So it's finally time for the build thread!

The car is my 1982 Pontiac Grand Prix Brougham.



It originally had a Buick 4.1 liter V6 from the factory with a 350 transmission behind it. Back in high school we thought it'd be a good idea to swap an L27 into it since we had it lying around and thought it'd be cheap quick. Anything was better than the knocking 4.1 with only 130hp though. We ended up using a 700r4 as the transmission, but the transmission never played nicely despite our best efforts to fix it. The engine was shoehorned under the hood too so I gave up on it and it has been just sitting around until now.





Now I finally have plans for the car. I acquired a donor car for the whole drivetrain and am getting ready to go to town.

The donor car is 1998 Camaro with an L36 3800 and a world class Tremec T5 transmission. The car has only 112,000 miles on it and it was totaled in a front end collision. The plan is to pull everything out of the Camaro and retrofit basically everything I can into the Grand Prix. Electronically and as far as the engine and transmission go, it will be a 1998 Camaro. It's getting the engine and transmission (obviously), the PCM, BCM, and basically everything else I can stuff into the Grand Prix while still maintaining its appearance (RKE, RAP, newer chime module, etc.). Everything should have no problem playing nicely and I should be able to reuse my motor mounts, transmission mounts, and also my current driveshaft AFAIK.
Most current pics I've taken:






The main highlight of the build however is the turbo!



This is a Holset HX35. I'm not going for a huge crazy build, but I'm shooting for somewhere around 400 hp with it. The holset should do pretty well with these goals, but I'm considering switching to a HY35 exhaust housing over the twin scroll housing.
We're looking at fabbing up our own manifolds for this and going with a 3" exhaust after the turbo. Also going to be using a 3" intercooler.



Other plans include stiffer sway bars, better shocks, and lowering springs front and rear for about a 1.5" - 2" drop. I'm also going to take the body off the frame so we can add more frame bracing since these frames are pretty flimsy from the factory. Also using 16 x 8 IROC Camaro rims for now with probably 245/50-16 tires for now. I might go wider in the rear though.
I've also got an 8.5" axle from an A-body Olds for it. It looks like it'll need quite a bit of work, but I also have a few different sets of ring/pinion gears for it. I'll probably stick with the 3.73 set. The axle supposedly doesn't use c-clips to hold the axles in, but I think that whatever is supposed to hold them in is missing. It'll also need at least a new passenger side axle since the previous owner drilled larger studs in. It currently has disc brake rotors on it, and also caliper mounting brackets that supposedly fit "metric gm" calipers, but I really have no idea what will fit it. In the meantime though I'll use my 7.5" for now with the disc brakes from the Camaro until the 7.5" breaks.



Any idea what these brakes are from?



I know most people with these cars are obsessed with carbureted V8's, but I feel like I've made the right choice here. The V6 will be much lighter than a V8 especially with a manual transmission. This will help to remove extra weight from the front of the car and bring it closer to a 50/50 weight ratio. It'll also offer a ton of power and still give great fuel economy. Not to mention I can also tune it with my laptop! I suppose the idea is it's basically a Pontiac Grand National but with the more modern 3.8, more power, and a manual transmission.

The biggest challenge will be getting the turbo in here, and also getting the manual transmission into the car. Luckily the T5 uses a hydraulic clutch so clutch fork geometry won't be an issue. I'm still a little bit hesitant about cutting up my floorboards for the shifter though. It's looking like I will also have to do something about the seats since the shifter will sit where the middle seat is at. We'll see about using a center console... Those bridges will be crossed when we come to them though.

The first challenge was transporting the car over to my brother's house where there's a garage I can work on this in. I originally tried to just drive it out there, but the engine pretty much said "nope". After a long night, we ended up trailer-ing it the next day.




Here it is finally in the garage last night:



yeah, it's dark. my bad.

Progress!



front clip removed:





engine removed:





I'm powered by Rockstar!



So much room for activities!!!




So basically all of the remains of the L27 are gone. I have also started to separate the body from the frame. I got all of the body mounts disconnected, but called it quits after attempting to remove the rear bumper. Hopefully I can get the body off the frame tomorrow and get started on removing the engine and transmission from the Camaro. Thanks for reading.

_________________


2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab, 6.0, Z71. The project mover.
1999 Buick Regal GS 3.4" pulley,SLP headers, fwi, pnp, gemini chain w/ other trans mods, 12" brakes, GR2's, STB's, 34mm front sway bar; The Summer DD
1982 Pontiac Grand Prix L36 and an hx35 turbo; It's pretty quick Mod list here

I am so glad I joined this forum.

Subscribed.

_________________


1999 Oldsmobile 88 Base....it has power windows and locks! Second rescue, might flip...Click HERE for project thread.

1998 Oldsmobile 88 LS w/ FE1 Float Suspension, Leather and Power Everything - Totaled (Rolled!) out during Winter of 2015 by Sister Click HERE for project thread.

2002.5 Blazer - Stock Stuffing 30s, SLP ZR1 Replicas, Dynomax Catback, TONS of other mods. Click HERE for project thread. - DD

Love it! Can't wait to see how it turns out

As for the carb'd V8s, we'll they are cheap and easy so people use them. That said my dream engine for my Cutlass is a twin turbo fuel injected Olds 468 mmmm that would be so much fun!

_________________
Ryan
Check out my detailing page on facebook! --> Next Level Detailing

2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one

This is all kinds of awesome.

_________________

'93 SSE "Guinevere" Mods: Intense FWI | 180º T-Stat | Flowmaster 80 | Magnaflow Cat | Projector Fogs | Clear Corners | ES Poly End Links
'01 SSEi "Chloe" Mods: Intense FWI | GenV | WBS Intercooled | 3.2 MPS | 1.9 YT Rockers | SSAC Headers | N* TB | TEP Trans | 3.29 FDR | Torsen LSD
DTM Tuned | Dual AeroForce | Solid Mounts | 255 Walbro Pump | Fuel Logs | GXP STB & Sway Bars | CSS Lowering Springs | GXP Brakes | Disabled DRL
Magnaflow Mufflers | Magnaflow Cat | GXP Seats & Trim | 35 % Tint | Cleared & Tinted Tails | repinS Retrofited Morimoto Mini H1 | 19" GT500 Wheels
Achievements: Guinevere - 264k mi | 16.27 @ 84.10mph | March '11 COTM :: Chloe - 223k mi | 13.85 @ 102mph | January '09 COTM

Thanks for the love guys!



Oh yeah they're definitely inexpensive and quick in comparison. I feel like everyone on the gbody forums feels like that's the only way to do these cars. It could just be that forum though and all of the other people go over to different forums or something.

_________________


2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab, 6.0, Z71. The project mover.
1999 Buick Regal GS 3.4" pulley,SLP headers, fwi, pnp, gemini chain w/ other trans mods, 12" brakes, GR2's, STB's, 34mm front sway bar; The Summer DD
1982 Pontiac Grand Prix L36 and an hx35 turbo; It's pretty quick Mod list here

So I've never actually removed a frame from a car before...
That being said, this went really well lol.

The trickiest part was getting the body high enough so that I could roll the frame out underneath it. In hindsight I should've used casters on the wheels to roll it out from the side of the car. At least that'll be a good way of lining it up properly though when it's time to put them back together.




Looks like my car has been hiding a dirty little secret...



after a few trips to home depot I finally had enough wood to get it up






So here's the plan right now. I'm sure I'll learn more down the road of other things I should be doing, but here's the main things I'm planning on doing:

That's the frame rail that runs underneath the body under the doors. It's currently a c-channel and it is extremely flimsy.. The plan is to box it.



Planning on adding various braces back here too for all of the axle mounts. Every little bit helps on these frames.




lower control arm mount points. These are getting braced too.



rear frame bumper points are getting tied together. I hear these things need additional bracing even though the bumper is there. I'll also be adding a rear sway bar back here. I'm looking into trying to find a cheap option over the hellwig pro-touring bar.



Front frame horns are getting braced to the crossmember.




More activity space!!



original body mounts. Not too bad



obligatory engine bay/frame is gone pic!

_________________


2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab, 6.0, Z71. The project mover.
1999 Buick Regal GS 3.4" pulley,SLP headers, fwi, pnp, gemini chain w/ other trans mods, 12" brakes, GR2's, STB's, 34mm front sway bar; The Summer DD
1982 Pontiac Grand Prix L36 and an hx35 turbo; It's pretty quick Mod list here

This is gonna be a really cool build. Looking forward to seeing the progress!

_________________
-Noah

Wow, those things had a 5 link live axle rear? I figured it was just on leafs...

Nice progress man!

_________________


1999 Oldsmobile 88 Base....it has power windows and locks! Second rescue, might flip...Click HERE for project thread.

1998 Oldsmobile 88 LS w/ FE1 Float Suspension, Leather and Power Everything - Totaled (Rolled!) out during Winter of 2015 by Sister Click HERE for project thread.

2002.5 Blazer - Stock Stuffing 30s, SLP ZR1 Replicas, Dynomax Catback, TONS of other mods. Click HERE for project thread. - DD

what a cool project, I'm gonna enjoy watching!

_________________
- Rachael

I wanna build something again now.

I can't wait to see this done!

_________________
Will
92 Bonneville SSE | L67/4T60E | 70K mi | Med Slate Grey w/ Two-Tone Grey Int. | Low Miles Time Capsule
92 Lumina Z34 | LQ1/4T60E | 175k mi | Torch Red w/Grey Int. | Summer Daily Driver and Future Turbo Racekar
03 Park Avenue Ultra | L67/4T65E-HD | 180K | White Diamond Metallic w/Shale & Cashmere Int. | Rust Free Southern Sourced Daily Driver
99 Tahoe LT | L31/4L65E | 234k mi | Spiral Grey Metallic w/Grey Int. | Daily Winter Rig and Portable Concert Hall

Wonderful progress. I used to have a black one of these with T roofs, and loved it. Wish I had of had the energy back then to do this kind of goodness to it...

_________________


2000 SSEi - Hoddmann ported LIM and GenIII, 3.2 MPS, 1.8 SLP's, SSAC's, 3" Catback, AL104, 180tstat, Custom FWI, Cartuned

Nice! I wish this one had t-tops! I hear that they tend to leak though so I suppose it's a give and take sort of thing.

_________________


2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab, 6.0, Z71. The project mover.
1999 Buick Regal GS 3.4" pulley,SLP headers, fwi, pnp, gemini chain w/ other trans mods, 12" brakes, GR2's, STB's, 34mm front sway bar; The Summer DD
1982 Pontiac Grand Prix L36 and an hx35 turbo; It's pretty quick Mod list here

I pulled the drivetrain from the Camaro yesterday. What a PITA. I probably snapped at least 20% of the bolts on that thing because they were so rusted. It's hard to believe this one has barely over 100,000 miles on it. I'm so glad I don't have to work on one of these regularly!

Disassembly:



Aaaand it's out!



Engine hoist was extremely helpful here!



I never really noticed how much the shifter was tilted over until I got it out of the car. Hopefully it fits well enough in the Grand Prix.



Camaro engine mounts. These things are huge!



Mockup of drivetrain on GP frame:



Transmission and crossmember:





Looks like the driver side engine mount will fit pretty well. Looks like I'll have to grind down the edge of it though for the engine oil dipstick to clear.
The passenger side is a different story though because the block has this tab sort of thing on it above the bolt hole on the right.



Looks like I'll have to figure something else out for that side.



length looks like it'll be close. I won't know for sure until I get the exhaust manifolds off it though since they don't clear the front suspension.

It looks like I'll also have to find a spot to relocate the A/C compressor to if I want to keep A/C. I'll probably end up leaving it out. Thankfully it looks like those 2 are the only issues right now. It looks like I'm in business!

The engine is going to stay mostly stock for now. I'm planning on replacing the intake gaskets and the oil pan gasket so I can get a good look at the motor. I'll also end up porting and polishing the intake I'm sure too. It'll definitely be getting a cam down the line too.



Camaro sort of back together:



I hate disassembly so I'm glad I got all that knocked out this weekend. It probably has to do with disassembling a car that's still in one piece. I feel like I'm doing an injustice to it or something. I know this motor will love me for it though..

This is where the actual building of the car starts though!! As for now, I'm wiped out.

_________________


2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab, 6.0, Z71. The project mover.
1999 Buick Regal GS 3.4" pulley,SLP headers, fwi, pnp, gemini chain w/ other trans mods, 12" brakes, GR2's, STB's, 34mm front sway bar; The Summer DD
1982 Pontiac Grand Prix L36 and an hx35 turbo; It's pretty quick Mod list here

You shouldn't Without your transplant, the entire car would likely be scrape metal headed for Japan. Nice work! - BC

_________________
In Memory of Brad - 1/21/1977 .. 10/23/2013 ...... Aaron - 1977 .. 2017 .....
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport ..... 1992 Bonneville SSE 1SB 170 HP L27 4T60E retired/sold to MattStrike ..... 2005 Bonneville SE 1SC 205 HP L36 4T65E - retired/salvage yard ..... 2013 Cadillac CTS 1SD 270 HP LF1 6L50 - SOLD ..... PBCF user 2321

I believe it's a 4 link. 2 upper control arms, and 2 lower control arms, and also coil springs. I would love to remove the upper control arms and convert to a ladder bar and panhard bar setup like the GNX's had. A Watt's link could be another option down the line too.

The upper control arms on these things actually bind against each other as the axle has torque put onto it. Once the 8.5" axle makes its way onto here I'll replace all of the control arms with spherical joints. This should help solve that issue in the meantime.

_________________


2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab, 6.0, Z71. The project mover.
1999 Buick Regal GS 3.4" pulley,SLP headers, fwi, pnp, gemini chain w/ other trans mods, 12" brakes, GR2's, STB's, 34mm front sway bar; The Summer DD
1982 Pontiac Grand Prix L36 and an hx35 turbo; It's pretty quick Mod list here

So I've finally gotten around to digging up this project and picking up where I left off. I've made some progress this weekend and hopefully it will be running and driving in time for the Michigan meet. It'll be close on time since I have very little free time lately.

This weekend was the start of the frame modifications. I'm using Hellwig's frame FX kit for the frame since I don't have time to be cutting and bending tons of metal to fit up to the car. So here it is:



And the metal I'm using to modify it:





From the factory these frames aren't welded very well. Gotta give them credit though for doing this with robots I guess.
Here's some examples of how poor the welds are from the factory. I've cleaned up a lot of the sticks that were left on the frame and the bumps from the welds.



Welds so good the blow right through the metal...




And cleaning it up:









So here's the first side tacked on. Notice how much further that lip is extended now and how the frame is boxed outside of it. It already feels stronger even though it's only tacked on.









And finally the passenger side is tacked on too:








And for fun; this car's frame is ~33 years old and this is the worst of the rust I can find on the frame:



Hopefully I can finish welding everything up throughout this week. Then I'll be moving on to the area above and behind the axle to help strengthen those areas. The final touch back there will probably end up being a hitch since the frame will be so strong once I'm done I could haul stuff with this thing. The hitch will also help to strengthen that rear up a lot. After that's all done it'll be getting the POR-15 treatment!

_________________


2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab, 6.0, Z71. The project mover.
1999 Buick Regal GS 3.4" pulley,SLP headers, fwi, pnp, gemini chain w/ other trans mods, 12" brakes, GR2's, STB's, 34mm front sway bar; The Summer DD
1982 Pontiac Grand Prix L36 and an hx35 turbo; It's pretty quick Mod list here

That is interesting, where does that kit come from?

_________________
Ryan
Check out my detailing page on facebook! --> Next Level Detailing

2003 Bonneville SSEi - The Black Mirror SOLD!
2002 Bonneville SE - The Mutt Complete 2004 SLE interior, drivetrain, and body harness swap, ECC swap, HUD swap, black GXP wheels, GXP headlights and tinted tails - SOLD
2003 BMW 540i M Sport, 2001 BMW X5 4.4i, 2010 GMC Acadia, 2017 Grand Design Imagine 3150BH
1982 Cutlass Supreme - The fun one

I'll have to let Ben answer that, but I can vouch for it, this is a well-planned kit, metal is thick enough to do some real good here without significant weight increase. Instructions could be better, but we figured it out.

_________________
Blow all the things! Wait, I meant boost. Boost!


Runs:
'93 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi - Twincharged, manual, and lots more! Build thread
'97 Chevy Camaro - 3800, T5, T-tops, Getting ready for some major upgrades!
'05 Cadillac STS - V8, AWD, her DD
'92 Olds Trofeo - Fair weather DD
'84 GMC Sierra Classic - Twin turbo 3800
'97 Buick LeSabre - L67 winter DD
'92 Pontiac Bonneville SSE future project

Doesn't run:
'87 Buick LeSabre T-type - future victim
'67 Buick LeSabre - future victim

Hellwig makes them for A-Body's and G-body's. I think they started making them last year so it's a fairly new thing. I haven't seen another kit installed on a G-body as of yet, but I probably didn't look hard enough.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hel-11104

It's a pretty good kit, some pieces required cutting but so far we haven't run into any real issues; everything lines up about as well as you can expect for a cookie cutter frame. It sure beats cutting and bending everything myself and the metal is pretty thick too. The only oversight I noticed is that they expect you to leave the transmission crossmember in because there's no access holes on the pieces that go underneath it. Not a big deal since you can just drill it out. I'm happy with it so far.

_________________


2009 Chevy Silverado 2500HD crew cab, 6.0, Z71. The project mover.
1999 Buick Regal GS 3.4" pulley,SLP headers, fwi, pnp, gemini chain w/ other trans mods, 12" brakes, GR2's, STB's, 34mm front sway bar; The Summer DD
1982 Pontiac Grand Prix L36 and an hx35 turbo; It's pretty quick Mod list here