From:
mahoy78spyder_REMOVE_235730_THIS_@yahoo.com
<<"...but what the hell is an
Hbody?">>
Ok, here is the "official" answer to that question,
borrowed from our Hbody FAQ. Are you sitting down?.....
spit your gum out!... school is in session!
*smile*
The H-body was GM's subcompact car for the seventies,
sold in six
different models: Chevrolet Vega and
Monza, Pontiac Astre and
Sunbird, Buick Skyhawk, and
Oldsmobile Starfire.
Each model has a 4, 6, or
8-cylinder engine in the front and a solid
rear axle to
move the car. All bodies are of unit-body
construction
(no separate frame). All styles have four seats, two
doors, and are
available in notchback, hatchback, or
wagon forms (depending on
brand). There are economy
and performace-tuned models.
The line was
replaced in the early eighties by the
transverse
front-engined front wheel drive GM J-Body (Chevrolet
Cavalier,
Pontiac Sunbird, etc.).
The H-Bodies were
developed by GM Lead Engineer Ed Cole,
who also
developed the Corvair and Fiero. The Vega was
designed
with a Chevy Small Block V8 in mind, but the Corvette
group
protested enough to kill that option.
H is the
internal code GM used to identify the car platform.
For
example, some other codes are F for the Camaro and
Firebird, P for
the Fiero, Y for the Corvette, G for the
RWD Monte Carlo and
Grand Prix, and so on. Letter
codes change and get reused. Most
recently, H was
used for the large FWD platform used by the
Pontiac
Bonneville and Buick LeSabre.
Ok..... got all that?!
;-)
Ken
[This is message #24 by user mahoy78spyder on Yahoo! Club Buick Skyhawk owner's Club:
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/buickskyhawkownersclub ]