Top 10: GM's BEST Cost Savings Ideas...Guess The List Of GM's Winners!

[@daveallen8824]

When my aunt passed away in the early 90's, we had the job of cleaning out the house. In the basement was a Frigidaire refrigerator that I remember was my grandmothers from when I was 7 or 8 yrs old. It was just sitting there, running silently and keeping things as cool as it did in the 50's. GM used to make some really good, durable stuff.

[@loveisall5520]

My little country grandmother had a postwar Frigidaire that she got in 1950 when she got electricity for the first time. It ran at least into the late seventies, always cold, just there. And I loved the rounded styling and thick walls!

[@MarkSmith-js2pu]

@@loveisall5520we had the same thing in our basement for decades, it really served its purpose.

[@strokerta1986]

This was before suites decided building cheap junk and selling them more often was a better strategy than selling high quality long lasting products at a higher price.

[@parnellitube]

I think my favorite GM cost cutting move was holding onto the pushrod engines well past much of the competition. This would include the 3800, all the 60 degree V6's, and the LS engines. I like the simplicity of the classic design and GM really managed to squeeze more performance and fuel economy out of these engines than you'd think possible. The one exception would be the Iron Duke. Driving a Cavalier in the 90's was a depressing experience.

[@michaelbergschneider2446]

90s Cavalier J-body didn’t have the iron duke. It had 2.2L 4 cylinder. Also pushrod design but not the same as the Iron Duke. I had a 1993 Cavalier with the 2.2 and the 5-speed manual. It had decent performance for the time, but it was not a high revving engine. I did get 35mph (sometimes a little more) going 70mph.

[@giantgeoff]

Especially when you consider the original impetus for its design was to salvage the sunk cost of the production line originally setup for the 215 Buick/Olds/Pontiac Aluminum V8

[@stansmith4054]

But the Iron Duke was a very reliable engine, albeit slow.

[@Henry_Jones]

Nah. Boat anchors. Ill take vtec B series over any of those engines.

[@parnellitube]

@@michaelbergschneider2446 I stand corrected. I thought the 122 engine was a descendant of the Iron Duke. Both engines were quite harsh and low on power anyway.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I love the old chrome GM door handles with the thumb button and fixed handle. Just elegant looking but also very durable. I've got to get a classic car

[@cadillacnan]

They never broke..caddies had square ones. Other GM's had that oval button. So cool

[@flipdry]

Don't even need to get a "classic" car to them either, my 99 Lesabre has them and it is a godsend in winter. No more iced over and stuck door handles, the button is where it's at.

[@nathanexplosion5478]

I have both a 64 Cadillac (Series 62 Coupe) and an 83 (Fleetwood Brougham). Similar door handles, but the quality and feel of the 64 handle and thumb button is far superior, not even remotely close. The handle, latch, and entire door opening and closing experience is like a bank vault on the 64. Cost cutting and weight saving efforts killed all that by the early 80’s.

[@remingtonwingmaster6929]

GM had so many interchangeable components it really benefitted the backyard mechanic who didn't have a lot of money but wasn't afraid to go to the local junkyard and buy the parts they needed for dirt cheap. Front and rear control arms, driveshafts, transmissions, rear ends... the list goes on and on.

[@Randomness5050]

The Hollander parts interchange book and website are lifesavers when you want to find compatible parts that can be swapped out between makes and models.

[@crlaw75]

Their exterior rear view mirror units were in so many models for many years.

[@chuckwhitson654]

You are describing ME. I used to love digging through the salvage/ junkyards. My second job was at one. I was a hot rodders from way back

[@mrluckyuncle]

It’s true. My dad fixed up our ‘59 Buick Electra using parts from almost every GM division.

[@HaroldCombs]

Agreed. The “standard bellhousing” (at least for Chevy and then across the BOP lineup) for 40+ years really encouraged some interesting combinations.

[@user-pgchargerse71]

Being able to say your component is used by Rolls-Royce is certainly a selling point.

[@douglasb.1203]

Rolls also used the THM400 & THM700R4 transmissions.

[@commodorenut]

Jaguar XJ6s also used the TH400 & 350s here in Oz, making it even easier to convert them to SBC, which so many were.

[@justinweidenbach3699]

Lest we forget, Frigidaire was a GM company. I had a 1952 refrigerator that ran colder than any modern contemporary, and it indeed was branded "Frigidaire by General Motors." Always enjoy your channel.

[@joshuagibson2520]

I know of many, many GM Frigidaires still running. And will probably out last me. They're not very energy efficient, but they just run forever.

[@micahpetty4120]

Agree. I rented a home that had one of those old refrigerators in the basement. And you're right. It stayed really cold. And ran quiet.

[@loveisall5520]

Starting in the late fifties, until the company was sold in the seventies, they had an amazing washing machine also. Reliable and beat the dirt out of the clothes!

[@lvsqcsl]

Yes. GM had Fridigaire, Ford had Philco, Chrysler had Airtemp, American Motors had Kelvinator. International Harvester made refrigerators as well. (Just look at an episode of "Friends.") That A6 was a good compressor; what came after it (R4 and DA6) were not.

[@edwardpate6128]

The kitchen range shown on the show Bewitched was a Fridgidaire Flair. Check that out in reruns.

[@Randomness5050]

My parents had an '85 Audi 5000 with a GM a/c system. Car and Driver asked an Audi engineer why they were using them, and his response was, "We sourced the best components in the world, and when it comes to a/c, the GM set-up has no peer."

[@donswier]

Simple pushrod 2-valve engines will make excellent Range Extenders for EREVs. Energy density, reliability & simplicity will win out over DOHC, multivalve, AFM, GDI, VVT & turbo failure-prone modern engines for onboard generators supplying energy to batteries during long trips.

[@khakiswag]

And this is why I think GM is far from what it used to be. My friend has a 2024 Tahoe and the A/C has gone out twice in less than a year.

[@compu85]

Yup - they got the ac compressor and automatic controls from GM!

[@MuniTechnology]

I bought a used and a abused '77 Cultass in 1983. The AC blew cold when I bought it and still blew cold when I sold it in 1988.

[@62Madison]

My parents owned a ‘65 Buick V6 Special for nine years, at stoplights it’s was like being in a paint shaker due to the rough idle, but it was a reliable car. A future topic might be Roger Smith’s GM10 or W-platform that debuted in 1987 with 2dr coupes rather than sedans like the Ford Taurus, not a one of GM’s finer moments.

[@cdstoc]

You're not kidding about the A6 A/C compressor, we used to take rides in our '71 Chevy on hot days when the house's A/C couldn't keep up. I also really liked my '89 and '97 Chevy S-10's 4.3l V6 with TBI. They were torquey, powerful, and very reliable. The multi-function stalk was clicky-clacky for the turn signal but it always worked as intended for me and I think the redesigned version felt better. The 3800 in my 1992 Bonneville was really nice, too; powerful, smooth, and returned 30mpg on long trips.

[@christopherlanders1931]

My 92 Bonneville was one of the best cars I've ever owned. Being that I live in Ohio, it pretty much rotted underneath me. I got 32mpg on a trip from Youngstown to Columbus Ohio. 70 to 75 mph the entire way.

[@barrykochverts4149]

I've had my '98 Olds 88 LS for almost 4 years now, and still don't find the multi-function switch very intuitive. It also requires some digital gymnastics. That said, I'm an old fart. I would enjoy hearing Adam's take on that era's H-body's hidden "A" pillars, which I find a very elegant design, even though they placed the inner door handles in a perfect position for easy car theft for anyone desiring to leave the windows cracked on a hot day. I wonder if the fail safe of a door alarm plus an ignition key chip were driven by that styling gimmick, or allowed it. My car's ignition security light is always on, but the system works fine. I understand there was a fix that had to be made along the way, because it could disable starting if the key chip failed.

[@milkyperformance]

97 was vortec

[@cdstoc]

@@milkyperformance Yep, you're right, they had a balance shaft that year, too, I forgot. It was smooth but I enjoyed the immediate response of the older engine more, I think.

[@bigstuff52]

A6 turned the inside of a car into a meat locker..I see the Valves in Receiver right before the evaporator core..Takes me back working on these..

[@bobwilson758]

V I R. Yes nice cold air !

[@AlexanderWaylon]

I wish TBI had been more thoroughly applied across all GM engine lines earlier on. I always thought it was cheap that they hadn’t. I do know the 79-85 E/K chassis has a tremendous amount of service parts in the brakes and suspension that interchange with the F body and S truck (thru the 2000s) so that money came back to them I am quite sure. The 91-94 Park Avenue Ultra is a truly magnificent automobile, and I believe has a bright future in collectibility. I think that, based on this video, it must have been a truly high profit vehicle. I knew an original owner of one, they were in the $30,000 neighborhood new.

[@loveisall5520]

I wanted one when they came out, but out of my budget. They are still stunning as you say.

[@Rawr256]

Have a 98 Grand Prix GTP with 308k miles on my Supercharged 3800. Rest of the car and Transmission might fall apart around that engine. Don't forget how much the Fiero community loves these engines too. Only other thing I would think is worth mentioning would be the LS engine. You look at how it pops up everywhere and is a staple of aftermarket hot rodding at this point it is crazy.

[@bernieschiff5919]

Have a 3800 supercharged V6 on my 97 Riviera, no issues, averages about 32-34 mpg at 60 on the highway. Just passed 100,00 miles, I agree, it's probably the best engine GM ever made.

[@barrykochverts4149]

The cars are hard to find. I would love to find an Olds 88 with a supercharger in it.

[@GeelongVic7140]

We loved the (Buick) GM3800 V6, an outstandingly smooth, durable engine. The multicontrol stalk in our Buick felt so laughably cheap that it always reminded us how GM took costs out of the wrong place, ah, in the interior, and reminded us of that cheapness on every daily drive especially whenever it rained and always at night. Additionally regarding your comments about the 1970's Seville, and specifically my mother's 1977 Seville, that horrible windshield wiper control also felt so sadly cheap and out of place in a Cadillac. A great video, as always, so Adam keep up your outstanding work.

[@Primus54]

Switchgear in GM vehicles had an overall inferior, cheap feel until the company fully embraced “world car” designs. Like you point out, the wiper control in Cadillac’s most expensive vehicle… which was already a low cost, high profit product… was inexcusable. Hard to believe there was a time that Cadillac was once considered the world’s #1 luxury vehicle.

[@barrykochverts4149]

The printing wore off fairly quickly, as well.

[@wishmire33]

The combination turn signal / cruise control switch was poorly designed as well...engage the cruise control , then any slight touch on the cruise button would cause the cruise control to disengage. A real piece of junk were these switches.

[@truman1158]

Purchased a used Buick Regal from friends with the 3800 V6. Awesome engine, essentially bulletproof. General Motors Rochester Division occupied a closed Zenith factory in my hometown of Sioux City Iowa to produce the Throttle Body Injectors. Many local workers were employed, then unemployed after the plant shut down with the demise of TBI. I owned a Pontiac Grand Am with the TBI. Superior to a carburetor equipped vehicle!

[@KtothG]

too bad the rest of the cars fell apart around it

[@rogerdodrill4733]

Tbi is excellent for carb replacment on 4x4, c extreme lean angles of trails don't c flooding by float failure n I think they compensate n lean mix for altitude change as well

[@f1uufy]

That 3800 V6 even appeared in Australia, in the VN Commodore. No-one here thought it was smooth - compared to the Nissan RB30E straight 6 in the previous VL Commodore it was rough as guts. Holden used it longitudinally driving the rear wheels, and with heaps of torque, in the rain it wanted to go transverse again by rotating the whole car. Great fun when done with intent.

[@timothyweers8054]

My experience with the 3800 engine is that each one purred differently. When you own one, it was unique.

[@JohnWhiteII]

I was thinking about the Hydramatic transmission, they were used by the independents and others. Used by Hudson, Kaiser, Lincoln, Nash, Willys in the early 50s

[@gettcouped]

We owned a mechanic shop back a bunch of years ago. The spider injectors were a consistent failure on the 4.3, but those engines were rock solid. Loved the 4.3 and the 3800 especially the Series II.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

As much as the extra power was nice, the TBI 4.3 for me would be the one I'd aim for if purchasing, or immediately look at replacing the intake with the retrofit if it hadn't already been done. After that the vortec 4.3 is pretty solid. Agreed wholeheartedly on the series II comment.

[@theaterlightman89]

Loved my series II in my 97 lesabre

[@DavidHall-ge6nn]

As always, illuminating, well researched, and impeccably presented.

[@JohnnyAFG81]

The Séville had Teflon shims between the leaf springs to quiet the movement noise associated with leaf springs to give a quieter and smoother ride.

[@loveisall5520]

R-R used leather ones in the Silver Cloud for the same reason.

[@peashooterc9475]

A big part of the Harrison A/C compressor was the axial flow design that solved a number of packaging issues. Single piston disc brake calipers were quite well done, providing reliable and inexpensive systems throughout GM, Nova to Cadillac and light trucks. All the GM sub-compacts could go to your "10 Worst" list.

[@Randomness5050]

I think GM also sold transmissions to Rolls Royce.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

And Jaguar. A lot of companies have bought from GM through the years

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

And Jaguar. A lot of companies have bought from GM through the years

[@vaughngordon1095]

Back when I was in VOTECH learning cars, 86 to be exact, Bill Pfeifer, the instructor told the story of Rolls buying the Turbo 400... Rolls had all of its engineers and production replicate the 400 to fit and viola! It didn't work. Perplexed, they called GM and GM sent their guys to see what was up. They pulled the transmission apart, took measurements, then proceeded to take sanders and grinders and files to everything... just ruuning everything to the surprise of the guys from Rolls.... Then they put it back together and viola! Worked fine.... so Rolls was really stumped and asked wtf dude.... Turns out, the 400 automatic was designed to be flawed because US manufacturing depended on a workforce which for the most part wasn't paid to be so dadgum precise... just build the thing and make it work....

[@kalybnielsen4183]

​@vaughngordon1095 That's actually funny. It makes sense, sometimes being too precise causes more headaches especially when it comes to machining, figure a super tight clearance will be better than too much, nope, all you get is sticking and binding, cut some oil grooves, nope, that makes it messy, open up the clearances, yep, perfect

[@michaelwhite2823]

And Jaguar. A lot of companies have bought from GM through the years.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

The GM multi-function stalk was nice. My only complaint is the amount of effort to engage the turn signals. My 1996 Buick Roadmaster sedan has it. And it's very stiff even with all those years and over 170k miles of usage. But everything still works. It just doesn't feel or sound the greatest.

[@HarrisonJamesSmith]

Agree

[@sc3ku]

Same with the stick on my 88 IROC. Feels like a small bone snapping every time but the original still works- except for the wiper fluid, since the stalk broke radially and it spins freely now.

[@wlkjr9691]

I have a '97 GP with the 3.8 V6 that has 401,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. But I did replace the intake gaskets at 307,000 miles. Great engine. It was still running great when I parked it several years ago. Sadly it's just sitting wanting some love.

[@redsprairierust8348]

I'll add my 2c as a journeyman auto tech regarding the gm tbi. It is a really great simple and reliable design in the 2bbl version (I can't speak to the 1bbl as I have very limited experience). The one downside I would say is the self diagnostic capabilities were not great, but I know at the time obd1 was limited. One interesting fact I discovered about the 2bbl tbi....in the caprice platform (likely also true for buick and cadillac?) Is that while driving on the highway, the system falls into open loop in a lean condition by design. It will "wake up" every few minutes and goes back into closed loop where you can watch it switch from lean/rich for a few seconds, then goes back lean again. These cars did get pretty good fuel economy and I'm sure this helped. Btw, it was EXTREMELY hard to find any info about this in the service manual.

[@doctorzaius4084]

The one good thing about the diagnostics on all GM EFI cars from that era is that you didn't need any kind of tool to access the codes. Just jump two pins in the connector and they would flash out through the check engine light!

[@cl3mb0t]

@@doctorzaius4084I loved that feature. Flash codes are one thing I wish OBDII had implemented. GM did that one right.

[@JimSix-jo6hf]

the A6 ac compressors are also used on street sweepers, they have to have a sealed cabin because of all the dust they stir up, so they need good AC

[@bettermost]

I remember in my parents 65 Fleetwood the air conditioning being so cold condensation would leak out of that solid metal center vent and get the center hump carpet soaked. My Father ended up laying a black terry towel on the hump to catch the dripping water.

[@MrPoppyDuck]

Dad had a 1999 Olds 88 with that 3800 engine. A great driving car, super quiet, reliable, and comfy seats. If I had the space in the garage I would have bought it from him as GM doesnt make such solid cars anymore. Cant believe it is now antique. Thanks for another interesting video!

[@daveallen8824]

A buddy of mine had a gMC Sonoma with this engine and he drove that poor thing to over 400k miles. The best possible example of cost savings and good engineering.

[@Sedan57Chevy]

Glad you did a companion piece to the previous episode! Also, wow you're really pumping out content this week/weekend. I too am fond of the 4.3, 3800, and the tbi setups. GM at its best is pretty hard to beat. As someone who is as interested in the auto businesses as I am the cars itself, decisions like these are really fascinating.

[@joelrodriguez9661]

That generation of Pontiac Bonneville was one of my favorite cars of the 1990s. I worked at a Pontiac GMC dealer back in the mid-90s and enjoyed driving those around the lot. Especially the SSE and SSEi trimmed models. And of course we had a ton of GMC trucks with the 4.3L V6.

[@tshackelton]

This TBI talk has me thinking that I'd love a video on the ford "variable venturi" computer controlled carb

[@bullettube9863]

As a former mechanic I can attest to the ease of replacing parts on a GM car regardless of the model. My biggest beef was the cost difference between higher Cadillac prices and other GM cars despite the parts being identical. I loved the 3800 V-6! It was easy to work on and it had no faults, in my '92 and '98 Buicks I got 22mpg on the highway and 20mpg around town. I had the same basic engine in my "92 Chevy pick-up and racked up a 100k miles on it before trading it in. These engines were smooth and powerful and a good example of how well GM could do engineering when the bean counters were locked up somewhere.

[@khakiswag]

Ford also used the same parts across the line up. The steering wheel in your Lincoln was also in your pickup truck. But the Japanese did it best. For example a Toyota power window switch is designed to be used in a Lexus but to save money they put it in multiple models. But it’s a Lexus quality part in a Camry not a Toyota part in a Lexus.

[@MrSloika]

Have a look at the 1964 Ford Falcon instrument cluster and compare it to a 1965 Mustang cluster. Same thing. Lots of interior parts from the Falcon were used in the Mustang.

[@rowjelio]

As i started this video, my immediate thought was how clever they made 1959 share all the same windshields and whatnot. I was shocked you decided to put that in your list! We think the same!!

[@edwardallan197]

The 59 Buick is a masterpiece, especially the Invicta. ❤

[@VanWinger]

Along with the GM multifunction stalk, the tilt column stalk and design remained relatively unchanged along side this switch for nearly half a century. These columns still are sought after for the restoration/modify community. Top end '32 ford coupes will have that legendary GM column modified in.

[@zacharykelly7434]

Ididit basically built a company around cloning them

[@MaiMyTie]

My daily is a ‘97 Olds LSS with the 3800 and it is a fantastic engine!

[@KtothG]

the A6 fits perfectly in the V of the Jag V12, where the engine bay is otherwise quite cramped

[@gettcouped]

Oh man that picture of the Bonneville SSEi, still looks good today. Only thing with that car is people didn’t know they had to change the SC fluid. My friend had a Grand Prix GTP. Those cars were great, with the wide track. The front wheel drive wasn’t the best for sporty driving, but as a cruise missile it’s hard to beat.

[@daveh2612]

The multifunction turn signal stalk was clever but had horrible feel to it, as you said it felt cheap. A car magazine one time said that activating the turn signal felt like “snapping a twig”. Also, if you had to replace the stalk on a cruise control, equipped vehicle, you had the nightmare of feeding the entire wire through the complicated Saginaw steering column on most models. Some had a connector right at the base of the stalk.

[@matthewbanta3240]

People would make fun of GM for sharing parts and even platforms across all of their divisions. But compare that to British Leyland who were famous for always having their divisions fighting with one another. BL did not enjoy the same economics of scale, and every redesign seemed to come late and on a shoestring. The upside is GM is still making cars while BL isn't.

[@loveisall5520]

Yes! I was just watching, the other day, a documentary on the failure of the Morris Marina, still hated over there. They actually put new styling on the old Morris Minor mechanicals from the late forties, thinking they could actually fool the public in the seventies. It didn't work. The death of the British car industry has always saddened me--from the poor management to the unruly unions.

[@scottymoondogjakubin4766]

No denying the 4.3 and 3.8 were some of GMs best engines ! Sad they fell down the OHC rabbit hole because thats what everyone was doing ! Just more things to go wrong and costly to repair all for what ? An extra 1500 RPM !

[@jamesengland7461]

OHC isn't the problem; cutting corners on building the engine is. And the refinement shortfall from the V6s was their 90° angle, naturally creating roughness. 60° was the solution. The 2.8 60° V6 from 1981 had grown all the way to 3.9 and 240hp with ohv. It was also a bulletproof engine.

[@Low760]

​@@jamesengland7461lack of maintenance is the issue with the alloytechs

[@commodorenut]

The LS range proved you didn’t need 2 cams per bank and 4 valves per cylinder to make good power.

[@billyfoster3223]

​@@jamesengland7461Sorry to burst your bubble, but OHC and DOHC IS the problem. They're more complicated, not as bulletproof as OHV engines, which can take a lot of abuse.😂

[@Stratzyy7]

I loved the GM turn signal stalk and STILL miss it today. Everything was right at the tip of your fingers, without the 20 buttons and stalks we have nowadays..

[@Wasabi9111]

I remember that stalk in my parents Oldsmobile. I thought it was so confusing to use, especially the cruise control. I don’t remember it having a speed adjust either. And in the dark, it wasn’t lit up.

[@markcain5168]

@@Wasabi9111. It’s called a multifunction switch. The cruise control system had tap up tap down feature. Just read the owners manual.

[@wishmire33]

That multifunctional turn signal stalk was a piece of junk. I know, I replaced several dozens of them. The slightest touch to the sliding cruise control switch would cause the cruise control to disengage.

[@wishmire33]

That multi function turn signal switch was a piece of junk...I know I replaced dozens of them , because at the slightest touch to the sliding cruise switch, would cause the cruise control to disengage while driving.

[@jamesbrewer-lk8te]

Yep. For my money 4.3 was very good motor. Thanks for video.

[@n84434]

You're uploading faster than I can watch! Keep 'em comin!!

[@fourdoorglory]

Surprised that the GMT 600-610 Vans (Chevy Express and GMC Safari) didn’t make the list. Maybe this is actually an example for a new content item for you-“most profitable auto and truck platforms”. These vans are still in production with little change since 1992. That tooling has been paid off long ago. Other candidates, GM B and G bodies starting in ‘77 and ‘78 respectively; Ford Fox and Panther; Chrysler B and M platforms; and AMC Hornet.

[@loveisall5520]

I agree! I'd love to see this as a video focus. I've always been fascinated--well, since the sixties, anyway--with the whole concept of sharing underpinnings. The amazing thing to me is that for so many years, GM could share stuff and no one would notice (again, fifties into the late seventies). Whereas immediately with MOPAR and AMC the kinship would just leap out. Great suggestion, and best wishes from Texas.

[@JimFlanagan4206]

GMC Savanna. The Safari was the twin to the Chevy Astro.

[@loveisall5520]

@@aberobinson1 Amen! Both my plumber and electrician use them. How I'd love to have had one in college in the seventies!

[@ScottDLR]

The 76 to 79 Seville was gorgeous and a joy to drive. The 80 was fugly as hell.

[@kroge007]

I agree with you Adam. The 76-79 Seville was one of the best Cadillac made back in those days in my opinion.

[@Bullseye120]

GM overall has been a master of parts bin reuse, and consolidation across brands and platforms to leverage parts economy of scale manufacturing. To that end I can think of some additional ones that might be small but are good examples. 1. Using Chevette front suspension on low cost Fiero platform, and drive train from XCars. 2. Reuse of Corvair Powerglide transaxle in 61-63 Pontiac Tempest with "rope driveshaft". 3. I believe GM also sold the "crown cap" power steering pump externally to several other OEMs. 4. Uni-point distributor point block where points and condenser were combined into a single unit. 5. Last but not least the sharing of the Chevy V8 across brand lineups. This was far the most controversial when consumers learned that their Oldsmobile might be equipped with a Chevy engine.

[@urbo42]

One other advantage of the Corvair PowerGlide in the rear transaxle cars was that it was air cooled and didn't need lines running forward to the rad. Air cooling worked for the engine and the transmission in a Corvair.

[@mtut]

The engine sharing also led to the Olds 307 V8 being used in Caprice wagons through the 80s, and in the big RWD Cadillacs in the late 80s. But when in started in the late 70s, there were all sorts of combos. The 301 Pontiac was optional in Buick Regals. The Buick V6 was offered in Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs - there was even a 252 4-bbl for the big cars. the Olds diesel was offered in all the brands. Adam has done several videos about why GM divisions kept their separate engine designs as long as they did, and then how chaotic it became when they started to consolidate. But this is the most fascinating thing to me. Most drivers today probably don't think that much about what's under the hood. But it used to be a point of pride to know what you had in there, even if it was something fairly pedestrian.

[@johnh2514]

Huge plus was the 4.3 liter V6. My uncle got a 1988 Chevy S10 Blazer with that engine…he intentionally waited for a late build as it was a mid-year addition to the 1988 model year. While noisy, it was a huge upgrade over the 2.8 liter non-MPFI V6. …and I can still feel the “snap” of that GM multifunction stalk.

[@MrCBG]

Those C&H body redesigns were excellent too. For as much as they were able to share, they looked completely different across divisions. I think the average consumer would be hard pressed to see the common pieces, especially vs the previous gen. Think those A bodies from the Forbes article.

[@Wasabi9111]

As a kid from the 80/90s, I never they were from the same body. I loved the 90s park ave / le Sabre as they looked like jaguars and looked so much longer than their 90s counterparts. I still don’t understand how they did it.

[@hurricane2649]

I have watched your videos since you were using a chalk/marker board on your porch. This one I really enjoyed and did not know a lot of what you talked about. You hit it on the head when you said it was a good thing for GM in 1959 but also a curse when they discovered all they had to do was change the front and rear.

[@RareClassicCars]

Thanks. I appreciate that you’ve been along for the ride.

[@vaughngordon1095]

My goodness! You brought out a whole car.... the Oldsmo-Nova-lac!! Ah! Worked on a few. Some had the 8-6-4 set up....♡

[@miguelluna6842]

I am so glad you mentioned the multifunction stalk. So many people seem to hate it n I've always loved it. They worked wonderfully in my 2 Cadillac's, Buick, n my Oldsmobile. I do agree with you though. The feel was great but they worked!!

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

4.3 was a great engine!!! I had one in an Astro van . Great on gas on open road and had the power when needed

[@grfisher8783]

John Deere used the a6 compressor as well.

[@danielbaldwin9288]

My daily is a 2001 regal gs with the sc 3800. Original engine just turned over 344k miles. Runs great and the most reliable car I've owned! Thanks For the great videos!

[@ppapump]

Thank you for highlighting the multifunction stalk switch! For years, in the "buff books" I'd read about how bad GM's stalks were. When I finally had one with many functions (I had a Jeep Cherokee with only wipers and signals on then stalk), I was enamored by the minimalist functionality. Most cars have the cruise control broken out into many extra buttons. GM's only has what it needs to get the job done. The propensity to hit the brights or wipers accidentally while going for blinkers is much better than 90s Ford or Mopar as well. The stalks do feel like garbage, but I can't agree with any criticism of the ergonomics.

[@williamstachour4019]

Those door handles, I remember those! The exterior handles are so perfect. And the window cranks too, they were everywhere.

[@josephwash109]

I think a neat GM cost-saving measure was the combination horn relay and key reminder buzzer that was used from 1969-1971. Rather than using two separate components, they integrated the two parts together. It was somewhat crude, but it worked.

[@fleetwoodpup8328]

Owned a '91 S-Jimmy with 4.3L and Getrag sourced 5 speed manual. Loved that combination, lots of power and great mpg too! Wish I still owned that one!

[@CQBWarfighter]

Had lots of cars when the newer style multi function turn signal switch. I would agree that some feel cheap. The one in my 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP however, feels amazing! I’m not sure if it’s the original but I almost feel guilty using it because I don’t want to wear it out. Would LOVE a video on the GM W body cars. They were around for so long with a ton of different engines. Or even talk about the GM FWD LS4 cars.

[@ChevyJay283]

Our 1962 Impala uses the same door handle as well. If you look at a period Bellanca aircraft, it also uses the GM right door handle! The A-6 compressor was also used in aircraft.

[@geraldthompson2173]

I worked for a Cadillac store in 1975 when the Seville was introduced as a 1976 model. $12.479.00 base price for a SMALL Cadillac! Nothing by todays standards but wow was it it successful. The Bosch/Bendix fuel injected Oldsmobile supplied 350 CID long block and 400 transmission made this unique car a pleasant unit to service. Although a similar EFI system were offered on the C and E 500 CID engines it didn't sell well due to the $600 option cost. We got two of the first 2000 silver cars, #390 and 1440 that sold before they hit the ground and sold as many as Cadillac could supply. If memory serves we got allocations based on Eldorado sales. Good times!!!

[@candykid5135]

my favorites : 1- TBI system 2- multi function lever 3- chevy 4.3l v6

[@oldionus]

I like the enthusiasm for the cars of the 70s 80s 90s, even though I've never really liked any of them.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Adam, If I flip #4 from a corporate cost saving exercise to a consumer cost saving exercise, I would say buy a Delta 88, Cutlass and an Omega with an Olds 350 V8 for the price of a single Cadillac Seville with the same engine. 🤑

[@Sam62254]

Another good video, Adam. I really look forward to your new releases. I never owned a car with the 4.3L V6, but I owned three with the 3800, which, as you said, was bulletproof. I can't say the same about my 2023 XT5 with the 3.6L V6 that replaced the 3800 about 15 years ago.. I think? Its reputation is not so stellar, although I haven't had any issues... yet. A couple of my neighbors back in the early 90s had trucks and vans with the 4.3L V6. What I do remember about those vehicles was how noisy those engines were when they started them up. They just had a terrible whine or buzz at idle and accelerating through the lower gears... almost sounded like a diesel. Really annoying from a nearby observer's viewpoint.

[@dueljet]

The Chevrolet 229 cubic inch V6 was a 305 minus two cylinders. Same bore, same stroke. It has been great for my family (except for the soft cam and valve cover leaks)

[@gordtulk]

The multi-function stalk screamed cheap-ass more than any other aspect of GM production save the rectangular door handles of the eighties. The tactile cheapness of both and crap materials and action did more to tell an operator they were in a vehicle that was focussed primarily on getting away with the cheapest option possible while Japanese competitors were focused on quality. They are tangible milestones of the decay of GM.

[@davidrenkosiak9906]

The stalk worked well for many years. If it was cheap, it wouldn't have worked as well.as it did. Who actually criticizes something as innocuous as a turn signal stalk that worked so well for so long? What sense did it make to have many stalks and switches sticking out everywhere?

[@gordtulk]

Yes they worked. And if that was the only thing they were supposed to do that would be fine. But they were cheap plastic with a ‘broken’ feel to the action. Tangibly cheap. And on every car made from chevettes to Cadillacs. Like all the other cost cutting cheapness it destroyed whatever reputation GM had for quality. And Toyota and Honda ate their lunch for the next forty years.

[@bobwilson758]

1977 Seville had very good power . I liked them - Nice driver .

[@Charlies_Corner]

25:50 the 3800 from 88-91 was the best one, the series 2 and 3 that would follow had issues with leaking oil, and I’ve come across a couple that were hard starting. I own the first version in my 91 LeSabre and I love that engine!

[@JohnAnderson-hr4qc]

One thing I never had to fix or replace on over 300k miles on dad's 89 Buick Park Avenue was the sequential port fuel injection

[@dalemeyers4175]

The 4.3L V6 was essentially an integral part of the long lived Astro van. Worked well. The spider FI was an issue but could be replaced with a port FI upgrade kit sold by Delphi and Delco. Not an easy job but could be done and it improved performance and gas mileage.

[@johnpadavic1290]

When the multi-function stalk came out people worried that when it broke it would be expensive to fix because it had so many functions. Probably would have been expensive to replace, but after all these years, I never had any trouble with any of them, or heard of them being likely to break.

[@loveisall5520]

My mother had it on her early nineties LeSabre. Always worked, always felt to me like it'd fall off in my hand.

[@colinschmitz8297]

We had a couple that broke. By the time it broke. It was old tech.

[@loveisall5520]

@@colinschmitz8297 Yeah, we have to keep in mind that, in my parents' generation, regular middle class people tended to trade their cars every 2-3 years, as did my parents in the fifties and sixties.

[@z06rcr]

I drove quite a few gm cars from the mid 80’s though the 90’s. I found that the early multi-function stalks were quite clunky and the felt cheap. By the mid 90’s though the overall “ feel” of the switchgear had improved despite same outward design. Never had one malfunction.

[@saadgt2009]

Great take on GM's better deeds 👏 I suggest your next series be design or mechanical trends that doomed or enobled a maker, an era, a class of cars.... 🖖🙏

[@troyjurgens8528]

COMPLETELY agree on that throttle body injection. THE Cadillacs to get from the 4.5 V8 era are the 88/89. Better power, better durability and had the TBI. Before PFI and CCC. They go forever.

[@coreyjones1518]

I had an 89 Caprice with TBI on a 305. Never a problem. At 20:45 you talk about the 90 and 91 Park Avenue. I didn't know nor would of ever guessed they used the same inner sheet metal.

[@aaronlevine9623]

Just discovered your channel and I subscribed. You're informative, accurate and easy to listen to.

[@gregholloway2656]

Adam, agreed on the throttle body injection. I’ve been running a two barrel version on my old inline 6, and it’s now 30 years old and never been apart. I liked the functionality of the turn signal stalk, having one in my 85 S10, but it felt chinsy to me, and too sloppy.

[@stevevarholy2011]

While it's been popular for wags of a certain age to crap all over General Motors, things like this are a reminder that wheil GM had it's misses, it also hit the trarget and got a lot of things right. I'm reminded of it every time I rive my 1982 Citation X-11. The space utilization, the visibility, the driving experience are all really impressive, especially for a car in it's price class. Having grown up driving GM cars, the multifunction stalk still seems logical and intuitive. Nothing was worse in tactile feel than what GM used in the Corsica/Beretta. Every turn, it sounded like you were breaking it off.

[@Drmcclung]

I can remember my mom absolutely geeking out over the multifunction stalk when my dad bought her a new '83 Delta 88 Royale. It was a big leap forward from her old '72 Nova and they both enjoyed that Olds for a long time. It had just about everything except cigarette windows. Ironically it had the newer seize-o-matic pancake compressor that NOBODY likes. I can't count the number of compressors that thing chewed up in the 15 years we had it 😂

[@johneddys2351]

I liked the multi stalk.

[@wilco3588]

Yeah I've got a 1995 Silverado four-door that we usually use for vacations and long trips. And I also have a 1995 Ford F150 pickup and every time I get into the other truck it's like a relearning process. And oh boy the GM air conditioning is so much better!.

[@donk499]

It's hard to believe the Seville is based on the Nova platform, would be interesting to see just what stampings were actually the same! Nonetheless, these early Sevilles deserve all the praise indeed...

[@hawkeye454]

My 89 Cutlass Ciera had that multi function stalk...always felt like it was about to break but it always worked.

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I still want a first gen Seville. Just a beautiful car

[@urbo42]

They weren't really the first gen. The two door Eldorado in the 50's that had a steel roof instead of the convertible were called Eldorado Sevilles.

[@ravipeiris4388]

I currently drive a 2011 Maybach 57s. As a teenager, when I first laid eyes on the 1985 Cadillac Seville, it was like having my first crush on a girl: You never forget that moment ❤.

[@73_f100]

12:21 you said it - feel. It worked pretty well, but it didn’t have a great feel in your hand. Funny how things like that determine how an owner makes a connection with a car, or not. Because it was so pervasive, it made it easier for GM competitors to distinguish themselves. You could just tell you were in a GM.

[@SomethingAboutCars]

I once had a 1996 Olds 88. I loved that 3800, along with the rest of the car. I'd buy another C/H-body in a heartbeat (in fact, the only reason I don't have one now is that I don't live in North America anymore). That multifunction stalk was pretty good in my opinion. Old Mercedes had a similar one; they just had a separate cruise control stalk. If only GM had just engineered it a bit more so that it felt solid.

[@Zneedsmore]

Definitely agree with your #1 item... that's the first thing I thought of when I saw the title of the video.

[@bradygiltz5160]

The way they transported Vegas was actually really good and cut their cost down and helped them a lot

[@danr1920]

I'll see if it's in here. The stamped rocker arms. Cheaper and lighter than cast iron. Lighter means more RPM and power. 1955 Chevy V-8 was the first it think.

[@gregholloway2656]

Yes, and Chevy borrowed the idea from Pontiac.

[@zacharykelly7434]

​@@gregholloway2656I had a 1955 pontiac Star Chief with a Blue Streak V8 (4 barrel) a whole 210hp about 60 years before I owned it 😅 shared nothing with anything tho

[@tonywestvirginia]

The TBI is a great system.

[@mcqueenfanman]

GM used it much more longer than Ford and a few years longer than Chrysler.

[@thomasdeir6212]

Such a fantastic channel. Thank you for all of the memories.

[@theshowersinger6681]

I think GM’s selling of the Pontiac Iron Duke 2.5 to AMC and for use in PPV is one of their most brilliant cost-savings move as well.

[@beaus3472]

And this is why I love old GMs, and even today, although I probably shouldn't.

[@Henry_Jones]

Id include the 60 degree chevy v6 that first came out on the x bodies and ran in various displacements up to 3.9L I beleve in the pontiac g6. It wasnt as good as the 3800 but it was generally reliable and fuel efficient and cheaper to build. I dont think there was a single gm 80s 90s or 2000s fwd platform that didnt have it at some point. Even the J cars had it.

[@mtut]

Good suggestion. I always wondered why so many people buying the A-bodies (Celebrity/6000/etc) chose the Iron Duke, when for just a few bucks more you could get an engine that really was much smoother, much more confident in highway driving, and at least by the mid-80s, comparable in reliability and fuel usage in the real world. Were the dealerships even asking the customer to try out a V6 car before they bought the 4-banger? Driving them back to back it's a big difference.

[@invisableobserver]

I enjoy your videos, you are humble & do your research, you are a good speaker, the videos are informative without annoying music or an Ai generated robot voice. You choose subjects us guys enjoy. Who else agrees? As for as GM & other brands, in the 70's they could have made the cars better though the companies had some greedy narcissists that wanted to get rich quick which passed the low quality down to the consumer, this is one reason we have overpriced throw away cars today.

[@DB-bw5fz]

Owning a Toyota with the cruise control joystick, an older but modern GM with steering wheel button cruise, and an even older GM with the multifunction stalk….I’ll take the multifunction stalk every day of the week. It’s always in the same spot, and it’s very ergonomic and user friendly for every control. You don’t need to take your eyes off the road to make sure the cruise is turned on or to see which button you’re pressing. The Toyota one is ok for use without looking, but being steering wheel mounted, you need to find where it is if you ever try to operate it when the wheel isn’t close to being straight.