[MisterMarauder]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

Because she has no intent of telling everybody what the product plan is until they're ready to do so. She's not gonna say "Oh, and they'll replace the 6.2L engine in the Corvette (produced at Tonawanda, by the way) and they'll go into a new car that I'm not prepared to tell you anything about".

The extension of the CT5 had not even been announced at that time, so why would / should she say anything about cars?

I know you're desperate to believe otherwise, but even GM has stated those 6th gen V8s are meant for trucks. Even the links YOU posted say the same.

The L8T is an iron block engine that only comes in 3/4 ton or higher applications. You can't even get them in a half-ton and they are designed around needs for high-torque applications, i.e. (towing/hauling)

It's nonsensical to think that a clean sheet 6.6L aluminum V8 on a different architecture is somehow coming out for passenger cars, a dying segment.
History has proven that GM will sooner utilize the LT2 than produce an new engine for a dying segment.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by MisterMarauder

I know you're desperate to believe otherwise, but even GM has stated those 6th gen V8s are meant for trucks. Even the links YOU posted say the same.

The L8T is an iron block engine that only comes in 3/4 ton or higher applications. You can't even get them in a half-ton and they are designed around needs for high-torque applications, i.e. (towing/hauling)

It's nonsensical to think that a clean sheet 6.6L aluminum V8 on a different architecture is somehow coming out for passenger cars, a dying segment.
History has proven that GM will sooner utilize the LT2 than produce an new engine for a dying segment.

The engines built at Tonawanda will be aluminum block. The Medium / Heavy Duty engines built in Flint are iron block. I am not "desperate". I used to be director of Powertrain Planning at GM and I know how these things are done. I used to do them. For example, I was heavily involved in the fact that except for a FlexFuel sensor, all small block V8s are E85 capable. I worked with the Small Block Chief Engineer and his team to get that done. But anyway, back to the point.

After I retired from GM I went to work for the leading automotive forecasting company in the industry. I actually used to do their powertrain forecasts until I moved into the advisory team as a consulting director. Our forecast has been showing an aluminum block 6.6L V8 coming out of Tonawanda more than a year before GM's $888M announcement. I've always been careful in this forum to not talk about things in our forecast until the OEM discloses enough information that I can't get sued for conflict of interest. Clients pay lots of money for our forecast and I'd get in trouble for giving away sensitive information for free.

The 6.2L L87 and LT1 engines are surprisingly similar and utilize many common components. Just the L87 went into pickups and utilities, the LT1 in cars. But at the basic engine short block level they are nearly identical. That will be the same for aluminum block pickup truck, SUV, and CAR 6.6L engines that will come out of Tonawanda. Since other news outlets have surfaced the idea of a Chevrolet with 6.6L / MT I can now talk about it publicly without being considered the source of the "leak". Fact of the matter is, I know the media outlet that first surfaced this. They subscribe to our forecast. So I wonder where they got the idea?

Believe me. Don't. Time will reveal.

[MisterMarauder]

Yes, I tend to be very skeptical of conjecture and speculation.

[olrocker]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

The engines built at Tonawanda will be aluminum block. The Medium / Heavy Duty engines built in Flint are iron block. I am not "desperate". I used to be director of Powertrain Planning at GM and I know how these things are done. I used to do them. For example, I was heavily involved in the fact that except for a FlexFuel sensor, all small block V8s are E85 capable. I worked with the Small Block Chief Engineer and his team to get that done. But anyway, back to the point.

After I retired from GM I went to work for the leading automotive forecasting company in the industry. I actually used to do their powertrain forecasts until I moved into the advisory team as a consulting director. Our forecast has been showing an aluminum block 6.6L V8 coming out of Tonawanda more than a year before GM's $888M announcement. I've always been careful in this forum to not talk about things in our forecast until the OEM discloses enough information that I can't get sued for conflict of interest. Clients pay lots of money for our forecast and I'd get in trouble for giving away sensitive information for free.

The 6.2L L87 and LT1 engines are surprisingly similar and utilize many common components. Just the L87 went into pickups and utilities, the LT1 in cars. But at the basic engine short block level they are nearly identical. That will be the same for aluminum block pickup truck, SUV, and CAR 6.6L engines that will come out of Tonawanda. Since other news outlets have surfaced the idea of a Chevrolet with 6.6L / MT I can now talk about it publicly without being considered the source of the "leak". Fact of the matter is, I know the media outlet that first surfaced this. They subscribe to our forecast. So I wonder where they got the idea?

Believe me. Don't. Time will reveal.

Speaking of the L87, what’s up with the crappy crank journal chamfers? Is that Meximaxi-pad’s fault or bad GM engineering specs?

[m6-lt1]

Originally Posted by olrocker

Speaking of the L87, what’s up with the crappy crank journal chamfers? Is that Meximaxi-pad’s fault or bad GM engineering specs?

I don’t think he’s allowed to tell us but I do believe it’s due to cost cutting measures post covid in order to maintain their higher profits. Also I believe this issue affects the LT1 and possibly LT2 (not sure if LT2 the same crank as our cars but I think it is). Lots of post covid LT1s have been blowing up and I believe it has to do with the same L87 failures. I believe GM didn’t include the LT1/2 in the recall because not enough of them aren’t made to cause as much as a fuss when they blow up.

I have 10 track days on mine so I’m hoping I got a good one lol.

[MisterMarauder]

Originally Posted by m6-lt1

I don’t think he’s allowed to tell us but I do believe it’s due to cost cutting measures post covid in order to maintain their higher profits. Also I believe this issue affects the LT1 and possibly LT2 (not sure if LT2 the same crank as our cars but I think it is). Lots of post covid LT1s have been blowing up and I believe it has to do with the same L87 failures. I believe GM didn’t include the LT1/2 in the recall because not enough of them aren’t made to cause as much as a fuss when they blow up.

I have 10 track days on mine so I’m hoping I got a good one lol.

LT1 & LT4 used 0W40 from the beginning, whereas the L87 originally called for 0W20 before the recall that instructed everyone to switch to 0W40.

[olrocker]

Originally Posted by MisterMarauder

LT1 & LT4 used 0W40 from the beginning, whereas the L87 originally called for 0W20 before the recall that instructed everyone to switch to 0W40.

Oy vay that’s water!! What were they thinking?

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by MisterMarauder

LT1 & LT4 used 0W40 from the beginning, whereas the L87 originally called for 0W20 before the recall that instructed everyone to switch to 0W40.

LT1 was originally factory filled with 5W-30 with a directive to change to 0W-40 for track use. In (I think) 2019 they reversed the setups and factory filled with 0W-40 and indicated that 5W-30 was fine "for street use."

[olrocker]

Originally Posted by m6-lt1

I don’t think he’s allowed to tell us but I do believe it’s due to cost cutting measures post covid in order to maintain their higher profits. Also I believe this issue affects the LT1 and possibly LT2 (not sure if LT2 the same crank as our cars but I think it is). Lots of post covid LT1s have been blowing up and I believe it has to do with the same L87 failures. I believe GM didn’t include the LT1/2 in the recall because not enough of them aren’t made to cause as much as a fuss when they blow up.

I have 10 track days on mine so I’m hoping I got a good one lol.

If you’ve tracked it hard 10 times your crank is fine.

These piles of crap are breaking within a thousand miles of new on normal daily driving.

There was one I saw tore down on a video with FIFTY - 5-0 - miles on it!

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by olrocker

If you’ve tracked it hard 10 times your crank is fine.

These piles of crap are breaking within a thousand miles of new on normal daily driving.

There was one I saw tore down on a video with FIFTY - 5-0 - miles on it!

Those types of failures (we used to call it infant mortality) are 99.99% of the time attributed to either a problematic batch of parts from a supplier or a failure in the manufacturing process. That is how they are often able to identify the time frame of when the problem happened and isolate the vehicles that need to be recalled. If you can identify what happened when, and in some cases on which production line if there are several, you can narrow down the field of parts affected and vehicles that need to be recalled.

When you're talking about engines and transmissions, things like compromised bearings from the supplier, bad heat-treat on the shafts or gears, machine and/or inspection system out of calibration are typical root causes for early catastrophic failures.

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

For example, I was heavily involved in the fact that except for a FlexFuel sensor, all small block V8s are E85 capable. I worked with the Small Block Chief Engineer and his team to get that done.

For that reason alone, every hot rodder on this board owes you a cold frosty drink! That was a huge gift to every person on this board looking to safely make great power in their LT1/4 car. If you’re ever in New England, drinks are on me.

[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by Joshinator99

For that reason alone, every hot rodder on this board owes you a cold frosty drink! That was a huge gift to every person on this board looking to safely make great power in their LT1/4 car. If you’re ever in New England, drinks are on me.

Appreciate that. In full disclosure I knew not the monster we would be unleashing . Here's how it went down...

I was the Director of Powertrain Portfolio Planning. A lot of responsibilities in that job including assuring that the engines put into play were capable of meeting emissions and fuel economy targets. One of the things we needed to do was make certain that we could take full advantage of E85 credits that allowed for a fairly significant "lift" of the final CAFE results. In other words, we (automakers) got credit for building and selling E85 capable vehicles whether or not those vehicles ever saw a drop of corn squeezing in their entire life.

So my team worked the math with vehicle team planners to propose which vehicles would get engines properly prepared for E85 (hardened intake valves and valve seats) and which would not. Since full-size trucks were a no-brainer for FlexFuel capability we proposed to the Small Block team that it made more sense for ALL Small Blocks to be hardened for FlexFuel use than to have two different engine specs requiring sorting of valves and valve seats at the manufacturing plants. Then it was up to the vehicle plants to handle the requirements for fuel tanks, fuel pumps, fuel lines, and FlexFuel sensors. It was an easy sell. Found out much later the power advantages of operating a Small Block on E85. Much further down the road it was one of the first mods I made to my car.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Joshinator99

For that reason alone, every hot rodder on this board owes you a cold frosty drink! That was a huge gift to every person on this board looking to safely make great power in their LT1/4 car. If you’re ever in New England, drinks are on me.

...this 100%, and if you happen to head in the other direction, James, drinks are on me, you must get a taste of the zillion good old Tennessee moonshine flavors

[olrocker]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

Those types of failures (we used to call it infant mortality) are 99.99% of the time attributed to either a problematic batch of parts from a supplier or a failure in the manufacturing process.

That’s what I thought. Meximax.

Maybe your almighty goddess Queen Nary should have reconsidered sending crank manufacturing down to the chimichangas to save a buck.

How many billions has the L87 disaster cost GM now?