New To Grand Am Owner's Club

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Hey everyone, my name is Steve, I'm a college student at Michigan State, and I own a 1994 Grand Am GT. I just got a great job for over the summer that is going to make me a lot of money, and I've always been obssesed with my Grand Am so I want to Beef is up, (hence my login name). Before I start, I would like to thank you all for the great information that you guys provide on this website, so I give props to you all :thanks:

1. I am going to go through a 3400 swap at first and before I put in 3.4 I want to change around some internals (For Turbo, I'll get to that later), so low compression pistons, new heads, performance camshaft, new plugs, wires, anything I'm missing please point out for me.

2. Tranny. I want to swap in a manual tranny in my car that is going to handle a lot of torque, I assume this will most likely be a custom one. Again, please help me, lol.

3. Computer. Is there some kind of custom computer that can be easily tuned, and will be compatible with the stuff I'm going to put into it?

4. New exhaust, 2.5 piping, highflow cat, straighthrough mufflers, all that good stuff.

5. Turbo. This topic I'm a little shady on so I would appreciate all the help I can get. I don't know what kind of turbo to get, but all I know is that when I hit 3rd gear, I want to be put into my seat. I need a lot of help with this one, because I need to know everything I will need, like better fuel pump, turbo timer, blow off value, intercooler, anything and everything.

6. Suspension. Well, I believe that I will need custom axels for this because of the torque, springs, struts/shocks.

Heh, I know this is a lot of questions all at once, but again, I would appreciate any information I could on beefing up my car. I live in Grand Rapids, and it seems that everyone always want to race me, because my car is completely tinted out, rims, neons, all that good stuff, but the good ole 3100 is gaining a lot of mileage and is not that fast, so it's time turn heads, and see shocked faces.

[Xidion]

1. I am going to go through a 3400 swap at first and before I put in 3.4 I want to change around some internals (For Turbo, I'll get to that later), so low compression pistons, new heads, performance camshaft, new plugs, wires, anything I'm missing please point out for me.

I thought you also needed to change the ECM and most of the electronics for it.

2. Tranny. I want to swap in a manual tranny in my car that is going to handle a lot of torque, I assume this will most likely be a custom one. Again, please help me, lol.

I belive there is a write up on how to do this up top or n the engine area

3. Computer. Is there some kind of custom computer that can be easily tuned, and will be compatible with the stuff I'm going to put into it?

ASEchips.com

4. New exhaust, 2.5 piping, highflow cat, straighthrough mufflers, all that good stuff.

Borla still the best ;)

5. Turbo. This topic I'm a little shady on so I would appreciate all the help I can get. I don't know what kind of turbo to get, but all I know is that when I hit 3rd gear, I want to be put into my seat. I need a lot of help with this one, because I need to know everything I will need, like better fuel pump, turbo timer, blow off value, intercooler, anything and everything.

^ that i cant really help you with i know there are some made for the car or some one made a big post on how any turbo can fit. Ask the turbo guru's

6. Suspension. Well, I believe that I will need custom axels for this because of the torque, springs, struts/shocks.

Airbag shocks are great.

[jayhawk]

Uh, what Xidion said.

[Korbendallas68]

Check it yo.

www.3400swap.com

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Yea, I know about 3400swap.com, but I need more performance information on doing all of this, thank you for responces.

[Pte Socks]

uhh hehe if you dont mind me asking, but why dont you just buy a newer 99+ GA, that will solve alot fo the issues, especially things like body roll, the old chassis is so lose compared the new ones. well I could go on for quite some time now, but I have to jet to work, if I do come back to this, ill provide you with as much insight as possible. This is my best area of knowledge.

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

A few reasons why I don't want to buy a new car, is 1 because of insurance, 2 I really like my 94, and 3 my parents will be pissed if I buy a new car.

[Korbendallas68]

Yeah, I've got a 02 GAGT Sedan. It handles great (more sturdy than the 95's)
But I like my 95 GT alot more. Fun to drive! (IMO it doesn't seem as bulky)

[matts]

with the low compression pistons you aint gonna have sh*t for power until you get the turbo.

if you're going to feed tons of torque to your tranny i'd say get a manual and have it built to handle it.

and why wait till 3rd gear to be planted in your seat. i'd rather be planted in mine till i let off the gas :P

and you're missing the connecting rods, crank, intake, rings, bearings...that's just to name a few more. you need all those components to be of high quality to handle the beating.

you have alot of work ahead of you. good luck with it though. if i were you i'd make the engine the last thing you do. that way when you get it built you'll be able to use it.......instead of having all the power and not being able to use it without breaking something.

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Thank you Matts, so basically you're saying that I should not put everything all in at once? And does anyone know of a place that I can get a custom tranny built?

[Xidion]

^ give me some of you money. If you can afford all this stuff all at 1 time then im sure you can afford a new car lol.

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Hehe yea, I probably could buy a new GA, but I do love my 94 :cool:

[matts]

well if you've got money in hand to do everything at once that's great and go for it. but most people dont have that kind of cash, so they have to do it in steps. i was just saying dont put a high power motor in there and run it to it's potential when everything else isnt prepared to take it. you'll end up costing yourself more in the long run.

as for the tranny check around local for a good guy to build. we've got a couple of excellent tranny builders around here. they're a little costly, but i'd rather pay a little more and get quality work than save a couple hundred and get shabby work. just call around, get recommendations, ask if you can check some references from people that have had work done there before. if they did a good job a person will brag on them. ocassionally you're going to people that are hard to please, but if you call 10 people and 7 of them were tickled sh*tless about the results then you've got a good place.. :D

[coupe]

Yo PlzBeefUpMyGA. We need to get together sometime and go over this stuff, i can help ya. Shoot me a PM or e-mail.

[Pte Socks]

just a question, what tranny does the 94 come with? Also, what about 99+'s, as an educated guess id say the same tranny that is on GP's but thats just a guess. The reason im asking is that I hear the GP tranny is one of the most durable trannies you can get, but the same kinda goes with the big 3800 engine. I just read this in a performance magazine that a lot of guys are looking for that good ol' 4T65-E as compared to the 4T45-E on the cavy/sunfire for use in drag racing.

[Korbendallas68]

94 - 98 GA's : 4T60-E

99+ GA SE's: 4T40-E
99+ GA GT's: 4T45-E

GTPs: 4T65-E

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Might be a stupid question, but does a 4T65-E fit on a 3400, or possibly with modifications, and how will my computer handle this? (even though I'm getting it reprogrammed, or possibly a whole new computer, I need some more info on that). Another question, would it be possible to get a 4T65-E as a manual?

[Korbendallas68]

No question is stupid!
Yes, a 4T65-E will mate perfectly to a 3400. It prolly wont fit in your car though, with out modification.... And no, you cant reprogram your ECU for a '65-E...
As for manual, Nope. The 4T65-E is an auto.
BUT, if you are looking for a BEEFY manual for your 3400, get a 5-Speed Getrag HM284... I have a swap guide in the works for the HM282(samething basically)

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Ok, cool, is there a website for this Getrag Transmission, or a phone number? and how much would one of these tranny's cost?

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Also, where can I get a computer a computer that is fully customizable and will be compatible (or is it universal?) with all the mods that I will be doing. I've heard ASEchips.com, but their site is down, is there any other place that does computers?

[Korbendallas68]

Site? no. You are going to find one of these on a scrapyard (on a older cavi or beretta w/3.1) they usually go for $300.
And as for the ECU... Well, you can get a stand alone fuel managment system. I know someone that has one for sale... Not cheap tho!
BUT, that doesnt mean that there isnt a solution! You can use a old ECU from an older 3.1L (Strickty OBD1, no OBD1.5) You have to pig tail a couple of wires, but they're very customizable. And you can use your own computer (with the right cables)
Which is prolly recomended when you change in a 3400.

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Ok, cool, so I'll probably use my old computer, which is OBD1, right?, and is my current computer easily tuneable? And would be able to tune my computer correctly, and ole' shop or a special place?

[Korbendallas68]

Your comp isn't exactly OBD1... I believe 94's also are OBD1.5 (basically OBD1 but theres no 'chip'. You have to flash them)
I think that the comps we have are pretty tunable tho...

[Pte Socks]

ASE is down and out, it has been for some time now, id recommend DHP now. Damn thats dissapointing about he tranny, guess thats something more to add to the upgrade list, man this is gonna be expensive

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

Oh well, the tranny isn't too bad, gotta have it to handle the torque, plus it's a stick :D

[car audio dave]

id say get a 3400 from a scrap yard. completely disassemble it. have it blueprinted, bored, and the components ported and polished. reassemble it using the "new" gaskets to avoid any issues (the gaskets are known for having issues if they are the original versions). once youve done the engine buildup (using the previously mentioned components) then have a custom manual tranny built or use the getrag. once its all built, id recommend a supercharger.

ive been considering doing this myself, but i dont have the $$$. good luck and i expect pics fo the process.

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

I think I'm going to go with turbo instead of super because there is less wear n' tear from the constant amount of boost a supercharger gives, also, I don't like the idea of losing HP to gain HP.

[Korbendallas68]

And turbo is about $4000 less than a super...

[CopMagnet5oh]

Originally posted by Korbendallas68
And turbo is about $4000 less than a super...

u dont get full boost of the turbo until u rev your car up to like 3000 rpm and u can only rev to about 5500 if u wanna powershift with your new standard tranny, u get full boost of supercharger at idle. there's no wear and tear from a supercharger if installed properly and u have a healthy engine. U want to put a Cat on your car, if u get a turbo you'll lose literally half of your gain just with this one cat, even if u have a high flow one - will not matter. my friends car made 600 rwhp with turbo, after he put 2 high flow cats on dual exhaust he lost about 120 rwhp. that was on a mustang but same goes for all.

r u doing all the engine work yourself ? if so then great if not expect to pay close to 2000 US just for stock engine rebuild, not including any extra stuff u wanna put in. If there is a stroker kit available i'd go that route as u will get many new parts with it and u still use your own old motor. Port your old heads yourself, save tons of money and then put 150 shot of nitrous. get quality exhaust and port your intakes and you're set.

also, u forgot the tires, one of the most important parts in a car.

i dunno what kind of job u got, but not too many people i know can make like 10-15g in one summer and still enjoy the time off.

is it your car anyways or your parents ?

if its not yours dont u think they're gonna flip.

- Kons
let me know if u need help


also, about insurance they will not cover you if u dont tell them what you'ce done to the car in case of an aacident, and if u do then the rate will be higher than if u bought a 99+ ga.
- just a thought.

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

First off, the car is mine, I bought it myself with my own money, I plan on making 10-12 grand this summer because I own my own business, and I don't really plan on getting into an accident.

I don't know if I'm going turbo this summer, I hope to, but I am going to drop a 3400 with performance parts, CAI, exhaust and all those goodies.

[PlzBeefUpMyGA]

So, what kind of turbo should I put on the 3400? And what other accessories would I need to make it perform well?

[Xidion]

Best one you can find ;) with a blow off exc.

Borla exhaust best one out there I made a post about them up top with other guy headers for the 3.4L with dyno.

Borla Exhaust.
Headers.
CAI from doctor speed.
180* thermo stat.
New intake mani.
ASE computer chip.
New cams.
Plug wires.
Underdrive pullys with Performance Alt

And maybe a Nitro's kit wayyyy later on. with a purge valve to get the air out of the lines.

there's so much you can do but that's how I would do it.

[jim-bob1]

WWW.FASTCHIP.COM