Windshield | So we tried the Chevy

In the Parabrisas-Corsa Issue 230 issue of May 1970, the Chevrolet test was featured, one of Chevrolet's clbadics. Although it took place between 1969 and 1978, until General Motors left the country, the model of the brand of the bun was established in the Argentine company, in different versions, and even entered the categories the most prestigious national motorsport. On this occasion, we remember your test drive, in its version 230.

TEST

Bitten apples, Pola Negri eyes, advertising with subliminal attempts, almost unconditional adherence to the brand, unconscious temptations set aside, and -a few months of seeing it in the street- it's time to know if the amount of this figure varies considerably, but still high, which means committing the original sin of falling into great temptation, is justified at the moment of the much less romantic truth.

In the particular case of the new Chevrolet, its catalogs say that it is the product of the temptation of the well-paid engineers of the house to achieve something completely new. And that temptation took shape until it was defined. And then temptation has become the challenge to produce it. And that they produced it, as well as the resulting presentation, etc., and so on.

Who knows it's true that the engineers designated for the project had this big whim. The demands of society and the lack of time to waste on these expensive adventures have certainly not allowed them to afford such a weakness. Which does not mean that the car that General Motors was putting into production at the end of 1969 is the end product of the work of a large number of neurons who are primarily responsible for the incessant projection of ideas, then other ministries and others. Reasons (usually the prevailing factor is adaptation to the desired market taste) are responsible for buffer control, foundry, machining and manufacturing. 1,500 men from the United States, gathered every day for a number of hours, are those who seek constant renewal in the technical center possessed by the powerful general manager in Warren, a few kilometers from Detroit.

They seek to awaken the inclination of the buyer. In each country, the buyer is a different character, which, in general, translates into a different market in each place. And to reach each market, thought of our level of simple informants, we must appeal to the infallible crystal ball. Because today the Argentine taste imposes a car like tomorrow, because yes, it buries it. But the inconstancy of the popular sector is not as common as the mysteries contained in its accessibility.

For the large number of gentlemen buyers, when it is necessary to gather information about the car that she has in view, a lot of subtle information does not interest her. For that, the car that has bought or planned in its immediate desires is, first and foremost, a huge percentage of sheets folded neatly and badembled. This is why the signature in the country of origin of the (American) model is awarded annually to Aboriginal graduates of new design schools.

Then comes the result of this exemplary workshop of ideas, following the ascending pyramidal path of rigor in any enterprise of great importance, to undergo changes and adaptations to the tastes of the consumer market. It happens that the styling department produces good ideas, but a baguetita here, another beyond that attached a posteriori, and the result is a spatial reality far removed from all the inspired ideas that were at the time. Origin of the project. But this functional and final criticism can be issued by someone who, as in our case, is qualified for the acquired aptitude.

To place ourselves in an absolutely objective plan, with a clear proposal of good design and abstraction of the seller's necessary argument or arbitrary harm.

But suddenly, the end result is obtained. Do not forget the Corvair, the Pontiac Firebird or the Camaro. And suddenly, here, for us, local consumers, the Chevy. A brand new car similar to the Nova model that is produced there.

Today, a few months after the presentation of the Chevrolet, the image multiplies in a reality of each parking lot. The Chevy was also in its foreign origin the union of the secretion of a large number of neurons contracted by this Michigan technical center. This is the obvious result of this style department. The design of the hood and tail, universalized for the moment but 100% original General Motors. The typical fall of the bezel almost to form a "quick return" and the rear wing elevation that is part of the rear window is an idea of ​​GM's intellectual property.

To finish with the justifications and the beginning of the conclusions of the test, let us suppose that there are few clear points that incite to sign the check and take the Chevy: 1) The prestige of the company, in the first place. 2) All discussions on design, termination, etc. 3) Reliability and results achieved by an engine already tested and leaving just talking about the accumulated experience (sports results, "it's almost the same engine that thirty years ago, my dear .. . ", etc.).

Roll, roll

We received 230 in San Martin with about 4,000 kilometers on the clock. Let's clarify that it is also sold with the 250 engine …

Without having individual seats, our 230 with which we left the San Martin factory allows the driver to take the body in a very comfortable position. As for the legs, they get tired (we have noticed from the first moment) because the lower part of the front seat – and also the rear – requires a few more centimeters.

The hypothesis of embarrbadment, launched almost a priori, was confirmed during the trip, while the legs were the first parts of the body who suffered from premature fatigue. According to the pbadengers' comment, the lack of comfort and the lack of support, as well as some other elements detailed below, accentuate the lack of comfort.

The door that had allowed us to enter the cabin does not stand out – nor from the back – because of its size. However, going up and down does not require contortion of the circus, let alone. To conclude with the first part of the second part, it should be emphasized for aesthetic reasons that the filling, although convenient for the effects of dirt and cleanliness, is not characterized by its very good taste.

Before closing the door – with the precise indication of a curious and meticulous researcher – we discovered that the mechanism of closing doors, fierritos, casts, and effect boloneries and others Unsightly mechanical objects are well in sight, exposed and suffers from the slightest intention of its manufacturers to find a solution that conceals them.

Already launched at the first optical inspection, we follow the one traveled by the council. It hardly fulfills its functions, and as far as the design is concerned, the useless "neobarroquismos", so common in the Chevrolet's big cars, have been omitted. Its design is clean, the speedometer – the central theme of the board and the larger instrument – is easy to read Another virtue: during technical tests of the road test, hand stopwatch, l 39; The table pointer had a very small margin of error.

Something like four percent – at certain speeds, it was absolutely accurate – being in the indicated hourly speeds. To the left of this large quadrant is the second and last reading instrument (fuel tank level), which allows you to continue traveling a few extra kilometers when the needle is at zero.

The set of buttons and indicators located in front of the steering wheel is integrated with the windshield wiper controls (two-speed) and the high and low lights (pedal yaw control) on the left. While on the right the case is formed with the lighter, whose button is of the same design, and underneath – following the same line of design – the exclusive place to enter the ignition key.

Everything else – alternator charge indicator, water temperature, oil pressure, strong light and parking brake applied – is indicated by "bobo" lights inside the central quadrant including the indicator speedometer and odometer. In the steering bar, in the immediate area behind the steering wheel, the steering indicator lever was housed and a smart button used to let the four intermittent lights (one at each end of the car) lit simultaneously in case of emergency stop en route or in a similar case.

Again, for the case of our model – the Chevy S brings a 4-speed gearbox and lever to the ground – the lever was in the conventional position of the steering column to accommodate the three-speed and retro. This has always been topical – not just in the very recent era – extremely difficult and tiring for female dolls.

Continuing to the right, from the main panel, only for mandatory and legal security reasons in the United States and applying here to all the factories from there, the board is kept right without continuity to also form a panel . heavy and leave too little space for the glove box. Because in the United States, there can be no cover or protrusion that can be dangerous and prevent the panel from giving way to the impact of pbadengers against him in an accident. For this, the legislation includes some measures that sacrifice elegance and functionality for safety.

To finish with what you see, let's say that the visibility to the front is normal, nothing out of the ordinary. The windshield parant and a happy combination of bagpipes and vents create a set too big that forms quite obvious blind areas in the front ends. By using the mirror to look through the inclined and high rear window, the lower blind spot (ie, the closest visible point of the visible rearward ground) is moving too far.

The windshield is most realized in terms of glazed spaces, although in the measures and comparatively nothing is extraordinary. The windows are of regular size for the front seat occupants and may be too small at the rear. This characteristic of the small rear windows is long and its sequence originates from the "fast return" line. The elevation of the waistline to form the rear mudguard also determines the shape of the rear windows, whose lower line has a thorn that reduces them.

Comfortable handling

It starts with the already very comfortable position of the arms in relation to the steering wheel. In this one are the buttons that make the horn. Housed in the ends of the two aligned rays, three "T" that support the rim. The system that, once the driver gets used to looking for horn contact, turns out to be one of the most practical. Thus, instinctively, in case of emergency on the road or in traffic, thumbs automatically go to accessible buttons.

Then we look for the pedalboard. With a soft clutch pedal, an extremely low brake in the particular case of our car and an accelerator that allowed us, during the trip, to maintain the right foot to the pressure almost without feeling muscle fatigue at that end. The position of the brake pedal relative to the accelerator – or vice versa – allowed to practice with a very short time of accustomment, the tip and the tail ("precious" but functional maneuver when you are in the same position). it is well done) could be practiced with the greatest comfort and ease.

More than once, especially on the road during the high-speed crossing, it became not only necessary but essential to go to the "niche" while simultaneously holding the brake by the limitations of the braking mechanism to stop them. more than 1600 kg of the Chevy and companions.

In the steering bar, the gear lever, although hard, as we said, is more effective on the roads blocked by their short drive between the gear and the walk and by the feeling of solidity and strength. 39 equity which is perceived as "adapted" to the needs of the customer. every change

On the roads

In order to understand how a car of this size can behave on mountain and gravel roads, with the Chevrolet, she went to the Calamuchita Valley.

And the Chevrolet surprised us. Technically, we were in cars (deserving redundancy) that the body of the Chevy is welded to the ground to form the integral structure forming a mixture of monohull, with a half-phasis abulonado that provides overall a more great resistance to torsion and gives these luminous characteristics of had. We also read something on the supports that isolated the body from the half-phase to eliminate annoying noises. But in practice, the surprise was capitalized.

The car was abused by these roads, flogged, hit in the long term and caused terrestrial irregularities of various levels not to detect, at the end of the final tests in decibelímetro, practically no sound variation inside the car compared to the day when the unit was abandoned for the first time the plant.

As for the suspension, there is virtually no point of comparison (in practice) with the previous Chevrolet 400. The front is independent thanks to coil springs and shock absorbers, while behind the Hotchkiss system, multiple elastics longitudinal ellipticals replace the previous system. Uniflex simple sheet of dubious practice result. This system of mechanical solutions translates into absolute safety in the turns and braking required.

On the open road, we timed slices of 168 km / h. and a maximum of 174,757 km / h (really amazing – although it could be measured in sections where the road was inclined and the wind was absolutely severe – since we were driving the engine 230) and under no circumstances . At the moment we felt that the Chevrolet was going from end to end, it maintained on the contrary an almost straight line, perfectly attached to the road, without any vices of displacement.

On land and also bound to draw conclusions and photos, the result was the same. Far from responding to the evil characteristics of its compatriots, the Chevrolet reacts by doubling strong with absolute neutrality compared to what is almost the norm in the American car (subvirantes).

In many cases, this is due to a poor weight distribution, determined by the huge mbad of large engines used. With this car, it seems that the drama of distribution has led to a happy solution. And if not, the improved response and chbadis design contributed to the car's frank response.

Conclusions to conclude

In short, with the Chevrolet, we were able to travel fast, very fast and in peace, which is very important. The speeds achieved with the launched car surprised us because they are very high. Although the departure of the car, with the 230 engine above all, and basically to weigh the new model 150 pounds more than the Chevrolet 400, it's nothing fabulous.

Apparently, "it lacks engine" with the 230. At the back of the seat, the acceleration is well perceived, but not at the level it should be. For this, the car will be delivered as an option with a new shorter final report (currently, the gear / crown ratio is 3.08: 1) which will incorporate a set of five available relationships according to the wishes of the prospective buyer .

The double braking circuit brought his anecdote to the test. When we found an absolutely empty brake fluid reservoir while the car was driving (300 km of road), the braking had been such that negligence during the previous check had gone unnoticed in practice and without fear.

The 3 – speed gearbox is well – shifted for city traffic and has allowed, during acceleration tests, to reach 160 km / h in 51 seconds and 100 km / h in 13s6. Times that, while not at all extraordinary, are favorable to the weight characteristics, etc., of the car.

Finally, let us underline the small things that we noticed with the succession of kilometers and days of dwelling of the car. The grips of the eyeglbad mechanism are extremely hard, like almost every manual movement of the car. Including the ventilation and heating levers – excellent very efficient system -, the parking brake pedal – also very efficient – and the closing of the doors.

The radio – for safety reasons too – is placed almost behind the wheel in the lower part of the board. The place is uncomfortable access for the driver. And the discomfort is accentuated by the design of the buttons. The hearing aid includes a speaker at the front of the booth and nothing else. When you are in a car of the quality of one of the models Chevy, you impose another speaker in the tray located behind the back seat.

The engine is extremely accessible and comfortable to perform any type of examination or simple repair by the layman.

Suppose that for braking tests, when we got the numbers from the attached table, the system was not regulated. Only the tire pressure was checked and a floor with a certain abrasiveness, such as the municipal autodrome. In this way, the results can give the reader an idea of ​​what would happen to him and which would surely stop under the same conditions as when an emergency occurred.

The trend of the factory is undoubtedly to take into account at the beginning all the safety measures applicable in the car. The dual brake system allowed us to travel a long time almost without brake fluid in a bucket. Regarding the steering, the Chevrolet is the only car of the Argentine industry to be equipped with a column deformed by a system of shock absorption in the event of a collision. This eliminated the danger to the driver of a rigid steering rod. The system applied by GM is simple and with a percentage of almost absolute efficiency.

It can be said – despite the negative elements found – that the Chevrolet, in any of its versions, offers what its price requires to ask. It is comfortable, but has big spots in the lower part of the seats and in the back of the badpit. But in terms of mechanics and the model as a whole, all defects are easily detectable and can be solved in the short term. All the many positive elements that the car has helped to reverse in its favor the balance of the Argentine palate in this heterogeneous local market.

Other data

Engine: 3.8 liters with six cylinders in line and 138 hp

Transmission: Manual three-speed

Maximum speed: 166.70 km / h

Acceleration 0-100 km / h: 13.6 seconds

Braking distance at 120 km / h: 114.5 meters

Consumption in town: 5.5 km / l

Fuel consumption enroute at 120 km / h: 6.6 km / l