Impala Forums banner

New to the forum

3K views 53 replies 9 participants last post by  CraftsmanQuad19 
#1 ·
Hey everyone, new member here from Indiana! I’m not new to forums or impalas, just finally decided to register here.

I drive a 2000 (build date feb) base model that I recently just swapped a 3.8 into out of a Grand Prix. Had to swap full engine harness, and convert the harness from the internal neutral safety switch to the external that was on the Pontiac transmission.

Car is a very odd color maroon, looks copper in the sun and looks brown when it’s in the shade. Never seen very many of them. She has the “wolverine” wheels as I like to call them, and also was optioned with the LS spoiler from factory. Tan cloth split bench with column shifter, Monte Carlo gauge cluster in the works (just have to reset the mileage to match my car), and this summer hopefully a bunch of suspension upgrades.

Already has a factory strut tower brace in the front, and another front brace modified to fit the rear. Spyder auto CCFL halo headlights (I was very picky on these). Also has a tune from INTENSE racing, and eventually will be getting a ported top swap for that high compression supercharged goodness. Cam is also likely with the supercharged setup.

I’ll try to figure out how to post some pics here in the next day or so, and thank you for having me!
 
See less See more
#3 ·
Beautiful card and tasteful mods!!
Welcome to the Impala Forum!!
It’s always nice to see these 7th Gens getting love :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: CraftsmanQuad19
#4 ·
Thank you! I like the wheels you have on yours, I’ve had my eye on a set like those for awhile I just haven’t found the right deal. I got a set of free 18” bmw wheels and tires I might bolt up for fun for a bit. Two rims are bent but they’re repairable. Pulled them out of the dumpster at work haha

Forgot to mention the exhaust setup. With the 3.4 it sounded really good, just a middle resonator delete and a glasspack in place of the muffler.

With the 3.8 I put in speed daddy headers with cat delete and U bend delete. Doesn’t sound TERRIBLE but a 2 into 1 on a 3.8 just doesn’t sound that great imo. Might have to fab a custom true dual setup with H pipe someday in the future.

I have some technical questions too, but this is the intro section so should I probably make a new thread?
 
#10 ·
welcome! I look forward to seeing photos of your car when you get it all sorted out.

The tapatalk is an application on smart devices that run Android or IOS (Apple) operating systems. imgur.com is a web hosting site for your images and you just copy/paste the link of the photo you uploaded to that site here for us to view. if you go with the tapatalk app you simply install the app for free (there is a paid version that i think eliminates adds if that's an issue for you) then find impalaforums in the forum lists and sign in with the same user id and password you used for this site. you can then use the same tapatalk app on many different forums (i do), so its kind of a one stop shop for browsing apps on a phone/tablet.

hope this helps, it's been a while since i went through the initial setup but i think i'm close on these instructions.
 
#13 ·
Too much wheel, too little tire. It'll make the ride rougher too. If you want a good balance between ride comfort, handling, and wheels being able to survive potholes, I'd recommend no bigger than a 17-inch wheel. Stock is 16 inches if memory serves.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CraftsmanQuad19
#14 ·
Yep, stock is 16. These are 18. I know it would make the ride rougher but they’ve got almost new continental control contact tires. All I have to do is pay to have the two wheels fixed and that’s all the money I’d have in them. 350 bucks.

I paid just over 400 for the tires I put on the stock wheels last winter (Yokohama avid envigor), just to put the cost of fixing the BMW wheels into perspective.

I’m not sure I particularly care for the look, but would be fun to change it up a bit. This car hasn’t been my daily in a year now, so at this point I’m not too terribly worried about the day to day drivability, and potholes aren’t too bad where I am
 
#15 ·
More pics of the swap.

Donor car (paid $150!):


Old engine out:



That’s my buddy’s 3.8 5 speed Firebird in the background there. Paid 585 for it.

New engine with headers installed:


Had to make a new core support because the old one rusted out:


Engine in!


OOFAGE:


Drove the car home from school where the engine was put in, and not 100 yards from my house it blew the intake manifold gasket in a spectacular fashion. The next day I was going to take the car to prom. That picture is from the morning of prom while we were trying to hustle to put the engine back together to make it in time. Intake was warped so we didn’t make it. All the bolts holding the UIM were finger tight


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#21 ·
Nice!!
My motto is “Built, not bought.”
 
#28 ·
Ohhh ok. Sorry I’m used to the LA1, L36, L67, L26, L32, and LX9 (I was going to swap one in once upon a time because I like the sound but you just can’t beat an L36 for strength and ease to work on)

I’m thinking mostly suspension upgrades this summer, and once I get bored with the stock L36 I will be top swapping it. I’m fully porting the stock iron heads, Cam, ported lower intake, ported blower, bigger injectors and fuel pump, e85, intercooler, and a reasonable drop in pulley size.

What do you guys think? 400 at the crank?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#31 ·
Not really shooting for a particular psi, there’s just too many variables. The ported heads and intake will drop boost but add flow, cam will do the same, ported blower with a smaller pulley will add it back. Really just looking to make the most I can without any KR. Forgot to mention I’ll do an egr delete too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#30 ·
I'm only a few hours from Ft. Wayne myself, know a guy in the area, and a good friend of mine from college days lives in Fishers these days. Need to get some kind of meet together sometime, maybe at a racetrack or something.
 
#32 ·
I think there’s a drag strip in brownsburg, idk about any road courses though. I’m sure they’re around. I’m more of a backroads roll racer myself. I’ve got some vids on my channel of me playing with my 2000 LS coming home one night.

I’m definitely down for a meetup though. I have a total weak spot for impalas and I love seeing what other people do with them. Makes me think I’m either not crazy, or not alone in my craziness haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#35 ·
Yup.
I don’t want to hijack your thread, but has anyone done some thinking about a procharged 3.8? I really would like to see something like that come out. I love the boost by gear aspect of the belt drive, and the efficiency of the turbo type wheel.
 
#36 ·
Haha, yeah, Clarkson/Hammond/May don't seem to like these things, but they're comparing them to the classic muscle design. Not much gonna stand against that, and these are pretty good cars for their time, aside from lights coming on when the switch is off, and all that. US-131 Motorsports Park could be an option, little more central for some of us, or maybe something could be organized at Michigan International Speedway or Indianapolis Motor Speedway if we get enough people. But, if we can manage one of the bigger locations like those, would you guys be ok with using the traditional oval? I kinda like road courses too, but at courses known more for the simpler oval or rectangle, well....just seems right.
 
#37 ·
I would LOVE to take my car out on the speedway for a top speed run with some banked turns. Sounds like a blast! Any track would do but I’ve always wanted to go to the speedway

I thought briefly about a centrifugal blower but those are expensive and tough to find direct kits for. Plus the accessories crowd that side of the engine bay so it would need a shaft to come along the engine to drive the blower over by the transmission where it would have space. That’s where the turbo 3800 guys usually put their turbo is right where the crossover tube would normally go


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top