en | fr | de | it | es | pt | ru
blog.niot.net
eBay Find of the Day: Frank's "Million Mile" Chevy Silverado

You've got thirty grand and you want a pickup truck, do you A) buy new, or B) hit eBay for a million-mile Silverado. Frank, who had a mild brush with celebrity when the odometer on his truck hit seven-figures recently, would like you to buy his truck. The 1991 Chevy Silverado 1500 is still on its original 350 small-block, though it's chewed up 5 trannies. Frank raves on and on about its remarkable engine and wants it to go to a collector who will appreciate it, but still go out for a ride from time to time. It is an impressive mileage total, but really, who's going to question that a small block V8 is one of the best engines ever? Maintenance has apparently been rather thorough, which is a help keeping any car alive, though we're surprised it hasn't been ravaged by the tinworm. Frank's auction ends in three days and so far hasn't moved beyond its starting bid of $29,999.99. With Employee Pricing back, however, you can get a brand new Chevy Silverado Regular Cab with a short box and zero miles for just $19,899.
posted : 9/2/2008 @1:54:18 PM



A tip of the cap is due to GM for the automaker's new Chevy Silverado TV spot, which premiered this Sunday during the Olympics. The spot features brief testimonials from drivers of high-mileage pickups wearing the bowtie badge, but one stands out more than the rest. Twenty seconds in, FDNY Firefighter Craig Monahan's segment opens with a wide shot of him standing in front of the Manhattan skyline. His battered truck has melted lights and a Ladder 5 placard affixed to the bed on the driver's side. In the spot, he recounts how the damaged truck started when he reached into the singed interior and turned the ignition key, saying that it served as an isnpiration, "If that truck could keep going, then we could all keep going."
This all happened on 9/11, a fact left unsaid but tactfully implied in the commercial. Veteran New York Daily News reporter Michael Daly knows Monahan and tells the truck's full story in an excellent piece that ran in Tuesday's Daily News. Frankly, you need to go there and just read the whole thing, because Daly's account is first-rate. Reading it also underscores the level of restraint GM exercised in how it used the truck in the commercial. It's a great TV spot, but the story behind that one particular 14-second segment is more remarkable and inspirational than you'd ever guess. Firefighter Monahan agreed to let his truck be used because he felt it was important for people see it and get a feel for what it represents. Monahan was compensated by GM for his participation, but he donated that money to another FDNY family, showing that even now, that burned and battered Chevy still helps him help others. We salute him, and we hope he keeps that truck forever.
posted : 8/30/2008 @4:59:43 PM

GM debuts fuel-saving XFE versions of Silverado/Sierra and Tahoe/Yukon

Remember earlier in the year when Chevy quietly added the 36-mpg XFE model to its Cobalt lineup? XFE stands for "Xtra Fuel Economy" (should we tell them they spelled "Extra" wrong?) and means these vehicles have been equipped with some easy fuel-saving technologies to eek out as many miles per gallon as possible. GM announced today that the Cobalt XFE will be joined by XFE versions of the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon for the 2009 model year.

The General already offers hybrid versions of its full-size SUVs, which are also joined by hybrid versions of its half-ton trucks for 2009, but the XFE models will continue to be powered by a flex-fuel version of the company's 5.3L gasser V8. It produces 320 hp/340lb-ft in the Tahoe and Yukon, and 315 hp/338 lb-ft in the Tahoe and Yukon. All are rear-wheel-drive only and mated to GM's 6L80 six-speed auto with a fuel-saving 3.08 ratio rear axle. In order to maximize fuel economy, all four of these new XFE models get low rolling resistance tires, aluminum wheels, an aluminum spare wheel, aluminum lower control arms and a lowered suspension with revised tuning. In addition, the Silverado and Sierra also get a new front lower air dam and soft tonneau cover that improve their aerodynamics.
What does it all add up to? 1 mpg. All four standard vehicles were rated at 14 mpg city/20 mpg highway, while their XFE counterparts bump those numbers to 15 city/21 highway. The gains are certainly minimal and we're not sure yet what sort of price premium XFE models will demand, but we give GM credit for at least reacting to the current shift in consumer tastes so quickly. We would have preferred, however, that it had just made these fuel-saving changes standard equipment rather than a separate model.

posted : 8/30/2008 @4:18:29 PM

Spy Photos: 2010 Chevy Silverado HDLook quickly, and you'll miss the changes, but GM's got some subtle exterior tweaks in store for its Heavy Duty trucks in 2010. Development doesn't stop even though the practice of using a pickup truck as a commuter car is no longer popular, so GM is plugging away at a new Silverado to avoid being passed up by its competitors.

Competition aside, there's also the issue of federal regulations to comply with, so changes were necessary no matter what. Most noticeably, the bumper changes, gaining a strip of trim that extends across the top, doing away with the overemphasized corner look of the current cow catcher. Looking more closely at the bumper, the air intake in the middle appears to have grown in size. That opening feeds the transmission cooler, so the speculation is that the Allison transmission has picked up extra ratios. Of course, it could just be bigger to gain an edge on thermal management underhood, but we're going to jump on the bandwagon of being excited for more cogs spun by the heavily revised 6.6-liter Duramax diesel with urea injection. That'd be just the thing to tow the Alero.

posted : 7/3/2008 @5:12:54 PM
Embattled Oshawa plant to get GM hybrid truck production, will still close in 2009GM's Oshawa Truck plant has been slated for closure in 2009, but GM has announced that the embattled plant will still build the Silverado Two-Mode hybrid beginning later this year. The move was well received by the CAW, which hasn't exactly been playing nice with the General since it got word of the plant's closure. The CAW threw up a blockade of GM's Canadian headquarters from June 4-15 in response to the General's announcement that it would close the facility. There has been some talk about perhaps switching the plant to car production, but GM has made no announcements and CEO Rick Wagoner didn't sound too optimistic about the plant's future when he announced the closing. At least the hybrid Silverado will help ensure that the plant has steady production for the near-term, but it'll likely have to be a lot more popular than the Tahoe hybrid if it's going to help Oshawa Truck stay open.
posted : 6/30/2008 @5:57:33 PM
GM releases details on upcoming 4.5L Duramax turbo-diesel V8

The battle of the diesel-powered half-tons is about to begin, and today General Motors revealed more details on its entrant: the 4.5L Duramax turbo-diesel V8. Thanks to a narrow-angle V block, the 4.5L turbo diesel will fit in the same space as the General's small-block V8, which does give us hope for additional applications beyond just its half-ton trucks. Large SUVs are surely going to get the engine as an option eventually, but maybe GM can find a passenger car or two down the line that would benefit from the tons of torque this engine will produce. GM says the 4.5L turbo-diesel will produce 310 horsepower and 520 pound-feet of torque, while bumping fuel efficiency by 25%. In order to help it meet Bin 5 and LEV 2 emissions standards as well as be 50-state legal, the engine will feature both a diesel particular filter and NOx after-treatment system that uses urea to knock out those pesky nitrogen-based particles. Another engineering coup for the 4.5L turbo-diesel is that GM has reduced its parts count thanks to a design that includes integrated aluminum cylinder head exhaust manifolds and an integral cam cover intake manifold. You'll be able to buy the new diesel in model year 2010 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierra half-ton pickups, no doubt for a sizable premium over their gas-powered counterparts.
posted : 5/5/2008 @10:51:06 PM
Wisconsin mans 91 Silverado set to hit 1 million miles

Talk about finding a good used car. Frank Orsenick bought his '91 Silverado in 1996. At the time, it had 41,000 miles on the clock. After 11 years of service (and a lot of driving), the old pickup is about to reach a milestone. Frank had the oil changed last week, just as he has every 3,000 miles since acquiring the Chevy, and it's sure to be the last one it receives as an everyday-use vehicle. You see, it's just 1,200 miles away from spinning past the 1,000,000-mark on the odometer. When it hits the big number, Frank is going to put his faithful ride into retirement. As for how he got this far, Orsenik credits regular maintenance and "a little luck." We should all be so lucky.
posted : 2/1/2008 @7:20:42 PM

Spy Shots: ROUSH puts on a bow tie, supercharged Silverado snapped

It was a big enough shock last May when ROUSH announced that it would begin making performance parts for a select few General Motors' vehicles. Long associated with Fords, in particular the Mustang and F-150, ROUSH initially began offering just its Power Programmers and cold air intakes for GM products.

Then a rendering surfaced that showed a fully tuned Silverado with a ROUSH body kit and wheel package. Though the company admitted it was researching such a truck, it didn't admit much else. Now it doesn't have to, as we have pictorial proof that ROUSH may soon branch out beyond vehicles branded with a blue oval to offering full performance packages, including the ROUSHcharger supercharger, for 1997-and-up Chevy Silverados.

The spy shots you see here show a ROUSH-modified Silverado that's virtually identical to the rendering that leaked out. Beyond the bright color, we can see a new front bumper and lower apron with a deep chin spoiler, large-diameter dual exhausts out back, larger wheels wrapped in low-profile rubber and a new hood with a power dome. That dome no doubt hides a supercharged V8, probably the 6.0L Vortec MAX V8 that normally produces 367 hp and 375-lb/ft of torque, but should hit 500 hp and 500-lb/ft with the addition of a ROUSHcharger. ROUSH and Chevy? We know, it sounds weird to us too, but based on these spy shots, it looks like a good time.

posted : 1/31/2008 @6:50:45 PM
Texas couple name kids Lexus, Porsche and AudiAt some point in the past 20 years, it seems as though parents abruptly decided to switch from names like Michelle and Jimmy to names like Madison and Hunter. The naming trend obviously didn't sit well with one Texas couple, who decided to name their children after luxury car manufacturers. The Lone Star duet named their first child Lexus after the new father saw a Lexus driving by. The name Porsche was shot down for the first child, but when Craig and Sondra Harrington found out they were expecting twins, Ferdinand's namesake was back in the fold. To keep up with the German naming convention, the other child now dons the Audi name.

As it turns out, the Harringtons aren't even car nuts, but they may be a bit looney. Something tells us the twins had better be a couple of tough hombres, because they're likely going to have to get physical to keep kids from picking on them. Besides, Texas is truck country. Shouldn't they have gone with Silverado and Tundra? F-Series is probably a bit over the top, but Sierra could make a great girl's name.

Source: PistonHeads

posted : 1/14/2008 @5:15:04 PM
< back ( 1 ) next >
:: new posts
:: popular posts
copyright 2007 (C) - powered by ceastudio