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EJOUIE"s 2005 Impala

EJOUIE

EJOUIE

New member
I finally did it. I traded in the Grand Prix. Had such the love/hate relationship with that car for nearly a decade. 172k and low oil pressure, so time to go.

...and I got this.






Its an 05 LS with just under 80k. All the goodies minus the S/C. Old and new below.


Really liking the interior upgrade. Having comfy seats, working cupholders, and a heated passenger seat. Car already has the strut tower braces on from the GP and GMPP sway kits are on the way. After those are on then its time to do something about the stereo. Anyone have info on the amp specs?
 


Tint hadn't even crossed my mind til now.... that would really make the red and black look nice.
 
No, it has a potential top swap later down the road. Still has the black LIM gasket, and after the LIM hell that the GP put me through I already am fairly prepared for most of the work to accomplish it. Not looking for much over 250whp anyways.
 
Just do bolt-ons.

Leave it alone.

Downpipe/Rockers/HV3 plus a tune should wake it up enough to enjoy it a little more without it being loud and annoying or having issues.

I'm not a fan of top swaps anyways...turbo or nothing on that thing...especially since turbo kits are becoming dirt cheap anymore.

But it is really clean. Nice pick up.
 


All depends on when the LIM gasket begins to go. If turbo is close, then definitely.

If not, then a top swap would only be a little more effort.

Turbo kits are coming down, but topswaps are real cheap and would still meet my power goal.

Going to hold off on all power mods till then so I can do it all in one go and minimize down time.

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So, if I were to put headers on the car I would probably want the smallest diameter primaries available. The website for the S&S headers on the sticky is outdated. Anyone know if there is a copy cat of that design?

Thinking that the car may be possibly built for hwy cruising. So MPGs while cruising and power in the mid to high rpm range for passing.

Or do I just do front, rear plogs, and a downpipe; leaving the turbo option still a possibility?

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with plogs all you would need is the rear turbo plog, the crossover and snail, with assorted intake tubing and FMHE, in order to make turbo noises.

If you went top-swap, you would need headers, unless you go intercooled or E85. Plogs might handle it, but they would still restrict on anything lower than a 3.6-3.4 pulley, thus limiting how far you can go with the build. it also depends on how bad your KR monster is once the top swap is on...
 
I got SD headers, they have smaller primaries, I noticed no loss in power down low.
If I were to do it all again I would of just got the front plog and 3" downpipe, much easier to install and less.leaks to deal with.
Rear manifold flows good enough I wouldnt bother with it unless you turbo
Fiy you have3.05 gear ratio, same as 04+ n/a gp's.
 
I noticed the feel of the 3.05s and I love 'em lol. Car will go from 70mph to 80 with a lot less effort.

Also, GMPP sway bars just got put on. Front was cracked at both ends and really did need replacing. The steering feels much more responsive and feels much more like the old GP.

35% tint going on next weekend. No mods queued up beyond that though. Still researching nav radios.

If the rear flows well, then I probably will do just a front plog, rockers, downpipe build. (Leaving the door open for turbo maybe down the road) Not sure about the hv3. Sure it help the passing lower, but will it hurt the cruising MPGs?

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Grimsin said:
I got SD headers, they have smaller primaries, I noticed no loss in power down low.
If I were to do it all again I would of just got the front plog and 3" downpipe, much easier to install and less.leaks to deal with.
Rear manifold flows good enough I wouldnt bother with it unless you turbo
Fiy you have3.05 gear ratio, same as 04+ n/a gp's.
Click to expand...

Not all grand prix's got 3.05's, I would say way more and I mean way more got 3.29's in the NA 3800's. 3.05's seem to mainly be with impala's, other buicks like the century, lesabre, lucurne, lacrosse.

EJOUIE said:
I noticed the feel of the 3.05s and I love 'em lol. Car will go from 70mph to 80 with a lot less effort.

Also, GMPP sway bars just got put on. Front was cracked at both ends and really did need replacing. The steering feels much more responsive and feels much more like the old GP.

35% tint going on next weekend. No mods queued up beyond that though. Still researching nav radios.

If the rear flows well, then I probably will do just a front plog, rockers, downpipe build. (Leaving the door open for turbo maybe down the road) Not sure about the hv3. Sure it help the passing lower, but will it hurt the cruising MPGs?

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Click to expand...

A HV3 insert won't change MPG, you aren't making it take in anymore air at those speeds or use any more fuel. The insert is to better the flow of air during heavy throttle situations and when needed, otherwise if you drive it the same as a stock vehicle it's going to drive the exact same.
 
97-03 gt got 3.29
04+ got the 3.05, only ones that got 3.29 that was 04+ was the comp g

When I did my first trans swap that's how I found this all out, was looking for the lowest mileage 3.05 geared trans I could find.
 
Got the tint on yesrerday. 35%. Really pleased with the result. Should help keep the interior in good shape.
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Car is so friggin SHINEY, makes me want to throw a brick on the gas pedal and watch my car fly off a cliff lol.
 


Not the cliff bit though. That would be sad. Your build is being used a good bit as a model for my wish list.

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Planning/dreaming up build lists on two fronts. Audio and performance.

Audio:
Thinking nav unit and backup camera as phase 1.
Speakers and 4 channel amp as phase 2.
Powered sub mounted in rear deck as phase 3.

Performance:
This car will be a hwy cruiser, not a racekar. Not top swap, maybe turbo.
HV3
ER rockers(not on zzps site anymore?)
Plog
2.5" downpipe
2.5" dual exhaust catback (mostly for sound and appearance)
Shift Kit
Tune
FWI.

Now the intake actually would benefit me because of the hwy speeds correct? How do they do on noise compared to the HAI? I am really liking how quiet the Impala is over the GP.

Now one may say i should just top swap, but that doesn't meet my build goals. The M90 will not help cruise MPGs. Also it will not be adding as much in the upper rpms which I need for passing.

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EJOUIE said:
Now the intake actually would benefit me because of the hwy speeds correct? How do they do on noise compared to the HAI?
Click to expand...
Unsure the benefit. It's not a 3800. My 4.3 Blazer has the airbox gutted. I don't notice any more noise from the intake on that engine.
 
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