Intro from an old Assembly Plant guy

[tucsonjwt]

Welcome aboard Keith. Your post brings back memories.
I also worked for GM in the late 1970s, before being laid off and moving to Arizona. I got a GM sponsored graduate degree via CMU which offered classes in various GM plants and other offsite locations, including Flint Truck Assembly. I remember watching the body drops on my way to class in conference rooms deep inside the plant. All of the GMI grads in my graduate classes complained that they could not get out of their first production supervision assignment and into engineering, since those jobs were all filled by outside "top tier" engineering school grads, and not "car school" grads. It's good to see that you proved their perception wrong.
I bought a 73 C20 454 for $450 in 1982 and drove it out here to AZ after being laid off from GM. I kept that vehicle for 21 years, until rust made it too dangerous to drive. I then bought a 76 C20 350/350 (a real dog) which I sold after two years. In 2002 I bought a 83 C20 454 granny 4 spd. (with a gear vendor) and had a dump hoist conversion installed. I drive that today, after countless repairs- just a second vehicle.
One quick question that has always been a problem with 454s - how do you stop "starter heat soak" - the no start condition when the engine is hot? So far, I have installed remote solenoid, GM high torque mini starter, and dual start batteries - but still a somewhat difficult start in 110 degree AZ heat.