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A new noob saying hello!

T

Tripod527

New member
Hey everyone!

So I just found this forum, I've recently acquired a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix GT (supercharged). There needs to be some small work done on it, but I also plan on making some upgrades as well. I've been reading around this forum for the last few hours and it seems there's still a lot left to learn. My dad was a big Pontiac enthusiast and he's owned a few Grand Prix's, Grand AM's, and Bonneville's in his day. He's no longer here, but it seems that I've begun to get my Pontiac interest going for myself.

About my car, it's all stock. Has almost 89000 miles on it. Is in rather good shape other than just needing to replace the brakes, rotors, and tires on it. I plan to get it looked at by a friend who's a mechanic just to make sure there is no hidden issues that I'm unaware of. But, eventually I would like to make some upgrades to it. Been doing some research the last few weeks and figured I'd start out with a K&N cold air intake, SLP Powerflo exhaust system, some high performance spark plugs, and also a transmission cooler.

But, as my title says, I'm a noob with almost all of this. So any advice, recommendations, or anything of that sort that anyone may have, I'm more than open to! I also have about 30 different questions at least so far from all the things I've read (I'm not really sure what a powerlog or front header does!! Are they exhaust systems??).

Anyhow, I'll be looking forward to doing my best at picking up any info I might need.

Thanks!
 


Welcome to the site! Good to hear the Pontiac gene is alive and well.

As far as your mod plans, I'd stick with a standard paper filter, keep the stock exhaust and just get a 3" catted downpipe from ZZP, replace the plugs with the stock ones and the cheapest wires you can get. Trans. cooler is a plus. The money you save on those will go towards some real mods in the future. Clean the MAF and the throttle body too. Do a pan drop/filter/fluid change on the trans. DO NOT FLUSH IT!!!! Might be a good time for a Trans-go kit as well since you're in there. You can grab one from tripleedgeperformance.com. Dave will set you up with what you need. Lots of info on his site as well.

Then go over the entire car and replace things as needed. Check all the struts as they're likely about done by now. Basically get everything replaced that needs it so you have a solid base to start with. No sense modding a car that is always going to be broken down :)

I'm sure you've seen this thread, but if not give it a read- Safely Modding Your 3800 Powered Car!!
 
Thanks man! Really appreciate a lot of info you provided here, everyday I'm learning more and more about what to do with my car now and later! That thread you linked is probably the most helpful thing I could find on this entire forum, and I will be sure to reference the advice there often, thank you for showing that to me! I will definitely look at the struts as well. Is there any other thing you can think of that might've slipped past that I may need to check for a replacement or just general maintenance?

Also, I read up on the Trans-go and all the reviews seem stunning, I will definitely invest in that much sooner rather than later, as it seems to keep that tranny running nice and smooth for a long time.
 
Welcome. I second the Trans-Go. I did mine 6-7 years ago and the tranny is still holding together (415,000km / 258,000mi).
 
That’s absolutely amazing. My car only has 89k on it and hasn’t been used much the last 3-4 years. I think if I properly maintain and replace some parts on my tranny, that I can get a lot out of my GP.

I figure the transgo kit, a transmission cooler, aluminum pan, and maybe a lighter flexplate that I can get a good 200k out of the GP (along with some other maintenance and performance upgrades over time)
 
Skip the flexplate, unless you are separating the engine/trans to do the rear cover on the motor of course.

If you can't get 200K out of a GP then you either have a lemon, a basketcase or just treat cars like shyte. My 95 Bonneville is sitting at 311K (original motor and trans) and my 00 GP GT just rolled 427K, with 377K on the motor and roughly 320K on the trans.
 


Honestly I was thinking of doing the flexplate mainly because it's pretty inexpensive and should hopefully add a little more speed
 
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