New guy with some questions.

[LaserSVT]

Let me introduce myself. LaserSVT and am on several performance sites. I have built and blown many cars over the years. I own a performance and repair shop here in Texas and I have had a couple Regal GS cars, a GTP and an Ultra. Did minor mods and know what to look for.

I have my eye on a super clean 2003 SSEi that has had the proper issues taken care of. Needless to say as a mechanic I will make sure the car is 100% before the mods begin. Don't plan on going too far as this will be my daily driver. So my first round of mods will be ZZP tune (had them on other cars and liked them plus they reflashed for free to help with KR issues), 3.3 or 3.4 MPS, SD headers, ported M90 (just for IAT purposes), downpipe and cat delete, 1.8 rockers and a Scangauge. Only looking for 300 at the crank. Get rid of the amber up front and maybe remove the amber from the rear lights although I really don't want to dremel them open but don't want to spend $700 for the GXP lights. LOL
Second round of mods will be GXP brakes if I can find a deal on GXP wheels or just the 12" F-body brake upgrade.

But I want to enhance the handling as well and am at a loss. It appears the FE5 dampeners and 00ish STS or Deville Eibachs are the way to go to lower it. Am I right on this or are there other options?
Also what about sway bars and brace? I see some use the GXP versions. I cant find the specs but are they bigger or just not hollow or what? Any other ideas to help reduce some body roll without hurting the cars ride?

Also, those of you with headers and cat delete with stock catbacks, is there any drone or raspy sounds?


I also see that a bad trans mount can give false KR issues. I don't want to do the hockey puck mod as I don't want any extra vibration being transmitted through the car. Are there still false KR issues if I just installed a fresh OEM style mount again?

I am also curious about any SSEi deals out there. I only want a 2000-2003. The 2003 I am looking at is beautiful with fresh gaskets and brakes and I love the gray color. But its near 150k miles and they want 4k for it.

[quicksilver]

Thats a clean lookin car, but that amount of miles for the price does seem a little high. I might talk them down to 3400-3500 if all checks out with the engine and trans. Id really try to test drive it since thats the only way to see what shape the trans is in, although I think they had a beefier trnas than the 00-02 sseis.

[nos4blood70]

That's a beautiful car. Love the color. I agree with the above mentioned, maybe you can try to get them down the 3,500?

I would suggest getting an in-car tune for your mods, not to knock ZZP, but canned tunes aren't ideal. 300 crank should be very easily doable with the mods you have listed.

Clearing the front lights isn't bad at all. Just gotta be careful when baking them in the oven to not forget about them. Hahaha!

There are minimal differences between the F-body brakes and the GXP brakes. C5 Z06 brakes are also an option and offer a slight improvement over the F-body brakes. All the aforementioned will fit under your stock rims so you don't have to worry about finding the GXP rims. They look great, but are getting rarer and more expensive.

Finding the Eibach springs will be a challenge. Coilsprings.com can build you custom lowering springs for about 400 dollars. A couple of members have gone that route recently, and I plan on doing so in the near future as well.

GXP sway bars are solid versus the hollow SLE/SSEi bars. The GXPs also had a front strut tower brace, but apparently the difference isn't all that great.

Headers plus no cat with stock resonator and mufflers will not be much louder than stock.

A fresh mount will tear quickly, even at stock power levels. One member used a boat roller in place of the pucks and reported the same solid feeling but noticeably less vibrations.

Good luck!

[LaserSVT]

Yeah I was thinking $3400 myself. Even then that's the most I ever bought one for. I do flip cars every now and then and have bought several SSEis in the last two years and never paid over $1500 and resold for $2300-$3000 but none were in the condition this one is in. This thing almost has that new smell to it still. This one isn't a flip car though so I would pay a little more for one that's near flawless.
I emailed an offer, just have to see what they say. I forgot to check the trans mount. If its broken I could use that to my advantage for negotiations because there isn't anything else to nit pick and the car is way under book.


Guess I am going to have to call my buddy and see if he can cut me a mount out of delrin since he has so much left over and a lathe.

[LaserSVT]

[LaserSVT]

That's a beautiful car. Love the color. I agree with the above mentioned, maybe you can try to get them down the 3,500?

I would suggest getting an in-car tune for your mods, not to knock ZZP, but canned tunes aren't ideal. 300 crank should be very easily doable with the mods you have listed.

Clearing the front lights isn't bad at all. Just gotta be careful when baking them in the oven to not forget about them. Hahaha!

There are minimal differences between the F-body brakes and the GXP brakes. C5 Z06 brakes are also an option and offer a slight improvement over the F-body brakes. All the aforementioned will fit under your stock rims so you don't have to worry about finding the GXP rims. They look great, but are getting rarer and more expensive.

Finding the Eibach springs will be a challenge. Coilsprings.com can build you custom lowering springs for about 400 dollars. A couple of members have gone that route recently, and I plan on doing so in the near future as well.

GXP sway bars are solid versus the hollow SLE/SSEi bars. The GXPs also had a front strut tower brace, but apparently the difference isn't all that great.

Headers plus no cat with stock resonator and mufflers will not be much louder than stock.

A fresh mount will tear quickly, even at stock power levels. One member used a boat roller in place of the pucks and reported the same solid feeling but noticeably less vibrations.

Good luck!

Great info! Thanks! So sway bars and GXP brakes will be stage two and I will look into the springs. I don't want to increase the spring rate too much.
As for the tune I know its not ideal but I am looking at $125 vs $700 to dyno tune and buy a tuner. I have used ZZP tunes several times and liked them plus with the Aeroforce I can see where there may be KR issues and ZZP will reflash the ECU with corrections for free. Did that with my 99 GTP a few years back. At 12psi and 100* days the car rarely ever had KR and after a couple back to back passes it would see 1* get pulled. I didn't have an Aeroforce but used my Matco Pro1010 and data logged it. I think that car was 240...ish whp on Gearheads dyno.

[nos4blood70]

That car is super clean. Back seats don't even look used.

[00Beast]

That's in good shape. $4k isn't out of line at all for that car. I sold my 03 last September for $3400, and it had 203k on it, and had some needed work upcoming.

Also, I had a hockey puck mount on my car for the better part of 50k miles, and it was perfect, no vibrations. Just gotta make sure the end of the bolt is isolated from the subframe with a rubber bushing.

Sounds like you know what you're getting into, but a 3.4 will probably be as low as you want to go, even with a ported blower, with no valvetrain mods.

Sounds like you've been on the good end of ZZP tunes. I haven't heard as nice of things about them from others...

[LaserSVT]

I was planning on also doing 1.9 rockers. Figured I would run the 3.3 during winter and the 3.4 during Summer.

Well unless there is some way to get the heat exchanger mounted without it hanging below the nose.

[nos4blood70]

Have you thought about E85?

[00Beast]

I'm guessing E85 isn't plentiful in Texas...

[BonnieBoy08]

That price is not out of line for that car. Motor should be good to go to 300k+ with the gaskets taken care of, only major repair left would be a trans overhaul but I've heard decent things about the 4T65 HD, esp in '03+ when they had the hardened 4th gear shaft.

[LaserSVT]

I'm guessing E85 isn't plentiful in Texas...

I have an E85 station about 400' away.

[LaserSVT]

That price is not out of line for that car. Motor should be good to go to 300k+ with the gaskets taken care of, only major repair left would be a trans overhaul but I've heard decent things about the 4T65 HD, esp in '03+ when they had the hardened 4th gear shaft.

I called them a dozen times with no luck. As went down last night so the hunt continues. There is an 02 white one with 127k on it for $2800 but it just does not look to have been loved. I don't mind spending a little extra for a well taken care of car since a cheaper car would just need new parts and end up costing the same just eating up my time.

[nos4blood70]

Have you thought about picking up one of Andrew's flips? Some of them turn out quite perfect.

[LaserSVT]

Dunno who that is.

[xrob]

Harofreak is Andrew

[BoiseGTP]

If that car runs as nice as it looks it would have been in my garage already even at $4,000.

[LaserSVT]

I tried desperately to get ahold of them but never got an answer. Eveything I have looked at since has been a let down. Didn't realize that $4000 was such a good deal and ones that clean are hard to find. I would have bought it the second I clicked the ad.

Hell, I have my mods list in order for when I do find the right car again.

Stage 1: Headers, downpipe, tune and 3.3" pulley, GxP front brakes and an Aeroforce.
Stage 2: 1.9 rockers, short stack and 3.0" pulley.
Stage 3: VS cam and aluminum 1.6 rockers with a genV and that's about it.

Of course this is after making sure the engine is tuned and maintained properly. New intake gaskets and cooling elbows and fresh coils and lower T-stat with all that jazz. I do own an automotive shop after all. LOL

[2000Silverbullet]

You should be quite happy with that car. Have fun.