Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

2006 Malibu LT

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #16
    Khead, you're on Townies now?? Hmm.

    I like my old GM shit, I like my turd GMT400 trucks and 3rd gen Fireturds. I have not had any bad results with anything motivated with single camshafts & pushrods.

    Like Ghosty said here: "Ford does the same shit tho, nowadays they all do" - This is what I believe. Look around at all the cars and they all look and feel the same. American car makers have lost their identity and employ the same fuckin' people the others do in sake of making a competitive product instead of one that is unique or "their own" so to speak, that shit started to go away in the 70's IMO due to messages like "Needs to be more European, needs to have Japanese quality, Lacks road feel" blah blah blah yet the cars that "Lack Road Feel" are what's bringing people to car shows and what not, not a four door jeep wranger. WTF is that? Talk about sacrilege and mistaken identity... Maserati SUV's?
    1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
    1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

    Comment


      #17
      Cars are appliances. You find the one that has the proper combination of features, warranty, and price and pick that one. Scarcely matters who's name is on the box anymore.
      86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
      5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

      91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

      1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

      Originally posted by phayzer5
      I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

      Comment


        #18
        Did right front wheel bearing Sunday (8 hour ordeal, I was already sleep deprived, and the slide hammer/puller succeeded where the sledge hammer failed). Hmm, $160-180 iirc at the Auto zone, or 32-35 each on Amazon. Weird thing I noticed about the wheel bearings for this Malibu on Amazon. Almost ever last one has some variation on the SAME part number!!! They're all out of China, same factory and everything probably. Only a 6 month warranty, but I can replace them 4-6 times or so for the cost of one part at the brick and mortar. She was overjoyed that the grinding noise was finally gone (it had just gotten worse from the humming noise that sounded like it could've be tires).

        That's the thing about GM vehicles (I've heard), the drivetrains will run forever (if badly) while the rest of the car falls apart around it, but they aren't that expensive to fix if you can do the work yourself. Sure GM has had some mistakes with their drivetrains, but if you stick with the tried and true engineering, they can last you a good long while.
        ,
        Slicktop '91 GS HO 4.30 rear. '82 Mark VI Tudor HO, '90 F-150 XLT, '62 project Heep, '89 Arizona Waggin' and '88 donor in PA, getting combined.

        Comment


          #19
          We are different from most since we like to open the hood on occasion. I predict 2030 cars will have a fully sealed engine - no hood and no maintenance. Just buy a new one when it dies. Kind of like TV's.
          1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
          1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

          GMN Box Panther History
          Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
          Box Panther Production Numbers

          Comment


            #20
            Some of the all electric cars are kinda that way already. Small access panel for consumable fluids (washer, brake, coolant, and maybe power steering if electrically boosted hydraulic). Large panels over the actual motor controller and motors and batteries that are bolted down. Can't really do much with them.

            Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
            rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
            Originally posted by gadget73
            ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
            Originally posted by dmccaig
            Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

            Comment


              #21
              Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
              yet the cars that "Lack Road Feel" are what's bringing people to car shows and what not, not a four door jeep wranger. WTF is that? Talk about sacrilege and mistaken identity...
              I worked on the Sahara platform (whatever DCX called it back then), it's actually the best Wrangler ever. It drives nice, gets good fuel economy, and is the least likely to kill you if you do with it something way up on the stupid scale. The 4-door thing came as a solution for people who wanted to take their whole family out wheeling - your standard CJ7-sized Wrangler has barely enough room for a pair of adults and their gear, no way to safely (let alone comfortably) bring a couple of kids along too. You don't have kids so you probably don't understand how important that is, but every time we wanna go somewhere more special we take the MDT, yes she's a huge monster (hint, rolls on 10-lug 22.5 wheels, with plans to be switched over to take-off MRAP super-singles and AxleTechs) and fitting her down many trails can be quite the challenge, but we have comfortable and safe transportation and sleeping accommodations for all four of us. Yes the 4 doors kinda "ruin" the iconic Jeep look, but at the same rate you can now get larger tires straight from the factory, so the overall offroadiness is at least as good as it used to be, if not even better.

              Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
              Cars are appliances. You find the one that has the proper combination of features, warranty, and price and pick that one. Scarcely matters who's name is on the box anymore.
              Yup, that's the gist of it. Besides I always thought being brand-loyal is one of the dumbest things a paying customer can do anyways.

              Originally posted by sxcpotatoes View Post
              Did right front wheel bearing Sunday (8 hour ordeal, I was already sleep deprived, and the slide hammer/puller succeeded where the sledge hammer failed). Hmm, $160-180 iirc at the Auto zone, or 32-35 each on Amazon. Weird thing I noticed about the wheel bearings for this Malibu on Amazon. Almost ever last one has some variation on the SAME part number!!! They're all out of China, same factory and everything probably. Only a 6 month warranty, but I can replace them 4-6 times or so for the cost of one part at the brick and mortar. She was overjoyed that the grinding noise was finally gone (it had just gotten worse from the humming noise that sounded like it could've be tires).
              The identical-looking part numbers is a bearing industry thing, they are standardized with the idea that if you have access to the right information you'll know the specs and/or application by just looking at the part number. It's the same with steering linkages, same number is used for TREs by different manufacturers.

              AutoZone should have had the 3-year Moogs for around $130, they're made in Korea usually. The cheaper in-house brands are under $100 and China-made, but their warranty is 2 years. So 2/3 of the warranty for 2/3 of the price, sure beats the 1/3 warranty (1-year) for 2/3 price which was the case till about a year ago. The cheap online specials, yeah likely all made in the same place. The 6-month warranty is what bothers me with them tho, sure that's on par with the "cost per month of warranty" of the expensive stuff so no direct money lost, but every time you gotta redo them you'll be taking brakes off, that axle shaft jam-nut is also not to be reused too many times, plus there is always the time spent on the job... And Murphy being the asshole he is, the stupid things will fail at the worst possible moment when you got all sorts of other stuff going on - then you gotta either sideline the vehicle till the next internet-special replacements get delivered, or spend the big money at the local parts joint anyways. For me it just doesn't pay to cheap out on driveline parts, but every person's situation is different, so if it works for you that's all that matters.
              The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
              The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

              Comment


                #22
                She only drives around 6k max per year, she had no down payment to get the car, and little to spend right now for parts or repairs. It got worse and needed done immediately, so I did it. But as she can afford it, I will try to get her in with my mechanic who I trust much more than who she was using who replaced a SECOND brake line in 6 months and didn't say a word about replacing the Sunfire before the subframe snapped two frickin' days out of the shop from the brake line replacement.
                ,
                Slicktop '91 GS HO 4.30 rear. '82 Mark VI Tudor HO, '90 F-150 XLT, '62 project Heep, '89 Arizona Waggin' and '88 donor in PA, getting combined.

                Comment


                  #23
                  That guy was a mega-douche it sounds like, I get to deal with the aftermath of people like him fucking up a bit more often that I'd like. In any case, since you already know how to do the bearing replacement, and the price is so dang low, it may be prudent to acquire a spare bearing some time very soon - then if the first China-special bearing fucks up, or the other side decides to play catch-up, you already got one at the ready on the shelf that you can use at the moment's notice. This is experience talking here, I've done this quite a few times now, it's very nice to be able to shoo the issue away as soon as you find it without so much as a trip to the parts store
                  The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                  The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Nope, I'm a purist. A Wrangler started as a two door, was for decades and should be. To me it just shows car manufacturers caving and losing their standards. If you can't fit, take turns? Bring it on a trailer? That's what my dad would have done. When we were kids he never drove a four door. Now, a two door model isn't even an option unless it's a high dollar or performance car. Then I see they slapped "R/T" on a... Caravan. Laugh my balls off. They're really off their rockers now. We never had kid car seats, never wore helmets, fell often, shot BB guns, lit firecrackers, ect yet still have both eyes & hands and are still here to tell the tales.

                    Cars are as disposable as razors now, name doesn't matter like gadget said. Sadness. Tis Ok, I'll continue to live in my substituted reality.
                    1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                    1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                    Comment


                      #25
                      The auto manufacturers serve their customers needs, "standards" for the sake of standards are a stupid concepts any way one looks at it logically. If the customers want a Wrangler that fits their whole family that's what they'll get. Bonus points if it performs well off the pavement, which it does. IRL out on the trails you still see tons of 2-door Wrangles (built-up older ones and full-factory new ones alike) and usually they're driven either by a single person or by a couple, and whenever you run into a Sahara 9 times out of 10 there are kids in the rear seats - well honestly at that point fuck purism, get them kids out there and show them a good time, in the end that is what it's all about. Hauling the whole family around packed like sardines in a 2-door Wrangler will just get the kids angry at the thing and the overall experience - have I ever mentioned how much I loathe VW Beetles in any shape or form, well that's the reason for it, nothing to do with the car itself really, but everything to do with how it was used.

                      Also modern vehicles are still far from being disposable as razors, at least a good portion of them. If you choose to buy a run of the mill Toyota car like everyone in Suburbia does then that's all on you, plenty of people still buy Jeeps and trucks and modify the shit outta them on top of what the factory already gave them. In other words whether the vehicle is disposable or not is entirely dependent on the owner, always has been that way. All these Panthers here on GMN, to many they are also disposable as razors - it's you guys who make them into something special, if you don't treat them as something more than a beater car that's the way everyone else will see them as well.
                      The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                      The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

                      Comment


                        #26
                        We were packed in cars like sardines and we were told to "deal with it." I guess that means you can get frustrated and resent it or like it. I ended up liking it I suppose. My dad's cars were always cooler than mom's.

                        Well that is what sustainable businesses do, make products that fit the customers' needs. The customer has lost base and due to competition and undercutting the automakers have had to follow. Much like how people cater to the noisy, unruly kid or squeaky wheel. It's easier to placate. Least that's the message I'm seeing.

                        No, these modern things are disposable. Unserviceable & filled for life type components, complicated & integrated nav/soundsystems & other electronics, terrible DIY serviceability and general lack of quality scream it as so. Whenever I'm forced to ride in a modern vehicle I'm just disappointed with the shitty interiors- 80% are black and 20% are either gray or a combo of gray, black & bland. Touch screen this, illuminated cup holder that, cheap feel, transmissions that cant decide which of the 8 cogs it wants, engines with unnecessary tech or features due to EPA and customer nonsense- none of that shit will be going in 20 years. I can't even see how anyone will want one of those things in 20 years either, they're all the goddamn same. Four door, FWD/AWD/4WD cookie cutter copy paste transportation modules. Turbo turbo turbo blah blah. "Fuel economy & efficiency bro!" My Ph D'd boss throws subtle jabs in about my Town Car all the time, and some of them really make me laugh as they speak to his ignorance, especially the efficiency argument. Yeah, let me sell my Town Car & finance a new car so I can save money on fuel. So it's a win because while I spend less on fuel I now spend more on the car itself & the insurance & registration that goes with it? Big picture is lost on that guy. While I appreciated how the rental car drove & how quiet it was as it took us to Traverse city over the extended weekend I missed my older stuff, with genuine personality, feel and what is to me quality. Funny how they got slammed back then for quality. It has benefited me to form my own opinions from my own experiences rather than listen to the mainstream message or get sucked in by it's current.
                        1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                        1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
                          We were packed in cars like sardines and we were told to "deal with it." I guess that means you can get frustrated and resent it or like it. I ended up liking it I suppose. My dad's cars were always cooler than mom's.
                          You had to deal with it cause you had no other choice. You had no other choice, cause there was no alternatives - for 4x4 you got either Wrangler/Scout/Bronco shorties or long beasts like the Suburban and the 4-door trucks - one fits down trails fine but people capacity is shit, the other has excellent people & stuff capacity but needs several acres to turn it around. The OEMs finally opened their eyes up in the 90s and realized that there is market for something in-between, took them long enough tho. Having choice is a good thing - you're paying a good chunk for the blasted thing anyways, might as well have it suit your needs properly. Idk about you, but I hate having to settle for less simply due to unavailability of what I want/need.

                          Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
                          No, these modern things are disposable. Unserviceable & filled for life type components, complicated & integrated nav/soundsystems & other electronics, terrible DIY serviceability and general lack of quality scream it as so. Whenever I'm forced to ride in a modern vehicle I'm just disappointed with the shitty interiors- 80% are black and 20% are either gray or a combo of gray, black & bland. Touch screen this, illuminated cup holder that, cheap feel, transmissions that cant decide which of the 8 cogs it wants, engines with unnecessary tech or features due to EPA and customer nonsense- none of that shit will be going in 20 years. I can't even see how anyone will want one of those things in 20 years either, they're all the goddamn same. Four door, FWD/AWD/4WD cookie cutter copy paste transportation modules. Turbo turbo turbo blah blah. "Fuel economy & efficiency bro!"... ...While I appreciated how the rental car drove & how quiet it was as it took us to Traverse city over the extended weekend I missed my older stuff, with genuine personality, feel and what is to me quality.
                          To cut this short - there is no "genuine personality" to your Towncar, or really any other older vehicle, unless you modded it. Same with modern vehicles. It's really not what the factory gave you that defines your vehicle as being disposable or not, it's what you do to it after you take possession of it. Donald's wagon has a "genuine personality" to it. Whole bunch of other cars on here do as well. If you did some work of your own to your Towncar, then yes, she has some "personality" too. If not, then I'm sorry to break it to you but you got nothing on a modded out modern "cookie cutter copy paste transportation module". Cause what you got is exactly that, just older. Hell one of my own vehicles belongs in that category as well, perfectly stock and unfucked with and covered with cheap plastics all over - but with factory-supplied stupid power and great handling on only two wheels I got absolutely no desire or intentions to give it any "personality", I'm perfectly happy with its blandness

                          Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
                          My Ph D'd boss throws subtle jabs in about my Town Car all the time, and some of them really make me laugh as they speak to his ignorance, especially the efficiency argument. Yeah, let me sell my Town Car & finance a new car so I can save money on fuel. So it's a win because while I spend less on fuel I now spend more on the car itself & the insurance & registration that goes with it? Big picture is lost on that guy.
                          Yup, your boss is a prime example that holding a higher education degree does not mean that you actually have common sense. Your assessment of his suggestions is spot-on. If you wanna shut him up for good, throw some numbers at him. That's what I always do when someone suggests replacing a dead E4OD with a ZF5 in a truck that's mostly a local-runs vehicle and rarely sees anything over 55 mph - the extra cost of the ZF over any regular old 4-speed could buy lots and lots of fuel, and down the road the 4-speed can be rebuilt for stupid-cheap on the garage floor with basic tools which is not quite the case with the German disasterpiece. It's really hard to argue with numbers, especially for someone who claims to be well-educated
                          The ones who accomplish true greatness, are the foolish who keep pressing onward.
                          The ones who accomplish nothing, are the wise who know when to quit.

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Exactly, the OEMS dictated what you got. Now with all the competition its like an ass kissing catering fest and anything short of it results in bankruptcy. I'm OK with one vehicle not being able to do everything. Guess I'm not opposed to 'grinning & bearing it.'

                            By genuine personality I meant or should have changed that to identity. I had wondered if you would call out attention to the fact that in it's day it was essentially a cookie cutter car, if you didn't, it would have spared me some typing work. You're not breaking it to me Some years back I had begun to watch older movies and while I love cars from the 60's and such it hit me that much like today, they all looked the same when grouped together. Now, I could still spot the really cool ones but if it had four doors, it was just a car like the others parked on the street with it, much like today. I say "identity" because there's no mistaking it for a Japanese, german or anything other than an American sedan. Well people say the grille came from something else, Bentley or Mercedes IDR. I'm not going to bog the convo down with details like that though, because on that note one could go all day with comments like, "our flag isn't unique because all countries have flags and many share the same colors blah blah blah" yet with that there's no mistaking our flag for someone else's, that's what I'm getting at with the older American stuff. The late 70's saw that begin to erode, and it pretty much all died by the late 90's and is what it is today. If it's not like everything else, it is criticized for not being so rather than praised or appreciated for what it is. So nowadays it doesn't matter if I get into a Ford or a Toyota, if it wasn't for the logo on the steering wheel or wherever it is I wouldn't know the difference. But, go back a few decades and it's obvious. And well we could say these old cars have personality now too, the ones left standing stand out pretty well in the crowd, there's no need to customize it. They lack road feel and leave you feeling isolated for one thing; Well, I'm convinced that was actually the goal for American engineers. That was the whole idea of a luxury car back then, how they advertised them. The roads were so shitty, many rough and unpaved and without assisted steering you got a work out. Ingenuity for the lazy at it's finest. That's what they did. "Power" something and they meant it. If you got power steering or opted for something you knew it and could tell over the base model, nothing subtle about it. They didn't have to worry about competing with foreign companies or fickle buyers, if you bought a Dodge over say a Ford you still at the least, supported your fellow man. Impression I got is that we were once proud of that. We did things our way, we were leaders of industry and that was our identity. That's gone though, globalization, profit margin, greed, lobbying and advances in communication, ect saw to that. We paid little to no attention to other cars regardless if they were superior or had greater perks in some areas because our products made by our people got the job done our way. Seems once things become common or the standard, people forget about them and thus they need to reinvented. That's when the criticism sets in, the name calling, comparing/contrasting. We began to lose our identity when we began to worry about other people's standards and where ours was compared to theirs, rather than continue to do things how we do them. It's sad. You can't get a dowdy, soft riding plush Cadillac or Lincoln any more, everything has to handle tight, have turbos, direct injection, 42" wheels or whatever. Remaking the wheel I call it. Seems few people are satisfied with good enough, always gotta raise the bar and cannibalize what once set the standard- discard things like trash in the street. Always caught up in the rat race. So yeah, I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round n round. Its entertaining to watch people race to prove themselves with whatever it is they're doing. I pick 'n' choose. If it ain't broke or doesn't do anything that hasn't already been figured out or isn't useful or I don't need it.

                            He's full of egotistical, elitist garbage and ignorance. I've hauled his carcass a few times in my car an always says things like, "Every time you put your foot down it's like throwing quarters out the window". "Four or two barrel?" "It's only got a 302? For this big ship?" "Wow, starts right up." Yeap. Power to weight ratio pal. It's faster than the model it replaced and that it is also better on gas too. Big ship? It's smaller than a late model ford Taurus- those things make it look tiny. The transmission swap thing is something I told the guy that bought our GMC. I said OD would be nice but for what you're doing you could just leave the SM465 in place. It's clunky but gets the job done and while you'd save on gas with OD, you'd have a pay a hefty price up front in order to tout about gas savings. He also wanted to do discs over drums in the rear and I know guys hate drums but they're already there and doing the job so.....
                            1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                            1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Dear Panthers,
                              I wrote Plymouth and Chrysler car ads in 1964. The cars were such awful quality that one customer complained because his coupe had a sedan front door and lacked inches from closing. You might get 100K if you were very lucky.The kings of the car business were the marketing guys and Detroit had NO competition. (When Nader denounced the corvair insiders debated whether Ford or MoPar had put him up to it. Meanwhile the engineers were having impromtu drag races on Woodward avenue on Saturday night. The car industry was shocked by 2 cars: the beetle and the GTO. Responding to those challenges has made a much, much better American car (though it is over-electronic and ugly.)

                              Donald

                              Comment


                                #30
                                That is the truth. 100K (maybe) and razor blades. The bodies and interiors just disintegrated. Ford auto transmissions... Can't remember how many I installed when i was young.
                                They did have personality though and that, with some exceptions, is sadly lacking unless you spend big bucks.
                                03 Marauder DPB, HS, 6disk, Organizer Mods> LED's in & Out, M&Z rear control arms, Oil deflector, U-Haul Trans Pan, Blue Fuzzy Dice
                                02 SL500 Silver Arrow
                                08 TC Signature Limited, HID's Mods>235/55-17 Z rated BFG G-Force Comp-2 A/S Plus, Addco 1" rear Sway, Posi Carrier, Compustar Remote Start, floor liners, trunk organizer, Two part Sun Visors, B&M Trans drain Plug, Winter=05 Mustang GT rims, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R-2 235/55-17
                                12 Escape Limited V6 AWD, 225/65R17 Vredestein Quatrac Pro, Winter 235/70-16 Conti Viking Contact7 Mods>Beamtech LED headlight bulbs, Husky floor liners

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X