Why didn't G.M. fit its f bodys to metal instead of plastic

**denegrader** · 08-26-2011, 01:05 PM

Just a newbie trying to learn.
legendary f bodies year 2001, maybe i'm outta touch as my only other car has been an 89 the competitor or rivalry.
I mean after flushing new t stat, only 75,000 miles new dexcool.
I drive every other week barely for a month 20 miles 10 miles 1 way
with a new repair problem seems like everytime i drive it. check engine. oil leak, t stat, now maybe hose leak if im lucky after i dismantle half the car.
Ok simple water leak i guess as unless you remove half the front of the car, radiator support vacum intake bellows hoses ect ect ect.
After all that then if yer lucky you can see a leak.

Question one was it that big plastic combination radiator support air cleaner support, all really necesary for g.m. to invent and needed that basically blocks the whole sight of the front of engine radiator hoses waterpump ect??????? Couldnt they have used small metal support for radiator do away with the massive plastic chunk of radiator support??
Is this what 2001 cars have been reduced to?????
Whats the point in blocking the whole engine g.m. must think we will spend our lives living under the hood waitin for the next failure?????

I can imagine the labor costs if i was to drop this thing off at a garage.

***SMWS6TA*** · 08-26-2011, 01:39 PM

there are a lot of quarks that gm has with our F-bodies.

Passenger window power, PCV, plastic ring on the shift boot, internal lighting, gauges (>98 accurate, <99 static

it's a sports car), etc. I try not to let it get to me anymore. Now I can add that to the list of what were they thinking?

**Knight** · 08-26-2011, 02:01 PM

The bottom line is GM produced a sports car that blew away the competition, had amazing looks, and was relatively cheap. Is it the best engineered car - no. Obviously it met the criteria of what they were looking for, though. Every car has it's flaws. And we, as enthusiasts, must deal with them. I, and I'm not alone, am very willing to deal with the inconviences of the location of things, if it means I will have one of the best looking and performing street/strip vehicles around.

**denegrader** · 08-26-2011, 06:48 PM

Well yeah sure another if ya wanna list to me would be the severe rake of the radiator towards the motor which hides half of hoses ect fans ect for the sake of a sleak tapered nose. It could've been upright ,thicker and shorter for easier repairs ect.
Since were at it the thick deep dash, and the severe raked windshield.
Well yeah 300 plus horse, car wasn't cheap new. also the low roof, no factory true dual exhaust. i still own one i'm just being objective, they do offer a lot for the money buying used. Oh weight , lenghth and width could be a little less too ok thats it, you guys had enough.

**INMY01TA** · 08-26-2011, 07:03 PM

These cars are light by todays standards. Ohh yeah and the raked windshield is pure sex.

**Mean Green Z28** · 08-26-2011, 08:01 PM

My question is, why can't GM build a light smaller car with a powerful V8 engine ... much like a 370Z or Genesis Coupe?

**INMY01TA** · 08-27-2011, 02:33 AM

it's called a Vette.

**Spikito** · 08-27-2011, 05:29 AM

you just made my day...

**Spikito** · 08-27-2011, 05:30 AM

I believe those are both V6s....

**transamtom** · 08-27-2011, 07:47 AM

Your forever complaining about your 4th Gen,why did you buy it?

I have owned 5 of these things and they really aren't that hard to work on.

**Knight** · 08-27-2011, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by Spikito

I believe those are both V6s....

Yep. And GM did build similar ones in the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice.

**98TransAmWs-6** · 08-27-2011, 09:16 AM

I don't get it, if you are that annoyed with gm's engineering then why did you buy it? I personally don't find the f-bodys that hard to work on but maybe that's cause I had c4 corvette before and to remove the battery you had to remove the fender to get to it.

**denegrader** · 08-27-2011, 06:26 PM

sounds like i,m complaining, sounds like i dont like em i do like em , everyone hear this i ilke em i own one i like em their fast good looking bang for the buck not that heavy not that hard to work on . aint trying to point out imperfections. l like em and promise you all this will be the last time i ever will write or say anything i mean anything negative in any way ever again promise you all that.
I,ve had good advise good help from a lotta members here very smart wise and proffessional and i thank you all for that.
I realize everyones 1 common view 100% loyalty and devotion to the 4th gen,
Like i said im a newbie when it comes to these cars and i'm totaly taken as trashing the beloved 4th gen , but iaint if i didn't like em i would sell it i haven't and am not. Maybe i'm more objective and maybe im dealing with passionate fanatics over the 4th gens it's fine, i see that now for sure, and just seems silly everyone gettin so angry and upset over an inanimate object and like one of ya said a dime a dozen not my words.
no offense really its ok i will not spoil the 4th gen 24 hour celbration again, have fun with your treasures especially .... good bye

**INMY01TA** · 08-27-2011, 06:32 PM

Yeehaw. Back to our f body party.

**98TransAmWs-6** · 08-27-2011, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by denegrader

sounds like i,m complaining, sounds like i dont like em i do like em , everyone hear this i ilke em i own one i like em their fast good looking bang for the buck not that heavy not that hard to work on . aint trying to point out imperfections. l like em and promise you all this will be the last time i ever will write or say anything i mean anything negative in any way ever again promise you all that.
I,ve had good advise good help from a lotta members here very smart wise and proffessional and i thank you all for that.
I realize everyones 1 common view 100% loyalty and devotion to the 4th gen,
Like i said im a newbie when it comes to these cars and i'm totaly taken as trashing the beloved 4th gen , but iaint if i didn't like em i would sell it i haven't and am not. Maybe i'm more objective and maybe im dealing with passionate fanatics over the 4th gens it's fine, i see that now for sure, and just seems silly everyone gettin so angry and upset over an inanimate object and like one of ya said a dime a dozen not my words.
no offense really its ok i will not spoil the 4th gen 24 hour celbration again, have fun with your treasures especially .... good bye

I can't speak for everyone but I wasn't angry. You just come across as a hater and from what you said I couldn't fathom why someone would buy a car they hate or even from a company they hate. It's just how you came across.

**denegrader** · 08-27-2011, 10:00 PM

I absolutley feel basicaly the same on lotta fronts as most of you as all ive driven is v8's i used to own a 701/2 transam a 73 transam both 4 speeds 2- 70 1/2 formula 400's 3 -74 formulas a 701/2 rally sport a 76 transam i've apreciated the gm's from then since owning them in then 80's Ive had my share of the rival also and apreciate both also had a 93 lt-1 so guess it disqualifies me as a hater .
I hope it helps anyone to understand a littl at least hope so.
Hater noooo way misunderstood not stating my position giving mixed signals yes hater of f bodies absolutley no way never i still admire 79 transams and the 2011 camaroo ss also so just to clear the record.
I'll try and state myself and my quieries more user friendly.
Enough of this now party hardy and i ll try not and seem like a party pooper.

**Spikito** · 08-28-2011, 05:20 AM

Originally Posted by denegrader

I absolutley feel basicaly the same on lotta fronts as most of you as all ive driven is v8's i used to own a 701/2 transam a 73 transam both 4 speeds 2- 70 1/2 formula 400's 3 -74 formulas a 701/2 rally sport a 76 transam i've apreciated the gm's from then since owning them in then 80's Ive had my share of the rival also and apreciate both also had a 93 lt-1 so guess it disqualifies me as a hater .
I hope it helps anyone to understand a littl at least hope so.
Hater noooo way misunderstood not stating my position giving mixed signals yes hater of f bodies absolutley no way never i still admire 79 transams and the 2011 camaroo ss also so just to clear the record.
I'll try and state myself and my quieries more user friendly.
Enough of this now party hardy and i ll try not and seem like a party pooper.

huh?

**Smittro** · 08-28-2011, 06:42 AM

Had an 01 myself.. Hmm lets see here.. Paint falls off, electrical probs, cheapo interiors, junk brake system, junk trannies, junk rear ends, piss poor build quality, piss poor fit and finish, cramped design, rear set up to favor drivers side, back seats for people without legs, shitty window motors and regs, foggy head light covers, melting tail light, weak unibody (torque dimples), more rattles and squeeks than a hookers bed.. etc, etc, etc, but for the coolness? yeah they have that..lol Had 4 of them, sold all of them..
You paid for the name sake and nothing else.. GM makes far better vehicles for the buck, with the LSx power plant.. Move to the next higher class of GM vehicle and you'll see what I'm sayin', Example: sit in your f-body and then go sit in a Goat..

You have to love the f-body or you'll hate it in a hurry..

Working on them is what the hobby is all about, some get it, some don't, and persay in my case, I just got tired of it... Happy motoring..

**LeadFarmer** · 08-30-2011, 03:57 PM

you're looking at the f-body from the wrong perspective, it isn't gm's poster boy sport's car, the corevette is, if you've driven one you'll understand the difference in the price gap between a C5 and an F-body, if all the problems with the fbody didn't exsist how do you think that would affect the sales of vettes? It's mostly marketing strategy. You get what you pay for, and for the price, it really doesn't get much better than a ls1.
Personally i'm glad GM dumped more money into the motor rather than the interior & exterior(which I think is sexxxy as hell and unmatched to this day in the price range) plus almost all of those small problems can be avoided if the car has been taken care of and not abused, i've never had any of those problems with either of mine. And for the small problems I did have, they were all solved within a few hours of personal labor at the most, this is coming from an 20yr old sport's car noob. Also all that other crap is irrelevant for me, which is why I bought 2 f-bodies, if creature comforts is what you want you bought the wrong car. Plus look at the f-bodie's main competitor the mustang........yeh........all those problems just magically dissapeared didn't they? lol

**Spikito** · 08-31-2011, 05:37 AM

yeah, ive owned 3 f-bodies...the first was a 95, over two years i had to replace the EGR, a coil, and an intake gasket, all chronic problems with that motor.

the 2001 needed a new slave, thats all....
the 2000 needed a new slave, but i didnt replace it in time, burned up the clutch....i think thats all its needed.