Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The engine that will not die

Frank Oresnik of Catawba, Wis., and his Chevy Silverado, which matches his jacket. (Photo by Curt Knoke)


Speaking of quality control, here's an example from the early '90s brought to you by Christofer Machniak of The Flint Journal:

"A headline-grabbing 1991 Chevy Silverado that's traveled more than 1 million miles -- all powered by its original Flint-made V-8 engine -- will soon be for sale on eBay.

"Current owner Frank Oresnik of Catawba, Wis., hopes an auto collector is interested in preserving the durable pickup truck as an example of American manufacturing quality -- something he says he can't afford to do. The minimum bid is $30,000.

"The engine was built at the former Flint V-8 Engine Plant off Van Slyke Road, which ceased production in 1999 and was demolished in 2000."



2 comments:

  1. kind of makes you go hmmmmmmm

    what is the most surprising to me is the condition of the sheet metal
    maybe the right side isn't as nice

    oil changes on a regualr religious basis is the key and proactive as well as reactive maintenance is the key.....let's see a million miles at 15 mpg with gas ranging from .89 cents to $4.19

    anyway, i hope GM will be interested in the truck but probably not at $30k ....that would require another lay off

    ReplyDelete
  2. naw, no layoff. the head mucker can reach in his pocket and pull it. just write it off as hat money. probably won't even notice a difference...

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.