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The Last GM Big-Block V-8 Rolls Off the Line
DesScorp writes "It's the end of an era in auto technology, as the very last big block V-8 engine from GM has rolled off the production line. The L18 engine was the last variant of an engine that had been in continuous production for over 50 years. The big blocks powered everything from the classic muscle cars of the '60s and '70s to heavy-duty trucks today. From the Buffalo News: 'When GM said last June the L18 would be eliminated by year's end, the announcement triggered another show of devotion to the product. Some customers ordered two years' worth of L18s, to put on the shelf for future use.' More than 5 million big blocks have been produced over the engine's history. The final big block engine to come off the line in Tonawanda, NY is headed for the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, MI."
...with a single tear running down his face.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
It sounds like this is the result of innovation? I imagine that these "big-block" engines will be replaced by smaller-block V8s or perhaps more powerful V6s that have similar performance?
The only bad part of this is some people are going to lose their jobs (according to the AP).
Why, no, I haven't meta-moderated lately. Thanks for asking!
Now they can finally join the 80's and work on getting rid of leaf springs next.
Plenty of other big blocks being made, no real reason to want a 50 year old design of a cast iron lump. Lots of new ones being built and machined, mostly aluminum.
Passionately Indifferent
In the same way that the day the last caveman set down his club was sad.
Sent from my PDP-11
Kill off another icon?
I'm getting one of these and jamming it into my SAAB.
Front heavy front wheel drive indeed.
__ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
74 3/4 ton suburban with towing package. Damn that thing would pull anything. It got 11 miles per gallon in town, on the road, pulling a trailer. No matter what it always got 11 miles per gallon. Drive it 35 miles per hour or 85 and it still got 11 miles per gallon. Weird. I miss that big boxy thing. Nothing has that much room anymore.
It's fine if these engines are being killed because something better (as powerful with better efficiency) has come along. If not, it sucks.
To see which it is, just take a look at Ford Motor Company - you know, the one that ISN'T owned by the government! ;-)
BTW, regardless diesel engines rock! :-)
Once again, FUBO! =:-D
Galileo: "The Earth revolves around the Sun!"
Score: -1 100% Flamebait
Big block v. Small block. The will continue to have V8s, just smaller ones. The classic GM big block was the 454 ci. They will continue to have the 350 ci.
Who are you? The new #2 Who is #1? You are #617565. I am not a number, I am a free man! Muhahaha.
so goes another point of history, maybe for the better, but there was something about when you opened the hood and you saw one, now you look under the hood and it's confusing. I guess age is getting the better of me LOL.
well I guess you'll all start wondering what it was like to have 550hp+, and punching it, there is just a sound, not like any other sound, it's the sound of power, raw, and tamed by only your nerve as you head down the strip. light to light, pole to pole, neck to neck, blasting the traps at 145mph+ in mid 10's, then, only after the trophy is handed to you, you drive your car home, listening to the sweet rumble.
I never had the balls to put slicks on, always felt that control at that level of speed was worth my life. lost a few - won a few, made me money while I was in school and never lost on the street ( nor was I caught ) and earn the respect of my peers in the parking lot. Had geek cred - grease in my blood - and I loved my "RAT" ... what more can you ask for when your 17 and it's 1983 ( well maybe DEC-VAX mainframe )
anyway thanks for reading
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Q: Why is starting a comment in the Subject: line incredibly annoying?
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Pretty sure they are talking about things like boat manufacturers and water pump manufacturers. GM stopped using this engine in their trucks over 2 years ago, the production line was kept running to fill those outside customer orders. Since this beast needed 30% more displacement to produce 10% more torque and significantly LESS HP than the 6.2L V8 it's no surprise that GM stopped using it.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
good bye my old friend, you will be missed.
as a gear head, not much is more impressive than a big ol rat motor sticking out of the hood of your car. I will really miss this motor, gas hog or not
I'm old enough to appreciate the value of a piece of tech that has served so well for so long. Likewise, I have a soft spot for the land-line and the command line. But there are pleasurable vices that we simply can't afford to cling to, and the big petrol-burning engine is one of them.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
Uh, this was the 8.1L (496 cu) engine that's being retired, it was a true big block. It was also a big hunk of cast iron with iron headers and hence heavy as all get out (734 lbs shipping weight vs 564 for the 6200).
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
A: Why am I about to log in to mod that redundant?
Jeopardy. Use Jeopardy style. Then next time this all could have been avoided. Don't just rest on the laurels of other posters. Innovate or Die!
Seriously though, does anyone else read the content first and usually skip the subject of a post?
Dude. Get back on your medication. Seriously.
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
The big block V8 is like the Itanium. Big and power hungry and a real commercial workhorse.
It think people are sad because it would be like if Intel stopped making Core 2 Quads and decided all you needed was an Atom chip.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
That looks to be output from the Complaint Generator, so it involved less effort to create than your post did.
It's probably a reference to the fact that DNS-and-BIND has used that exact post before.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law
Really, because I don't see many soccer mom's with 8100's, more like farmers, construction crews, and race car drivers with towing loads of 7,000+ pounds. Oh and commercial trucks for intracity delivery and tow trucks.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
The reason GM needed to get bailed out by the government is because they ignored the evidence of every other country on earth and presumed US gas prices would always stay the same. If they'd produced the last of these ten years ago and started making cars which actually have something remotely resembling fuel efficiency, good design, or low carbon emissions, then American cars might not be a global joke, the government might be a couple of billion dollars less in debt, and a whole lot of Americans who used to work in the auto industry would still have their jobs.
It took near bankruptcy to finally get GM to acknowledge that they had to actually innovate(or at least copy everyone else) rather than continuing with a technology which is 50 years old.
Think about that for a second. If it was straight, it would head straight out into space.
The only object in existence that has curves but is still straight would be your mother.
"Dart"
"WorldCastings"
By crickey! mileage explains why we don't get these big engines in Europe. Just did a quick calculation, my local garage charges GBP1.09 / litre for standard (95 octane) petrol/gasoline, that's approx $6.62 a US gallon. Would explain why these engines are very cool and impressive but you don't see them round here .. What kind of capacity fuel tanks do vehicles with these engines have?
This is a big sign of the end of the era of user-maintainable cars.
Almost as sad as when the last VW Beetle rolled off the line in 2003 (after more than 60 years).
Go green: turn off your refrigerator.
If a diesel makes it to 500k it will have saved you so much in fuel costs compared to gasoline that you can afford to throw it away and still make a massive profit.
Plus I'm not so sure the difference "complexity" is anything like you claim. Modern diesels are computer controlled so they're a lot cleaner then the old ones and don't need anywhere near as much extra hardware to meet smog standards.
Diesels are perfect for American SUVs. American drivers are conditioned to expect grunt at low revs, which gasoline engines are terrible at delivering (you need a big thirsty V8 to do it). Diesel engines are much more suited to American expectations so you can have a smaller engine ans get double the savings in economy.
If you start extracting diesel from Algae then it will be much cleaner and more consistent than petroleum-diesel and you can probably get rid of all the emissions-control junk which is needed for diesel engines today.
No sig today...
Well, first thing, the _Big block_ has gone, not the small-block. Audi makes V8 for car applications, so, you'll always have a better mileage in a Audi S4 than in a GM truck made for pulling 10,000lbs. Audi V8 are also very recent, the first one ... mounted on ... the Audi V8 was a 3.6 V8, by no means a big block
Compared to US standards, it might seem a "baby block" with it's 219cid
This 1989 V8 already had quad-cam (OHC) and a Bosh Motronic engine management.
Audi made V8 from scratch, seeing the others mistakes.
GM made the V8 history, OTOH.
The Big-block was a dinosaur, it was time to get to something else.
Plus, all the spares a still available ! so no fear for all the users.
When fiction hits reality, dreams have no air-bag.
Workers who now get 70% of their salary for not working... it is a small consolation, but it is something. Plus 3% of this plant's output is now closed off, NOT the whole plant.
Correction:
The Big block V8 line is being closed. The Tonawanda Engine plant still makes smaller engines. But there aren't positions for the V8 guys, so they are all laid off. So not as bad as I originally stated. Doesn't make it any less painful for the area though.
Apologies for any confusion.
Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
you confuse me. is the cow standing on the back of the first turtle?
> So what kind of racing involves towing 7000+ pounds on the track?
Dunno, but I think the OP was talking about towing 7000+ pounds *to* the track.
Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?