1979 Chevy Camaro Z28 T Top 4 Speed Blower Car Low Milage on 2040-cars

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Vert-A-Pac train cars kept your Chevy Vega's price in check

Our apologies to those who've seen this before, but for the rest of the class, how awesome are these pictures of the Vert-A-Pac shipping system General Motors came up with to ship the Chevrolet Vega back in the 1970s? Developed along with Southern Pacific Railroad, GM was able to double the amount of Vega models it could ship by packing them into the unique storage cars vertically.
At the time, rail cars could fit 15 vehicles each, but Chevrolet was able to lower shipping costs by making it possible to ship 30 Vegas per rail car, in turn allowing the price of the Vega to remain as low as possible. Each rail car had 30 doors that would fold down so that a Vega could be strapped on, and then a forklift would come along and lift the door into place. All the cars were positioned nose down, and since they were shipped with all of their required fluids, certain aspects had to be designed specifically for this type of shipping, including an oil baffle in the engine, a special battery and even a repositioned windshield washer reservoir. See for yourself in our image gallery above.

GM recalls 3.8 million vehicles in North America due to braking issue

WASHINGTON — General Motors Co said Wednesday it was recalling 3.46 million U.S. pickup trucks and SUVs to address a vacuum pump issue that could make braking more difficult and that has been linked to 113 accidents and 13 injuries. The recall covers 2014-2018 model year vehicles, including some Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon vehicles. In late June, GM recalled 310,000 vehicles in Canada for the same issue. GM did not immediately explain why the Canadian recall occurred more than two months before it called back the vehicles in the United States. The recall was triggered because the amount of vacuum created by the vacuum pump may decrease over time, GM told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in documents posted on Wednesday. The NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into the issue last November, and said it had reports of nine related crashes and two injuries. It provided GM in July with additional field reports that prompted the automaker to open an investigation. GM said it could affect braking in "rare circumstances." The NHTSA said in a statement the "vehicles may experience brake boost failure, which would require increased brake pedal effort, leading to a hard brake pedal feel, and potentially increased stopping distance." GM said dealers will reprogram the electronic brake control module to improve how the system utilizes the hydraulic brake boost assist function when vacuum assist is depleted. GM said the vacuum assist pump, which is lubricated with engine oil that flows into the pump through a filter screen, can in some cases lose effectiveness over time, as debris such as oil sludge can accumulate on the filter screen. GM told NHTSA that prior model years used a different brake assist system design, and vehicles manufactured after 2018 were not equipped with the affected pump design. Separately, GM said on Wednesday it is recalling 270,000 additional U.S. vehicles in three smaller recalls, including 177,000 2018 Chevrolet Malibu cars with 1.5L turbo engines because an error in the engine control module software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.

2022 Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss adds 3.0-liter diesel option

Order books just opened for the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, which, in case you hadn't heard, is almost unchanged compared to the 2021 Silverado. The overhauled Silverado and GMC Sierra that we caught in spy shots several times last year and were expected to launch this year have been delayed. Until that pickup gets here, Chevrolet and GMC will add "Limited" to the names of the Silverado and Sierra. Fleet guides for next year's truck show the official model name as Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD. There are a few interesting features coming next year, though, like the Multi-Flex tailgate joining the options list for Silverado HD trucks. GM Authority also reports that the 2022 Silverado LT Trail Boss adds the 3.0-liter oil-burner with 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque as a third engine option, which should be a big treat for the off-roading crew. Whereas the GMC Sierra AT4 already offers the 3.0-liter diesel, the Silverado LT Trail Boss only offers the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8s, both bolted to GM's ten-speed automatic transmission. Then there's the Custom Trail Boss that adds the 4.3-liter V6 as an option, and it and the 5.3-liter V8 only get 6-speed automatics. At the moment, Silverado trims that offer the Duramax charge a $1,045 for it over the 5.3-liter V8. If that gap holds true for next year, the diesel will just about evenly split the price difference between the LT Trail Boss with the 5.3 and the 6.2.   Elsewhere in the range, Driving.ca said Canadian fleet guides show the 4.3-liter V6 and lower-spec 5.3-liter V8 with Active Fuel Management (AFM) instead of Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) disappearing from next year's base Silverado WT. To clarify, AFM only shuts off half the cylinders in certain conditions, whereas DFM constantly adjusts how many cylinders are firing all the time. As it stands, that would leave the 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder as the only engine option. However, those other two mills were the only ones left in the lineup that shift through a six-speed transmission, making it possible that they'll rejoin the options list with at least two more gears to choose from. It's not clear if GM will sell the Limited models alongside the majorly upgraded 2022 Silverado. The automaker did just that a few years ago, selling the previous-gen truck as a Limited trim alongside the then-new, current-gen. It certainly wouldn't be the only company to do so, either.