Refitting the '97 SSE...undergoing tests 10-18

[WhiteArrow3800]

Awesome work Brad! Awesome work indeed.

[95naSTA]

I'd like to see some pics of that side mount installed.

Glad to see everything is nice and solid.

[Jrs3800]

Just got a chance to drive it... I like it... seems more refined and does not have any of the vibrations I thought it may have.. So far it seems good to me..

[sandrock]

Made it home ok...found out the around-the-town shift strategy is one that should be very fuel-friendly

Thanks to Don, the AC is charged again. It's not as cold as it used to be though...no worries as it's going to be fall here soon enough. Still have a punchlist of things to go through...first is the traction control issue I'm having. Then, I gotta figure out why the gear indicator lights aren't working. But aside from those two minor glitches, it runs beautifully.

Pictures on that side mount are being uploaded right now. As it sits, there is no vibration at all coming through the frame...one would never tell the side mount was there. That would probably change if/when the urethane mount gets installed, but for now, I'll take it as-is.

[Jrs3800]

Yeah I have no idea whats going on with your AC... Mine on the van isn't too good either... Gonna make some changes to that soon after a quick test....

We'll dig into that more in the near future.. By all rights it should have been ice cold.. :sad5:

[sandrock]

pics













Looking at that head-on shot of that side mount a little closer, I think I will most definately be putting in the urethane mount in the near future.

[95naSTA]

Looks pretty solid.

[2000Silverbullet]

Looks good. Keep an eye on the fasteners. A little compliance is necessary so go with the urethane sandwich.

[sandrock]

Thanks! I think I am going to switch out to the urethane. I drove it around some more today and though it feels real solid, it could use a little more. I put it on the ramps today to double-check everything again, and everything is nice and solid. The slight popping noise I am hearing is coming from one of the axles...passenger side one to be more precise. No biggie...it's a lifetime axle.

Just programmed in a new trans tune....upped the shift pressure 30% across the board, and that really made the shift kit I put in shine. Not too firm, but more noticeable than the stock tune. Everything is gelling together now...so much so that I think I'll take it to work tomorrow.

Now, for those issues. TCS is totally inop. Reason? Different baud rate for communication I think. No biggie...since I had to have the cluster out for some connection repair anyway, I just pinched the bulb. Problem solved

Indicator for gear select is gone too. Reason? Again, different baud rate. Gear select on '97 and up cars are on a gear decoder on the dataline. I'll have to go to a 1992-1996 setup if I want that back. I'll do that when I do the interior rehash.

Last things to do...I want to hook in the rear O2 and get that working. Next week, my new tires get put on (Armada GTX...it's an off-brand made by Yokohama. I had them on my gold SSE and I loved them). Next week I'll detail it and maybe get some pics of it somewhere.

[sandrock]

Update time.

I just burned through the first tank of fuel since doing all this. I used it up in about 270 miles indicative. Now that doesn't sound like much, and it really isn't, but I did burn quite a bit just idling and doing some tuning adjustments. I fully expect that to go up in the next few tankfulls.

The 2003 Grand Prix tables are good. My LTFTs were off by an average of -5 in a certain RPM range, which is acceptable but not stellar. I'm working on getting those down a little bit, but I won't worry too much about it if I can't get them under control.

Mounting system is holding up very well. I still have not put in the urethane mount (saving that for SEBF) but the rubber mount that is in there is holding up fine.

I drove Don's '95 SE for a comparison test. Mine has more low-end torque than his does...and it's a noticeable difference. It almost feels Series 1-ish! It's also smoother too, as expected. I'd say overall, the car didn't pick up much more power over the old setup. But it is much more refined, easier to drive, and it just plain feels...I don't know...more mature. It feels good driving it...you actually WANT to drive the car. It's not a track car by any means...it's meant for everyday driving, any condition, any distance. And it seems to be doing that sort of thing very well now

[wjcollier07]

So NOWWWW you wanna sell it right?

Man...when I do end up with the Bonneville I want..I'm almost thinking I want a Series III right off the bat. Ya'll make it sound so freakin' nice...and we all already know its a major series of improvements over the previous, no pun intended....

Can't wait to see that car this weekend. Would reaaally like to take it for a drive.

Perfect this swap Brad...I'm sure several people, including myself would like to use it in the near future. Especially when the Series II just ends up proving to be the second option.

[spidey3479]

Just read this entire thread and I am blown away. I am definitely in good hands with this club.

[sandrock]

Swapping in a Series III where an S2 used to reside is not a hard task at all. No modifications are necessary if you don't count the upper plenum (even then, the aluminum upper is a viable alternative if you don't mind the extra work involved), and the PCM will run it with no issues.

The new(er) style 4T65, once tuned, feels great. All of my cars have that particular trans in different stages of tune, and each one feels different. Adding the shift kit and upping the pressure a bit really changed its personae. However, I strongly suggest that if someone wants to use a trans sourced from a newer W-body, that it be built up using a case from an H-body. Fabbing up the side mount was a last-minute, last-ditch effort to use the trans as-is. It works, and works well, but not everybody has a welder or the desire to weld onto the subframe. Even then, the PCM must be upgraded to at least a 2003 MY. That alone will kill some interest in this, as emissions testing will flat-out fail the car if it has the wrong VIN in the PCM. Doing this mod to the SSE has pretty much doomed it to stay in the confines of Florida for the rest of its life (at least registration-wise), unless there is a way to program in the proper VIN.

That brings me to another set of issues. THe new PCM hates interacting with the old hardware on the car. Just about anything that deals with serial communication with the PCM is now stand-alone (thats of importance anyways). This doesn't bother me because I can live without traction control, and I can mod the gear indicator with the older hardware. But it might bother someone else who does this mod...or may not even apply if done on an older, pre-'96 car.

[sandrock]

Well, found out it isn't the axle that's popping...its that rear mount again. It absolutely has to have three bolts holding it in...not two, especially just the lower two. I'll find a 4T65 mounting plate in due time...it's not overly critical now that the side mount is done.

Speaking of which, during SEBF I installed the urethane insert in place of the rubber mount...and boy does it make a difference. And there is very little vibration to boot...only those who have driven the car before the mod know its there. However, it hasn't stopped the brand new front trans mount from snapping the safety pin when torqued fully back! Either it was a weak pin, or I'm making some pretty good torque to do that. Either way, it gives me an excuse to mod up a new safety for it...more on that later.

The new PCM and OS for the car is proving to operate the engine quite well, but there is ZERO communication with ANY Class II device in the car...including the ECC. The display flashing hasn't gone away, and all else about they system is functioning, so it has to be the communication or lack thereof. And as I said earlier, traction control and the gear decoder aren't working either, but my scanner works just fine whenever I connect to it. Only thing that comes to mind is addressing. The Grand Prix OS is coded to see items the Bonneville doesn't have, and isn't coded to see what it DOES have. I guarantee if I put in a Grand Prix DIC, it'll see it and work like a champ. Not so for the Impala DIC I tried using. For laughs, I might just go back to the Impala OS and see if the DIC is recognized then (though it wont run).

But, so far so good. No leaks, coolant is still nice and green, oil still nice and clean, trans fluid has no metal flakes. All is status quo