Caliber vs Regal

[iTurbo]

So I've decide out of fun, I want to mod the Regal GS some. It is a '98 Regal GS with the 3800 Supercharged motor. It was my brother Josh's (TurboSedan) car and I still think of it as his car although I suppose I legally own it now.

So anyway, I bought some parts for the Regal a while back and have been slowly installing them. Here's a run down:

3" ZZP cat-less downpipe (installed)
Racetronix fuel pump harness (Josh bought but I finally installed it)
ZZP 1.0 PCM (waiting here, not installed yet)
JMB Performance 4" fender well intake (on the way)
ZZP 3.4" S/C pulley w/modular pulley hub (waiting here, not installed yet)

And my older brother Ben bought a GoPro camera so I want to get the Regal vs Caliber on video. I have a local friend Dan (sl3196) that I want to have drive the Regal. He owns a S/C Grand Prix so he should be a good driver for it. I'm going to drive the CSRT of course. The ONLY mod on the Caliber is Mopar Stage I. I think the Caliber will still walk the Regal but it will be fun anyway.

I wonder what else would have to do to hang with the Caliber? I have considered 1.9 ratio rockers, possible intercooler, maybe some headers. I happen to have a T67/P-trim turbo as well which would go perfect with the ZZP turbo kit. Then it would really be game over for the Caliber!

[black86glhs]

Forget the Turbo unless you like chunks of the trans going past you. Go with the headers. I think you will find the regal very close to the caliber, even before the headers.
Also, if you go with the rockers, change the springs. You'll thank me at about 5500 rpm.:thumbup:

[iTurbo]

Yeah I agree, looks like 90# LS6 spring would be best.

A lot of the guys over on RegalGS.org are recommending 'SpeedDaddy' headers on eBay. They are only $210 shipped and have a V-band downpipe connection. Very tempting! With the ZZP turbo kit I would have to go with their "Power Log" exhaust manifolds. Nice stuff, but you might be right about trans debris....looks like that setup is capable of 10 second 1/4 mile times. Not sure if I want to go gonzo... I just want to show the Caliber who is boss!

[sl3196]

I've been running stock springs for 100k with 1.9 roller rockers and no issues yet. Not saying you shouldn't change them but I have had very good luck with mine holding out. Guess when you get the mods on we'll have to see if that regal can hang with the GTP haha.

[Keito]

A bud here at work had Regal, he added a cutout to the exhaust, pulley, and K&N filter. I know he was going 13.80's.
He said on launch, the only way to do it without spinning was to slowly roll onto the throttle.
We were looking at making an anti squat device, but he traded it.

[RoadWarrior222]

Tip in has been a bit harsh on the N/A 3800s I've driven, so yah, imagine it takes a delicate foot with the blower. One I was borrowing for an afternoon last year, I got a stiff leg trying to press my heel down hard to keep very very light tiptoe control on the gas, driving in traffic, honestly it was like if you sneezed you'd end up 3 blocks away.

[black86glhs]

Tip in has been a bit harsh on the N/A 3800s I've driven, so yah, imagine it takes a delicate foot with the blower. One I was borrowing for an afternoon last year, I got a stiff leg trying to press my heel down hard to keep very very light tiptoe control on the gas, driving in traffic, honestly it was like if you sneezed you'd end up 3 blocks away.It all takes getting used to. But some of them can be a bit twitchy at first.

[Ondonti]

Whats so bad about the trans? Seen turbo ones at the track. They ran okay on the top end but the bottom was all blah.

[black86glhs]

The stock ones like to come apart. The input shaft is known to break in higher mileage ones or ones that see high boost levels, compared to stock.
Once they have been rebuilt with all the go fast parts, they are pretty reliable.

[shadow88]

... I just want to show the Caliber who is boss!

Just wondering what exactly you're "showing" to a caliber?

[iTurbo]

Uh..Regal tailights...hopefully :shrug:

[RoadWarrior222]

Showing, as in, "Here's how to be an overweight POS and STILL haul arse" ;-)

[iTurbo]

Heheh yup!

Here is a picture of the Regal GS a few years ago. In this pic it's lowered on Intrax springs with KYB AGX struts, but it is back to stock springs and Monroe Sensatracks now. The entire chassis/suspension/brakes systems were rebuilt by my brother and I back in late '08 and the car has hardly been driven since. Only upgrades it has now are a set of larger front brakes from a later model Impala SS.

37907

[black86glhs]

Showing, as in, "Here's how to be an overweight POS and STILL haul arse" ;-)God knows an LH sedan is soooooo much better.....LOL.:D

[iTurbo]

Well I had hoped to have an update by now. I finally got the CSRT back from the dealership today for recent warranty work (:mad:) and today I also got the new 4" fender-well intake from JMB Performance in the mail for the Regal GS. They forgot to include the KN air filter and PCM tray that is supposed to come with it though! To their credit they responded to my email almost immediately and it should be on the way tomorrow. The 4" intake is powder coated metallic bronze with clear top coat and looks awesome. Even better than the metallic bronze/clear valve cover I did myself for my CSRT.

I plan to install the intake and PCM as soon as the filter shows up from JMB Performance. I plan to take a few test runs to check for knock retard and depending on how that goes I will install the 3.4" S/C pulley. If I get knock retard after that, I will probably end up getting the 1.9 ratio rockers as I have seen myself that these help with regards to KR. What can I say, I have the mod bug for this Regal GS:D

[Young Gun]

so much aftermarket for the 3800SC's its hard not to mod them

[wowzer]

i have a 02 black gs regal also with similar mods. make sure you get rid of the squished part of the exhaust right after the cat/downpipe. headers will help a bunch also as mentioned earlier. i use hptuners to tune mine, knock is VERY common and hard to control. never logged a zzp tune so not sure how good they are. if you plan to do much more with it i would recommend getting hptuners and a wideband so you can tweak the knock spots. the stock tune was VERY conservative, yet still gave me alot of knock in places. with what you've already got plus a couple more items already mentioned you will be pleasantly surprised at how quick it is. i still can get 30 mpg with mine on the interstate if i stay around 75 or below. forget the turbo idea!

[iTurbo]

Hey thanks for the reply. I was just over in Spearfish a couple weeks ago buying Powerball tickets with my mom lol.

I'm hoping the air filter and PCM tray from JMB Performance will show up tomorrow. I have a local friend (sl3196) that is probably coming over on Saturday and helping me with installing the JMB intake and ZZP PCM. I think he has a Palm Pilot with LS1M (??IIRC?) that we can use to look at the knock retard going on. I would like to get the car running 100% with the stock S/C pulley first before installing the 3.4" pulley.

I will have to look into the HPTuners stuff. The ZZP downpipe I got will make it very easy to install a wideband sensor since I will likely be putting an O2 emulator in anyway.

Oh, yeah on the turbo idea, I've kinda decided that is beyond what I want to do. I had considered it briefly because I have a T67/P-trim already, but yeah....I think I will be pretty happy with the car with bolt-on mods. I will be VERY happy with the car if it will hang with my Caliber, but we'll see.

[iTurbo]

My friend Dan (sl3196) came over today and helped me install the JMB fender-well intake and also the ZZP PCM. Made a great improvement as far as seat-of-the-pants improvement and you can hear the S/C very much now.

Here are some pics.

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[sl3196]

Looking good man! Need to get that smaller pulley on soon. :)

[black86glhs]

Hey, would that cold air kit work on an N/A 3.8? I wouldn't mind hearing my Intrigue when I get on it.

[wowzer]

looks great. another free mod that can be done is to rotate the wishbone motor mounts to stiffen up the engine support. you're at a tough point now. the next steps get to be very expensive, - cam, heads, pulleys, springs/rockers, transmission upgrade (the stock one won't take much abuse). one nice thing about hptuners, tho it's really spendy, is that you can reduce alot of the transmission torque management to give yourself a little more go power. obviously, downside is it's hard on the tranny!! and as mentioned before, adjusting for knock is critical. you may want to consider a header if you can't get the knock under control when u get the smaller pulley on.

[capev86]

The Caliber has a Hyundai turd under the hood.....that is more of an insult than a Mitsu 2.6 in a K car!<br><br>I used to run an 89 Lesabre Limited 4dr as my daily driver for a few years so I got into the T type and 3800 engine for awhile.&nbsp; I did a bunch of junkyard hop ups on the car.....T type sway bars, 93 Lesabre 11" front brakes, 15" rims with 205-70's instead of 205/75-14's, strut brace, etc.&nbsp; I even installed a custom fit class 3 hitch and plug in flat 4 trailer harness I found on ebay.&nbsp; I liked the square styling, comfy ride with big cushy seats, flip forward hood and the car ran great.&nbsp; I might build a 2 door or T type some day.&nbsp; My car rusted out but was still running beautiful when I junked it.&nbsp; I kept all my improvements and would only build up a newer gen engine (roller cam, better intake, etc), preferably with a supercharger. &nbsp;&nbsp; <br><br>Did you know that a company makes stroker kits to make a 4.2L out of the 3.8?&nbsp; (I would spend the $$$ on this when doing my aforementioned build)&nbsp; They have conversion kits for both old school 3.8's and the fwd 3800 variants and offer compression ratio combos for hi-po n/a and forced induction setups.&nbsp; The other trick option is the rare 6 speed manual out of the Pontiac G6 as the bell housing pattern is identical to the 3800.&nbsp; I heard one engine mount would need to be modified/fabricated to bolt into my old H body, but that might not be an issue for a newer gen car.&nbsp; Another route is a 300hp Northstar, but the stroker v6 makes more sense if you want to maximize low end torque and fuel economy economy (smaller/less cylinders = better mpg).<br><br>I really like the new Regal GS with the turbo 4 banger, especially in this time of insanely high gas prices.&nbsp; But GM needs to shave 500 pounds (my big Lesabre was much lighter) and either re-tune the turbo for more low end (like a lot of those tiny import cars do with basement level torque) or stroke it out to get the same effect.&nbsp; <br><br><br><br>

[iTurbo]

Well it is a GEMA 'world' engine. A joint venture between Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and Hyundai. Initial design of block and head done by Hyundai, with the three manufactures taking it from there to design/build there own to suit essentially. The manifolds/turbo setup and just about everything short of the longblock is Chrysler, and it was built in Dundee, Michigan. The car was built at the same plant they built the Dodge Omnis at in Belvidere, Illinois. So it's not cut-and-dry or a rebadged Hyundai POS as you've eluded to in most of the threads in this forum. But you are entitled to your opinion.

I guess you could say the Lancer Evo X is running a Hyundai engine too.

[iTurbo]

Here are some headers I was looking at for the Regal GS. $215 shipped!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUICK-REGAL-PONTIAC-GRAND-PRIX-GTP-V6-STAINLESS-EXHAUST-HEADER-GASKET-BOLTS-O2-/260886994266?hash=item3cbe139d5a&item=260886994266&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr#ht_2556wt_1326

Seems like the guys at RegalGS.org like them for the price. I like the collector design and V-band downpipe connection better than the Pacesetter headers. I suppose I could just sell my new ZZP downpipe since the eBay knockoff headers come with their own.

[wowzer]

they look nice, and for the price hard to beat! i bought a set of cheap stainless divorced turbo downpipes for my 300zx a number of years ago off of ebay. other than a minor fitment issue they have lasted very well and were actually built quite well. a number of the "major" vendors that were selling similar items for 2 or 3 times the price said they were junk. they were wrong!

[Spraynlog]

I like my wife's '96 Regal 3800 pretty well. That body style of Regal is quite the sleeper...more so than the Pontiac GTP models. It's fun to see what you are doing with the Buick, I have thought of getting a Gen3 supercharged Buick of Pontiac to replace my ageing TM. Keep us posted on how it runs!

[ShadowFromHell]

What kind of fuel mileage are you getting? Ive been shopping for a new car and have always been interested in these.

[wowzer]

when i first got mine i had NO trouble getting 30 mpg at 75 ish. its a beautiful road car - luxurious, comfortable, looks good, and reasonably fast. my son (21) drives it now and loves it - i doubt he gets 30 mpg with it tho!! i'll probably buy another when my current commuting car (also a 3800 w/ 290k miles!) dies.

[black86glhs]

What kind of fuel mileage are you getting? Ive been shopping for a new car and have always been interested in these.I can get 27-29 mpg on trips and get 22-23 mixed driving in my Intrigue with the NA 3800 V6. Same body as the Prix and Regal(W-body) but not the supercharged engine. The SC3800 cars usually get about the same MPG if you stay out of the go pedal.

[wowzer]

had a terrible start to the morning today. my son calls up at 4:30 am and says his car (the regal) is on fire. by the time i got to his place the firetruck and cops were already there. he had a fire extinguisher and was able to put it out. basically the front interior is gone. looks like it started either in/under the drivers seat orein the console area. doors were locked but his sunroof was open just a little so perhaps somebody could have thrown something in there. he's not a smoker so thinking it must have been some type of electrical short!? with the key off not quite sure how that would have happened unless his heated seat relay could have shorted out somehow! we were standing there watching with the hood open for about 30 minutes and some stupid fireman walks up to the car with a big wire clippers and starts trying to cut the battery cable. i called him an idiot and said just go get a wrench. duh!

oh well, i'll take a look at it when i get home from work and see what can be salvaged. he only had liability on it. poor kid. i loaned him a car until we figure out what to do :-( anybody know of a good 02 dark gray leather interior for a 02 buick regal gs?!!!

[sl3196]

Wierd usually the fires start under the hood haha. I was getting 30mpg with my old modded gtp.

[wowzer]

looks like it was set purposefully. his ipod, wallet, billfold were stolen and then something was poured on the drivers seat and ignited !!!

[RoadWarrior222]

Fuggin' douchebag(s)

Hope I never find someone doing that to my car, would end up on assault charges most likely.... when I stubbed it out with his face.

[iTurbo]

Wow that sucks. I was recently at a junkyard in Douglas, WY looking for an instrument cluster for my '98 Regal GS and they didn't have ----. They used to have a pretty good selection of later model cars and would sell things stupid cheap. The price of scrap metal must be up because most of their yard was gone and there were crushed/cubed cars strewn about everywhere.

I'm hoping to hit Nordstroms over near Garretson, SD here in about two weeks and will keep an eye out for you.

I recently had some vandalism to one of my cars as well. About two days ago, I walked downstairs to the parking lot to go to work and noticed that the rear window of my Shelby Lancer was shattered. It had a BB hole in it but I think the only thing holding the window up was the tint. I called the police and they said they have been responding to calls all over town about vehicles and businesses getting hit over one night. ---- luck I guess. Wouldn't you know it I happen to have a hatch door from another Shelby Lancer with good glass and no hail damage in my garage waiting to go on but it still sucks.

[wowzer]

looks like we'll end up putting it on a salvage yard auction or parting it out. the interior is completely worthless. the heat and smoke ruined everything. police department is completely unconcerned. kid finally had saved up about 4000 to put towards college this fall. guess it'll be going to a different car.

[iTurbo]

Damn that sucks. I have not heard back from the officer I talked to about my window being shot out either. They even have a Crime Stoppers $1k reward for the person that shot out all the windows around town but nothing yet.

I hate to say it, but if you do end up parting it out, I would be very interested in the instrument cluster. I have had a hell of a time locating one. What does your Regal have for performance mods?

[wowzer]

the interior (and glass, dash cluster) is shot from the intense heat, even tho nothing really burned other then the drivers seat and console. we will probably pull the engine (and mods) and look for a donar body with a bad engine.

[iTurbo]

Done more work to the Regal lately. I finally got a replacement instrument cluster from Nordstroms. The cluster still wouldn't light up (backlighting), so I ordered a new headlight switch from Rock Auto and finally that fixed it. Now that I have a working cluster, I find that I had about four dummy lights lit up (Anti-lock, Service Vehicle Soon, Brake, and Trac off) and found it to be a broken wire at the front passenger side wheel speed sensor. Thankfully that was an easy fix and all the dummy lights went away. I also finally learned how to use DashCommand app with the Kiwi Wifi but I still cannot for the life of me figure out how to monitor for KR. There does not seem to be a PID for it. Closest thing I can see is the amount of timing advance on cylinder #1 but that's it.

Next up I'm going to change the trans fluid out for some Dexron VI and install the new filter and pan gasket. Then I gotta install a new ZZP S/C coupler and the ZZP modular pulley. Probably just going to rebuild the S/C snout while I'm at it. If I do any more mods I will most likely get a set of headers on eBay.

So far even with the stock S/C pulley on there, the car is a lot of fun to drive! Drives like a new car and has wonderful 'right now' torque. You can really hear the S/C with the JMB intake on there. A bit noisy though as it really needs the new coupler.

[iTurbo]

Got more stuff on the Regal GS today.

Finally got the trans switched over to Dex VI fluid. I replaced the badly dented transmission pan with the cast aluminum one from ZZP. It has a drain plug and a bunch of 1/2" deep cooling fins along the bottom. I powder coated it wrinkle black and installed it along with a new filter and gasket. Seems to be doing great so far.

Then I replaced the worn out original S/C coupler with the green one that ZZP sells. No more S/C pulley slop! I haven't driven it yet but I imagine it will be a little more responsive now and hopefully the 'box-o-rocks' sounds at idle will be gone. I resealed the snout using Loctite 518, which is an anaerobic sealant that is OK for use on aluminum. You wouldn't believe how AWFUL that old fluid smelled. Nastiest stuff ever, and I had to suck it out with a clear vinyl tube from my fish tank air pump. Yuk.

Since that wasn't too hard, I decided to install the ZZP modular S/C hub and a 3.4" pulley. I used the pulley puller from ZZP and it made it a breeze to pull the original pulley (3.8") and install the modular hub. Now all I have to do to change pullies is remove five allen screws. I may end up getting the 3.6" modular pulley on my next order as I'm not sure if the car will like the 3.4" pulley yet with the mods I've done so far.

Here is current list of mods:
ZZP 3" downpipe (cat delete)
ZZP modular pulley system with 3.4" pulley
ZZP green S/C coupler
ZZP 1.0 PCM
ZZP transmission oil pan
JMB 4" fender well intake
Racetronix fuel pump rewire
Delphi fuel pump module
polyurethane dogbone engine mounts
Dex VI trans fluid w/new filter
larger front brakes from '04 Impala SS

Next I just need some sort of scan gauge to see how the knock retard is with the current setup and I will be racing the Caliber soon.

[ShadowFromHell]

I wish I could find one of these. They seem pretty rare!

[RoadWarrior222]

Where do the old people in WA go? Any coastal towns famous for retirement? Try those Craigslists.

[iTurbo]

I still see them quite often; about as often as I see the Grand Prix GTPs which had the same S/C 3800 motor. I'm almost positive that only the GS models were supercharged, along with the rarer GSX model. The Regal LS models had the n/a 3800 in them.

Most every Regal GS I've seen is two-tone, so that is a pretty good indicator that it is a S/C car. Mine is burgundy/grey.

[black86glhs]

My Intrigue has the same rotors as part of the autobahn package. They work awesome!

[RoadWarrior222]

This one is funny...

"THIS BUICK HAS 340 HP AND 380 POUNDS OF TORQUE. STRONG TRANNY, ICE COLD AIR, POWER EVERYTHING, VERY QUICK, VERY RELIABLE, BUT ALL IT NEEDS IS 1 PISTON TO BE REPLACED AND THATS WHY IM SELLING FOR $ 8,500."

yeah, sure bud, when I'm finding nice ones with running motors for 1500-5000


---------- Post added at 10:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 PM ----------

sure sounds reliable too :D

[iTurbo]

Went for a test drive tonight after work. I wanted to wait a day before adding new S/C fluid since i resealed the snout with anaerobic. Right away I can tell the new coupler worked. The S/C is now whisper quiet at idle wheras before it sounded like it was full of rumbling rocks. Now getting on the throttle on the other hand, that is a different story! The S/C comes to life instantly with pedal and the whine is noticeably louder. Major increase in part throttle torque! Just stabbing the throttle at a stop you can hear the S/C come to life and kinda threatening actually. Haven't tried WOT yet....I'm a bit nervous about that until I can see the KR firsthand and not to mention it's in the 90s today.

[black86glhs]

This one is funny...

"THIS BUICK HAS 340 HP AND 380 POUNDS OF TORQUE. STRONG TRANNY, ICE COLD AIR, POWER EVERYTHING, VERY QUICK, VERY RELIABLE, BUT ALL IT NEEDS IS 1 PISTON TO BE REPLACED AND THATS WHY IM SELLING FOR $ 8,500."

yeah, sure bud, when I'm finding nice ones with running motors for 1500-5000


---------- Post added at 10:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 PM ----------

sure sounds reliable too :DDoesn't it mean it doesn't have the fake 340 hp 380 tq since one piston is bad?

[wowzer]

iturbo - you have put together a very nice setup. hope you have alot of fun with it. if you go further you may want to find a "friend" with hptuners that will let you tweak the ecu all u want without having to go somewhere else for updates. its especially helpful for the KR you're going to run into. or you buy it yourself.

[iTurbo]

Thanks wowzer, the car has been a blast to drive and for some reason I really got hit with the mod bug with it. I've looked into lots of stuff to do in the future......intercooling, headers, and maybe even HPTuner, although that would be a whole new world to me that I know little to nothing about at this point. I wish I could see what it does in person but at this point I'm sort of dumbfounded on how I could use it to it's fullest extent.

If there is one more mod that I will (likely) do this year, it's 1.9 ratio rockers. Specifically I'm looking at the Yella Terra aluminum roller rockers w/pushrods and 105 lb valve springs. I have a friend in town that used to have a '00 Pontiac GTP (sl3196) and I specifically remember him installing some 1.9 rockers from Harland Sharp that helped his KR situation to the point that he had little if any KR with the 3.4" pulley. I originally was bent on getting a camshaft, but considering the time and difficulty and how many projects I have on my plate right now I decided against a cam for the time being. For now I just want to beat the CSRT from a roll, but considering the crazy top end on that thing I'm still not so sure it will happen.

[Force Fed Mopar]

If you can afford to intercool a 3800 SC, you will officially be a 3800 baller :)

[iTurbo]

Yeah, I hear ya. As far as I can tell anything more than the ZZP SS (ss = short stack = puny 1" thick core) is $1k +.

There is a guy on one of the 3800 forums that sells an intercooler that uses a 2" core sandwhiched in phenolic that looks promising but when you add up the cost of that, plus the heat exchanger, plumbing, coolant pump, and modified fuel rails.....~$1200 easy.

[iTurbo]

Well I decided against going with rocker arms. Hate to spend the money on those and then get a cam later and have to take them out and sell them. So I started looking at different scan gauges in order to try to at least get the KR monitoring functionality. I can't find *anything* that will monitor KR with the PLX Kiwi Wifi I have using an iOS application. I looked into using the PLX multi-gauge (DM-100) but it does not support monitoring KR either so....looks like HPTuners is really the way to go and be done with it.

[black86glhs]

That or a Tech II. I wonder if those rockers would be any good on an N/A 3800?

[ShadowFromHell]

What about water/method injection to help with knock? Seems like the perfect platform for it.

[Force Fed Mopar]

Can you not use something like this?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CEI-102003/

[iTurbo]

That or a Tech II. I wonder if those rockers would be any good on an N/A 3800?

I'll have to look into the Tech II. Isn't that the factory scan/diagnostic tool? If so, hopefully not uber expensive like Chrysler's StarScan.




What about water/method injection to help with knock? Seems like the perfect platform for it.

I will have to look more into that as well. It does seem like it would be a great car to do it on. But I wonder if it would have to be injected after the blower as I'm not sure how well the rotors would take to having a liquid going around them.



Can you not use something like this?

Heh that is pretty cool, thanks for the link. Seems I need to stick with a scan tool though, since the ECU is interpreting the factory knock sensor and causing the timing retard. I just hope I can get something done that will make sure the Regal can run the 3.4" pulley with no KR when I line it up with the CSRT. I've thought about getting some low-lead 100 octane from the airport, but that seems like it would be cheating if the CSRT only gets 91.

[black86glhs]

I'll have to look into the Tech II. Isn't that the factory scan/diagnostic tool? If so, hopefully not uber expensive like Chrysler's StarScan.



I will have to look more into that as well. It does seem like it would be a great car to do it on. But I wonder if it would have to be injected after the blower as I'm not sure how well the rotors would take to having a liquid going around them.



Heh that is pretty cool, thanks for the link. Seems I need to stick with a scan tool though, since the ECU is interpreting the factory knock sensor and causing the timing retard. I just hope I can get something done that will make sure the Regal can run the 3.4" pulley with no KR when I line it up with the CSRT. I've thought about getting some low-lead 100 octane from the airport, but that seems like it would be cheating if the CSRT only gets 91.Sadly, the real Tech II scan tools (yes it is the factory scan tool) and not the crap chinese knock-offs are expensive. $3200 sound expensive?

Not to muck up your thread, but I am going to install some 91 V6 Camaro front springs in the rear of my 88. They are almost identical except thicker coil stock(not as soft over bumps). I'll let you know if it works or not. It rides way too soft in the back over bumps. Has that crappy FE1 soft ride suspension. Just hope it doesn't cause a severe handling issue. Plan on 95 Aurora front struts to help the front handle better too.:nod:

[wowzer]

Well I decided against going with rocker arms. Hate to spend the money on those and then get a cam later and have to take them out and sell them. So I started looking at different scan gauges in order to try to at least get the KR monitoring functionality. I can't find *anything* that will monitor KR with the PLX Kiwi Wifi I have using an iOS application. I looked into using the PLX multi-gauge (DM-100) but it does not support monitoring KR either so....looks like HPTuners is really the way to go and be done with it.

if u had an android u could download torquepro from the store ($5), buy a cheap elm obd2 device ($15) and u could monitor your KR as well as a bunch of other things. you might want to check if there is an iOS version. however, you need to be able to do more than monitor. if your serious about modifying your car get hpt and mod/monitor till your hearts content!! i know its a lot of money but once you start "tweaking" its addicting as heck. you need to check/adjust your VE tables, readjust timing, and maybe change some of the boost retard settings at a minimum. hope you have a wide band also so you can plug that into hpt and use that to fix your ve tables.

[black86glhs]

I agree. Even if your just monitoring, HPT is what you want. I still have connections that make using it easy for me(hint, hint). But for the aftermarket, not worth it.

[iTurbo]

Sadly, the real Tech II scan tools (yes it is the factory scan tool) and not the crap chinese knock-offs are expensive. $3200 sound expensive?

Not to muck up your thread, but I am going to install some 91 V6 Camaro front springs in the rear of my 88. They are almost identical except thicker coil stock(not as soft over bumps). I'll let you know if it works or not. It rides way too soft in the back over bumps. Has that crappy FE1 soft ride suspension. Just hope it doesn't cause a severe handling issue. Plan on 95 Aurora front struts to help the front handle better too.:nod:

Hey Bryan, is the 88 you referred to an Olds Delta 88 or an '88 model GM W-body? Just asking because I thought the early W-bodies had a mono leaf rear suspension. My brother and I had pulled that out of his '91 Cutlass turbo/5spd conversion and put coil-overs on the rear long ago.

I've pretty much made up my mind to get the HPTuners w/pro interface. Just can't quite afford it yet though. Might get an Aeroforce scan gauge to hold me over until then and at least provide some monitoring of KR and OBDII stuff. Aeroforce makes a wideband add-on kit that looks like it will work with the HPT pro interface as well.

[black86glhs]

Hey Bryan, is the 88 you referred to an Olds Delta 88 or an '88 model GM W-body? Just asking because I thought the early W-bodies had a mono leaf rear suspension. My brother and I had pulled that out of his '91 Cutlass turbo/5spd conversion and put coil-overs on the rear long ago.

I've pretty much made up my mind to get the HPTuners w/pro interface. Just can't quite afford it yet though. Might get an Aeroforce scan gauge to hold me over until then and at least provide some monitoring of KR and OBDII stuff. Aeroforce makes a wideband add-on kit that looks like it will work with the HPT pro interface as well.It's the Delta. I know all about the mono leaf cars. Actually was a good design. They just cheaped out on the glue that held the rubber end pieces on, LOL.
Compared to stock anything will be firm, but not using the i-roc springs should make it handle better without being too harsh for everyday. In a day or two, I will know if my little experiment is any good or not. :)

[iTurbo]

Cool beans, never worked on a Delta 88 but hope the springs work out for you.

I put in another order at ZZP for the Regal GS. I ordered some more DexVI fluid...$22.50/gal @ ZZP and the local dealership wants $9/quart! I also ordered a slightly shorter belt for the S/C because the stock belt seems a little loose with the smaller 3.4" pulley. And I also ordered a sort of novelty item.....the ZZP 'Race Pellet'. It is a little thing that plugs into the IAT sensor plug that 'fools' the computer into thinking it's very cold outside, thereby increasing the timing advance by 4 degrees at WOT. You do need a computer that is programmed for it though, which I have (ZZP 1.0 PCM). They recommend only running it with 100+ octane, but I'm thinking it could work pretty well with a Devil's Own alcohol injection setup.

Next up, I'm torn between Aeroforce dual scan gauge setup or the Devil's Own alcohol injection. HPTuners will come eventually though, however I don't even have a Windows laptop right now that will allow me to use it.

[black86glhs]

This thing is going to be a monster. :clap:
I'll post up on the suspension. Looks like tomorrow if the f-body struts come in.

[iTurbo]

I hope so! I'm having a lot of fun with the Regal GS. With the mods so far done I am quite pleased. I don't think it will best the CSRT yet, but I am very close to racing the two cars. I have a local friend (sl3196) that may help me with that....he is a long time owner of a similarly modded GTP so he would be a good candidate to drive the Regal while I drive the Caliber SRT-4.

I got my latest order from ZZP today....a gallon jug of DexVI to top of the trans, a slightly shorter belt for the S/C 3.4" pulley, and the 'race pellet' which I will *not* install unless I run methanol injection or possibly 100 octane low-lead AV gas from the airport... I also got have ordered a triple gauge A-pillar pod from Lotek for the Regal GS so that should be here next week although I will have to wait a bit to order gauges. Trust me I would love to post vids of the Regal walking the CSRT although I must say I have no idea of what will happen at this point. CSRT is still Mopar MS1 only.

[RoadWarrior222]

Hope that race pellet didn't cost much, it's a 5 cent resistor.

[black86glhs]

Well, started the swap on the Delta 88. Cut 2 coils out and got it and the F-body strut in the car. Surprising how damn near bolt on this is. Grind down a flat on the top nut and drill out holes in the washers. The top nut didn't go very far on due to the threaded portion not being as long on the f-body. Ground the step on the strut shaft a little and am happy with it now. The bottom part was an exact fit. Only needed to grind the holes for camber adjustment.
It is so stiff that the only thing moving is the sidewall of the tire!!! Will more than likely cut 1 more coil out because these springs are so much stiffer than the stock ones it will probably still be harsh. I used the f-body struts due to how firm these are. I wasn't sure if the stock Delta struts would be able to handle the springs. The stock struts were done for.