The Ultimate Cheap Mod Thread (Free to $50)

[z3r0]

Only on grandprixforums are any of those things considered actual mods.

i'd hate to see your car debadged and have hid's or painted shiny ****

[develand]

Gut out airbox - Free

Did this today and slapped a big filter on it... so much better. The stock airbox had leaves and all kinds of stuff in it.

[TeeWX]

i'd hate to see your car debadged and have hid's or painted shiny ****

What in the eff did you just attempt to say?

[industrialfish]

Did this today and slapped a big filter on it... so much better. The stock airbox had leaves and all kinds of stuff in it.

Ya know, I couldn't believe how many leaves were in my airbox when I took it out. And it wasn't even fall yet.

[2dee11]

getting a pin stripe on your car is a nice easy mod. if you like to do it yourself and trust it to be straight its about $20-30 for a roll of pin stripe. i took my car to the shop today to see about getting the one i have redone (its got a lot of oxidation. and i dont trust myself to do it straight) but they said itd only be about $50 which i thought was amazingly cheap

more info on this dogbone flipping would be awesome

[dsmuts]

But pinstriping looks horrible on almost every single car i've ever seen.

[2dee11]

then i guess youve never seen my car. or you just have bad taste! =P

[burgundybullet]

But pinstriping looks horrible on almost every single car i've ever seen.

It added 3hp to my 1978 Station wagon!

[Mater]

shift kit did this recently tot he GTP when i changed the fluid. cost was $13 before trans fluid i just got normal dex III as there is not need for any thing higher in are tranmissions they where not designed for it

Credits: ReaglGS

Synopsis: Install a shift kit utilizing shims in the transaxle shift pressure accumulator.

Difficulty: 3/5. Requires dropping the bottom transaxle pan, removing the shift pressure accumulator, changing the transaxle filter, and refilling the transaxle with fluid.

Parts required:



The parts you need are determined by whether you want to do the medium (light street/strip) or hard (heavy street/strip) shift kit. There's also an optional spring used to firm up the 1-2 shift (usable with either medium or hard). The shims used are available from McMaster-Carr online.

Medium Shift Kit

(2) 92415A865 :: Zinc-Plated Steel Unthreaded Round Spacer 1/2" OD, 1/2" Length, 1/4" Screw Size
(2) 92415A867 :: Zinc-Plated Steel Unthreaded Round Spacer 1/2" OD, 3/4" Length, 1/4" Screw Size

Hard Shift Kit

(2) 92415A867 :: Zinc-Plated Steel Unthreaded Round Spacer 1/2" OD, 3/4" Length, 1/4" Screw Size
(2) 92415A869 :: Zinc-Plated Steel Unthreaded Round Spacer 1/2" OD, 1" Length, 1/4" Screw Size

Required for both kits

8-10 quarts of Dexron III or Dexron VI transmission fluid
Transmission filter

Optional for either kit

2-3 shift accumulator spring (used to replace the stock 1-2 shift spring). GM part number 24203977.

Directions:

1. Raise the front of the car and begin loosening the 10mm bolts on the transmission pan. Loosen the ones toward the back of the car more than the front so the fluid drips toward the long end of the pan. Allow it to nearly fully drain to avoid a huge mess (which is going to happen anyway, it's just saving you at least a little bit of a headache). Remove the pan and clean it off along with the magnet and gasket.

2. With the pan removed we can now access the filter. Pull it straight down firmly, twisting it side to side to break it loose. Change the filter neck gasket if required.

3. Now that the filter is removed, we can now take out the accumulator itself. It's seen below in color, along with the bolts that need to be removed numbered for easy reference. Once these bolts are removed, the accumulator will want to drop down and spill transmission fluid everywhere. Use one hand to hold up the accumulator and another to remove the bolts by hand once they're broken loose. Pull the hard metal lines out of the accumulator using care as not to bend them. Note the location of each metal line.



4. Once the accumulator is removed, place it face-up and remove the remaining bolts. Remove the cover. Inside you'll find two cylinders, both with visible springs. Do one side at a time. Pull up on a spring and remove it. Try to take out only the small spring and the metal plate it sits on, leaving behind the rod and large spring. Put one of the longer shims at the bottom of the rod. If you're using the optional 2-3 spring, and you're working on the 1-2 accumulator, remove the small spring from it's base, and press the new spring onto it. Reinstall the small spring and base onto the rod. Add a short shim in the middle of the spring. Repeat for the other side.




5. Reinstall the cover to the accumulator. Bolt it back into the transmission, using extreme care to reinstall and reseat the hard metal lines. Make absolute certain the lines are reseated properly. If they're not, you'll be left with a slipping transaxle that burns up clutches. In case you forgot where the lines go, here's a picture:




6. Reinstall the trans axle filter. Put the pan cover back on, and fill the trans axle with approximately 8-10 quarts of ATF, depending on how much fluid you lost. Once you're sure you have the proper fluid level, take the car for a spin and make sure that it's not slipping. If it's all good to go, enjoy your new shift kit! Your wallet will thank you for it!

[matt5112]

you might want new accumulator seals when you do that.

[Mater]

only if they are torn if not they should be fine. either way they are not expensive the trans int he GTP only has 20k on it after a full rebuild so i just reused the seals it had as they where fine

[matt5112]

Ah, that's fairly new still.

[99gtp3]

Mater nicely done.. you buy your auto parts at walmart? If i was your Car id be pissed and break dont use that super tech sh!t..

[98GTPnoob]

you can probally get a ubend cutout and pipe welded in for 50 bucks or less

also polish exhaust tips basicly free if you have a peice of sand paper a few bucks if you don't

remove the onstar antenna if you have it...free

make a gt or gtp grill badge...free

polish engine braces free and they polish in like 2 hours

paint your dog bones and what not $10 bucks

egr delete... not sure what that runs but not that much

port your stock manifolds... if you have a dremel then all you need is some cash for more wheels and tips..

you could spend a year working on one of these cars and only spend a few 100 just got to know a few things

How do you make aa grill badge?

[gtpeddie]

smooth valve covers (gtpeddie)

$16-$30 range

[gtpeddie]

How do you make aa grill badge?

get a "gt" badge and if you have a gtp use the "p" from "grand prix" then super glue it to the grill like this

[Beelzeboul]

I havn't done it myself but I love the polished look on the supercharger seems like it could get done pretty cheap
painted dog bones supercharger and braces for 5 bucks one can of engine enamel Flame Proof could have probably got one - two coats on my calipers with the same can of paint but they were already done when I bought the car

plasti dip rims should be up there too as a pretty cheap appearance mod

one I really liked was the rear divots in the bumper gettin painted another color to accent

and last but not least is the door trim deletion although I think it almost makes them look a little bland alot of people like it and it does look nice for pretty cheap

[Matt Palm]

i dont think it would be that cheap to delete that trim because you have to fill the 3 holes and repaint

[mofford12]

do we have a how to for polishing the stock tips also one for painting headlights and the corners?

[Kolton Lock]

do we have a how to for polishing the stock tips also one for painting headlights and the corners?

Stock tips is just sandpaper, or a wire brush drill attachment.