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Automotive News & Views Memories Of The Old GM And Its Cars
383 messages, Last post on Nov 12, 2009 at 5:33 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: dave8697 (Jun 06, 2009 5:08 pm) AFAIK all GM vehicles now have this feature. This is from memory, so it may be off: When the ignition key is turned to the start position for more than 100 ms, the starter cranks for xxx ms, even if you let go of the key and allow it to return to the "run" position. The starter won't activate when the engine is running, even if you turn the key to the start position. My old VW Jetta (and older BMWs) had a mechanical lockout that would only allow you to turn the ignition key to "start" one time per cycle. If the engine failed to start, you had to turn the key completely off before it would allow you to turn to the start position again. Having one of these types of lockout is actually one of the pieces of technology I look for in forming my opinion about whether a car is state-of-the-art or not.
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Replying to: corvette (Jun 06, 2009 6:17 pm) My 2004 X3 has the manual lockout, as do my 2002 and 318ti. From about 2000 on the V8 Bimmers had an automatic start function to reduce wear and tear on the starter; just turn the key to start and release it. Of course all the BMWs with push button start share that feature.
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When I was 15 1/2, and had just gotten my first drivers license; a friend of the family, who owned a chain of gas stations, gave me a chance to drive his new 1957 Corvette. It had the (very conservatively rated) 283cid, 230HP engine; with a 3 speed close ratio stick shift (2.2:1 first gear) and a 3.08:1 rear end. I wanted to show the car to a friend whose father owned a Dodge dealership; so the owner of the Vette let me drive the car from San Jose, CA to Livermore, CA, while he sat in the passenger seat. I was entranced by the sound of those throaty pipes and the whine of the gears, along with the taut, responsive handling and instant acceleration. I drove the car very carefully and conservatively; but when we reached my friend's house, the owner got in the driver's seat and took my friend and me for a demonstration ride. We drove to the long, straight road that was used as an unofficial drag strip, and the owner stopped at the beginning. He then got on it hard enough to spin the rear tires for about 75 feet, and when it got traction, he floored it and ran it up to 6,000rpm in first gear. That was 85mph; due to the 2.2:1 first and the 3.08 rear end. I was totally blown away by how hard it pulled; and even my Mopar loyal friend had to admit it was very fast. I later calculated the speeds it would have gone in second and third gear at 6,000rpm. They were 110mph in second, and 140mph in third. Whatever mistakes and stupid decisions GM made in their days; the Corvette was a wonderful car; which in my mind, made up for countless blunders they did. Many years later, I tuned a modified 427 Vette; which was owned by the wife of another friend. I had a very different response to that one. It felt way overpowered and impractical, the all synchro 4 speed was rough and noisy, and I came away less than enthusiastic. But the '57 Vette was the stuff that legends are made of; and which teenagers dream about.
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Replying to: tomcatt630 (Jun 06, 2009 9:29 am) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEY5wycJtIE |
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Replying to: roadburner (Jun 06, 2009 6:27 pm)
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Replying to: xrunner2 (Jun 06, 2009 6:22 am) And I'll keep my Eldorado convertible over any Japanese car made then or now. |
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Replying to: dave8697 (Jun 06, 2009 5:08 pm) 
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Replying to: cadillacmike (Jun 07, 2009 8:07 am) |
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Jun 06, 2009 3:29 am) In 1958, the "B" engine came out, in 350/361 configurations. Plymouth used the 350 in the Fury. Dodge used the 350 in the more upscale cars and the 360 in the D-500 package. DeSoto used the 350 in the Firesweep and 361 in everything else. Chrysler stayed with its old 354 and 392 engines. For 1959, the 350 was dropped and 383 added, and a raised deck version was introduced as a Chrysler-only engine. It came in 382 CID (called a 383 just to add confusion, but different bore/stroke) and 413 versions. I think the raised-deck "383" was dropped after 1960. In 1961 you could get a 413 in a Dodge Dart or Plymouth Fury, so by that point, the corporate engine had pretty much transcended all boundaries at Mopar. Ford started going towards corporate engines in the late 1950's as well, but don't know their history as well. Ford had the "Y-block" V-8 as standard but for 1958 two new big engines came out. One was the "MEL" engine, used in Mercurys, the bigger Edsels, and Lincolns. The other engine was the "FE" engine, used in Fords and the smaller Edsels. The old Y-block was eventually replaced by the smallblock "Windsor" that first came out as a 221 in the Falcon, but grew to 260, 289, 302, and eventually 351 CID. I believe the FE block was more or less replaced by the "Cleveland" block, and the MEL block was replaced by something called a "385" block, which was the 429 and 460. By 1977, Chrysler had to deal with a slant six, smallblock V8, and bigblock. Ford had the Pinto 4, straight six, Windsor, Cleveland, and "385". In contrast, GM had a Chevy-6, smallblock V-8, and big-block (still in trucks), plus the Pontiac 4-cyl, Pontiac 301, and the older 350/400, plus the Olds V-8, plus the Buick V-6 and Buick V-8, plus the Cadillac V-8. GM also had a lot more volume than Ford or Chrysler, which no doubt helped, but having to deal with that many engines surely must have cut into their efficiency. And interestingly, GM weathered the late 70's and early 80's rather well, while Chrysler almost went bankrupt in the late 70's, and truth be told, Ford wasn't far behind! |
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Replying to: corvette (Jun 07, 2009 6:39 am) My 85 Jetta did that and so did my 66 beetle. So I guess they are actually 40 years ahead.
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