'01 SSEi...lives! (Vid pg 6)

[00Beast]

GXP rad has different inlet/outlet locations. Not gonna work with a 3800.

[sandrock]

So all 2k 3800 owners are stuck with this joke of a radiator? *dang*.

[00Beast]

IIRC there's a "HD" radiator. I'd check it out at NAPA. I have never had a cooling problem.

Intense did have a couple radiators custom made though, for BadSSEi and others. I guess with that much power it was an issue....

[95naSTA]

For the rad, contact these guys: http://myworld.ebay.com/radiatorclassic ... 4340.l2559

I was able to get this for my 95:

[sandrock]

How much did that set you back, if you don't mind me asking? That looks more like a work of art than a radiator...I'd be happy with just a core that's twice the size as stock.

At least the condenser is new

Scrubbing out the floorpan now. Looks like it may have, or has, a heater core that went south. Best to replace it now while I have no interior.

[95naSTA]

$138 with free shipping

[sandrock]

That makes it totally worth it, just for piece of mind. Will be keeping them in mind when its engine time.

[sandrock]

Despite the small discoloration, both rugs came out better than I thought they would. If I can find some SSEi mats in awesome shape I won't even notice the discoloration.
I'll take the front rug back out when I run my RCA cables for the new sound system. Started going through my inventory and I already have:

All RCAs needed for 6 channels
PAC switch for steering wheel controls
Kicker KX800.4 (bought it closeout NEW a few years ago and never installed it.)
Two full spools of wiring (twist them and use for new speaker wiring)

I'll probably look for Infinity Reference speakers on closeout on ebay, or if anyone else knows of any speakers that sound great when amped let me know. I'll post that question in the audio section when I'm ready.

[sandrock]

Still not done with the interior. But getting close

DO NOT RUN RCAs UNDERNEATH THE CENTER CONSOLE. I thought I could do it, but the console just won't line up right with them in there. Out they came and will be routed like normal.

I got a good deal on an '05 console, but it needed a little work. The rubberized coating on these panels suck, and you can't paint over them...they MUST be stripped clean. Castrol Super Clean will only soften it, not strip it off completely, so lots of scraping, hot water soaks, more scraping, and finally sanding. After some trial colors I am going with a metallic black that will span from the trac/seat heat switches to the console bin. I deleted the power point on the switch panel and will be putting in a USB/aux-in port in its place (my Kenwood has rear USB). I bought a different stereo for the Tahoe so I can put my Kenwood in the SSEi.

That's all for now. Pics of the painted stuff will crop up if they come out good.

[sandrock]

Not entirely done yet. I still have some trim to put back in, and I think I missed a connection on the passenger heated seat portion (elements in both seats were bad. Had to solder one wire on the passenger, two wires on the driver) so that will have to get revisted. Decided not to use the amp, not because I didn't want to, but rather because I don't need to. The Kenwood stereo along with the Bose amp deliver AMAZING sound, and I haven't even begun to tweak the stereo settings (EQ, HP/LP crossover, etc). Once I get those dialed in this stereo system will rival many new cars "high level" setups. Seriously, it has to be heard to be believed. Even got the steering wheel controls to work (took 20 tries to get the programming right). The cubby hole under the stereo houses purple LEDs that light up when the lights come on and the USB connection for the stereo.

The console plastics are painted with 3 coats of Rustoleum Accents Metallic black with 5 coats of clear. More than enough protection for the paint. Yes, that's the 03-05 console setup, and I do like it MUCH better.

Almost everything you see got dissassembled, cleaned, treated, and reinstalled. Not one speck of dirt, sand, or soft drink was left behind. The little dirt that is in there is from me getting in and out of the car. Should be totally done with the interior tomorrow, and then the powertrain teardown will start

[95naSTA]

Looks good.

[SSEiMan01]

Looks good Brad!

[sandrock]

So far, I've invested (not including the price of the car) around 200 bucks.

Replaced:
Console
Switch plate (heated seat/trac control)
Vents
Cluster lens

Upgraded:
Stereo (Had stereo and PAC SWI-JACK already, needed install kit and wiring adapter)

Plus the cost of cleaners, various paints, car wash blasting. And LOTS of time. Worth it? I think so. At first Karen was like all and now she's like all

[00Beast]

Looks good Brad. Hope you get the powertrain fixed soon and get 'er back on the road soon!

[sandrock]

Karen and I talked about the powertrain last night. After she sat in the car, took it all in, and noticed the potential it has, she doesn't want me to...ahem...cut corners. She wants this car done up right, as we both know it's a keeper, and probably will end up being Brandons first car, or at least his trainer.

With that said, a full powertrain redo WILL happen. It's all a matter of WHAT vs. COST.

Almost at the same time, bodywork will be done. Front clip will come off during the powertrain redo, and almost anything that's bolted on will be taken to the local tech center where the students can work on all the panels. Hopefully the passenger doors can be salvaged, but not getting my hopes up on that.

[nos4blood70]

Glad to see it coming together nicely!
Beautiful job cleaning up that interior.

[Jrs3800]

L32 if you can get a good deal brad...

[sandrock]

Cheapest L32 I can find is 850 bucks, and after speaking with the yard that has it, I'm not comfortable getting it. Even Morads L32 I see on ebay has some high miles on it.

So....I've pulled the trigger on this: Rebuild the L67. Balance the rotating assembly, use the cam I already have, use moly rings, and have the heads done up. Machine shop here in Mustang can handle the block, there is a crankshaft shop that can do the rotating assembly (once the block is done...I will need to know if I need to get new pistons or not), and there is a head shop in downtown OKC that can do what I want with the heads. After seeing Haros PVD thread and looking at what they can do, I'd want the LIM and the 'charger done up by them in that black wrinkle-type finish.

I'd love to go LS4. I think it can be done. Almost positive it can be. But not 100% sure, and I'm not about to start a huge project like that unless I have a spare front clip to use for mockup.

[sandrock]

While I have the engine buildup going, I thought I'd start looking ahead and try to get as much exterior parts as I can. Here's what I've got to work on...

Passenger rear


Passenger rear door




Passenger front door


Passenger fender




Passenger headlight. Headlight itself is good, but the inside trim is shot


Drivers headlight has "BONNEVILLE" embossed inside it. Never noticed it until I took a pic of it. Doubt aftermarkets have that.


In a nutshell, the entire passenger side needs rework. With the amount of work needed, and the way the rest of the paint on the car is, it'll have to get fully redone. I'm thinking a metallic black like what the new Cruze has in its lineup. Now then, I know the fender and the driver door is salvagable, but that rear passenger door looks too far gone (some hack tried to fix it, and NO it wasn't me). Thoughts anyone?

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

I like the Black Granite Metallic paint on my Cruze when it's clean. Otherwise, it looks dull and lifeless. But when it's clean for those few minutes after a wash, it looks great!