'97-'03 3800 engines & trans, fragile?

**Purple Plazma** · 12-02-2009

I've read an alarming amount of owners who stated they needed to rebuild or replace their engines and even more so their transmissions, Most of these mechanical issues are a result of trying to coax considerably more h.p. from them. I'm not talking your typical bolt-ons in order to drop a half a second in the 1/4, but those that went a bit more insane in order to get their daily drivers into the mid 13s or less. After I restore and upgrade my '98 GTP's body, I was hoping to throw at least $1K at it to get a high 13 second RELIABLE street driven car.I'm not interested in doing all the body, paint, interior, and under carridge work, plus wheels & tires etc. only to put some $ into more engine performance and find soon after I blow my trans, or worse. If that's the case, I'll do all the things it NEEDS and just sell it to buy a '05-'06 GTO.
I'm still fixing my re-po house ( a.k.a. the Smith money pit

) and the last thing I need is a great looking GTP that needs a couple grand just to fix a blown trans or engine.
I've owned about 35 4 wheeled vehicles since I was 18 , most of them GM. I run my vehicles quite hard too, including trips down the 1/4 mile, top speed runs on the highway, and using them as tow vehicles. These have ranged from an Olds Cutlass Ciera with a little 2.8 carbed V6, to a big block Buick Riviera with a 430 cu. in. V8. I've NEVER had a car, new or pre-owned whose trans or engine left me stranded.
I'm not dissrespecting the Grand Prixs or the 3800 engine, but.........

**Bio248** · 12-02-2009

a high 13 second gp that is reliable is pretty easy. at that point youre not stressing the internals all that much.

**TorqueAutoMotiv** · 12-02-2009

they werent ment to be drag cars and if treated as so they break. I bought mine with 175000 on it stock every thing and at 185000 am doing a full rebuild bbut every thing worked fine when i pulled it apart
Added stress will tear the trans apart and since your car was used and you dont know how it was treated and maintained before you got it chances are it will be "fragile" if you mod it a whole lot.....

**01gtspecial** · 12-02-2009

if you have the money for a GTO....you should have bought that haha

**Purple Plazma** · 12-02-2009

[QUOTE=01gtspecial;278255]if you have the money for a GTO....you should have bought that haha"

Until I saw what an all stock '05 automatic could do at the track just over a month ago, 13.0-13.1s at 107-108m.p.h. , I didn't even consider owning one. So what's the weakest like in the G.P's armour, the trans?

**matt5112** · 12-02-2009

Originally Posted by Purple Plazma

Until I saw what an all stock '05 automatic could do at the track just over a month ago, 13.0-13.1s at 107-108m.p.h. , I didn't even consider owning one. So what's the weakest like in the G.P's armour, the trans?

By far. A TEP tranny would do you quite well.