't. If you tore open your tank, it would quickly empty and you would roll on. Gasoline does not catch fire easily as a liquid and your exhaust pipe aft of the catalytic is not hot enough to ignite it. Most gasoline fires are a result of high pressure lines (thanks FI) leaking and spraying gas on hot engine components and electrical. A small number are caused by very high speed rear end impacts where the tank is compromised and metal grinding sparks ignite the fuel spray. Here's why electrical fires are different: 1) When the battery is compromised, shorted or overheated, its going to burn. The materials inside are nastier than gasoline and its going to burn hot and complete, leaving the car a cinder. Most electrical fires and non-traumatic gasoline fires can be put out if they are discovered in time. 2) The battery is located under the passenger area. Sure, so are gasoline tanks, but gasoline tanks are rarely where the fire starts, unless the vehicle has been in a major accident. In a normal car, a fire is likely to occur in front of the driver. Smoke and flames in a drivers face will get their attention. When a battery pack is igniting, the smoke and flames are not as visible to the driver... and once stopped, the passengers may have to escape while flames are coming around the sides of the car. The thing that strikes me about the latest Tesla fire is how quick it happened and while its great that the computer shut the car down, it did not warn the driver that the car might be on fire. 3) DF likes to stroke that 150K car fires item, but keep in mind that a lot of those fires occur during the 6 million car accidents that happen (running over debris is not really a "traffic accident") and a lot of those car fires occur in cars that are old as well. You would expect a few hundred thousand miles might cause a few shorts and fuel leaks. In general, new cars don't just catch fire (not counting ones with suspected flaws like the Fieros or Ferraris). These are NEW Teslas... and Volts... and Fiskers catching fire. What happens in 100K miles? 200K? When the battery chemistry goes wonky or the chafed, mouse chewed wires finally short out the battery? Plus, in the case of cars like the Volt or Prius, you have the double whammy of ALSO carting around a high pressure gasoline system, in addition to the possible battery and electrical gremlins. So there is a difference. I'm not saying its reason to ban electric cars from the road... but I'll say this... Don't get too attached to your Tesla, because if it does catch fire, nothing will save it.

There was a 6000 Safari for sure. Same with the '89 fullsize Safari. I own a '88 Pontiac Safari. That's it. No Bonneville, no Parisenne... right on the title, its a Safari. It was like this in '87 and '89, as well. The Safari FSM is probably the only wagon only FSM GM wrote. In 1990, the "successor" was the dustbuster. By 1990, all Pontiac wagons where gone (apparently forever). Some would argue the Vibe is a wagon, but most Pontiac fans would argue its a Toyota.

ELR wins by default because it is a coupe. Its like trying to determine which model year Juke was the best looking. Ugh.

Dodge already used this moniker 40+ years ago, so other meanings really aren't relevant. 40 years ago 'Scat' was a much more popular term in the public vernacular. No longer. And you'll find more people who remember the Cimmarron than people who remember the original 'Scat Pack' Dodge marketing ploy. I'm INTO old Mopars and the 'Scat Pack' is fairly obscure in my mind... you think the Millennials are going to immediately think of the correct definition? 'YOLO Pack' would have probably been a better idea.

Did anyone remind the Dodge marketing group of what all the definitions of 'scat' are?

You probably triggered some sort of emergency cut-off switch. I can't believe how many vehicles have them now... hit a big pothole in a newish van and it triggered the fuel shut-off. *grumble*

Ah. I thought back then both the Tahoe and Yukon had XLs and they were a middle ground between the non-XL and the Suburban. I see that's not the case. Damn people on Craigslist mis-advertising... Still not sure why Suburban is marked (Chevy) in the list when none of the other Chevys are.

Interesting to note "Suburban (Chevy)" in one column, but not Suburban in GMC... GMC doesn't sell Suburbans anymore?

Oh, definitely not a lemming, as I have resisted the mainstream for decades (e.g., buying new because newer is immediately better)... but in the end, I'm actually not all that interested in convincing others to change. Knock Ponchos all you want... it drives my cost of collecting them down. Hardly young, though.

To the best of my knowledge, most glass is still available... and flat glass can be cut to the application. If you want properly dated glass, well, that might be a bit harder. Even my '60s Chevy Stepvan has glass available for it. Thing is, that a lot of old laminated glass goes bad anyway.

Cool. Oh, I had a thought about the other hubcap... while searching for photos of the top hubcap, I noticed that while a lot of companies have employed the red stripe, Dodge has done it a bit more often. Since a whole bunch of Mopar hubcaps seem to be without logos, I wonder if the second hubcap is a pre-Fratzog Dodge hubcap... I don't think its Jeep, as I recall Jeep featuring red/brown during the '60s and red/blue when AMC owned them. Other than that, I'm stumped.

Looked in the hubcap interchange, from '63ish to '76ish... and the only thing was a type G-47, L-37 or X-43 for the top hubcap... which are for big Mopars like Monacos and Furys for '72 and '73. Unfortunately, I could find no supporting photos online. Can't find my '78ish to '92ish hub cap interchange.

Balthy, have you ever tried that technique for using molasses to strip rust? Some Aussie on Youtube is using a kiddie pool and months-old watered down molasses to clean up car bodies. Probably a cheap way to clean the rust up on a truck cab (turn it four times) if it works... but I'm still a little skeptical. However, he's not the only source that I've heard this technique from before...

What? A Camaro I find uncomfortable? A CTS-V wagon or coupe that is as much as a Tesla? F... that, I'll just get a BMW or a Tesla. The fugly Chevy SS? The never-going-to-happen-because-the-Ute-dies-in-2016 El Camino? Sorry, I really don't find what GM is currently selling to be very appealing. I put up with GM's BS for decades because I actually LIKE most of the Pontiacs they created (Not the G3, T1000, G5 or the Daewoo LeMans). I put up with the awful ergonomics of the 3rd and 4th gen Firebirds because I felt they look a 100x better than the Camaro. And I can show up at the Pontiac shows with the Firebirds, supercharged Grand Prixs, GTO or G8 and while there is a little harassment, there is still some kinship and some respect... because they understood that for every Trans Am or GTO, that GM had to sell 10 FWD appliances... unlike showing up with 'brand C'. Eh, sometimes I don't even know why I bother posting here anymore.

One of my older Hollanders has a hubcab ID section. I'll see if these are in there when I get some time. Just curious, as I have no place for it, but how much for the body shell? Wonder if that would fit over a chopped down S10... ;-)

The Taxi of Tomorrow NV200s remind me of the GM Dustbuster minivans. Seems like a lot of hood and little fare space.

The question of rental cars always come up and I don't see what rentals are so bad. GM is hardly the only company who's cars are rented... yet nobody is complaining about other makes. OTOH, GM is building quasi-junk cars SPECIFICALLY as rentals (Captiva, Impala Limited (rumored until 2016))... so to someone renting cars, it seems that GM is still running 10 years behind. IMHO, GM should be getting their BEST into rentals to change people's minds. Next, IF Pontiac was to come back, you know damn well that a G3 would not be forthcoming. The G3 and G5 were both due to the BPG dealership structuring wanting to go toe to toe with Chevy. Now that GM dealers have been realigned better, this should not be an issue. (Either that or stand alone Buick-GMC dealers are losing wads of sales for GM). IMHO, If GM brought back a limited Pontiac with the Firebird, Grand Prix/Bonneville and the G8 ST, I'd be very happy. It would even nicer to see the Solstice reborn. But I know it ain't happening. And I will continue to not buy from GM.