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Glenn's 2000 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 M6

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  • #16
    This t/a had just 63k miles on it. There's very little new fluid mixed in that bottle. After I put another new bottle in my bleeder, I switched to a bucket, since that bottle was getting full. But yeah, it was overdue.

    The brakes feel like they've fully bedded in, and feel great! I need to get that missing bump stop replaced. We we're heading to dinner on a back road, and I'm worried the shock on that side bottomed out a couple times. Just been too damn busy.

    I helped a friend with front brakes on his '12 Hyundai Elantra on Thursday night. Would've gone quickly, but 3 out of 4 rotor retaining screws were seized up. Ended up drilling them out. I explained that he doesn't need them anyway.
    2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 M6 | C4 ZR1 Wheels | Borla Cat-back
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    • #17
      The back will come down a little more when the front springs go on. With the new shocks and lowering springs you will be making excuses to find "good corners" to drive through
      When in doubt, Whip it out !

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      • #18
        I was with our son at Boy Scout Camp Gerber for 7 days. We got back early Saturday, but I couldn't find the key for the lock lugs. I ended up spending 3 hours cleaning and sorting in the garage, and never found it. Frustrating. Yesterday, I ended up trying about 10 different sockets, before settling on a 6 point 19mm, that I mashed on the locks with a 3lbs hammer. With the wheels finally off, I got the front all finished yesterday.

        The spring and shock swap was a relatively simple job.... just tedious. Both top shock nuts came off without any trouble, using an impact gun, although I did soak the passenger side for about 10 minutes. I barely compressed the stock springs during disassembly. I didn't need to compress the Strano springs at all during reassembly. After a certain point, I couldn't hold the upper half of the shock while tightening. I imagine I was only getting 15-20 ft lbs by hand, if that, and really didn't want to mare the shock trying to hold it with tools. I also really did't want that washer that comes with the Konis making any noise, so I put the impact on a lower setting, an cinched it down.... had no trouble holding the shock while using the impact gun.

        I've put about 20 miles on it so far, and very pleased. I actually feel the front is a little too low for my tastes, but I expected that and had decided the lower center of gravity is worth it.
        2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 M6 | C4 ZR1 Wheels | Borla Cat-back
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        • #19
          I tried to get the same angle, but I currently have a Boy Scout Troop trailer in my driveway.

          FWIW, I also ditched the chrome lug nuts, and installed the originals. The black caps that came with the car don't appear to be original, or at least are not what comes up in a parts search. I was missing 3, but I lucked out with a guess that caps from a 2000 Grand Prix would match. I'm hoping for new wheels next year, so I really didn't want to invest in a whole new set of lug nuts. Honestly, I kind of like the caps anyway. At any rate, there were 2 different styles of chrome lug nuts on there, of varying condition, and it turned out that 2 were a different size (Glad to find that out in the garage, and not on the road.)

          2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 M6 | C4 ZR1 Wheels | Borla Cat-back
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          • #20
            That looks great.

            I dig the black lugs - little pop of something different on the wheels. I myself just went the opposite way.
            Gone but not forgotten: 1986 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z

            "You shall ride eternal. Shiny and chrome."

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            • #21
              Thanks! The big fat wheel nut covers do well at hiding the oxidation in the lug holes too!

              Last Saturday, I finally adjusted the front shocks. Turns out they were set to nearly full soft. I have them 2 sweeps down from full firm now, and I'm pretty happy with that so far. I've been hitting a fair number of big bumps and holes lately, and that's a bit annoying. The car handles them better, but the big ones are definitely harsh... to the point that I sometimes worry I'm going to break something. The rest of the time, it does ride firm, but I don't find it harsh or uncomfortable at all. It sure does turn a whole lot better though!

              I have an alignment scheduled with a shop I trust for this coming Wednesday. I'm hoping to hear back with recommendations for specs from Sam Strano before then. I'm pretty sure I don't want to go back to stock spec. I drives awfully well as it sits.

              I have the itch for a watts link now. I've acclimated to the panhard bar feel, but I still don't particularly like it. Money wise, that conflicts with my hopes for Forgestar F14 wheels, but I'm also a little scared of running wheels like that on these damn roads. I'm slightly tempted to paint the ZR1 wheels gunmetal or charcoal. I feel like i need to do something about the oxidation and peeling chrome. I know I'm not spending the money to repair these properly... I'm pretty certain they're just cheap clones.
              2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 M6 | C4 ZR1 Wheels | Borla Cat-back
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              • #22
                About to pick up the T/A from the shop. Sam Strano, gave me recommendations for the alignment, based on a bunch of information I gave him regarding my driving and the current behavior of the car. It rolled in with a racy -1.3 degrees of camber, right in the range Sam recommended for my driving, so we're leaving it! Caster is good, and they just needed to adjust the toe a bit.

                It was nice to walk around underneath, and just get a good look at everything. Aside from some mangling of the unibody pinch rails (from monkeys improperly lifting the car), that thing is so mint underneath! I also got a better look at some trans fluid weeping from the rear of the transmission; very minor, and still not worried about it.
                2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 M6 | C4 ZR1 Wheels | Borla Cat-back
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                • #23
                  All good news!
                  DynoDave
                  POCI # 72200



                  1988 Pontiac Trans Am WS6

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                  • #24
                    Tire wear has looked pretty good so far, so I went ahead and ordered a couple new tires. I thought I asked for BFG Sport Comp-2, but I ended up with BFG Comp-2 A/S. I didn't see the tires until they were rolling them out to my truck. The old tires are G-Force Super Sport A/S, which will still be on the back. The A/S tires were cheaper, and I suppose a better match, so I don't think I'll bother raising hell over it. It never sees snow though, so I did intend to get the summer tire. I do drive in the rain, and have been impressed with the Super Sports, so...
                    2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 M6 | C4 ZR1 Wheels | Borla Cat-back
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                    • #25
                      Not a bad choice, by any means. Quite a popular tire.

                      That said, the proper summer tire will be good in rain - my Direzza ZIIs are possibly the best tire I've experienced in the rain.
                      Gone but not forgotten: 1986 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z

                      "You shall ride eternal. Shiny and chrome."

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                      • #26
                        Well, I'm pretty happy with the A/S so far. It's rather surprising how much smoother the ride is, and the steering has settled down almost completely. The transitions over seems between lanes is smoother, as is the steering on heavily rutted asphalt. Grip is at least as good as before. The steering is lighter, and yet I swear the ride is softer.

                        FWIW, the ride height after the springs and shocks settled low enough that I could not get my jack under the car. After leaving the suspension hanging for 24 hours though, the ride height went back up slightly. I haven't checked it again to see if it has re-settled.

                        I drove it to Mackinaw City for the Boy Scout Mackinaw Rendezvous, and got about 24.5 mpg on the round trip with a heavy foot. The car still has a fair amount of vibration on some asphalt highways, starting around 75 mph. I don't know if it doesn't have enough toe in it, or if the vibration is coming from the rear, or if it's coming from the driveline, or if it's just the stiffer suspension feeding back the ripples/waves in the asphalt back into the car. It is a lot like the feeling you get when driving down washboard dirt roads, but much less pronouced, and a much higher rate/frequency. On concrete, and older asphalt, it was fine. I tend to feel that it needs more toe, and I liked the turn in it had before the alignment (was toed out.)
                        2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 M6 | C4 ZR1 Wheels | Borla Cat-back
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                        • #27
                          After I lowered my car I had to make some wooden ramps with 2x10's to jack up the front.
                          When in doubt, Whip it out !

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                          • #28
                            If you have an adjustable torque arm it might need adjustment for driveline angle since lowering. Might be cause of your vibration.
                            When in doubt, Whip it out !

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                            • #29
                              Maybe, but it doesn't seem to resonate like a driveline vibration. There are a lot of weights on the driver's side front wheel. I need to get the rears checked and balanced, and may try running those on the front and see if that changes anything. I was going to run those on the front, but they look like hard launches have taken a toll on them.... leading edge of most lugs (primarily lugs near the outside) are chewed up pretty good.

                              FWIW, Last weekend, I pulled the passenger side tailpipe off to see what restricter plate was in the Borla exhaust. I don't know if the one in there is the biggest available or not, but it shrouded the opening by about 1/4 to 3/8" in diameter. I really should have done a before and after audio recording, and a dB check with my meter (I'm an A/V geek, so I have one handy). I put the tailpipe back on without the plate. Initially, I didn't think it made much of a difference, but after driving it all week, it seems quite a bit more pronounced than I initially thought. There is hardly anything coming out of the driver's side tailpipe now, but again, I didn't check that immediately before hand either.
                              2000 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 M6 | C4 ZR1 Wheels | Borla Cat-back
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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by GlennT View Post
                                FWIW, Last weekend, I pulled the passenger side tailpipe off to see what restricter plate was in the Borla exhaust. I don't know if the one in there is the biggest available or not, but it shrouded the opening by about 1/4 to 3/8" in diameter. I really should have done a before and after audio recording, and a dB check with my meter (I'm an A/V geek, so I have one handy). I put the tailpipe back on without the plate. Initially, I didn't think it made much of a difference, but after driving it all week, it seems quite a bit more pronounced than I initially thought. There is hardly anything coming out of the driver's side tailpipe now, but again, I didn't check that immediately before hand either.
                                I picked up a used Borla cat back for my 3rd gen. It was on the car of the previous owner when he bought it, and he didn;t know anything about it being tune-able with those spacers. So not only do I no t have the other spacers to try, but I don't know which one it has in it now (there is one bolted in there though). He claimed it was too quiet for his liking, so he switched to a FlowMaster. So I'm guessing it's one of the plates that's chokes it down pretty good, if not closing it completely. Someday we'll find out. Exhaust is still a little ways down the road for me.

                                Would have been cool to have those dB meter numbers though.

                                DynoDave
                                POCI # 72200



                                1988 Pontiac Trans Am WS6

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