Atlas

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The use of absolutes like "always" to describe gear selection, and giving free advice at a boat ramp sounds like a recipe for disaster. It's a boat ramp, not a farm, for starters. IMO gear selection should depend on the obstacle. If low range is working and this is a slower speed, controlled ordeal, I'd keep using that.

The original GM part number appears to be 10144043 and the stick (not including handle) measures 27" long. Here is from the GM parts website. Dimensions show as 30.6" but I believe that to be the full length of the stick including handle. If you can't find an aftermarket stick to fit correctly, it would be worth looking for a used one at a salvage yard and cruising all the 4.3 and small block GM's close in age. Here's an expired listing for one on eBay to help you compare to yours and maybe do some searching for one. This has a photo with measurements of the actual stick length https://www.ebay.com/itm/257364223521 It's hard to believe that parts for a 90's 4.3 are getting hard to find..

New tires are on, Cooper Discoverer Road+Trail AT's in 235/75/15. $100 per tire, after $10 AAA discount. Plus install ($100), disposal fees, and taxes. The new tires ride nice. Catch 22, new tires, I love it again! But I feel like I've been through the wringer with this rig, and maybe I don't need this kind of headache right now. Wait until tomorrow, I'll probably love it again and keep it another week. Never a dull moment: Got a CEL driving to the tire shop, P0172 bank 1 too rich. Oh lordy, really? I've been enjoying an emoji-free dash for too long, apparently. I popped the hood at the shop and I think there was a vacuum leak very close to the intake. Cleared the code and put a bunch of miles on it going home, code never returned. My fix was zip-tying the line on the vacuum reserve ball because the hose won't stay seated. It's either that or the fuel pressure regulator has an issue again or an injector is leaking. See why I'm getting tired of this one?! In the gas price thread I recorded 19mpg on the last tank in fairly mixed driving and some higher-speed highway (70). I also don't have the lower engine shield installed right now, and that would help with diverting a lot of wind underneath the truck. Not too long ago, a green '96 4-door 4x4 came up for sale with less than 1,000 actual miles. There was a story there but it was real, and the place wanted like $25k for it. Would be fun to have a NICE example of one of these, but not too nice. The joy is driving them. That's it for a while...family and social stuff all weekend, no time to play with my Hot Wheels in the garage for the next couple of days.

$5.19 after Kroger discount for 87 today. Moses! Somehow I've already put 560 miles on the Blazer with the last tank clocking 19mpg.

The new Equinox have the 1.5T. I'm not reading a whole lot of negative other than it's a smaller and less powerful engine than competitors in the segment. GM says bigger and faster isn't what customers want in this segment, they prefer better fuel economy. That's not what I want, but I'm also not their typical Equinox buyer. I see having multiple engine options as a good thing. I was happy to see AWD models receive an 8-speed automatic. CVT exists for FWD only. I remember when the "new" Equinox arrived in ~2010? It felt so modern compared to GM's other offerings, and that was a pretty dark time for GM emerging from BK.

When most people look at GM's EV strategy, they think it was dumb. Obviously, duh? In hindsight, there was significant financial risk in becoming obsolete if GM didn't go all-in, like a lot of automakers. Had the EV market taken off, GM would have been left defenseless. Not all of their $10.9B was lost. Only a part of that was sunk costs like supplier penalties and retooling for EV's they canceled or never made. A sizable chunk of that was R&D and intellectual property which is still in their back pocket for future EVs. GM hedged the risk but overspent, but then they pivoted and focused on their bread and butter. Not only did GM still have the financial prowess to do that, they've done so successfully. It shows a lot of resilience and the market rewarded it.

There's some truth to the above, but also, she's selling fullsize trucks and bread/butter CUV's like hotcakes, meanwhile, extracting GM's pickups from the deep discounting sales game. GM's stock has held its own during her tenure, and the more recent buybacks are delivering cash back to investors and signal confidence in their direction forward. Even with the EV losses. GM is an example of a modern publicly traded company. The #1 goal of any publicly traded company is to deliver the most value possible to shareholders. Despite being a car company, building the best car isn't GM's path to delivering maximum shareholder value. McDonalds doesn't make the best burger, or the best coffee. I've mentioned in another thread, I really don't / won't ever understand Cadillac or Buick in a modern context. Both brands are completely dead to me. I'll cede that the Escalade is a nice SUV, but the brand and nameplate mean nothing to me, and GM will never persuade me to pay north of $170k for a gussied-up Tahoe or Burb. Other people don't mind doing that and that's their purview. The C8 shares absolutely nothing in common with any other current Chevrolet or Corvette on the market. Since its introduction 8 years ago, it's developed quite the following. It did what other Corvettes couldn't do: reduce the average age of its buyer. GM has something there, and I see them investing in the car. They'd better not mess that up. We've successfully derailed Grumpy's thread again, but I think this one is meant to be more of a random thought thread so a little wandering is probably OK.

I can't get enthusiastic about the 1.5T (or the 1.3 or the 1.2), I won't drive a CVT. But the stupid things sell in volume.

For as much hate as Ms. Barra receives on here, she sure is a shrewd businesswoman....

I'm tangentially aware of what Harley used to be, back in my riding days, although I was into Italian sport bikes. Ducati seems to have gone the other way; still very expensive, but they've made a large subset of their bikes a lot more reliable and accessible, and they've diversified their lineup to include other riding sports too. IMO, a good example of where greed and growth might have also been beneficial to the consumer. Although GM is charging a relative premium for its most popular pickups, I find that there are some excellent value propositions in its lineup as well. The Colorado still strikes me as the most attractive midsize on the market, and also the most reasonably priced given capability and features. There's a part of me that wishes I would have bought one instead of my Silverado. The Equinox ...I must be getting old. The ICE equinox is a great design IMO. Probably because it reminds me visually of an actual SUV aka an S Blazer. Underneath it's nothing even remotely close, but it LOOKS good. It's got all the modern features plus some at a very reasonable price. If I had to run out and buy myself a daily commuter to do everything except tow, an Equinox would be on my list. It does bug me that mid-tier 1500's reach into the 50-60k range, and Tahoes and Burbs are even more expensive. Less than 10 years ago, dealers were sitting on rows of Tahoe LS and LT's for low 40's. You could even still find Tahoes with a front bench, still!

Sure, the article mentions GM is trading some volume for margin, i.e. sell fewer but make more. It just doesn't seem to add up that inventory at some of the biggest dealers around here for a popular rig like the Silverado 1500 would literally shrink in half. Maybe that's the only way they can sustain the margin, and they're just turning existing inventory more quickly. I also wonder if borrowing cost has something to do with it. Dealers have to borrow to floor the vehicles and pay interest. I wonder if that has limited what they can ultimately keep on the ground at the dealership.

Those sites are hellscapes, for sure... It's mostly all noise. There are still some decent finds out there, but they go quickly. I'm fairly certain the Blazer will be my last adventure in buying fixer-uppers. Doing it for the sport and enjoyment takes a lot of time/energy. I've had my fun. But this isn't a market I want to be in. The buyers can be just as bad as the crazy ads. The kind who text you at 11 at night asking if you'll take half your asking price and the rest of the bag of chips they're eating. Or if you'll take payments.

Well, no, it's not much considering the curb appeal alone. I've got an appointment for Friday to have the Coopers put on. I also found out Discount Tire gives me $10/tire off for being an AAA member. I'm not doing this to make a bunch of money, it's just for fun. But eventually I'll need to watch my costs. At some point it's just a 95 Blazer valued per pound, like the rest of them. But a slightly nicer, more "fun" looking tire could cinch a sale and win a few extra bucks too. I don't remember if I mentioned what I paid...$1500. I'd be lucky to get $3500-$4000 out of it and that's with $2100 in parts and tires, not counting $280 for taxes and registration. I really don't stand to make anything. The new O2 seems to be working well. Didn't help the exhaust smell, though. Thankfully the seriously messed up downstream O2 sensor was just messed up. Threads in the bung were just fine, and a new one screwed right in (with extra anti-seize! -to be nice to the next guy).

On the other hand, GM is offering 0% for 5 years on various models including the 2026 Silverados. That's significant savings with current interest rates and average borrowing terms. While I don't doubt the truthfulness of the article, it's worth pointing out that fullsize trucks aren't exactly flying off the shelf right now with the highest and longest-sustained gas prices, lowest consumer confidence, and one of the periods of highest economic uncertainty. A certain level of incentive is still required to support sales at current pricing, even if GM's incentives are less than industry average. The article points out inventory is down 3% YOY and supports its 50-60 day target. The visual impact of this, or, maybe it's another factor entirely, is stunning. Local dealerships simply don't have rows and rows of Silverados in every color and configuration imaginable anymore. A local dealer I recall having "normal" inventory of about 50 Silverado 1500's on its lot now regularly only carries about 10-20. The inventory reduction seems more than just a few percentage drop, but maybe that's recurring over several years.

Welcome to the party!

$5.19 regular and mid-6's for diesel here. Ethanol-free 92 is back up near $7 at the stations that offer it

I think we're reaching the end of constant projects/work. The water pump bolt appears to have self-sealed, as it's not leaking anymore. I'll take it, and, I'm ready should it self-unseal! I was also getting an oil leak at the front oil pan seal and timing cover and came to find a pan bolt on the corner wasn't even finger-tight. Too easy. And, it was. But, it appears tightening it has reduced a leak producing spots on the ground every time I parked, to just a weep, leaving an occasional dot on the cardboard that lives under it while parked. That's acceptable on a 30 year old engine in my book. I do hate leaks, but, replacing the pan seal is quite the job. The rear washer line is reconnected and the sprayer works, although getting an intermittent washer fluid drip off the bottom. I think it's just residual...the reservoir filled up the channel in the rear floor and drained down into the upside-down spare tire/wheel. So there are residual puddles all over under there, will wait a few days for it to spill out and dry before I go chasing a potential leak. The door speaker...no dice. Speaker works just fine, it's that channel in the factory amp that's gone bad. Can't win 'em all. And, whomever buys this will probably tear out the factory radio for something more modern anyway. I put about 110 miles on it yesterday. Put a lot of wind and heat into it with some mountain driving. Still runs great. Near the top of the pass I got off on a gravel side road and put about 10 miles on with 4hi engaged. Works great. If ya squint, she's mint! God I wish these were still in production. I can see why they're not. They're rudimentary bordering on agricultural. They began life as a pickup truck and then modern society demanded the rear be enclosed for kids and crap. They're still a pickup underneath, and that gives them lots of ride character, sway and bounce and bump steer. They're alive on the road, and, at least for purposes of nostalgia, it makes driving one a lot of fun. The Check Engine light did come back on the pass, P0134 for the upstream O2 sensor dropping out. Putting heat into the exhaust causes it after about 10-15 seconds of increased load at higher RPM. The downstream sensor is completely mangled (someone clearly had a rough time removing it, but they didn't replace it?) so I'll just put two in it. For what, mostly to cure the CEL, I can tell the cat is damaged. It's not plugged or fractured, but it's not catalyzing. There's some guilt in not fixing it, but at a cost of $500+, the truck just won't get driven much under my watch. I dislike the smell...running the truck in the shop even with both doors open and the overhead fans blasting, I still reek of pre-cat exhaust. Sticks to clothing and everything else. Window motor (I'm dreading this), and tires, and that should be about it. 50/50 on Starfire Solarus H/T's, or spending $20 more per tire and going with Cooper Discoverer RT's. I like the look of the RT's a lot more, but is it worth it? I've got a really good (just very old) Toyo Open Country XTX on there now and I like it.

Blazer is all put back together. Another hard-won battle. The 4.3 is not easy to work on in such an archaic and narrow chassis originally designed for an inline 4. My baffle issue is solved. I returned to the OG junkyard but was ready for a fight. The Blazer I had picked from was stacked on another vehicle so I had no idea how the heck I was going to get myself to working height to pull the front end apart. I had seen an S10 pickup on the ground so I was hoping the part would be the same, AND, I couldn't remember if the S10 still had a front end or not. But I didn't need to worry because it turned out to be my lucky day. The yard had just taken in a '98 Blazer, sitting right up front, on the ground, with room to work around it, and the front end hadn't been hit. The baffle and all the clips were factory perfect. I also scored another good handful of odds/ends and the whole shebang only cost me $20. Got everything back together and it fired right off, sounds good, runs good. I've got a little coolant drip from a lower water pump bolt (D'OH!!). I did the right thing and snugged it down a little bit, and of course that didn't fix it. Yet again, I will have to soak everything in coolant to drain it down to the water pump, remove the bolt, and attempt to re-seal it. Nothing is easy on this truck. Nothing. But now all the radiator plastics are correct, snug, and fully functional. No more rubbing on the cooling fan. It runs, drives (took it for a 30 mile drive last night), no Check Engine lights, EGR is working, no vacuum leaks. We're getting closer... The replacement wiper motor arrived yesterday. The tailgate was already disassembled and waiting, so I threw that in. It works! Sort of. Two new issues on the list. While the motor is strong enough and the gears aren't stripped, the wiper is hanging up on the bottom of the rear glass. This is the old style where the lower half folds down like a truck tailgate, and the glass swings up, and they meet in the middle when closed. The glass isn't sitting flush with the tailgate, now that I look at it. No rubber bumpers that I can see for adjusting, so I'll have to look at the hinge adjustment to see if I can correct it. Also, the washer/squirter just dumps fluid underneath the truck. The lines actually run inside on the floor so I'm guessing the tailgate is soaked at the rear trim and the line is disconnected. There's also a drain there....probably for this reason. The leaky water pump bolt was really disappointing. JUST STOP LEAKING...OMG!! Replacing the window motor and a rear door speaker are still to do, and then everything will work. I want this to feel like a "good" vehicle worthy of dropping $600 for new tires before I do. That means no leaking first. I hurt, and I'm kind of cranky, so I'll probably take a day of rest and do the water pump again tomorrow.

EV's have their nuances too. Best to operate the current type of lithium batteries between 20-80% charge. No real need to charge until you hit around 20%. Occasionally charge to 100% when needed. Longer term storage, battery should be 50-60%. At least those are the guidelines for our iX. We've been exceptionally good to the battery in that car...easy to do when you can charge at home like we can. EV's lack so many of the rituals and so much of the visceral feeling ICE vehicles provide, which is why I think they're hard to accept for a lot of gearheads. They're fun in different ways, though.

This is exactly the reason our EV has consumed so much of my driving. I don't want to fire up a cold diesel or gas engine just to drive 2 miles up to the store. It's arguably terrible for an engine. If I'm not driving at least 10 miles and don't need to do truck things, the truck stays parked. Enter the EV. It's immediately heating or cooling the cabin as needed (heat pump). An engine doesn't need to warm up or be driven gently. I can tear off in it with ZERO guilt. Move the car 1/4 mile from store to store and not think "gee, I'm short-cycling a lukewarm engine". It doesn't idle in a drive-through. Doesn't idle at stop lights. (OK, neither would the diesel, if I let stop-start have its way, but I don't). Even moving it out of the garage to wash it... HA! It doesn't need to be started just to move 40 feet. I have cars that I will actually put in neutral and push (no start) in/out of the garage or shop if they absolutely HAVE to be moved. My nice Camaros.

Let's pivot this back. Someone said they wanted pictures. Even better, there's already video. Pre-prod prototypes are already on the road and they're letting the press drive them. JerryRigEverything did a good review. I really enjoy his content and EV adventures, so I was thrilled when he had the chance to review a Slate:

The Charger EV was stillborn. Wrong car at the wrong price for Dodge's intended audience. Now at a good price with fire-sale discounts, and still not selling, it's still very much the wrong car. Again, Dodge's intended audience. I believe a lot of Stellantis' EV blunders were all under Tavares' regime at Stellantis...the board convinced him to move on. Neat car, just wasn't received on the level that would sustain mass production. Dodge is headed in a better direction for its core business. I didn't think there was anything left to get excited about re: the Durango after its 15 year run, but they're just now releasing a 392 version that should price out in the low 40's. Nicely done. I'm not sure I would touch anything Stellantis makes with a 10' pole these days, but the Durango is still mostly parts designed like 3 parent companies ago so maybe it's still OK?

Dear diary, Not much to report, but the re-assembly started. New intake is smooshed down and torqued, ready for CPI leak testing again. 24hrs cure for the RTV will be completed this evening, so I'll fill it with fluids tomorrow and try to fire it off after getting all the little bits bolted back on. I hope this little truck thinks of me late at night and in the early morning after rising, too. (LOL) The greasy trench: The front crossmember is a gravitational force/black hole for dropped bolts, sockets, souls. It also retains leaked oil and coolant. It's awful when something actually falls inside of it. There's a thick greasy goo in there. I need to clean it out somehow because, fingers crossed, the engine shouldn't leak anymore. Douse it with brake cleaner? Get a pressure washer on it? It's freaking nasty.

No surprise that pump prices are on the upswing.