1992 Grand Prix Progression

[Twenty]

I parked next to it for a few days, but I haven't seen it recently.

In other news, pictures from last night's meet have already been posted online. The GP was included again.

http://www.illmotion.com/2011/05/im-weekly...eet-may-11.html

[Jedi3]

Car looks great!

[[ChaosweaveR]]

Interesting pic.

[Ringo64]

Very cool! GP is still looking great!

[Ghost]

cool. does it have an FP sticker?

[Twenty]

Thanks guys!

cool. does it have an FP sticker?

Uh, no. *Runs and hides*

It has plenty of stickers, but none for FP.

[Ringo64]

Fine I see how it is

[Ghost]

*Runs and hides*

you better run!

:lol: jk. going to make an FP poster that is displayed at the front of the car?

[Mariachi]

FP sticker FTW.

Car is coming out nicely man. You do need the FP sticker though. it adds 20hp.

[Twenty]

I have mad street cred with some of the decals I have on there.

No posters though, they're very relaxed meets. You basically just show up, find a spot, and then hang out with friends to talk and wander around seeing what's there.

Today was a BBQ with the car club at a local park here in town, and I was able to pick up a carbon fiber part that I'd ordered recently. We put in a group-buy as a club and many of us got one.

Now if only I could get a CF lip or something.

[Jean-Seb]

Now if only I could get a CF lip or something.

do.

it.

I really like the CF license plate frame. Very classy.

[Twenty]

CF lip = Custom and expensive. Plus, it'll probably not last long.

Going though old photos...sometimes I forget how the car has really come together and I need a reminder.

'09, when I first got it:

'11:

[Jean-Seb]

CF lip = Custom and expensive. Plus, it'll probably not last long.

Not if you do it yourself, Industrial Plastics & Paints sells CF supplies if you wanna tackle the project.

[Twenty]

I will have to look into that...though I do fear for the life of the front valence once the car's lowered.

Yesterday I got the new 'dogbones' (Engine mounts) I'd ordered from a fellow w-body owner. They're actually Civic/Integra suspension pieces but it was discovered that they work as dogbones for our w-bodies. I installed them last night. I don't think I can call this a real update though, as they are already uninstalled and the OEM dogbones are back in.

After getting them in place I fired up the car last night to let it idle and quickly test them. The engine was held in place and wouldn't rock. All seemed just fine. This morning though, I discovered the expected downfall...vibration. When the car is sitting idle in park, or sometimes neutral, it's okay. When it's in drive (Sitting in traffic), my oh my does the car vibrate.

When actually moving, they're really nice to have. Great response and the car actually sounds louder with them on. However, I'd rate these as more for track use than driving on the street due to the vibration at idle.

Moving on, I have been pretty busy working on something for the little 3.1, and finally have something to really show for it. As it stands it's all stock aside from an aftermarket filter and catalytic converter. I want to work on it a little this year, and first up is a new intake. Seeing as how you can't exactly buy one off of the shelf, I had to come up with something. Using cardboard as a template, I made a mock-up of a simple heatshield/mount and this past weekend finished up an ABS copy. It bolts in using the factory bolt locations, seals to the underside of the hood lining, and also leaves the battery terminals exposed, as opposed to the stock airbox which doesn't.

As it sits it needs a hole drilled for the intake tube, and once a filter and small section of pipe are picked up, this initial tester can be called done.

[[ChaosweaveR]]

The vibrations are to be expected with stiffer motor mounts. The trade off is worth it, IMO. It takes more than vibrations at idle to annoy me.

Nice start with the short ram intake setup, a heat shield makes all the difference. PVC piping is a great source for intake pipes, as they dissipate heat better than regular steel pieces, and they're cheaper to buy, and easier to fabricate. Just paint them black for an OEM look.

Also...Magnaflow and Flowmaster mufflers sound best with the 60*V6 engines. Just keep in mind, use a good resonator to eliminate the raspiness.

[Twenty]

I knew they'd vibrate more, but this was insane. My mirrors were shaking like crazy and the car was not comfortable. I'm looking into a happy medium between these and OEM.

I was planning on picking up some ABS pipe from the local Canadian Tire, if I can find the right size.

Does anyone know how well ABS cement holds up to heat? That's how I assembled this tester because it was easier.

Also, I found this on Kijiji; it's the GP coupe that I bumped into at the car wash last month! Oh, I'd be so happy if I could get that hood and maybe a couple other parts....I wonder if he'd part it, and if I could bring myself to have him kill a GP.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-c...QAdIdZ283343900

[markpetersonii]

That would be a nice hood for you to have!

[Twenty]

I need a second stock hood for something I want to do this year. If it's already Bright White and in good shape, that's a bonus.

[Twenty]

A friend of mine is getting his car resprayed by a friend, and he's going to ask for me to see if my wheels could be painted as well. Hopefully his friend can take care of them, I am having no luck finding someone that can paint my wheels. They either can't, or I can't get to them due to location and my work hours.

[[ChaosweaveR]]

Ahhhhh...plans.

[Twenty]

Well, the intake is coming along. Aluminum piping has been picked up, as well as a coupler to attach it to the stock throttle body. I have just sent off an email to the store I picked up the aforementioned parts from to see if a couple of specific items are in stock to finish off the shopping list, one being the filter now that I know the size I need. If the answer is yes I'm planning on running down tomorrow during my lunch break to get them. The piping will be cut soon, and hopefully this can be fully assembled before too long.

[Twenty]

Very minor news, but it's something to update the thread with.

Last night it was nice out so I got around to a minor change I've been wanting to do: Black license plate recess. Taking inspiration from a local BMW 3-series which has a black vinyl recess, I used the same (Although matte, not gloss like he has) material. A subtle change, but now the plate frame flows with the recess instead of standing out so much.

Before:

After:

My current task now is to start gathering quotes from local body shops again for more work to be done this year. Part restoration and part modification again, just like last time. I'm close (I think) to getting the important parts for the new hood I want, and the rest of the work will be a bit of rust repair again. Daily driving in our brutal climate does age vehicles.

[95naSTA]

Since I know you're goint to have a more agressive offset/ride height.. You might want to think about rolling the fenders before you have any paintwork done. You won't have to give it the heat gun treatment or worry while rolling that way.

[Twenty]

That is if I can ever get the wheels stripped and the final parts for suspension located. Any progress seems to be prevented by something. Every. Single. Time.

That's actually a good reminder though, that hadn't occurred to me since the rust isn't in any of the wheel wells. If I can track down a good body shop and set a time for some work I'll go ahead and get the fenders rolled before it goes off, just in case. My concern is the driver's quarter panel, as that's the only one with aftermarket paint. I still want to try and save the three with the original paint, so as to keep as much OEM as possible, but it's better to be prepared for something to go wrong.

[Twenty]

Here are a few pictures of this weekend's progress; a couple of friends came over Saturday and we spent the afternoon and early evening finishing the stripping of the wheels. The black paint and gold powdercoat were taken off, leaving me with a blank slate to start from. Sunday morning I set the wheels out on the driveway and got to work on their new coating. They were cleaned, primed, and painted by Sunday night. After letting them sit in the sun to cure for a while I put them back in the garage-just before it started to rain. Good timing on my part.

First up, these are the free center caps I got. Take a look at the one on the far left, that's why they were free. I think they cleaned up pretty well, and while they're not 10/10, they're just fine for the investment. I'll keep an eye out for other sets during future junkyard runs and the like.

And now for the wheels. Let me say, I never want to paint mesh wheels again. Ever.

So those are the wheels in primer...pictures of them in paint will come soon. I made an appointment today for tires, I'll be bringing these and my summer tires with me to work on Wednesday to hopefully get them mounted and balanced. It'll be a busy day in the shop but I'm trying to have them ready to go on the car Wednesday night. More pictures will come then.