gojo83
09-08-2014, 05:01 AM
Well many of you know I am the 3.8 guy on the board and I love my regals and the SC l67 in them but I am not happy that it drinks premium. So started the half hearted search for a beat up ugly 3.8 powered car since I know the platform and motor inside out. Talked to a guy with a 03 ls that was the same color as my 03 GS and well that fell through because he was a tool. "I would rather drive the car into the ground and scrap it for 600 than to give it away for a grand" so that went nowhere but I found a 2001 Regal LS that was well for lack of better word beat up and had seen better days. Picked it up for a reasonable price but not a steal.
The Bad
Driver seat and power rack both "redneck rigged" ( installed GTP seat with manual rack from my left over parts) -20 lbs
Cluster was dead ( replaced with a GS cluster from the 01 GS I parted) + see real mpg
Center console and AC unit surround broken and not needed. (removed and installed a little drink caddy) -20 lbs
Passenger seat ripped and covered ( removed replaced with the other GTP seat and manual rack)
Rear seat bottom ripped and brittle (removed and left out) -15 lbs
Missing rear driver side plastic door cladding. ( grabbing one from the left over parts and will rattle can it to match).
Missing DS fog light ( grabbed from spare parts and good to go)
Impact bar bent looks like he hit a light pole or something (replaced with Aluminum version out of the Aztec) -18 lbs
Bad Alignment (new LCA with new ball joints)
Bad wheel bearing (replaced with OEM spindle and bearing out of a GTP from a buddy)
Slightly leaking lower intake (the PO and his step dad replaced it with a plastic felpro and didn't RTV the corners so its got a vac leak and a leak new gaskets ordered and will be replaced with proper aluminum framed gaskets.)
Bent trailing arm (replaced both with boxed trailing arms)
I blew the rear speakers (that just means I can get infinity kappas like the other regals)
stereo wasn't set in the mount right ( broke the bracket in the back and clicked right into place) -.5 lbs lol
Didn't have a remote entry (5 minutes and one of the 3 spares I had and it self programmed)
4th gear is hit or miss and miss when hot ( splines on 4th gear shaft are not hardened till 03 so they are mostly sheared off)
The Good
Rust free ( this is what sidelined the last car I was going to build like this)
No horrible "cataracts"
Removed the brackets and unneeded weight that these cars come with
Stumbled onto a set of headers that are ceramic coated for cheaper then the cheap headers
Have a set of Yella Terra 1.6 full roller rockers ( came off the same buddy that I got the seats and spindles from when he moved)
Has a front Strut tower bar ( have a rear bar too but need to fab some brackets)
Left over lower intake manifold that will get gasket matched and ported and polished
Buddy all but gave me a L26 upper manifold (aluminum vs plastic stock manifold)
L67 TB will fit the L26 upper and is bigger and doesn't have the stock restrictor like the l36 TB
Plastic fuel tank (easier to swap fuel pump to a SC pump.
EGR delete (Cleaner intake and 3 lb reduction)
Tunable PCM to clean up emissions and increase timing at cruise to boost mpg.
Intrigue springs will be added to raise the rear slightly to help minimize power loss to the tires.
Spare trans from a buddy is a HD trans so that means with minimal work I can change the gears from 2.93 to 3.29 (should help get to speed but not completely destroy overall mileage as the GP GTs all had the 3.29 ratio)
Hail damage/dents ( better mpg, Mythbusters proven lol)
Doesn't require premium
Have a spare performance shifter button to activate more aggressive transmission settings
Overall this will be the car I can beat up and not care much and play with and see if I can get as close to 190 whpand weight with driver down to 3650. I may be crazy but I would rather have this car get smashed by the idiot drivers here than the other regals or gto or birds and I know when I am done with it I can turn it into my play platform and maybe a turbo setup will just fall into the engine bay. The best part of it all I can now play on a even playing field with the GF and we can go see who the better driver/ brand is lol. She has a 00 Grand Prix GT that will have very similar work done to it. Ill post pics when I get a chance from my phone.
The Bad
Driver seat and power rack both "redneck rigged" ( installed GTP seat with manual rack from my left over parts) -20 lbs
Cluster was dead ( replaced with a GS cluster from the 01 GS I parted) + see real mpg
Center console and AC unit surround broken and not needed. (removed and installed a little drink caddy) -20 lbs
Passenger seat ripped and covered ( removed replaced with the other GTP seat and manual rack)
Rear seat bottom ripped and brittle (removed and left out) -15 lbs
Missing rear driver side plastic door cladding. ( grabbing one from the left over parts and will rattle can it to match).
Missing DS fog light ( grabbed from spare parts and good to go)
Impact bar bent looks like he hit a light pole or something (replaced with Aluminum version out of the Aztec) -18 lbs
Bad Alignment (new LCA with new ball joints)
Bad wheel bearing (replaced with OEM spindle and bearing out of a GTP from a buddy)
Slightly leaking lower intake (the PO and his step dad replaced it with a plastic felpro and didn't RTV the corners so its got a vac leak and a leak new gaskets ordered and will be replaced with proper aluminum framed gaskets.)
Bent trailing arm (replaced both with boxed trailing arms)
I blew the rear speakers (that just means I can get infinity kappas like the other regals)
stereo wasn't set in the mount right ( broke the bracket in the back and clicked right into place) -.5 lbs lol
Didn't have a remote entry (5 minutes and one of the 3 spares I had and it self programmed)
4th gear is hit or miss and miss when hot ( splines on 4th gear shaft are not hardened till 03 so they are mostly sheared off)
The Good
Rust free ( this is what sidelined the last car I was going to build like this)
No horrible "cataracts"
Removed the brackets and unneeded weight that these cars come with
Stumbled onto a set of headers that are ceramic coated for cheaper then the cheap headers
Have a set of Yella Terra 1.6 full roller rockers ( came off the same buddy that I got the seats and spindles from when he moved)
Has a front Strut tower bar ( have a rear bar too but need to fab some brackets)
Left over lower intake manifold that will get gasket matched and ported and polished
Buddy all but gave me a L26 upper manifold (aluminum vs plastic stock manifold)
L67 TB will fit the L26 upper and is bigger and doesn't have the stock restrictor like the l36 TB
Plastic fuel tank (easier to swap fuel pump to a SC pump.
EGR delete (Cleaner intake and 3 lb reduction)
Tunable PCM to clean up emissions and increase timing at cruise to boost mpg.
Intrigue springs will be added to raise the rear slightly to help minimize power loss to the tires.
Spare trans from a buddy is a HD trans so that means with minimal work I can change the gears from 2.93 to 3.29 (should help get to speed but not completely destroy overall mileage as the GP GTs all had the 3.29 ratio)
Hail damage/dents ( better mpg, Mythbusters proven lol)
Doesn't require premium
Have a spare performance shifter button to activate more aggressive transmission settings
Overall this will be the car I can beat up and not care much and play with and see if I can get as close to 190 whpand weight with driver down to 3650. I may be crazy but I would rather have this car get smashed by the idiot drivers here than the other regals or gto or birds and I know when I am done with it I can turn it into my play platform and maybe a turbo setup will just fall into the engine bay. The best part of it all I can now play on a even playing field with the GF and we can go see who the better driver/ brand is lol. She has a 00 Grand Prix GT that will have very similar work done to it. Ill post pics when I get a chance from my phone.