meshif's 2001 GTP

[meshif]

Hey guys. I'm moving the discussion/advice about my car to the proper thread.

As I mentioned in my failthread in General Tech, I recently traded my 97 Grand Prix GT for a 2001 Grand Prix GTP with about 75,000 miles on it. I got it from a used cat lot and they did do all the work required to breeze through the Ontario safety and e-test. This car is completely stock and boring but with the help of the members here, I plan on making my GTP more fun and track ready.

As a followup from the failthread, I have gone ahead and ordered AC Delco plugs, NGK wires, stock fuel filter and stock t-stat. I also plan on checking the tranny fluid as well as coolant, oil, brake fluid and power steering fluid, and replacing/topping up as necessary. I'm gonna check the supercharger oil but if it's topped up and not burnt then I'm just gonna leave it alone. This car doesn't seem to have been raced in the past but has been cared for so I think the fluids should be fine.

Once I get the basic maintenance stuff out of the way, I plan on building a custom air intake and getting new headers. A scanner/tuner is also something on my list but I have to look into them more so I can get exactly what I want.

Once I have all that done, I'll ask about pulley sizes again lol.

Thanks again for every reply in my failthread. Some of you came off as kinda dicks but you all gave way more useful advice than expected and I appreciate that. Glad I found a group of people who want to see this car modded properly.

-meshif

 

[dbextreme]

You don't mod properly the only thing you'll be making is fancy art pieces....

My old block will be a new garage coffee table:



The piston and rod that came out of the block was going to be an ashtray, but yeah it won't work for that either.. So maybe a good conversation piece??



Can't assume fluids and all are ok. Better safe then sorry, do them so YOU know for sure. With that mileage I wouldn't flush (use cleaning chemicals aka Flushes). The trans, pan drop and filter change. Oil, yeah. Brakes and PS, I'll let others comment on those fluids. Coolant, I use my method in your other thread and here's why. The picture is the 17K mile motor out of a 2007 Buick. Inside the motor was spotless, except for the coolant ports.. Dexcool build up in the cooling ports...



Now, read the threads, learn from our mistakes, take the advise of the great ones on here and you'll have a happy motor... Here's mine after my build (waiting on my mufflers to be delivered...)

Grand Prix GT Top Swap XP Startup - YouTube

Welcome and I'm sorry for cluttering up your thread with these pics. If you want me to delete them just say.. LOL Just showing you what happens when mods go wrong..

 

[Jevik]

Any pics of the gtp?

And yeah we like properly Modded cars. If its not Modded properly you can expect to redo all of it. Like he said, blow an engine or tranny and all those mods have to go from one block to another.

 

[meshif]

You don't mod properly the only thing you'll be making is fancy art pieces....

My old block will be a new garage coffee table

The piston and rod that came out of the block was going to be an ashtray, but yeah it won't work for that either.. So maybe a good conversation piece??

Ouch. That's exactly what I hope to avoid and why I came here for more info before I do anything.

Can't assume fluids and all are ok. Better safe then sorry, do them so YOU know for sure. With that mileage I wouldn't flush (use cleaning chemicals aka Flushes). The trans, pan drop and filter change. Oil, yeah. Brakes and PS, I'll let others comment on those fluids. Coolant, I use my method in your other thread and here's why. The picture is the 17K mile motor out of a 2007 Buick. Inside the motor was spotless, except for the coolant ports.. Dexcool build up in the cooling ports...

I do plan on checking/topping up all fluids as well as an oil change. I'll also probably end up flushing the coolant system with the method you described and get my rad "cored". In the other thread, you say to use "green coolant". I'm guessing this means plain ol' Prestone and not the Dexron stuff?

Now, read the threads, learn from our mistakes, take the advise of the great ones on here and you'll have a happy motor... Here's mine after my build (waiting on my mufflers to be delivered...)

Grand Prix GT Top Swap XP Startup - YouTube

Welcome and I'm sorry for cluttering up your thread with these pics. If you want me to delete them just say.. LOL Just showing you what happens when mods go wrong..

That's my plan now that I found this site. Your ride is looking and sounding pretty sweet...I'll get there one of these days but for now it's read, learn and THEN do

 

[meshif]

Any pics of the gtp?

Should have some up in the next day or 2. Been to wet to do much of anything these last few days.

And yeah we like properly Modded cars. If its not Modded properly you can expect to redo all of it. Like he said, blow an engine or tranny and all those mods have to go from one block to another.

I like proper too. Thought it was just a "pull the old pulley and press on a new one" deal but I guess I have to crawl and then walk before I can run. Redoing everything and blowing things up are definitely something I don't want to do.

 

[TLSheff]

Glad you got around to making a proper thread, the build will be fun and once that mod bug sets in, it can dig deep.

Cant wait to see pics and see where this goes.

As said go for Headers, build a intake, make some friends on here local that can help get it tuned, MPS 3.4/3.5 and you should be running much quicker. All can be done for less than $500-600 depending on the tuner and where you get headers, assuming you turn the wrenches. I have seen GTPs go deep into the 13s for less than a grand which is a 2sec drop in the 1/4, some can break 12s if you shop around and get good deals.

Just make sure you're smart about it and make sure you take care of basic maintenance too.

 

[Shiftingshaddow]

if you want the whine all you have to do is put a cone filter on it. the pulley size has nothing to do with it. there is a write up in the how to section that shows you how to make your own. it costs about 50 bucks or less.

welcome to the grand prix nightmare!

j/k-except the transmission. start saving now for when it breaks.

sounds like you should wait a while to do any mods other than that intake, though.

 

[meshif]

Thanks TLSheff and ShiftingShaddow. After the advice given and reading more threads on here, the mod bug has definitely bit . I originally wanted to get more whine out of my supercharger but after seeing the availability and price of performance parts for this car, as well as help and advice offered by members this forum now and in the future, I'm gonna go a little farther than just the whine.

Once I get the basic maintenance stuff out of the way, I'm gonna build an intake. I'll probably gonna shop around for headers after that.

 

[meshif]

Pictures xD

Well, it's a nice day today so I decided to finally get some pictures. I'll start off with the exteriors. It looks pretty oily underneath but thats because there was hardly any rust so I got it oil sprayed.

Front Passenger:

Front:

Front Driver:

Rear Driver:

Rear:

Rear Passenger:

Engine:

Front Underbody:

Rear Underbody:

 

[meshif]

And now for the interiors:

Dash Cluster:

DIC (has since gone up to 17-18 mpg):

Factory stereo with typical dead display (3rd Delco stereo I've had do this):

Front Seats:

Rear Seats:

 

[TLSheff]

Nice car, very clean :th_thumbsup-wink:

Needs a good buffing/polishing job to bring out the shine a little more, and did I notice a debadged rear? Looks much better without GRANDPRIX on the back. Might suggest some tinting on the windows and a DIY Air intake to get more air to that blower, let her scream!

 

[Shiftingshaddow]

can i have your doors with glass and bumpers? oh, and the driver fender.thanks:th_sinister:

 

[meshif]

Now that I have some nice weather, she's getting a nice wash and polish. Rear end was debadged when I got it and I like it that way....just gotta get rid of the OnStar antenna now. Tint is probably gonna be my first cosmetic mod and DIY Intake is happening later today xD

 

[meshif]

If you have connections closer to Detroit, I would say check out the Windsor Kijiji(Craigslist) listings. I got this GTP for just over $3K and my old GT was only about $1500. Both were in damn near perfect condition too

 

[meshif]

Hey guys. I'm looking to shed a few pounds and I was wondering if my OnStar module is as easy to remove as some other threads make it sound. Do I just unplug and unbolt it or is there something else involved? Also, will my compass and ambient temp sensor work after I get rid of the OnStar crap?

 

[meshif]

Here's a weekend recap and my thoughts/questions recently. These random ramblings might actually prove to be useful in the long run so I'm posting them now.

--I am new to modding cars. I know how to do maintenance on them and have even brought several Chevy S10/Sonoma 2.2L back to life thanks to growing up at my friends' family marina and helping the kids(my age) help keep things going since I was about 13 lol. As far as modding goes, this GTP is the first thing I've had that's worth modding. I can turn my own wrenches but I need some help with which bolts to turn. I'm vary hands-on and can get things done quickly and properly when I know what specs I'm going for.

--This car was bought at an auto auction in Toronto by the car lot I bought it from. Unknown history other than involved in minor accident (front end damaged) but wasn't issued a salvage title despite insurance auction.

--Have to do some work on the front bumper/headlights. If you notice in my pics, there's a big gap between the headlight ass'y and the hood/fender on the drivers side. Probably a result of a previous accident but got me pulled over Friday since the headlight alignment is wayyy too high on that side :/

--Spec plates on the trunk lid are blurry and the "NUINE" half of the GM GENUINE seal is pink while the rest of it is black. Something tells me that this "seal" should probably be a hologram and that this trunk may be a replacement with copied/reprinted spec plates. Thoughts on rear end damage as well?

--I was at my dad's house the other day and we walked around the car about 100 times. There's a lot of surface scratches I'm gonna have to rub out as well as a paint chip to patch at the top of the driver's B-pillar. No apparent frame bends, cracks or attempts at straightening though. Good sign despite history?

--Due for an oil change soon....since my dad gave me a can of SeaFoam, I'm gonna run it through the engine, change the oil and then finally do my plugs/wires/t-stat/fuel filter and possibly even rad flush based on advice given above. Any other 75k mile maintenance I should look into, especially given this car's history?

--Speaking of SeaFoam...from what I gather, it's 1/3 in gas, 1/3 in oil and 1/3 in brake boost hose. I read something about using the last mouthful in the brake hose to stall the engine and then let it soak for 20 min or so. Yay ou nay? Also, After I do the above process, what is the proper process for burning off the excess SeaFoam? Would a return trip along EC Row (~10 miles @ 100km/h) do it?

--I might also bring my baby to my mechanic friend and use his engine hoist to do the engine mount rotate. Less front/back play in the engine/tranny sounds good to me...

--After this is all out of the way, SD headers than an Overkill PCM? I know, I'm a long way away from here but I just wanna know where to aim for the future.

--Also thinking of getting the GGM decal below cut for my rear quarter windows...

 

[Jevik]

For the motor mount flip, that's done without a hoist.. Simply unbolt the dogbones then put the bolt back in the radiator dogbone mount and tighten it up. Use WD40 along the edges to lube up the metal to rubber meeting area. Then using the 2 15mm wrenches, apply the same forward motion until it gives way and turns the mount so it goes from looking like this > to this V

 

[TLSheff]

--Speaking of SeaFoam...from what I gather, it's 1/3 in gas, 1/3 in oil and 1/3 in brake boost hose. I read something about using the last mouthful in the brake hose to stall the engine and then let it soak for 20 min or so. Yay ou nay? Also, After I do the above process, what is the proper process for burning off the excess SeaFoam? Would a return trip along EC Row (~10 miles @ 100km/h) do it?

Close but not quite on the #'s, best for a full can in the tank and another can for the oil and motor. I personally prefer to use Rislone in the oil as it will clean it up over time without risking and problems to the motor, and it does work well.
Read this, its over on GPONA but shouldn't require a login, its the best Seafoam write-up I've come across. Pictures and full specific info, follow this and you shouldn't have any problems.
Grand Prixs Of North America • View topic - Seafoam writeup

 

[TLSheff]

For the motor mount flip, that's done without a hoist.. Simply unbolt the dogbones then put the bolt back in the radiator dogbone mount and tighten it up. Use WD40 along the edges to lube up the metal to rubber meeting area. Then using the 2 15mm wrenches, apply the same forward motion until it gives way and turns the mount so it goes from looking like this > to this V

If you prefer a video

 

[meshif]

Here we are almost a month later and I haven't really had time to do anything yet . I have this week off work though so I should be able to put in the parts I have plus do the dogbone rotate thanks to the vid TLSheff posted. For some reason I didn't realize that the dogbone was the upper mount and thought I was in for a bit of "fun" doing it.

I also grabbed one of the OBD2 -> Bluetooth adapters and Torque Pro. Once I got it figured out, I logged a short and mostly uneventful trip. I managed to get 3.8psi of boost but I also got around 3.8-4.3* of KR during/after the boost phase. I'm gonna run this tank of 87 octane down then fill it with 93 and see what kind of numbers I get then.

Other than the gas and old plugs, is there anything I should be looking at to get my KR down on a stock engine?

EDIT: Here is a link to my Torque log during the boost phase mentioned above. I wasn't really sure what to log so I went with OBD Speed, RPM, Boost/Vacuum, HP and KR. I'm not too sure on the HP rating though....still have to work out exact weights and whatnot.

http://pastebin.com/s5KFS0p9