nitrousnik wrote:Subject: HELP ON MODDING MY 93 BONNEVILLE SSE SUPERCHERGED
willwren wrote:You can't have both. The Series 1 is a great bottom end car, and is capable of high speeds, but it's going to take you awhile to get up there. It's not a freeway-passing type drivetrain, and it was never meant to be. You're beating a nearly-dead horse. Your SSEi is nearly 18 years old now, and you want to take it to 140? Replace the entire suspension, steering, and frame bushings first. You can't afford the check the grim reaper is writing for you.
Option 1 (most logical): Sell your car, add your budget of 1500 into it, and buy something newer to beat on or modify.
Option 2 (next best idea): Set aside your money, and keep saving. When you have enough to rebuild the transmission, start saving money to modify the car.
Option 3 (assuming you insist on beating the nearly-dead horse):
-Tear off the top end. Replace all the gaskets except head gaskets, completely flush the coolant, and replace.
-Replace your water pump if you don't know how old it is.
-Replace your O2 sensor if you don't know how old it is, or if it's 50-60k or older.
-Clean your MAF sensor, and remove the TB from the car, clean it well, especially the IAC passage (see Techinfo).
-Have the supercharger rebuilt by someone who knows how.
-REMOVE the exhaust manifolds from the car and take them to a competent welding shop. You have cracks, and they'll kill you. Anyone who says they don't have cracks on a Series 1 supercharged engine is lying or just got back from the exhaust shop.
-High flow cat, muffler if you choose to alter sound, as it won't add performance.
-Fender Well Intake (FWI) from INTENSE-Racing.
-2.3 and 2.2 supercharger pulleys, but not until you buy a scanner capable of reading real-time data.
-180° thermostat.
-Adjustable shift modulator.
-VERY large aftermarket transmission cooler.
This is the basic CHEAPER stuff. It will net you a car that runs in the low-15's at best, due to the age. Your transmission may make it even slower. Great grunt off the line with good 60' times, but on the 1/4 mile, you'll get killed because Series 1 motors don't breathe well at the top end. They're stoplight racers, or 1/8 milers. Your transmission will begin to suffer very soon. Be ready for a rebuild, and don't cut corners on it either.
My 93 is paying the price for how far I've pushed it. I deal with it almost daily, and three years in a row now, it's broken at the track. I tear it down almost every winter. It gets one more year at the track at WCBF 2011 with the intercooler, then it gets de-modded if it doesn't blow up in the attempt.
You seem to have a wealth of knowlage on the 93ssei Hopefully you can help me with a few problems I am having...
First off the typl (seems to be) problem with the gauges the oil,fuel,temp,boost,DIC and compass seemm to want to come and go as they please I found a shop on the innernet that adress's the specific problem and claim to be able to fix it with a 2yr warrantee but its a 11-15 day turn arond and they want 250.00....'
Next...I just rebuilt the top end of the motor (lowerend seemed fine) and now when i idle for any extended period of time i get a Bluish/white smoke out the exhaust example....Idle for a long traffic light and i get a decent puff of smeok that clears with a rev or 2 or just after accelerating off the light...OR if i idle for a log period of time like a drive thru or forr 3-4-5 mins it smokes pretty bad till i give it several good revs and or drive for a mniute..
I have always been a turbo man this being my first supercharger I was wondering if it may be a seal or oring in the supercharger but as i said not sure and after checking and rechecking the rest of the motor looks clean...Any 411 you can offer for both problems would be highly appriciated....Nick
You should attempt to remove and carefully disassemble the cluster layer by layer, and clean all the contacts, then put it back. The ground busses under the front sill plates can also contribute to your gauge issues.
Regarding your puff of smoke, it sounds to me like you have leaky valve seals. Did you replace them? Have you done wet and dry compression checks? If not, please do so and post your numbers. This is NOT typical behavior from a 3800.
Your supercharger is not the cause of the smoke. It has a sealed section of supercharger oil. Check the level though, and use ONLY GM Supercharger oil. You can also use oil from www.intense-racing.com (it'll take about half that bottle), or ZZP.
Techinfo can be a wealth of knowledge too, and I'm sure others will contribute to this topic. I'm not the only Series 1 help on this Forum. Good luck, and pay close attention to the advice given. Everyone here is determined to make your experience better.
