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Frosty's 1986 Trans Am

2022 October
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Pilarchuck

By Pilarchuck,
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Pilarchuck Apprentice

Pilarchuck

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So, I recently purchased an '04 Grand Am SE. I need some help with what to do to it! It's completely stock.

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[ChaosweaveR] Grand Master

[ChaosweaveR]

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Welcome, noob.

First things first...what engine is in the GASE?

Right off the bat, I can name some good mods without knowing the engine:

Wheels

CAI

STB

Rear disc swap (all SE's have drums in the rear)

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JUSTA6 Grand Master

JUSTA6

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It's the V6 ( just went from truck trying to get to know more about car)

That'sa good start! Welcome to the site

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Young gun Mentor

Young gun

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Really depends on your mechanical knowledge and your willingness and love for this car as to how far you should go before saving for something better.

For me I hate the look of SE's so If you wanna do the GT conversion its not too bad except for paint which can be pricey for good paint.

SC/T spoiler and hood always look good.

Performance off the bat should be maintenance, gotta make sure she is healthy first. Then CAI, exhaust(cat-back or just muffler) and then a mail order tune. After that you really need to decide if you like this car that much because it's gonna get expensive to get HP numbers and do it right or well.

If you so happened to be inclined to mod the engine more check out 60v6.com(forum+shop) and Probably go turbo or build a N/A that can easily hit 13's with headers + cam (with other basic mods)

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FuriousGXP Collaborator

FuriousGXP

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Welcome to the GA family. What to mod really depends on what you want most. Are you more interested in show, go or audio? Those are the three main modding paths to choose from. I went with mild performance increase and now I'm working on subtle show parts. Eventually I'll get a new audio system but money is always tight and it's taken me nearly 10 years just to get her this far.

I have to say that the CAI, exhaust, lowering springs and a performance tune are some of my favorite upgrades. Corvette brakes were a pain to get right but I love the look of them too. I highly recommend all of these upgrades if you can afford it. I also prefer that a person mods the performance end before slapping on a body kit since all "show" with no "go" isn't really my style. I did, however, own a GASE for a short time where the original owner was of the opposite mindset and the car looked decent since he did a good job with the body kit. Which reminds me, don't to ANYTHING half-assed. Save the money until you can afford to do it right because a partial job on a GA will make it look like a cheap ricer and even when you get it finished later, people will still think it's cheap. Sure, the GA isn't an expensive car but please don't give people more reasons to hate on it. Do the job right the first time and avoid the tacky Autozone stick-on stuff. Have a plan for what you want the car to be and then don't put anything on it that doesn't fit that plan. If you don't have a long-term vision of what you'd like the car to be, then save your money and don't bother modding it. No point wasting money on a car you don't plan to keep right?

Those are just my thoughts. I've had my GAGT for 9.5 years now and I'm still improving her. I plan to keep her running for as long as I can so all the money I've invested is worth it to me. I probably could have traded her in for something newer but I'm connected to this car in ways that no other car could replicate. I'm sure I'll buy something else someday but I hope to always have my GAGT parked in my garage next to whatever my next daily driver is.

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Pilarchuck Apprentice

Pilarchuck

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As of right now I'm looking for some show/audio. It's a daily driver car, back and forth from school/work.

My mechanical know how is pretty well off. I'm going to school to become an airplane mechanic so I have the resources to find out how to do something and what I need to do it.

My biggest thing I would say I'm an even 50/50 with show and audio. I want it to look good, and sound good too. The preformance thing can be easy where I can find some good cheap mods. Maybe a different and better sounding exhaust. All around looking for some good help and advice from knowign others.

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Ringo64 Grand Master

Ringo64

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hey I'm new here I have an 06 pontiac grandprix gt supercharged almost stock any ideas?

Make your own intro thread :)

:agreed: you'll get better results that way ;)

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