3.5L LX9 rear mount turbo

[FixxxerKH202]

That was my idea if i go a centrifugal route. I figured I'd get a vortech unit and figure out a way to stuff it into the accessory drive with a custom bracket. It won't be easy but I like a challenge and since Pontiac is no longer around I figure this is a good car to keep around and dump some money into because they will probably die off in popularity. I like being different and going against the grain. There also is a hell of a lot more support for the 3400 than their is for most engines so I will have some off the shelf stuff that will make life easier. Truck is first though as I said on GAOC so it will be a little while before I start tearing into this. I'd also like to get a lower mile engine and build it up then drop it in before adding any type of f/i.

[[ChaosweaveR]]

I've seen a lot of different pipe dreams come and go around here, and GAOC just blows smoke up your ass. You're gonna put all that work into that supercharger setup and maybe see a gain of 80 HP at best. There's a reason why some of the more powerful builds have been turbo, and there's TONS of money involved. I'm not kidding when I mean it's a waste of time...because it is. Grand Am, fast and cheap all do not mix.

[3800L67GAM]

Originally Posted by FixxxerKH202

How am I acting like god? I simply stated a few ideas I have. I also never made any claims about gains. I have yet to see anyone say anything other than childish insults towards me so what advice am I supposed to be listening to? If you start stating some worthwhile information than I will have no problem listening. Just like on GAOC you guys start throwing insults for absolutely no reason and then claim you know more about everything than me because you simply have owned one longer. I looked into Stewarts posts and a few others and saw builds that go nowhere and have no result.

You're so telling the truth

[TDavis]

I don't know whats going on but I do like cookies.

[3800SII]

Originally Posted by darkchylde

Ok guys I am thinking about getting the stuff over the winter to do this on my Malibu, my ? Is couldn't you put an stand alone oil set up in the trunk for the turbo instead of running the lines all the way back to the front. Aaron I know you dont like them but you could drive an hr and a half and help me, ya know ya miss the Lansing area

There are very, very few standalone oil systems out there for rearmounts. Reason why: They are quite complicated. If you really want your system to go simple then I would suggest a COMP OilLess turbocharger which is now what several Fbody and V8 cars are using. no need for an oil return. Only uses water lines, and it can be mounted in ANY direction...
the price of one of these turbos is somewhere north of $1500 (more than the value of some folks cars) but they have the spool characteristics of BB turbochargers.

Check them out:

http://ls1tech.com/forums/forced-ind...ss-turbos.html

[darkchylde]

Ya way out of my league , I have talked to you before if I remember right about your set up, I would love to do it but am always broke and prolly always will be . Eventually I would like to do something with a turbo or supercharger but now sure if it will ever happen, should've just done a turbo set up on the bu before I dropped the 3400 into it

[stewartfn18]

Originally Posted by FixxxerKH202

I looked into Stewarts posts and a few others and saw builds that go nowhere and have no result.

fail. trying to find something from 4 years ago because you realize that all of my posts regarding your dumbass pipe dreams are relevant. the last "build" that i was going to do and didnt finish, wasnt finished because i realized that dumping the amount of money needed to make the car reliable wasnt worth it. so guess what i did. i paid off my bills, saved, and bought a car that was worth my time and money modding. you can try and debate with me but im pretty sure that the majority of the members here will agree that doing anything "custom" to a grand am besides a turbo setup, is not worth the money involved. and even thats a stretch. i have rode in probably two of the MOST heavily modified Grand Ams on the site. they are both extremely nice, but both also dumped an incredible amount of money into the car that most are not willing to spend. nothing beats a true RWD sports car, and im not referring specifically to my genny, but ANY RWD sports car.

/RANT

[AleroB888]

Originally Posted by stewartfn18

fail. trying to find something from 4 years ago because you realize that all of my posts regarding your dumbass pipe dreams are relevant. the last "build" that i was going to do and didnt finish, wasnt finished because i realized that dumping the amount of money needed to make the car reliable wasnt worth it. so guess what i did. i paid off my bills, saved, and bought a car that was worth my time and money modding. you can try and debate with me but im pretty sure that the majority of the members here will agree that doing anything "custom" to a grand am besides a turbo setup, is not worth the money involved. and even thats a stretch. i have rode in probably two of the MOST heavily modified Grand Ams on the site. they are both extremely nice, but both also dumped an incredible amount of money into the car that most are not willing to spend. nothing beats a true RWD sports car, and im not referring specifically to my genny, but ANY RWD sports car.

/RANT

Modding any car is worth it only to the guy that mods it. Even most professionally done mods will reduce the number of potential buyers.

[2000GAGT]

Originally Posted by AleroB888

Modding any car is worth it only to the guy that mods it. Even most professionally done mods will reduce the number of potential buyers.

Bingo! The dealer doesn't want your mods. My cars not a Pontiac anymore, AllData ain't gonna fix my stuff . I always said, my car is only worth $500 because it turns on a runs, that's about it. Only worth more to the right buyer.

[stewartfn18]

Originally Posted by AleroB888

Modding any car is worth it only to the guy that mods it. Even most professionally done mods will reduce the number of potential buyers.

what i meant by "worth" is money in relation potential gains. not necessarily monetary worth to potential buyers for future sale.

[2000GAGT]

Originally Posted by stewartfn18

what i meant by "worth" is money in relation potential gains. not necessarily monetary worth to potential buyers for future sale.

Fair enough..either way cars are a curse

[AleroB888]

Originally Posted by stewartfn18

what i meant by "worth" is money in relation potential gains. not necessarily monetary worth to potential buyers for future sale.

So you're going to mod your brand new car, void the warranty, possibly fail emissions or make it louder, and say to hell with the resale value?

What cheap, reliablity maintaining, yet high power adding mods are you talking about for your car? What miles? Start a thread on tricked-out Hyundais, I'll read it Nobody here thinks they can turn a GrandAm into a Corvette.

[FixxxerKH202]

I could do a centrifugal s/c for a fraction of the cost of a turbo and I will see decent gains obviously nothing to go ape**** over but it should make it pretty fun to drive. Turbos have a lot more components and a lot more fab work involved which drives the costs way up. I have $1800 invested in my truck for the s/c set-up and barely any fab work because I got lucky and found a used kit which I got for $1000 then I just had to get injectors, set-up a catch can, modify the MAF housing, and buy a longer belt. With that kit running 7 psi and a really rich safe tune I made about 75hp and 80-90tq so I don't see why that wouldn't be worth throwing some time into.

I'm not looking to be Mr. My cars the fastest around, just to have a project to keep me busy and therefor make my dd a more fun car to drive. My money's tied up now though so it will be a while before you see me attempting anything. I have to get all the maintenance and suspension work done on the ga first and my truck still has body and suspension work to go.

[stewartfn18]

Originally Posted by AleroB888

So you're going to mod your brand new car, void the warranty, possibly fail emissions or make it louder, and say to hell with the resale value?

What cheap, reliablity maintaining, yet high power adding mods are you talking about for your car? What miles? Start a thread on tricked-out Hyundais, I'll read it Nobody here thinks they can turn a GrandAm into a Corvette.

1. yes i am going to modify it. what the hell is the point in buying a car like the genesis coupe and leaving it completely stock?

2. warranty? im pretty sure anyone that modifies cars could give 2 ****s about the warranty. not to mention that the balt ons that i am doing can be easily changed back to stock that would potentially void the warranty. and at that unless the dealer finds a direct correlation between the mod and the part that broke, they have to perform the work. most hyundai dealers could care less about bolt on mods for this car anyways. i work in the automotive industry and it helps to know people...

3. emmisions? theres no such thing in florida. and im locked into the car for 6 years so resale doesnt matter to me at this point in time.

4. reliability? like i said, im doing bolt on mods only at this point. full 3" TBE with the cats removed. intake, hard intercooler pipes, and a tune. that should net me near 300 wtq and about 260-270 whp. thats an increase of 80-90 whp and a whopping 110wtq over stock. all for around 1200. do the math. thats about 10 dollars per WHP, not BHP. thats pretty damn cheap. the ONLY thing that i have to worry about at this point is the stock DMF and clutch, and even thats a crapshoot.

the whole point of all of my posts is that the grand am is NOT the most friendly and cost effective when doing mods. hence my comment to buy a car that was meant to be modified. and i will not post "tricked out" hyundai's. you can search all on your own.

[AleroB888]

Originally Posted by stewartfn18

.........3. emmisions? theres no such thing in florida. and im locked into the car for 6 years so resale doesnt matter to me at this point in time.

4. reliability? like i said, im doing bolt on mods only at this point. full 3" TBE with the cats removed. intake, hard intercooler pipes, and a tune. that should net me near 300 wtq and about 260-270 whp. thats an increase of 80-90 whp and a whopping 110wtq over stock. all for around 1200. do the math. thats about 10 dollars per WHP, not BHP. thats pretty damn cheap. the ONLY thing that i have to worry about at this point is the stock DMF and clutch, and even thats a crapshoot.

..........

Well, mine had to pass emissions and always did, removing a CAT would be a deal-breaker for me. And I hate to follow cars in traffic that make your eyes water. Sounds labor intensive, too, but that's part of the learning (fun?) process.

Yeah, I'm sure it's a great car. I'd love to take one of those to the track, see how the clutch holds up after a few sessions. I'm guessing not cheap to replace, but put that in the point of view of a young non-mechanic modder who likely can't replace it himself.

[AaronGTR]

Originally Posted by FixxxerKH202

I could do a centrifugal s/c for a fraction of the cost of a turbo and I will see decent gains obviously nothing to go ape**** over but it should make it pretty fun to drive. Turbos have a lot more components and a lot more fab work involved which drives the costs way up. I have $1800 invested in my truck for the s/c set-up and barely any fab work because I got lucky and found a used kit which I got for $1000 then I just had to get injectors, set-up a catch can, modify the MAF housing, and buy a longer belt. With that kit running 7 psi and a really rich safe tune I made about 75hp and 80-90tq so I don't see why that wouldn't be worth throwing some time into.

I'm not looking to be Mr. My cars the fastest around, just to have a project to keep me busy and therefor make my dd a more fun car to drive. My money's tied up now though so it will be a while before you see me attempting anything. I have to get all the maintenance and suspension work done on the ga first and my truck still has body and suspension work to go.

eh, I think if you did more research you'd find that doing a custom turbo or a custom S/C on a grand am will cost pretty much the same. Again, it's the difference in the market and whats available for this car. You can't compare it to your truck. Just because you got an S/C for your truck doesn't mean you know jack about this car.


With a turbo OR an SC, you are going to have to do certain mods for both. Both need bigger injectors and tuning. Both need custom intake piping. Both benefit greatly from larger TB's. Both will also kill your stock transmission fast, so a trans rebuild or swap is in order.

A turbo needs manifolds to mount the turbo and a custom downpipe, but the stock exhaust manifolds and DP are a huge restriction on a SC'd grand am and can actually restrict exhaust flow to the point it affects boost readings. When I installed headers on my car it dropped the peak boost readings 2 psi with the same pulley installed. That flow difference greatly affects power as well as the tendency to detonate. So basically headers are a must if you plan on running enough boost to be worth the money of making the kit (at least 6 psi), and you'll find any good headers cost at least $800-1000.

So you either need turbo manifolds or headers. Both need high flow DP's and cats, and larger cat-back exhausts.... so the costs are pretty close to the same. There isn't much off the shelf options for those, so most of it will have to be custom. The turbo is more efficient and will make more peak power. The SC will have better response and reliability, but you also have to design mounting brackets and a drive shaft or pulley system for it. Either way to look at it, it's not cheap or easy.

[2000GAGT]

I've had my grand am supercharged and turbocharged and the 4 psi rear mount turbo is way quicker than the 6 psi supercharger was. Both cost me about the same in the end. In my opinion the supercharger was more fun and turned more heads because the quickness of the BOV and how cool it sounded but the turbo with 2 less PSI passes cars so much fast on the freeway.

Supercharger will not really cost any less than a turbo setup. Sure you might have less parts but a supercharger unit costs way more than a cheap turbo mainly because there is no cheap supercharger that bolts right up, otherwise we would all have one.

[Nitrous Nate]

I have had very good luck with my rear mount setup, although I decided to take out the intercooler due to boost lag. I also have independent down pipes for the exhaust manifolds, no cross over pipe anymore. Much better response.

[stewartfn18]

Originally Posted by AleroB888

Well, mine had to pass emissions and always did, removing a CAT would be a deal-breaker for me. And I hate to follow cars in traffic that make your eyes water. Sounds labor intensive, too, but that's part of the learning (fun?) process.

Yeah, I'm sure it's a great car. I'd love to take one of those to the track, see how the clutch holds up after a few sessions. I'm guessing not cheap to replace, but put that in the point of view of a young non-mechanic modder who likely can't replace it himself.

both cats are bolt on. simply unbolt and replace with catless pipes. very simple. and although i have never done a clutch install, ive seen how to's on the forum. pretty much its unbolt trans and shifter thingy from said transmission. remove old clutch and install new clutch with proper alignment tool. then bolt trans and shifter thingy back to said transmission, bleed clutch lines, and go.

[young gun]

Wondering how this thing is doing?

Also just wanted to throw this out there... I saw oil less turbos.. Would make rear mount turbo's a little easier