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Office Equipment Malfunctioning? Have A Little Birthday Cake RemixMore in: Roundup, Cadillac, Diesel, Engine, Ford, Fuel, General Motors, Hybrid, Mobile Electronics, SUV, Toyota | Comments | Permalink | 71,993 Views
 If all of the computer equipment at your work is malfunctioning and makes you T.O.'d like the guys in the movie "Office Space", maybe it's a good time to leave your cubical for a few and go purchase a "Birthday Cake Remix" ice cream love affair from a local Cold Stone Creamery. Or if you want to take your mind off things check out Truckblog.TV on iTunes. Click it and subscribe, you know you want to.
Here's the low down from last week.
• 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Is Only $71k, Saves Money On Fuel Prices
• J.D. Power And Associates Rewards Toyota Tundra For Third Consecutive Year
• Sirius XM Radio Inc To Offer Interoperable Radios Within 9 Months
• Ford Drops F-100 Pickup Idea, F-150 To Get EcoBoost Engine In 18 Months
• 2009 General Motors Hybrid Pickup Trucks Delayed
• Pontiac G8 ST Sport Truck Gets Finalized
• Drivers Fined And Impounded For Extra Illegal Mexico Diesel Fuel
• Toyota Profits Plunge, So Does Tundra Heavy Duty Diesel Pickup Truck Project
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6th Annual Texas Showdown June 14, 15 in Houston, Texas
 The 6th Annual Texas Showdown is next weekend, June 14 and 15, at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, Texas. There will be a tug-o-war, burn out contest, truck, car and motorcycle show, hopping contest, motorcycle stunt show, live music, chugging contest, audio sound-off contest, hot dog eating contest and more. The gates open at 10:00 AM and the show ends at 5:30 PM. Adult admission is $15.00 for the 2-Day pass and $10.00 for the 1-Day pass. Children 10 and under are free. For more information check out the Teas Showdown website at www.texasshowdown.com.Full Story... 
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| | Chrysler Ties Toyota In Plant Productivity
 Driven by more consistent, leaner processes and buyouts of tens of thousands workers, the Detroit Three automakers in 2007 nearly erased the productivity deficit against their Japanese-based competitors, despite declining production and shrinking market share. The difference among the Big Six from the most to least productive in terms of total manufacturing labor (Assembly, Stamping, Engine and Transmission) has dropped to 3.50 hours per vehicle (or about $260 per vehicle), down from 10.51 hours (or $790 per vehicle) in 2003. Chrysler showed the biggest improvement, cutting its total manufacturing labor hours per vehicle by 7.7% to 30.37, the same number recorded by Toyota, according to Oliver Wyman's The Harbour Report North America 2008, the annual study released today.Full Story...
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The California Truck Jamboree Plus And Moto-Palooza ShowMore in: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Classics, Diesel, Dodge, Exterior, Ford, General Motors, GMC, Hummer, Interior, Jeep, Monster Trucks, Nissan, Off-Road, Racing, SUV, Toyota, Truck Jam | Comments | Permalink | 131,815 Views
 The California Truck Jamboree Plus & Moto-Palooza show will be arriving at the end of the month. Combining two shows into one, the one day event will be held on June 29th, 2008 at Hidden Valley Park in Irvine, California. The Truck Jamboree Plus will feature hotrods, custom and classic cars, pickup trucks, heavy duty trucks, motorcycles and more. There will also be "Shocker" the monster truck, live music and more. The show runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and adult spectator tickets are just $15 and children under 12 are FREE with a paid admission. Also, there is free parking. For more information, check out the Truck Jam website at www.TruckJamPlus.com.Full Story...
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GearZ DVDs Episodes 1 Through 12 With Stacey David Now For Sale
 We last blogged about Gearz when the television series began back in February. Now three months later, you can own the first twelve episodes yourself for only $25.95. Not bad! This season, Stacey works on a Ford Bronco, 1970's ATV, Mazda Miata, Banshee, 1932 Ford, a late model diesel pickup truck, and more. You can purchase the DVD set by visting their website, located here.
Speaking of TV series, if you have not received the memo about our own, Truckblog TV, check out Episode 2., which was posted earlier this week.
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Ford F-100 Stands As A Rumor, Possible Replacement For Ranger
 According to Pickuptrucks, Ford is working on a new F-100 series mid-size pickup truck that would share the new F-150 platform and possibly replace the Ford Ranger. The new pickup is expected to arrive by 2011 and it is believed that the truck will feature Ford's new EcoBoost twin turbo gasoline direct injection V6 engine, or possible 4.4 liter V8 diesel which is expected for the 2010 F-150. Either way, it's all just speculation, as no official word has come from Ford yet.
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Pontiac Drops El Camino Name, Doesn't Know WTH To Call It
 Not that it's going to sell much here in the U.S. anyway (or so we at Truckblog think), Pontiac has announced they have dropped the fabulous "El Camino" name that was given to the newly designed G8 Sport Truck, in hopes to drop the ties with the previous Chevrolet struck model from the 1960's through 1980's. The auto manufacturer have narrowed the selection down to ten names and they are "going through a vetting process" says Brian Shipman, a spokesman for Pontiac. As reported by cars.com.
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Friday Beerblog: ''Da Hulk'' Crazy Lifted Holden UTE Pickup Truck
 I don't know where the guys at Jalopnik find this crap, but it's really amazing. As seen in the photographs, the vehicle is a Holden UTE sport truck, which are sold in Australia. Lifted on huge Mickey Thompson Baja Claws and packed with a 6.0 liter V8 engine, "Da Hulk" as it's called, also has what seems to be hydraulic cross over steering, a full Dana 60 front axle, leaf springs, a Westin Bull Bar, six Lightforce HID off road lights, flared fenders, chrome side steps, and roll bar. Mudding anyone?Full Story...
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A Blast From The Past, One Week AgoMore in: Roundup, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Engine, Exterior, Ford, General Motors, Jeep, New Products, Performance, Recall, SUV, Toyota, Wheels | Comments | Permalink | 105,668 Views
Can you believe it's already Monday again? What happened to the weekend? Well, one thing is for sure, at least this week we get to look forward to more exciting news about our economy. Starting off with the price of oil tipping $110 per barrel, $3.29 dollar average gasoline prices (don't forget the diesel guys at well over $4.00 already!), continued market share decline for domestic automakers, Union employees not agreeing yet on contracts, and more vehicle recalls. However, on a happier note, here's a list of our top stories from last week that you may have missed in the midst of all the action last week.
• Pontiac Introduces 2010 G8 Sport Truck
• Taco Tuesday! TRD Supercharged 2008 Toyota Tacoma Reviewed As Well
• Ford F-450 Put To The Test, How Does It Rate?
• EEzy Wheel: So EEzy, Even A Caveman Can Do It
• Friday Beerblog: Forget The Spare, Save Gas With A Golf Cart Wheel
• AMP Research Power Step Now For 2008 Toyota Sequoia
• 100k 2008 Ford F-Series Trucks Recalled
• Auto Giant Toyota Cuts Tundra Production
• American Axle Versus General Motors Week 3, 29 Plants Hit
• 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee And Commander SUVs Recalled For Stalling
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Truck Jam Plus This Sunday
 Make sure you visit the California Truck Jamboree Plus event at the Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine, California this Sunday, July 29th. Custom and Classic vehicles will be on display, as well as Hotrods, Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles and Shocker Monster Truck car crush! There will also be a Street Bike Stunt Show as well as live music by LimeLife.
Bring the family, tickets are $15 at the gate for adults and Kids 12 and under are free with a paid admission. Discounts are available in OC Truck Trader, OC Auto Trader, LA Truck Trader east & west, Street Trucks mag and more.
Check it out! www.TruckJamPlus.com.
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Spring Truck Jam Preview
 What are you doing this Sunday, May 6th? If you're in SoCal, you better be in Irvine, at the biggest, baddest truck show on the west coast! The Spring California Truck Jamboree kicks off the 2007 show season in a big way, with the west coast's finest trucks and SUVs representin'. This is no sleeper show, either. For starters, there's the burnout contest, the monster truck car crush courtesy of Shocker, an air hop contest featuring about a half a dozen trucks, and live music by Limelife.
Full Story...
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Cal Jam After Dark Show: Over 350 Photos!
 This past Saturday at the Long Beach Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, California, was the first show of its kind. An all day show that started in the morning and ended late at night. While the usual events were there, such as the air hop and burnout contest, "California Jamboree After Dark" featured the first ever rail dragging contest after the sun went down. We were there all day long, and while the video is still in the works, we couldn't wait to put up the photos. We captured over 350 shots of this event from morning 'til night. The rail dragging contest was the highlight of the day, as I'm sure anyone there can agree! We hope they bring it back next year!
View Photos...
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It's Show Time!
 As summer winds down and we head into the off-season, many of us take our show vehicles and strip them back down to create something new and exciting for the next season. Hold off on that for at least another two weeks, though. Some big shows are still going on. Tomorrow is the 7th Annual Cruisin' For A Cure show at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, California. Truckblog will be there to cover it all.
Then, next weekend (September 30th) is a new show put on by the guys who run the famous SoCal Truckjam shows. Their latest creation, called California Jamboree After Dark is a full day show in Long Beach that extends into the night for a different type of truck show. They will have the usual events, as well as events catering to the evening, such as a rail drag contest. Truckblog is a proud sponsor of this show and we'll be there to bring you the most comprehensive coverage -- photos and videos!
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Carlisle All Truck Nationals 2006
 This year, like years past our Truckblog Operatives are roaming The All Truck Nationals Show in Carlisle Pennsylvania shooing tons of photos. The show is a 3-day event that includes not only the Truck Show, but Rock Crawling, Monster Trucks, Burnout Contests and much more! It runs from Friday August 4th to Sunday the 6th. If you are on the East Coast and can make the show, we recommend you do as Carlisle Events puts on an awesome show! Stay tuned for some great content!
Full Story...
– MichaelS
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2005i Silverado SS 2WD First Drive
 PickupTruck.com has reviewed the 2005i Chevrolet Silverado SS 2WD. "Just introduced in 2-wheel-drive, the new 2005i Silverado SS boils the tires with all the authority of a John Force half-track burnout. This basic street-cred maneuver had been hopeless in the original Silverado SS with its all-wheel-drive setup."
Full Story... –
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Chevy Pickup Gets More Beef in 2005
 David Mikesell at the Dayton Daily News reports on the new 2005 Chevrolet SSR: "Highlighting the 2005 SSR is a 6.0-liter V-8 engine lifted straight from the Chevy Corvette. The engine turns out 390 horsepower and is a marked improvement over the previous powerplant, a 300-horsepower 5.3-liter V-8. The added horsepower makes the SSR a rumbling mass of energy. At nearly two-and-a-half tons, the SSR needs a hot engine to match its looks and now has it. The exhaust has been retuned to maintain its lusty roar. The SSR comes standard with a 4-speed automatic transmission - another copy of a Corvette piece. A 6-speed manual transmission is newly available as an $815 option."
Full article... –
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Ford SVT Lightning Isn't Dead Yet
 At SEMA 2004, the writers of Pickuptruck.com sat down for a luncheon with John Coletti , Ford's director of Special Vehicle Teams (SVT) and asked him about the demise of our beloved Lightning.
Coletti said some media and enthusiasts have interpreted the group's decision to postpone work on the next-generation truck as meaning the program is cancelled.
"That's simply not true," said Coletti, who spoke with PickupTruck.com at the Innovations Day luncheon, which kicked off Ford's participation in the 2004 SEMA Show in Las Vegas on Nov. 1.
Officials said that switching to next-generation platforms of the F-150 and Mustang hit too close together for engineering to proceed at a timely pace on both vehicles. Also, the plants where the vehicles are to be assembled have changed and acclimating the procedures and parts to a new workforce would have stretched the SVT team too thin.
Read More... –
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2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab
 AutoWeek reports, "Fast cars and trucks, SUVs, golf carts, whatever gets two thumbs-up around here, so when an outfit like Chrysler's SRT performance tuning firm works its magic, it gets attention.
One favorite SRT creation is Dodge's pickup screamer, the Viper-powered Ram SRT-10 standard cab, which recently snatched the title of world's fastest truck away from Ford's SVT Lightning."
Read more at AutoWeek –
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This Just In: Lightning No Longer Strikes
Ford Lightning Won't Strike Again
Those patient supertruck fans awaiting a new Ford F-150 Lightning will be upset to learn that Ford has killed plans for a new Lightning based on the new F-150. According to reports from Orlando Sentinel auto writer Steven Cole Smith, Ford is halting work on a new Lightning because the cost of developing the new vehicle was prohibitive. A Ford spokesman said that the vehicle had been "postponed" but that any revival would take until at least 2008.
Read the full story
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The SSR Blackbird 425
 "As cool as Chevrolet’s retro-cruiser might look, critics of the SSR point to its excess weight, saying it’s under-powered and lacks the handling ability expected of a sport truck. American Specialty Cars, having worked with Chevy to design, develop and build SSR, is uniquely suited to take this truck to the next level.
The Blackbird 425 features a host of performance and aesthetic changes that address many of the stock SSR’s more mundane characteristics. Named after the U.S. Air Force’s SR-71 Cold War spy plane and for the 425 hp underhood, this SSR’s stock 5.3-liter V8 gets forced-induction help from a Magnuson Roots-type supercharger rated at six pounds of boost. The cold-air intake integrated with the stock hood and the dual exhaust system (with custom tips) increase airflow through the powerplant, dramatically improving throttle response and overall thrust."
Read the full story at AutoWeek –
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Toyota Reveals the X-Runner
 The X-Runner, what the heck is that? Well, At the 2004 Chicago Auto Show, Toyota announced the new X-Runner to the world and forever changed the pages of history by showcasing their latest addition to the furious world of Sport Trucks. The X-Runner, Toyota's latest truck is not a concept vehicle, it's a full blown high performance street truck for production and will be available later this month at dealerships nationwide.
 Now, this truck isn't a Dodge Viper powered SRT 1o or Ford's landmark Lightning, but you can readily see the race inspired engineering that was used when Toyota set out to create this little rocket. Everything about this truck screams "sport" from it's stiffer springs and rear anti-roll bar, Bilstein shocks, to the stiffer "X-Braced" chassis. Throw in a 4.0-liter, 245-hp, 282-lb-ft DOHC V6 coupled with a six-speed manual gear box (which is the only transmission option) and you have the making for a less than 7 second 0-60 time. Not a fantastic time but still impressive for a truck. Also, according to Toyota there will be a supercharged option so hold on to your seat 'cause this truck is just going to get better.
Toyota finished up the build up for the X-Runner by adding a pretty sharp styling package that includes full ground effects, a nonfunctional hood scoop and then painted it in three distinct colors (red, black and blue). Overall we are impressed with the Toyota X-Runners entrance to the sport truck arena but we can't help wondering what Nissan has in store for their Titan.
Click to find out more about Toyota's X-Runner –
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Roush's 04 F-150 is a Hit!
Jack Roush, the legendary racer and CEO of Roush Racing, has tipped the scales for the performance minded 2004 Ford F-150 owners by offering three different levels of performance packages created by Roush Performance. Roush is now offering three performance levels; The Sport or Tejon, Stage I and Stage II for Ford's 04 F-150. Now the Tejon or Sport are a little on the tame side for our likes, but we think the Stage I & II are both rockin'.
 The Tejon F-150 Sport package adds a little eye-catching appeal with the addition of a hood scoop and set of 20" wheels and tires. In the performance arena the package includes the addition of a cat-back exhaust systems topped off with Roush's distinctive exhaust tips. That's not a bad deal for around $4,500 if you consider 20 inch wheels and rubber is usually going to be close to that anyway. The Tejon gets our vote for those who want to be distinctive, but don't feel like really changing their truck too much.
 Here's where it starts getting good. Roush's Stage I F-150. Emptying your wallet to the tune of $7,500 for the core components you will be happy to know that this baby has packed plenty of punch for your hard earned dollars. The Stage I has everything featured on the Tejon, but also includes a painted front bumper and chin spoiler, a sport suspension that lowers the truck by 2" in the front and 3" in the back. This kit also includes performance shocks and sway bars to stiffen up your ride. This truck looks every bit the part of what you would expect if it says Roush on it.
 Now the Stage II is just a further extension of the Stage I so expect more styling pieces, including painted and molded rear bumpers, side skirts and a rear wing. The Stage II is also only available in the Supercab Styleside Ford factory configuration so keep that in mind if you feel like heading down that direction. Keep in mind the Stage II, with it's aggressive styling will set you back a good $11,500 so make sure you're ready.
What's our take? Well, one of our biggest problems with the styling is consistently the wheels - 20" wheels are nice, but they still look small when the wheel well could handle 24" with ease. The overall styling is pretty nice and on the verge of overdone in the stage II unless you are a Craftsman Truck Series fan but all of these packages are missing something fundamental. Something that we would have thought would be common sense for a company that uses the word in their name. Performance: where is it. A cat-back is hardly the answer. Where's the headers, the air intake, the performance chip and the optional supercharger system, all the stuff that was debuted at the 2003 SEMA show. Maybe we are just spoiled by Roush's previous work, but we don't think asking for a little more performance is too much. Maybe it's being saved for the Stage III.
Click to visit Roush Performance –
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Spice up Your Truck's Rearend
 Aeroform introduces a new custom kit for 1999-2002 Chevy Silverado pickup trucks. It's a truly unique transformation of the Silverado into the GM styling of the Chevy Corvette.
The VetteBack Kit is designed to replace the stock tailgate. It comes complete with tailgate, roll pan, back lamps, license unit, wiring harness and exhaust tips. The tailgate uses the factory hardware and latch assembly, and the quarter panel extensions may be fastened or molded on.
The VetteBack Kit is very easy to install that can be done in a couple hours and comes with a complete instruction sheet, you would however need to have it painted to match your vehicle but for all intensive purposes it's a complete kit for restyling the rear of your truck.
Click to visit Aeroform –
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Trucks With Style
 MSN Autos Editors recently put together a most excellent compilation of specialty trucks that exude both power and style.
 "Many truck manufacturers are offering specialty versions of their trucks for sale in the U.S., with the focus geared toward either high-performance or luxury, and all are featured on MSN Autos.
 These specialty trucks go beyond the pickup truck's historic roots as an everyday workhorse and add fun, style and performance—not to mention eye-catching looks. Current trends for specialty trucks even cross over into sports car and SUV territory."
Read the full story... –
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If you've been following along over the past few weeks, Truckblog was all over the 2006 Spring Truck Jamboree in SoCal, as proven by the multitude of photos and videos posted. With the 
The 2007 Ford F-150 FX2 is an example of how connected Ford is to its customer base because it is being offered as a result of customer demand for the popular FX package on a two-wheel-drive truck. It also continues Ford’s tradition of offering more models, more cab options and more box configurations than any other truck line in North America.
Saleen, the premier manufacturer of limited edition, high-performance vehicles, today marked a new paradigm in sport truck performance with its debut of the pre-production Supercharged Saleen Sport Truck S331, at the LA Auto Show.
According to 
Yesterday, at New York's 2005 Autoshow, Ford unveiled the newest vehicle to be added to the SVT lineup for 2007 sales, The SVT Sport Trac Adrenalin.
Chrysler's SkunkWerks team has been working around the clock for a while to have a significant pressence at the 2004 SEMA show and one of the many vehicles they produced was a the Dodge Durango "Dude" concept. What's interesting about this concept is that it's a truck, but they built it by chopping a Durango rather than attacking one of the new Dakotas.
Just as the world starts to realize that Dodge has forever changed the face of things to come by introducing the new record holding fastest production truck, they set the bar a little higher by introducing the latest viper powered SRT-10 in a quad cab!
