New guy with a Bonnie

[95naSTA]

Hey all. I was forwarded a link to this site and decided to check it out.

I've been driving a 95 Bonneville 7 out of the last 8 years and have owned two of them. I've been in the 3800 scene that long and have done a fair amount of work to my cars and others.

95 was the 1st year of the 3800 series 2 so I was lucky in that respect. Shortly after buying my car in 02 I found out about all the mods available for the 97+ GPs (and other W-bodies)and the gears started turning.

I wanted to stay n/a (never changed) and did a cam/heads in 04 and had basically every n/a bolt on by 05.

Appearance wise it was kind of a rice bucket. I did so much bodywork to the thing I couldn't even take it apart. Shaved everything, molded in some base E39 headlights, custom drop springs, 15lb 17"s.. yadda yadda. It was my first car and I learned a lot from it.

I ended up getting into an accident with the car and the damage totaled it.. In retrospect this was probably a good thing. I kept what I could from it, drove a beater for a year and bought basically the same (unmolested) car with no engine.

It had 180k on the clock but was still in great shape for its age. I dropped in my old engine and all the mods into the car and started over.

I hated the 4x4 stance and the only option available was custom springs and KYB GR-2s. I wanted something better. I did some junkyarding and found out that for the front I could use a W-body strut with an 00+ Bonneville knuckle and W-body drop springs. I also found out that I could now bolt up F-body LS1 front brakes too, which I did. I got about a 2.5" drop from W-body Eibachs and AGXs. I did custom rear springs and air assist struts in the rear. It was much better but I wanted more. I tried a couple other W-body front springs but they all netted the same height. And I also started having issues with my CV boots. To fix that, I raised my drivetrain 1.5" with spacers on two mounts and welded/modded the other two. This worked well so I converted the front AGXs to DIY coilovers with 400lb springs, and dropped just over an inch more. I also got 4" custom drop springs for the rear too.

Right after that I started molding in another set of E39 headlights.. but the right way. I cut and riveted/epoxied front sections of E39 fender to mine, welded metal to my hood, and built the bumper up a little. Fiberglass and bondo finished it up. It can all be disassembled like stock. Plus I got projectors and HIDs out of the deal.

Also during that time I got a set of BBS Super RSes from a JMD wheel importer from Cali. You might see similar wheels but these were never for sale in the US. I spaced them out over 20mm to get the stance correct.

Paint came earlier this year and I opted for base/clear and a lexus black onyx 202 paint code.

I loved when it rained so you couldn't see the primer. lol

Shortly after the engine install I found that I had low compression due to fried rings. So all those mods and I was basically sitting at stock power level and also burning enough oil to be a 2-stroke. Said f-it drove it like that for 3 years while I planned a major n/a build in the meantime.

I did a crap ton of other less noteworthy things but I'll leave them out in an effort to not make this a book.

And here's how it was looking up until about a month ago:

I lady kindly decided she wanted to be sideways in front of me on the highway out of nowhere. I avoided her but caught/skimmed a concrete barrier. It destroyed one wheel, strut top mount bent and it poked the hood, scraped the mirror, and trans mount bottomed out hitting the ground messing up the diff. In the grand scheme of things though.. I was very fortunate.

So my n/a build started early.

I hope to have everything ready by the spring. There will be a ton of while I'm in there things.

Highlights of the build are 13k mile shortblock, bigger cam, heads with a perfect I/E flow ratio, 33" longtubes I made with upswept primaries, 10.5ish CR, Bigger TB, shorter intake runners, every bolt on, a trans I rebuilt with various improvements and 3.43s and a lot of painted/polished stuff. The goal is about 240ish very reliable whp and to crack a 13.9 possibly with weight reduction. I know very well how easy it is to meet those goals with much less money and effort but that’s just not enough for me.

If you made it this far I hope you enjoyed the history and the car.

[Jedi3]

Wow great to have you and great intro!!!

[[ChaosweaveR]]

WOW.

I know the Bonneville was introduced as "Euro"-esque sedan in Pontiac's lineup, but holy crap! I absolutely love how you modified the Bonnie. So tasteful, there's nothing wrong with it! Very slick, with the E39 headlights. And BBS LM's? So legit it hurts. The stance is perfect.

100% Win.

Also, welcome.

[Twenty]

This thread is full of win. These cars look great to begin with, but you've taken it a step (or ten) further. The BMW headlights actually look right at home, nice update!

I coulnd't help but find this hilarious though:

Who needs a garage when you have a street?

Keep it up, this Bonneville is great!

[The01Cav]

Glad to see that you could make it over here!

[valid]

Who needs a garage when you have a street?

I also loled at this picture, haha! Beautiful.

Your car is gorgeous. Wow. I have never seen a Bonneville more tastefully done. Then again, I'm not sure I've ever actually seen a Bonnie with anything done to it. Kudos! I very much look forward to seeing your n/a progress. Welcome to the tribe!

[Ghost]

and that looks great. maybe you can do something for me...for free. :D jk, but seriously, great work.

[Killiger2009]

awesome car dude just pure awesomeness i cant wait to see it wen ur all done with it

[CraiGM]

Hehe...hehe...hehe... Its a Beamerville!!!

[Ringo64]

Great looking Bonnie! Sucks about the accident but can't wait to see it finished!

[FASTMOFO]

i love this pic, nice car and also

[Jordan5150]

That is the nicest Bonnie ever

[markpetersonii]

WELCOME! Very nice Bonnie! Can't wait to see it in the Spring!

[95naSTA]

Thanks guys! I'm gald you all are diggin it so far. I still have a long way to go till I'm satisfied.

Here are some more pics you might like.

I got another set of Super RSes but 9/10" wide insead of 8/9" with chromed barrels. (2-pc)

Puddle lights and window spoiler:

Here are the longtubes and a vid when I test fitted:

Heads:

Some random painted/polished stuff:

The blue anodized will be black and the rails will be purple.

Trans:

[solidhadriel]

VERY nice!!

[Jedi3]

you should start a progression thread!!!

[markpetersonii]

SWEET!

[Ringo64]

you should start a progression thread!!!

This ^

[Phenom]

:jawdrop:

AMAZING STUFF!

Welcum to da foumz

[markpetersonii]

foumz? lol

[Pontiacgt201]

you know when I saw the first pic I was like OMG what a POS but once I saw the new pics holy hell that thing is pure . great work. Best Bonnie Ive ever seen

[Ghost]

wow. and yes, a progression would be great.

[95naSTA]

Progression thread it is!

Thanks everyone.

[1BADG6GT]

SICK ride dude!

Oh and Welcome!

[AaronGTR]

WOW!!! That's the nicest lookin' Bonnie I've ever seen. nice work man!