Thread: what mods for a daily driver?

Yeah with that few miles on a car that is 12 years old I would be worried about driving it, the engine was barley even broken in. And if that car has never seen highway the engine is going to cry when you do.

I think I'm just going to go with a new delphi pump.

How would a car cry for being driven on the highway? It's the least amount of wear. It made the 4hr trip just fine. Even shut the car off to take a tinkle at a rest area lol

Yea I wouldn't worry about the highway..just check over maintenance and such.

The fuel pump is just going to be the start of the problems from sitting so long. Tires all dry rotted?

Fuel pump, check the tires. Air filter, fuel filter, check the lines make sure they're not dry fitted or leaking then go from there.

We that kind of mileage I wouldn't go overboard with the mods. Maybe headers, plugs,wires, intake, tune and call it a day.

at most that's probably all I'll ever do. The car was checked over by 2 guys at the dealer. Besides the fp, they were impressed with it. By the looks of it the strainer fell apart and it sucked all the crap into the pump.

A buddy of mine bought a car off some old lady that was 20+ years old had like 20k miles on it, she literally didn't go anywhere with it. He tried to drive it from Brookings SD to Rapid City SD about 7 hour drive or so, made it half way home and the engine took a ****. I'm just saying that with that few miles be careful you don't push it to hard.

Yeah, worked at a camp and someone donated a '88 Ford Conversion van with about 50,000 miles on it. On our inaugural highway trip we tried to pull an empty trailer from Spicer, MN to Two Harbors, MN, 6 hour trip. Got to Moose Lake 3 1/2 hours in and there was smoke rolling out the back end. The rear seal was dumping oil onto the exhaust. I proceded to dump HD oil in every 50 miles to get us the rest of the way there. Low miles on old vehicles can have dried out seals. I experienced first hand. But if that's not the OP's experience it is quite a find.

Nice Tires = better handling, acceleration in wet
Upgrade Brakes = safer stopping
Open Cone Intake = more throttle response
Shift Kit = happier shifts
Custom Tune = Dialed in car, improved drivablility
Tubular Rear Trailing Arms = better handling
Upgrade sway bars, bushings, endlinks = better handling
Solid lower motor mounts, poly upper mounts = less engine rock
HID Projector headlights = better light output

first off, you might wanna replace some rubber if you haven't already done so. I recommend (if you haven't already done so) checking your coolant hoses, vacuum lines (you can buy the whole "harness" from the dealer), plug wires, flexible brake lines and of course tires.

As for a reliable mods list:

3" downpipe (the zzp catted one is a good choice and a quality piece)
PLOG (don't buy a mild steel one if you find one, they crack)
FWI (make one or buy one)
3.5 pulley (do yourself a favor and get an MPS just in case)
Tune (a good one, not some mail order garbage)
shift kit (transgo is popular, stock is junk)

In my experience these mods will keep the car 100% reliable.

Honestly if you did headers and rockers and a smaller pulley you would notice quite a bit more gain in power. However, with headers there is a potential to F your trans and oil dipsticks, also the speed daddy 02 is in a retarded location (you get what you pay for). Using stock gaskets, copper RTV and band clamps I've had zero leaks in 2.5 years, I even snapped off one of the studs. I also have the zzp modded 1.9 rockers, I've had zero problems with them and I highly recommend them. However, there is always a risk of valve train failure when you start messing with that stuff hence why I did not recommend them for your maintenance free mod list.

Also, as mentioned above you can greatly increase your handling/ braking with some suspension/ brake mods on the cheap. (honestly it's more of a safety thing than performance....try a panic stop at 80 on the freeway and let me know how much confidence you have in the stock 11" junk).

I would recommend the GMPP suspension kit, it comes with front and rear sway bars, endlinks, rear trailing arms and a strut tower brace (garbage, threw it away). I bought the kit back in 07 for 100 bucks, huge bang for the buck, way less body roll. This is also beneficial since it will replace some of your rubber underneath which is sure to be dry rotted. I would also recommend doing a 12" brake upgrade. All you need is a set of front rotors and caliper brackets from an 2000 impala (other years will work but it's easy to remember since it's the same year as your car), everything else works. Just make sure you don't have the cross laced wheels, the larger brakes have interferance issues. I waited till I needed brakes and did the upgrade for like 50 bucks since you'll need rotors anyway. Huge diffence in brake feel, fade, it's a no brainer and I wish I had done it soon. Sure there are better kits but at what cost?

I hope you take this serious as this advice comes from experience aaaaaand I didn't write it for my health.

I would LOVE to upgrade the brakes on this thing. Yes, I actually did have to slam on the brakes on the way home because I almost missed my turn. Going about 65mph and trying to stop it was like I was trying to stop a truck with a loaded car trailer on the back. What's different about the impala brake conversion besides the bigger rotor? Do I still use my stock calipers then?

I went to the JY yesterday and picked up another stock airbox. I see now that they really aren't restricitive, but at the same time they don't allow for maximum airflow either. I have ideas for it similar to a post I saw. I'll be working on it whenever I get bored and probably install it when spring comes around.

Another thing I noticed is these cars feel nose heavy trying to push them through a corner. Is this a strut issue or more too soft of a spring?

Other than that, I like the car. I think I'll start with some brake and suspension upgrades first. I checked everything rubber on the car and it seems good yet. EVen the rubber hoses in the engine compartment are still good, fuel lines even have the gold/brass coloring still. I did notice the SC gets hot on these cars. Probably not much a guy can do besides get the coldest air to it possible. SUrprisingly the underside of the throttle body isn't even hot.

are there any donor cars I can grab a strut brace from?

Skip the downpipe and go headers

My gtp was getting 32 mpg before I killed it

Originally Posted by usetaboost

I would LOVE to upgrade the brakes on this thing. Yes, I actually did have to slam on the brakes on the way home because I almost missed my turn. Going about 65mph and trying to stop it was like I was trying to stop a truck with a loaded car trailer on the back. What's different about the impala brake conversion besides the bigger rotor? Do I still use my stock calipers then?

All you need is a set of front rotors and caliper brackets from an 2000 impala (other years will work but it's easy to remember since it's the same year as your car), EVERYTHING ELSE WORKS. Just make sure you don't have the cross laced wheels, the larger brakes have interferance issues. Yes, the only difference is the larger rotor, but the difference is night and day. Best $45.30 mod I've ever done.

Originally Posted by usetaboost

I went to the JY yesterday and picked up another stock airbox. I see now that they really aren't restricitive, but at the same time they don't allow for maximum airflow either. I have ideas for it similar to a post I saw. I'll be working on it whenever I get bored and probably install it when spring comes around.

I don't know why people say or think this but I saw bigger SOTP gains from an air box than any other mod besides a pulley.

Originally Posted by usetaboost

Another thing I noticed is these cars feel nose heavy trying to push them through a corner. Is this a strut issue or more too soft of a spring?

It's inherit to front engine front drive cars since most of the weight is on the front tires. There are ways around this though. One way is by changing tires sizes (wider in the front like the GXP's). With the GMPP handling kit I notice waaaay less body roll. Start with that and see if you like it. If not you might want to get some springs/ struts and tires. One more thing, make sure to flip the front sway bar when you install it.

Originally Posted by usetaboost

Other than that, I like the car. I think I'll start with some brake and suspension upgrades first. I checked everything rubber on the car and it seems good yet. EVen the rubber hoses in the engine compartment are still good, fuel lines even have the gold/brass coloring still. I did notice the SC gets hot on these cars. Probably not much a guy can do besides get the coldest air to it possible. SUrprisingly the underside of the throttle body isn't even hot.

You can help get rid of heat in the supercharger in a few ways. Add an intercooler, they are pricey and for good reason, they add 40-50hp. You can do what I did and block off the coolant passages in the supercharger and or the TB, gains aren't noticable but I was already in there when i did my intake gaskets. One last way is by adding a cooler thermostat.


If everything looks good then...good. Just as a heads up, you might have issues with front control arm bushings poping out if they aren't already. Don't worry though you can get them pretty cheap on rock auto and they are easy to swap out in about an hour.

Hey another free mod you can do and I highly recommend is flipping your dog bone bushings. Its really easy and helps out big time with drivetrain flex. Do a search on how to do it.

Our grand am seemed to brake and handle much better, but it had monroe sensatracs. I got the airbox cut up. I left one section of tubing in thinking it will help direct flow but if you guys don't think it will do any good I'll cut it out. THe piece on the side that will go into the inner fender I pulled out of the front of the box.

I'd upload a pic but apparently it's too big. My cheap ass phone is just too awesome I guess lol

intake, headers, tune up with good plugs and wires and a tune=good daily driver

Originally Posted by usetaboost

are there any donor cars I can grab a strut brace from?

You can use the rear strut tower off an aurora for your rear strut towers. That's what I use. For the front you will just have to purchase one.

Originally Posted by usetaboost

I'd upload a pic but apparently it's too big. My cheap ass phone is just too awesome I guess lol

Want me to upload the one you sent me?