Thread: 97 GTP oddities

I've had my stock 97 2dr GTP for almost 2yrs. Im at the point where Im trying to decide if I keep her. If I keep it, I plan to get it repainted, throw on some 18's, and then start motor/suspension mods. My goal is a 12sec DD, but b4 I start I need to know if a 97 is worth it? I know the 97 is a one of a kind but not sure what can be changed. For starters I know the PCM, TB, ABS/TC is different. Can the PCM be as easily tuned like the other years? What's required to equip TC, or is it even effective w/ 400+ tq? What else should I know about my red headed stepchild?

As much as Id like to just start fresh with a 98 or 00-02, they're very hard to find up here. Especially in red or white with leather in good shape. That and Id feel guilty abandoning my 97. She's starting to bubble in the rear wheel wells but she's not a lost cause, not yet anyway.

97s arent that much different than the rest just a few parts here and there that are different.
And I hear you about finding Grand Prixs up here that arent beat to **** or have 200k+ miles on them.

If the rockers have rust and the rear strut towers inside the trunk have rust, then its not worth it to paint it. If those are fine or you fix them, then have at it.

Originally Posted by slick2500

97s arent that much different than the rest just a few parts here and there that are different.
And I hear you about finding Grand Prixs up here that arent beat to **** or have 200k+ miles on them.

Yeah they're few and far. Most that are nice, go for 5.5-7k. I looked everywhere for about 6 months for a 2dr gtp. When I found her I was ecstatic. I paid 3,500 and it had 146k w/ missing exh tips, cracked windshield, and some nasty purple tint. But I was in love haha.

Originally Posted by Fivefingerdeathpunch

If the rockers have rust and the rear strut towers inside the trunk have rust, then its not worth it to paint it. If those are fine or you fix them, then have at it.

The wheel wells have undercoat which preserved the shock towers nicely. However it was a country car. When I first got it, I cleaned out 20+ lbs of mud from under the body rockers. The rockers themselves where solid, but the body rocker/kit attachment frame was completely rotted to pieces. Im hoping rocker repair would be cheap considering they're covered by the plastic rockers. The RR fender is chipped and pealing, and the LR has a dime sized spot that's just starting to bubble. Id post pics but can't figure out how to upload from my phone.

Im more interested in its shortcomings and what can and can't be changed/swapped. Id like to get a laptop and HP tunner to experiment b4 I do any serious mods. Not sure how limited the 97 is for adjustment and or parameters/interface. Is there anything special about the trans/diff or valve body? I've never tuned efi b4. Im a carb and dizzy kinda guy.

Btw, nice meeting ya neighbors.

The disabled tc from the factory is why most consider the 97

It's why I chose mine along with the low vin number

97 pcm is year only, other than that it can be tuned the same way a 98-03 can.

Its got the same trans as the 98-02 cars aswell, so nothing is really different. Still has 2.93 gearing, HD diff.

97 can be adjusted just like the 98+ can. So tuning you aren't going to have any issues there.
The only difference in the trans compared to a 98-02 car is the cooler lines have different fittings, in 03 the trans had a different valve body and maybe some other things I cant really remember, and I thought at one point I had read on triple edge performance that in mid 99 they changed the valve body in the trans but I cant seem to find it anywhere.

Originally Posted by z3r0

The disabled tc from the factory is why most consider the 97

It's why I chose mine along with the low vin number

I have a 97 and it has non-defeatable tc. Had to unplug the abs sensors to disable it.

That's good to know the pcm/trans/vb won't limit me. So can TC not be turned off? I figured it'd help in launching and limit torque steer, but if it can't be turned off via dic button then that'd kinda suck for burnouts at the track. In that case it'd hurt et by limiting the amount of torque at launch. Is the amount of TC adjustable via a pcm tuner?

Originally Posted by dazedandconfused

I have a 97 and it has non-defeatable tc. Had to unplug the abs sensors to disable it.

I think only the GT/SE had TC in 97.

Originally Posted by darkhorizon

gtp in 97 had ZERO traction control.

the 97 pcm's can throw fits at times when you throw mods at them.. but they do work correctly more than they dont.

Then explain to me why I couldn't do a burnout in mine? I contacted Will at overkill and asked him about it and he concurred that the tc in 97's was a pain because there isn't a button to turn it off. Has to be tuned out. Thus my mia abs.

Mine doesn't have traction control in it.

Sent from my mobile office.

Originally Posted by Prixer97

Maybe yours is a late model 97? Idk, that's strange...

Early model 97 actually

Doesn't really matter. Because even if you disable TC, you don't disable all TM associated with TC. Run one of the wires to the hub through a relay and give yourself a push button switch in the cabin that resets with ignition off. Simple, quick and then you have absolutely no TC/TM with a button push.

Nothing wrong with a 97 at all. The talk about 97's being a problem is just the 98+ guys trying to feel superior. Sure there's upgrades etc..but nothing that will hold you back when you start modding.

had a 97, that car just has no idea what TC was. even with the bigs ass 20's i had to spin

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

Doesn't really matter. Because even if you disable TC, you don't disable all TM associated with TC. Run one of the wires to the hub through a relay and give yourself a push button switch in the cabin that resets with ignition off. Simple, quick and then you have absolutely no TC/TM with a button push.

Nothing wrong with a 97 at all. The talk about 97's being a problem is just the 98+ guys trying to feel superior. Sure there's upgrades etc..but nothing that will hold you back when you start modding.

I'd love to have more details on this bill