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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 12:20 am 
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Carl, were you brave enough to try any "Rocky Mountain Apples"? - BC

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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 2:19 pm 
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Spare parts are like an umbrella on a cloudy day, better to have them to be without them. The purpose of the trip was really just a mini vacation. Spring break allowed me to finally get some time off between everything going on. It was very nice. Definitely feeling like someone hit the reset button in my brain after this trip. Pikes Peak was definitely my favorite part of the trip however.

I unfortunately am not aware of what Rocky Mountain Apples are... Hahaha

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 4:20 pm 
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Also, got a cool shot of the mileage today.
Image

And a screenshot of the my Rock Auto cart.. Got an itchy trigger finger over this one. I want to but I don't... Hahaha!
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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 8:09 am 
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Freakin sweet pics Carl! No bs if I had the cash to pick up and move right now, CO would be right at the top of my list. Looks like you had a fun time, I'm glad everything went well. :beerchug:

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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:58 am 
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nos4blood70 wrote:
Spare parts are like an umbrella on a cloudy day, better to have them to be without them. The purpose of the trip was really just a mini vacation. Spring break allowed me to finally get some time off between everything going on. It was very nice. Definitely feeling like someone hit the reset button in my brain after this trip. Pikes Peak was definitely my favorite part of the trip however.

I unfortunately am not aware of what Rocky Mountain Apples are... Hahaha


I guess my point was, in all my travels across this great nation of ours, I never thought to bring a trunk full of spare parts just in case. :) Tools, yes. Parts, no.

Not saying it's wrong, just kinda funny. My luck would have it that whatever failed/fails, isn't part of my parts collection anyway.

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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 1:58 pm 
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I'd love to move there, everyone was extremely nice. Going out of their way to help with either directions or suggest good restaurants and other interesting things to do in the area.

That would probably be my luck as well. Before leaving I had a dream that the crank sensor went on the road.. haha

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 12:28 pm 
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Some Summer time updates and new parts for the car: New KYB struts, Moog strut mounts, Delphi fuel pressure regulator, rear sway bar end links, and Moog lateral links out back. Fixed the loosey goosey passenger seat and did some cleaning in the interior. This weekend she will be getting KYB rear shocks and mounts and then an alignment and tire rotation if all goes as planned.
Without further adieu, here's my hovercraft!
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Gotta love these purple struts... Thanks again to Austin for saving me a boatload of money over buying new.
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The Moog lateral links are so much beefier than stock. Overall, the car feels so much more solid now. Instead of a bent u-channel they are a solid metal rod. Very easy replacement by the way. You do not need to lower the subframe or even the exhaust. Just gotta get creative and do some bolt wiggling to clear the gas tank.
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And the pile of leftover parts!
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And so, the road stretches before us. I wonder where the car will make it to. I just graduated University about 3 weeks ago, so life is a little bit tumultuous right now. On the search for a job! Once that happens I can start thinking about a stablemate for Penny, probably in the form of a BMW 135i. In any case, as of right now, I'm just excited to be driving around a relatively noise and clunk free Bonneville. Got a couple of road trips planned, and I want to make sure they will be quiet and comfy.

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 1:27 pm 
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Looks great Carl! Why did you replace the shock bottoms (or whatever they're called) Were the old ones rusted out?

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'95 Grand Prix SE coupe 'Black Betty' gone but not forgotten- my 1st love
'99 Olds Alero GX Coupe the get me by beater- sold
'03 Bonneville SSEi 'Gina' Feb. '16 COTM | 35% tint | smoked tail lights | boat roller mount | carbon fiber accents | Silverline exhaust tips
Ziebart rust protection & undercoating | CompuStar Accustart | LED interior lighting
Intense shift kit | Intense FWI | 3" ZZP downpipe | RDI headers | 3.4 MPS | Autolite 104s | 180 deg t-stat | custom tune | ZZP high flow fuel filter | alum coolant elbows and LIM gaskets | much more to come…hopefully

'15 Buick Regal 2.0 Turbo AWD 259 HP | 10k miles | 2-way remote start | undercoating and window tint to come
'98 GMC Sierra SLE Z71 4x4 | 112k miles | S&B intake | garage ornament | more to come


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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 9:52 am 
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What do you mean by shock bottoms? Do you mean the purple part?

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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:08 am 
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Yes the purple part

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-Nick
'95 Grand Prix SE coupe 'Black Betty' gone but not forgotten- my 1st love
'99 Olds Alero GX Coupe the get me by beater- sold
'03 Bonneville SSEi 'Gina' Feb. '16 COTM | 35% tint | smoked tail lights | boat roller mount | carbon fiber accents | Silverline exhaust tips
Ziebart rust protection & undercoating | CompuStar Accustart | LED interior lighting
Intense shift kit | Intense FWI | 3" ZZP downpipe | RDI headers | 3.4 MPS | Autolite 104s | 180 deg t-stat | custom tune | ZZP high flow fuel filter | alum coolant elbows and LIM gaskets | much more to come…hopefully

'15 Buick Regal 2.0 Turbo AWD 259 HP | 10k miles | 2-way remote start | undercoating and window tint to come
'98 GMC Sierra SLE Z71 4x4 | 112k miles | S&B intake | garage ornament | more to come


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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:09 pm 
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The purple part is the strut. While my struts were probably okay, I figured if I'm doing the mounts I should go ahead and do the struts as well. Austin was kind enough to assemble them for me with some FE2 SSEi springs on them. No need for spring compressors!

Got an alignment done today! Feels surreal to drive the car without it pulling every which way and tracking perfectly straight on the road. Can't wait to get the KYB rear shocks and mounts in tomorrow or Saturday.

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:19 pm 
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Oh ok, so the struts are just new to you then not brand new. You must have shipped the mounts to Austin then? You need to compress the spring to install the mount right? I can't remember how that all went when I did mine. Which mounts did you get? Rear shocks and mounts will be a breeze! Should be good to go for many more smooth miles to come after all that.

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-Nick
'95 Grand Prix SE coupe 'Black Betty' gone but not forgotten- my 1st love
'99 Olds Alero GX Coupe the get me by beater- sold
'03 Bonneville SSEi 'Gina' Feb. '16 COTM | 35% tint | smoked tail lights | boat roller mount | carbon fiber accents | Silverline exhaust tips
Ziebart rust protection & undercoating | CompuStar Accustart | LED interior lighting
Intense shift kit | Intense FWI | 3" ZZP downpipe | RDI headers | 3.4 MPS | Autolite 104s | 180 deg t-stat | custom tune | ZZP high flow fuel filter | alum coolant elbows and LIM gaskets | much more to come…hopefully

'15 Buick Regal 2.0 Turbo AWD 259 HP | 10k miles | 2-way remote start | undercoating and window tint to come
'98 GMC Sierra SLE Z71 4x4 | 112k miles | S&B intake | garage ornament | more to come


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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 8:23 pm 
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The struts are KYB and have about 20k on them, definitely better than the 130k Chicago street exposed ones she had on! Austin, being the gentleman and scholar that he is, warrantied his Moog mounts since they had a broken spring perch and basically got me new ones for free!

Yes, you'd need to compress the springs to put it all together. It's not a bad job by any means but avoiding it is always nice. It allows for just a quick drop and swap type of deal.

Rear shocks arrived today, still waiting on the mounts.

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 8:04 am 
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So.. New struts, strut mounts, shocks, shock mounts, lateral links, sway bar end links, fuel pressure regulator, wheel bearing, and fresh oil later and this thing feels like a brand new car. Got some new LED interior lights in natural white color as well. Also lubed up and reinforced the intermediate steering shaft, and did this weird mod I found in the depths of the forum. I recommend it to all 2000+ owners. Here's the link for it:
2000-2005-other-than-gxp/topic19218.html
I used some plumbing insulation in place of a bump stop, and it feels very nice now. No more jarring sounds and feelings of looseness.

Here's a picture of my old shock mount... No wonder it was so noisy!
Image

Good bye to the awful Monroes. The KYBs are worlds better and I would handily suggest them over the Monroes.
Image

Also washed the car up yesterday, so I took some pictures with a nature-y back drop.
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Including the alignment, I'd say I got away with everything for just under $500, which makes me very happy. It's a good investment in a car that feels like it's got lots of life left to give. It really pays to be able to do your own work!

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles
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Last edited by nos4blood70 on Tue Jul 11, 2017 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 8:42 am 
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Looking good Carl! See you and Penelope in a couple weeks.

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-Nick
'95 Grand Prix SE coupe 'Black Betty' gone but not forgotten- my 1st love
'99 Olds Alero GX Coupe the get me by beater- sold
'03 Bonneville SSEi 'Gina' Feb. '16 COTM | 35% tint | smoked tail lights | boat roller mount | carbon fiber accents | Silverline exhaust tips
Ziebart rust protection & undercoating | CompuStar Accustart | LED interior lighting
Intense shift kit | Intense FWI | 3" ZZP downpipe | RDI headers | 3.4 MPS | Autolite 104s | 180 deg t-stat | custom tune | ZZP high flow fuel filter | alum coolant elbows and LIM gaskets | much more to come…hopefully

'15 Buick Regal 2.0 Turbo AWD 259 HP | 10k miles | 2-way remote start | undercoating and window tint to come
'98 GMC Sierra SLE Z71 4x4 | 112k miles | S&B intake | garage ornament | more to come


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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 11:50 am 
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You should bring your retros for install!

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 1:29 pm 
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Haha I may throw them in the trunk. I want to swap the lenses out with my current pair and then I'll sand/ refinish right away too. That's not a bad idea. I was toying between a full interior detail, trans service with new pan install, or wheel bearing. But I like the retro idea. Send me a tool list

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-Nick
'95 Grand Prix SE coupe 'Black Betty' gone but not forgotten- my 1st love
'99 Olds Alero GX Coupe the get me by beater- sold
'03 Bonneville SSEi 'Gina' Feb. '16 COTM | 35% tint | smoked tail lights | boat roller mount | carbon fiber accents | Silverline exhaust tips
Ziebart rust protection & undercoating | CompuStar Accustart | LED interior lighting
Intense shift kit | Intense FWI | 3" ZZP downpipe | RDI headers | 3.4 MPS | Autolite 104s | 180 deg t-stat | custom tune | ZZP high flow fuel filter | alum coolant elbows and LIM gaskets | much more to come…hopefully

'15 Buick Regal 2.0 Turbo AWD 259 HP | 10k miles | 2-way remote start | undercoating and window tint to come
'98 GMC Sierra SLE Z71 4x4 | 112k miles | S&B intake | garage ornament | more to come


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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 6:58 pm 
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If you don't get the lenses on in time, that's fine. I can show you how to install it. Tools needed are basic, you honestly don't need to bring any cause the kit I keep with me will be enough.

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2016 5:22 pm 
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Not much to update here, just been driving the car a bunch. Drove to the 2016 Michigan Meet at Matt's, which was an amazing time. Then took Penny to Boulder, Colorado with my girlfriend this past week. Then I picked up some GXP outers to match the center I've been holding onto for almost 3 years now.. Basically stole them off of Craigslist. It's been a good month!

Garden of the Gods is a beautiful place to go for a hike.
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Before:
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After:
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Nearing 134,000 miles now. Plans to replace sway bar bracket bushings, front brake pads, and my AC compressor bearing are still underway.

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"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles
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 Post subject: Re: Penny the 2003 SLE
PostPosted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 1:33 pm 
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Removed the car's tramp stamp today.. No more SLE badge. Had a funny mishap with it. Let's just say if you ever see one of those older style badges cracked or cracking, do NOT touch it! I had to go to the doctor to get glass removed from my thumb... I think a rock or something must have hit it recently, but I've been wanting to remove it for a long time. I prefer the look without it, looks cleaner. Pikes Peak sticker might be the next to go.
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