What's In This Folder?: Classic Chevy Maintenance Reminders

Been searching for some ideas on a blog series and found this post from way, way back.. Thought readers would enjoy looking into the family archive. 

From September 28, 2011.

What fourteen year-old kid didn't love cars around 1960? OTR was no exception and he kept the evidence to prove it. Just imagine, my friends, there was a time in the U.S. when a maintenance reminder was much more than a simple email message or robo-call.

It was a very good year. . .


. . .and just so you Ford lovers don't feel left out. . . 

The Chevy Vega: GM's Unforgettable Disaster Reaches 50

No, I'm not talking about the Vega's top speed. To be honest I must say that it was damn close to fifty on a slight uphill grade with the air conditioning on. Even when it ran well. What this post is all about is an anniversary, in fact, the fiftieth anniversary of the Chevrolet Vega. 

I had quite an affair with the Chevy brand into young adulthood, including a '57 Chevy Bel Air and a '68 Camaro. Both vehicles were symbols of outstanding design and engineering in their time. Today they are iconic examples of the American automobile industry that any man would love to park in his garage. 

Alas, my love affair with the brand came to an abrupt end when I bought a '71 Chevy Vega Hatchback. Under that modest, crisp design and spiffy concept rested an engineering and performance nightmare wrapped in paper-thin sheet metal. I drove the Vega 120 miles to my home in College Park and for several weeks then drove - only a few miles - to and from work in Silver Spring. No problem. As summer came on I began spending every other weekend or so at a summer cottage in eastern West Virginia. Much of the four hour drive was on interstate highways crossing several Appalachian ridges. Before summer turned to fall the Vega began to run hot and lose power. I also noticed a light blue cloud following me even on those drives to Silver Spring. In short, the high operating temperatures combined with an aluminum block engine and steel components rendered my Car of the Year into an oil burner with a warped engine. It wasn't long before a quart of oil accompanied every fill up.

The dealership was embarrassed and spent thousands to make things right while the corporate suits at General Motors wrote nice letters and chose to do nothing more. As months turned into a year and two, there was no end to breakdowns, recalls, and repairs. I wasn't alone. There were hundreds of thousands of Vega owners stiffed by General Motors.  Management killed the model, arguably one of the worst pieces of junk ever produced by the American auto industry, in 1977. 

Lucky for me, my dad retired in late 1973, freeing up one of the reliable family cars at the home place. I swapped the Vega, already showing paint damage as well as rust from road salt, for a '68 Camaro. Dad was pleased to use a small car for a few miles around town where 35 miles per hour and under was the rule. As for me, I drove the Camaro hard and fast for over four carefree years.  When it came time for another car, General Motors lost out to a Volkswagen Scirocco. 

Move ahead forty years to 2010 and we see General Motors transformed into Government Motors through billions in loans better defined as grants as the company was placed in the hands of its union and preferred stockholders were stiff-armed by a federal government on a collectivist binge.  Granted, Government Motors has improved quality after hitting a speed bump with the Chevy Cruze but we've been a family of Toyota owners for over three decades and most of us will likely remain so. One thing is a certainty. I will never own another General/Government Motors product. Ever. I doubt my children will as well. 

Happy 50th Chevy Vega. RIP. Rest in pieces. 

Sure wish I still had that Camaro!

Going Back To The Future With Cars And Coca Cola And More

Arthur Radebaugh (1906-1974) was a commercial artist with an eye to the future. Based in Detroit, he combined Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles with his visions to produce colorful, eye-grabbing illustrations. He found a most successful market among Detroit's "Big Three" automakers, but also worked with many corporations throughout the world.

Radebaugh's illustration for 1951 Chrysler ad

In 1957, Russia launched the first artificial satellite and awakened the "Space Race" with the United States. One of the manifestations of the race was Radebaugh's syndicated Sunday cartoon strip entitled "Closer Than We Think." Appearing in 1958, the strip ran for four years, giving readers - especially young, impressionable ones - a visual feast of science and technology and what it could bring to the nation in the coming decades.

The BBC has produced an illustrated article on Radebaugh in conjunction with an April 28 event in Los Angeles addressing the retrofuture that he and others brought us in the 20th century. Makes one wonder how many young readers chose science, technology, future studies, and related careers as a result of his pictures of things to come.

Advertisement by Rodebaugh, 1957

See The USA In Your Classic Chevrolet

 

What fourteen year-old kid didn't love cars around 1960? OTR was no exception, and he kept the evidence to prove it. Just imagine, my friends, there was a time in the U.S. when a maintenance reminder was much more than a simple email message or robo-call.

 

It was a very good year....


and just so you Ford lovers don't feel left out...

News From The Ghost Of AutoWorld

Two unsettling stories appeared today that reflect on the precarious condition of the American auto industry. At forbes.com we have a commentary on the Chevy Volt that may tell us why barely 1000 units sold over the past four months. And from the Wall Street Journal, we hear of a trashing of the new Chrysler 200 that earned the wrath of a local dealer who advertised in the Detroit News. The editors responded by softening the review and earning the wrath and resignation of the paper's auto critic, thus calling the paper's integrity into serious question.

Who knows, both the Volt and the Chrysler 200 could match the hype surrounding them. Then again, we are dealing with people who make a living reviewing the industry. As for the Detroit News and its integrity, OTR will leave that decision up to his readers.

What extraordinary risk we have at AutoWorld. Is it reality or a vision? There was a real AutoWorld once, built with the highest of expectations in Flint, Michigan, the birthplace a General Motors. If you want to learn why the ghost of AutoWorld fits this post, watch Michael Moore's Roger and Me or consult the Internet.

Chevy Cruze In The Vega Shadow

OTR had quite an affair with the Chevy brand into young adulthood, including a '57 Chevy Bel Air and a '68 Camaro. It came to an end when he bought a '71 Chevy Vega, arguably in the bottom three pieces of junk ever produced by the American auto industry. Under that modest design and spiffy concept rested an engineering and performance nightmare wrapped in paper-thin sheet metal. The engine warped into an oil burner in a matter of weeks. The dealership was embarrassed and spent thousands to make things right while the corporate suits at General Motors wrote nice letters. As months turned into a year and two, there was no end to breakdowns, recalls, and repairs.

One would expect forty years, billions in bailouts, and a union takeover at Government Motors to make a difference, but this post by Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds seems to tell a different story. It involves the new compact GM Chevy Cruze, labor problems, and new cars needing repair before they leave the factory. And just where is the factory? It's the infamous Lordstown, Ohio, plant well-know for its rebellious UAW workers and product sabotage in the 1970s collective referred to as the "Lordstown Syndrome." Readers should have no problem guessing where the Vega was built. Taxpayers--and United AutoWorker employee/owners--should hope Lordstown does a better job with the Cruze. Their first nightmare merely cast a long shadow. A second nightmare will likely put them out of business.

Postscript: Lucky for OTR, his dad retired in 1973, freeing up one of the reliable family cars at the home place. OTR swapped the Vega Nightmare--good for a few miles around town--for the '68 Camaro. He drove it hard and fast for four carefree years. When it came time for another car, General Motors lost out to a Volkswagen Scirocco. OTR will never own another General/Government Motors product. Ever.

Defend Toyota Forever

There are four Toyotas in our immediate family, two Camrys, a 4Runner, and a beloved Previa. Each one is a stellar performer with no hint of "sudden acceleration syndrome" or other safety issues. We had our doubts earlier this year when a rash of claims suddenly hit the news and left Rust Belt congressmen frothing at the opportunity to crucify the competition for their state-owned Government Motors. [I will never own a GM car again.]Now a case in California has left the experts stumped. They cannot replicate the sudden acceleration claim by a Prius driver. Furthermore, the driver seems to be in a bit of a financial pinch, one that could be salved by a fat claim against the world's largest automaker. There's much more to the story. You can read the details here along with the fine commentary of William Katz blogging at Urgent Agenda.

[BTW We love our Toyotas]

Borrowed Cash For Clunkers

The Cash for Clunkers program ended yesterday. Aside from distributing $2.4 billion - out of $3 billion - in borrowed money to Japanese automakers, increasing the debt load of thousands of Americans, and destroying perfectly usable vehicles, this attempt at stimulating the American economy will have other consequences. The editors of National Review Online provide some observations on the program. If anything, Cars for Clunkers will be remembered for reconfirming that, indeed, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

If you love cars as much as I do, the videos in the link will bring tears to your eyes.

Prosperity By Referendum

Is there any leader among Michigan Democrats who took Economics 101 in school? From the latest news coming out of party headquarters in Lansing, I'd say they couldn't reconcile a checkbook, let alone address supply and demand. The most astounding proposal is a referendum on raising the state minimum wage to $10 an hour or 30% more than the federal wage. I didn't realize there was so much excess wealth in the Automotive State.

Michigan has bled jobs for thirty years. Detroit and Flint now symbolize the nation's post-industrial decline. Under pro-union Governor Jennifer Granholm, an Ivy League leftist shaped by the machine politics of Detroit, nanny statism will continue to grow at least through the end of her term in 2011. Most economists would tell us that the best hope for prosperity in the United States rests in the nation's millions of small businesses. Raising the costs of small businesses in Michigan by 30% would be disastrous for existing companies and a risible disincentive for potential ones. And placing the decision in the hands of an electorate hungry for high wages makes little sense as well. Perhaps they'll come to their senses and avoid the massive layoffs that will surely follow if voters approve the increase. I have my doubts.

Either way, I'm sure the party in power will find some way - stimulus funds - to throw billions in tax revenues into massive infrastructure projects. And, should that wage increase be approved, all those rebuilt interstates will make it much easier for businesses owners and the unemployed to escape the madness.

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe

My dad bought one - Surf Green over Highland Green - and drove it until 1968, then sold it to a friend who drove it until 1979. On trips home to see the folks in the '70s, I would occasionally see the car on the road. Sure wish it was in my garage today.











Looks just like it! Link source: Instapundit

OJT Motors

My news sources are buzzing with the name, Brian Deese. Who? We need to know his name because he's the new guy in charge of taking General Motors through its bankruptcy, or as The New York Times called it, "dismantling." Deese is 31 years old, left Yale's law school a few credits short of graduating, and has what could be called a transparent employment resume because it's virtually empty.

There's no question we have entered an era of change. This appointment could not have occurred ten years ago. Any executive, in or out of government, would have been ridiculed even thinking of such a move.

Gateway Pundit has more details here, including a video assessment from Glenn Beck who seems to have recovered his senses after a few over-the-top rants in the last few weeks.

I wish Deese well as he faces this monumental challenge. In some respects, he cannot do worse than the management-union fiasco that destroyed this once-great corporation.

The Hawk And The Streamliner

Earlier this month, General Motors informed more than 1000 of its dealers that their services would no longer be needed as the company tries to stay alive in the 21st century. I've written before about owning some of GM's best products many years ago. I've not owned a GM product for more than forty years; it's been all Toyota for a long time, except for a few flings with Volkswagens.

My love affair with cars - there's a male gene for it - began when I was about ten. The object of my affection was a Studebaker. After studying photographs, I determined it was most likely a burgundy and white Silver Hawk from 1957 or 1958. The production runs for both vehicles were quite small, numbering in the low thousands. Studebaker would survive only a few more years before leaving the car business in the early 1960s.

Studebaker always sought to be advanced in design and performance. The stunning design for this vehicle came from the imagination of Raymond Loewy, long associated with the company, and perhaps the leading industrial designer in 20th century America. Softened edges and sweeping streamlining were Loewy's hallmarks. Most everything he toughed had about it the feeling of movement. The Silver Hawk was no exception. It never looked at rest; it was made to run. Indeed, when it was in motion, it could fly off the line as fast as a Corvette. When I rode in the Hawk, I was usually stuffed in the rear seat between two adults. Being up front was a thrill because the aerodynamic look and feel surrounded the driver and passenger. You weren't in the front seat, you were in the cockpit. Small-town boys from Appalachia remember such experiences and eventually tell their sons.

The man who owned the Hawk was ambitious, successful, and hard-working. He owned an auto parts store in the small town my family left in 1956. He loved doing anything mechanical. His appreciation of innovation and performance made him a Studebaker owner long before the Hawk entered his life. Eventually, he too would move his family from Appalachia in search of better opportunities. I saw the car less and less, and after a few years it was replaced with something other than a Studebaker. To this day, I can picture the Hawk sitting on the grass, glittering in the sun as if it were posing for a photo session.

Perhaps I had been primed to appreciate the Hawk through an unusual coincidence. As an only child and one of the youngest cousins of my generation, I tended to inherit the hand-me-downs, the clothes, the books, and occasionally the toys. The electric trains, two Lionel "O" gauge sets and a complete layout, captured me instantly. One of the steam locomotives was a beauty: gray, bullet-shaped, with sweeping lines and ornamentation. It was the Pennsylvania Railroad's S1, also known as the Streamliner. Many years later, I was to find that the locomotive that captured my attention and became a treasured possession was designed by Raymond Loewy.

I no longer have the train sets or the S1. Years ago, the aunt who gave them to me asked if they could be returned so that her family could enjoy them once more. It saddened me to see them go, but at the same time, I was happy to think that they could be enjoyed by a third generation. Quality is like that. It persists. A century from now I can imagine the Hawk and the Streamliner catching a boys attention, influencing a career, and leading to a new future of design and innovation. I expect Loewy's ideals will be very much alive in that century. Sadly, I cannot say the same for General Motors.

Driving The Future

Growing up in the '50s and '60, I remember how every guy looked forward to Fall and the introduction of Detroit's new line-up of automobiles for the coming year. My family had the honor of buying two of General Motor's finest products, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop and a 1968 Camaro Sport Coupe. These days, Detroit's new models aren't on my mind, but I really wish those two cars were still in my garage.

That doesn't mean I'm stuck in the past. There is a new car that is about to go into production for sale in California. It's called the Aptera. I've been watching its development for about two years. The vehicle is unlike anything coming out of Detroit or anywhere else. Instapundit provides us with a link to a test drive by Wired Magazine. There's much more information at the Aptera Motors website. How would you like to pick up your date in an Aptera?

Detroit: America's Pripyat

In 1986, a reactor explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the former U.S.S.R. resulted in the abandonment of Pripyat, a nearby city of 50,000 residents. A generation later, the city remains a ghost town. It is filled with the trappings of everyday lives that ended suddenly with the sound of a policeman's warning, a hastily packed suitcase and a bus trip into a new world. Our nation has a similar city: Detroit. Although it is much larger - half its size 50 years ago - and suffering a slow death, the city remains filled with the decaying architecture and material culture of its once-great past. It is America's Pripyat. Several photographers and civic activists have documented this sad story over many years through a variety of websites. Now, two French photographers have interpreted this story through some remarkable images. See their work here. One of my must-read blogs, Dr. Sanity, provided this link as well as some appropriate comment.

As a man with roots in the Appalachian Rust Belt, I am affected deeply by reading stories and studying images of such decline, abandonment, and displacement. We Americans have a history of overcoming great hardships. Let's see that history repeat itself.

Laying Hands on Gold

As late as 2006, the average line worker in the Big Three/United Auto Workers auto industry was pulling down about $74 per hour in wages and costs of benefits for themselves and retirees. That's around three times the national average in the private sector. At yesterday's service at Detroit's Greater Grace Temple, in the shadow of SUVs parked at the altar, the Reverend Charles Ellis prayed for "bread" in the form of a government bailout to save the industry. All I could think of was Charlton Heston hurling the Ten Commandments at that golden calf back in 1954 when I was seven. (Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" is monumental; it's filled with classic special effects.)

I suppose if you're worth $153,000 a year making SUVs, those vehicles really are made of gold. And you'd think any industry capable of compensating workers like that must be rolling in dough. They're not. In fact, they're approaching bankruptcy. The reason is simple: after decades of opportunities to build a better product - and they are getting better - Detroit cannot compete with the other American auto industry called Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, and Mercedes. With a reliable, efficient, and stylish product, these automakers now account for more than 50% of industry sales in the United States. And they're making money. Here's something else: the line workers - happy at what they do - are compensated at about half of what those Detroit workers make.

So the big question here is simply, "Are we really bailing out an industry or are we bailing out an unprofitable segment of an industry that happens to be in Detroit?" My feeling is, and has been for many years now, that the American auto industry is doing fine. It's the Detroit model, an instant gratification love fest between management and its union that doesn't work. Fixing the problem starts with a realization on the part of all Big Three players that they are a failed and unsustainable model. If the Big Three were, indeed, doing well, Detroit would not look like an American Chernobyl. When you're broke, the private jets need to go, along with 73 bucks an hour total compensation for work on the line, the job security program that pays workers almost a full wage to show up and do nothing is out, and the cradle to grave health insurance that costs workers about $200 a year needs to change.

Helping workers and their families while weening the industry from its suicidal business practices will require time, patience, and a careful plan. I like the idea of a radical paradigm shift supported by a loan with airtight oversight or a closely managed bankruptcy. Whatever we do must support a capitalist model. Any drift towards nationalizing the industry and the taxpayers, like Moses those many years ago, will be hurling.