Buffalo News:Amid whistles and applause from onlookers, Willie Ray Jr. hoisted the final L18 made at General Motors’ Town of Tonawanda engine plant off the production line and onto a metal cart.
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It was the last of the “big block” V-8 engines made by the plant, a legacy dating to 1958 and a local connection under the hood of some renowned GM cars.
The end of the L18 on Friday also puts 150 hourly workers on layoff, bringing to 298 the total number of workers on layoff from the Tonawanda plant.
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Dec. 22, 2009 12:16 p.m. JoeyM Reader
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Dec. 22, 2009 12:31 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork
They're still building big blocks, just not at Tonawanda.
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Dec. 22, 2009 12:47 p.m. belteshazzar SuperDork
I very badly want an avalanche with that motor.
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Dec. 22, 2009 4:01 p.m. DILYSI Dave UltimaDork
stuart in mn wrote:
They're still building big blocks, just not at Tonawanda.
You sure?
My Silverado with the L18 and Allison makes me smile.
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Dec. 22, 2009 4:53 p.m. pete240z Dork
Quoted as: Plant manager Steve Finch called it "the end of a remarkable era."
Here is the good news: The facility's main engine line now is the L850, a four-cylinder, 2.2-liter engine found in the Chevrolet Cobalt and Malibu. The plant also produces a slant 5-cylinder engine. (feel free to add to my sarcasm here)
It does leave the sad feeling inside me.
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Dec. 22, 2009 5:08 p.m. ignorant PowerDork
My buddy worked there for a bit and at Honeyeoe(never can spell that name right) Falls
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Dec. 22, 2009 9:25 p.m. mapper New Reader
DILYSI Dave wrote:
stuart in mn wrote:
They're still building big blocks, just not at Tonawanda.
You sure?
My Silverado with the L18 and Allison makes me smile.
Dave, no more van?
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Dec. 22, 2009 9:54 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork
You sure?
My understanding is the 8.1 liter blocks put in trucks on the production line were built in Tonawanda, while the big block crate engines are continung to be built in Mexico.
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Dec. 22, 2009 11:41 p.m. DILYSI Dave UltimaDork
mapper wrote:
DILYSI Dave wrote:
stuart in mn wrote:
They're still building big blocks, just not at Tonawanda.
You sure?
My Silverado with the L18 and Allison makes me smile.
Dave, no more van?
No more van. It served me well for a long time, but I got a deal on the Silverado that I couldn't turn down.
