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The Love Affair Endures

1962 Lincoln If you are of a certain age, you remember the various comments that cars in North America, were huge, with monster engines, not refined, heavy, land barges, gas guzzlers, and another gazillion describers. 

Back then the difference between a luxury car (Cadillac) and a regular car (Chevrolet) was substance with most components and size being bigger on the luxury car, than the regular car. Those old school luxury cars had a size advantage, as well as a performance advantage compared to regular cars, or European cars with 4 cylinder engines. 

They had an imposing physical presence, accompanied by performance to substantiate the presence.

The best selling vehicle in Canada is a Ford F Series (a pick up), could you compare an F Series to an old school Lincoln with a 460 cubic inch engine, and suicide doors on the 4 door version. 

Is a Ram the equivalent of an Imperial with a 413 cubic inch wedge motor, or a 440? 

Is a Silverado the equivalent of an Oldsmobile 98 with a 394 V8?

Is a GMC Sierra the equivalent of a Cadillac Fleetwood with a 429?

The old Cadillacs, Lincolns, Oldsmobiles, Imperials would pull any kind of trailer, same as a modern pick up. The old cars easily accommodated 5 passengers, same as a modern crew cab. The trunks were positively huge, comparable to a 5 and a half foot box on a modern crew cab with a short box. The old luxury cars were from the Detroit 3, same as modern pick ups...perhaps some things never change!

The old cars were body on frame, same as a pick up. Solid rear axle, some with leaf springs same as a pick up.

The old luxury cars were physically imposing, similar to a modern pick up.

Need we mention big gas tanks...

In 2012 F150's, Rams, Silverados, Sierras are 15% of the Canadian market, back in the day were Lincolns, Imprerials, Buicks, and Cadillacs 15% of the Canadian market? 

Can we conclude that the love affair endures with vehicles that have morphed from old school North American luxury cars to modern North American pick ups.

What do you think?




The 1 Ton Crew Cab

A while back we did a review of a Silverado HD Crew Cab with a short box, which we called "Clifford" for the big red dog, since the truck was red. 

While driving around with Clifford, I was reminded of another crew cab a few decades earlier, in a previous life when I was selling trucks. 

Here is the story...

This individual owns a building maintenance, snow removal, landscaping company, and requires a truck to perform several applications from transporting a crew of workers to various sites, hauling materials in the bed, to plowing snow with a 9' plow. 

The snow plowing is the most important function since he has contracts to clear several sizable parking lots, usually during the night. The truck has to be "idiot proof", it will be operated by different individuals as the need and scheduling develops. 

The major points that were agreed upon...

> You need a crew cab (extended cabs did not exist).

> You need a 1 ton, you plan on putting a good amount of weight in the 8' box, and you will have constant weight in the box during winter.

> A 9' plow is on the bigger side of plows, and clearing parking lots involves more pushing than a residential entrance + to make it idiot proof and easier the truck will have an automatic transmission. Back in the day it was a THM 400 3 speed automatic. 

> Engine not many options a venerable 350 with a 4 barrel carburetor.

> Axles ratios 4.56's to make it easier to push snow, work the torque converter less, keep the transmission oil temperature down.

> Double gas tanks to alleviate chasing gas stations in the middle of the night while plowing.

> Tires 9.50 x 16.5 tubeless, wider for better traction.

The truck is ordered and arrives from the factory in late summer, ready for the winter season. Its late summer this fellow decides to go on a few fishing trips with his new truck, and friends. 

Obvious that this truck does not go fast enough on the highway, and he is pouring an obscene amount of gas in both tanks. Just imagine the comments from his friends....

Calls, and visits me, complaining bitterly that I sold him the wrong truck, I'm the truck expert and this truck is useless, besides using an obscene amount of gas.  

I said to him the truck is supposed to push snow with a 9' plow, not go fishing "I sold you a truck to push snow, not to go fishing", and proceeded to tell him that if the truck did not push snow as I told him, and he expected then he can tell me that I sold him the wrong truck.

You can imagine that after his friends made sarcastic comments about his new truck on the fishing trips, he was anxious to discover the snow plowing capabilities of the truck.

The next phone call from him "You were right never had a truck that could work with a 9' plow like this one, its so strong that one of my operators ripped a tire off a rim trying to make a mound of snow". My question "How hard are you working that truck?"....his reply "This truck is doing a night shift and day shift (16-18 hours)".

My comment "I'm glad that its making money for you, and pushing snow better than your expectations".




Do you remember Cannonball? It was a Canadian program...enjoy a restored GMC "Cannonball Truck". Those were the days when a Detroit Diesel or was it GM Diesel, it was a time when an inline 6-71 was huge!

Part 1

Part 2

A clip from the "Cannonball"




Thunder V12

If you have been around long enough, you perhaps remember when GMC was using V6 engines in trucks, there was a 351 cubic inch, and a 478 cubic inch (Magnum) V6, one interesting feature of these engines, the spark plugs were inside the V. Another distinctive feature was the distributor, which was also required expert maintenence. 

At some point GM mated two 351's for a 702 V12 with excellent torque, and low RPM's, at the time several transport companies  had a sizeable fleet of GMC 702 V12's; still the days when dieasel powered trucks were the exception. 

Its cool that some folks have revived the 702 V12 as the Thunder V12.

Spend a few minutes reviewing the Thunder V12 site.




Old Bus 

Do you remember these old GMC buses? Did you ever ride in one?