Have you ever committed to a platform?

[swampratt]

For years I loved my Oldsmobile engines and TH 350 transmissions.
I knew every nut and bolt size and every engine was awesome.

Then I built my first small block chevy after 2 years of researching it.
I went mild with it a 268H cam some milled and ported heads and ported exhaust manifolds and a ported intake manifold single point distributor and Quadrajet carb of course carb and distributor were tweaked on.

WOW!!!
I called a buddy, I built his 455 olds and it was in an early 70's skylark.
I told him this 350 would beat his 455.
NO WAY.
It almost did.

I thought man if I went a bit more compression and a larger cam this SBC would have some potential.

I have choice of what I wish to build and for me it has been the chevy and the TH 350 transmission and to take the power my vehicles always ended up with a Ford 9" rearend from a truck.
Not that is must be from a truck but that is what I have wheels for

For milder stuff give me the ford inline 6 or the Nissan/Datsun inline 6.

 

[TerryP]

At any point in your life have you decided to just stick with a certain model/type/platform or engine? If so, how did it go?

With the cost of new vehicles being outrageous, it doesn't make sense for some people to buy newer cars. Not to mention the cost of repairs going through the roof and the problems most of them seem to have.

Yes
Toyota 4x4’s late 80’s to 2008
Gen 4 Chevy trucks, prefer 92-96

 

[Gideon]

LONG STORY:
In early Feb of '22, I drove an '08 Tacoma (Prerunner, nothing fancy). An ice storm came through early in the week but by Friday morning as I got off my night shift the roads were 90% clear and dry.
I hit the last remaining patch of black ice at 0715hrs on I-44 around Harvard, slid sideways, hit the center divider and spun around. Airbags didn't deploy, no injuries, just a crunched front end.
Limped to the nearest exit and found all the tranny fluid and coolant running onto the ground. Engine sputtered and died.
Insurance company said to leave it, they'd send a truck to get it once one came available. It was a busy week for the tow truck guys. I leave it there, dead in the water, after taking all my belongings out.

On Monday morning the salvage yard calls: "hey man where's your truck we're coming to get it."
"Uh, I thought you guys already got it? It was gone when I drove back by there with my wife yesterday."
"Ok, we'll check with StateFarm."
I put it out of my mind.

I worked at a casino. I was the night shift Security Manager. I go to work Monday night as usual. Drove the wife's car.
At ~0500hrs, I'm sitting at the security desk conversing with coworkers, when suddenly I just get the urge to get up and get some fresh air.
I step out onto the valet area and see a silver Tacoma pull up. It has a crushed front end. It has black spray-painted factory wheels. It's MY TRUCK. I freeze for a second, helpless as it drives away after stopping for a second.
I call my surveillance team and they tell me the truck parked in the garage.

Cops come, driver gets an out of custody warrant for unauthorized use (he did eventually go the prison). I get my truck back.

He had wired 2 LEDs in place of my headlights, left me half a case of Corona in the back seat. He drove it around for 2 days with no fluids. When I started it up to move it to the parking lot for the tow truck, it started and drove away like nothing happened to it.

Tacomas can survive ice storm crackheads. I'm never not going to have at least one in my garage.

I've tried to calculate the odds that I, the only person who would recognize my truck and the only person who would know it was missing, would just happen to step outside at the exact moment it pulled up? It's beyond astronomical. What are the chances that you'd steal a car and then take it to the place the owner works, AND works in security, AND is the manager who can request police and surveillance help?
Was God helping me get my truck back or was he punishing the thief? Both?

 

[adamsredlines]

Called about a truck today that would be my 3rd 3rd gen Ram. It's out of state...looking for more info as it looks great in pics. It's been repainted, which is why it looks so good...but the kicker when I asked about undercarriage "there's a rust hole about half the size of a baseball in the middle of the frame. Nothing structural though "

What?!?!?!?! Yeah thanks, bye.

 

[montesa]

LONG STORY:
In early Feb of '22, I drove an '08 Tacoma (Prerunner, nothing fancy). An ice storm came through early in the week but by Friday morning as I got off my night shift the roads were 90% clear and dry.
I hit the last remaining patch of black ice at 0715hrs on I-44 around Harvard, slid sideways, hit the center divider and spun around. Airbags didn't deploy, no injuries, just a crunched front end.
Limped to the nearest exit and found all the tranny fluid and coolant running onto the ground. Engine sputtered and died.
Insurance company said to leave it, they'd send a truck to get it once one came available. It was a busy week for the tow truck guys. I leave it there, dead in the water, after taking all my belongings out.

On Monday morning the salvage yard calls: "hey man where's your truck we're coming to get it."
"Uh, I thought you guys already got it? It was gone when I drove back by there with my wife yesterday."
"Ok, we'll check with StateFarm."
I put it out of my mind.

I worked at a casino. I was the night shift Security Manager. I go to work Monday night as usual. Drove the wife's car.
At ~0500hrs, I'm sitting at the security desk conversing with coworkers, when suddenly I just get the urge to get up and get some fresh air.
I step out onto the valet area and see a silver Tacoma pull up. It has a crushed front end. It has black spray-painted factory wheels. It's MY TRUCK. I freeze for a second, helpless as it drives away after stopping for a second.
I call my surveillance team and they tell me the truck parked in the garage.

Cops come, driver gets an out of custody warrant for unauthorized use (he did eventually go the prison). I get my truck back.

He had wired 2 LEDs in place of my headlights, left me half a case of Corona in the back seat. He drove it around for 2 days with no fluids. When I started it up to move it to the parking lot for the tow truck, it started and drove away like nothing happened to it.

Tacomas can survive ice storm crackheads. I'm never not going to have at least one in my garage.

I've tried to calculate the odds that I, the only person who would recognize my truck and the only person who would know it was missing, would just happen to step outside at the exact moment it pulled up? It's beyond astronomical. What are the chances that you'd steal a car and then take it to the place the owner works, AND works in security, AND is the manager who can request police and surveillance help?
Was God helping me get my truck back or was he punishing the thief? Both?

Wow. That's like a coen brothers movie or something. I'm waiting for the rest of the plot. Crazy.

I agree Tacoma's are the best. Drove one for 18 years 230k miles without one single problem.