@Sajeev, I've heard plenty of griping about DoD-caused failures, too, but how common is it really? I mean, GM has sold millions of these trucks. Any TSBs? I get wanting to avoid the DoD motors if you're looking for cores to build for hotrodding because it's just added complexity you have to deal with, same as with variable valve or cam timing. Not saying it doesn't happen, but maybe it's just the circles I run in, a lot of griping I hear is from old-timers who seem to distrust any new technology. On the other hand, I don't hang out in LS forums. ... View more

Sajeev, Are there particular years of the displacement on demand that are worse than others? I'm not in the market now, but I could see replacing my 2002 Yukon XL (5.3, non-DoD) with a newer model in a few years. ... View more

Take it from experience: if the rest of the motor is tired, rebuilding the top end will make your oil consumption/blowby worse. ... View more

Fascinating idea! What are the chances that the windshield gets broken taking it out to reseal it? ... View more

A little more context about the car: as far as I know it's mostly been a California car, but I have no way to say 100%. When I bought the car, I was able to track down one of the previous owners, and it turns out he had found the car in about 2001 in an estate sale out of Fresno, where the car had been sitting since 1971. He restored it when he bought it, which DID involve replacing the floor under the rear seat, but otherwise, the car seems pretty rust free. I'll definitely check all the bushings. One things I've learned about a lot of the parts available nowadays, reproduction or just the modern variant, are hardly up to snuff when compared to OEM quality (I'm looking at you mechanical fuel pumps!), so even with the front end having been rebuilt shortly prior to my ownership, the parts may not be holding as well as they should for their age/mileage. They may look correct but just don't last. ... View more

I'm not an everyday reader of the Hagerty blog, but that doesn't mean I don't like to scroll through older stories when I do have time. Before the refresh, the posts were paginated, so I could jump directly to posts that had been written days, weeks, or months ago and start where I'd left off. With the new redesign, we seem to have lost the pagination (or if it's still there, it's not clear how to access it). Instead, we have an endlessly lengthening roll of stories with the most recent always at the top, which makes it very difficult to read older stories in any systematic way. In short, bring pack pagination! ... View more