2002 Trans Am- Need Ideas Please

[MasterC117]

i recently bought a 2002 trans am. it is pweter, has the t-tops, is of course a 5.7 liter v8 6 speed manual, and has the hurst shifter. I have millions of ideas for things to do with it but i thought i could come here adn getsome ideas from people who know what there talkin about. any thing from the preformansce to the look to maintenance would be great. i need some expertece on how to make it look great and still be a awsome car, so anything would eb helpful, rims, paint job, engine upgrades, tires, whatever u got. and please incude a small description of your suggestion if it isnt soemthing the average person would know. pertend im stupid when it comes to these matters (not like i am of course ). PICS AND LINKS ARE REALLY GREAT. thanks.

and on a side note, how much do you think it costs to put a sound system in a trans am like this?

http://www.conceptcarz.com/folder/p...vehicleTypeID=0

[MasterC117]

for got to add that i was reffered here by someone, and i was told that you guys are the real experts. i was also told that your cars (as in like your car that you have at home) are something pretty awsome, so if u dont mind id like to see some pics. and remember im a newbie so be gentle

[casey02ws6]

Welcome to the board!! Do you want to improve the looks or the performance first? It also helps if you describe your vehicle in your signature. You can do this by going into the user control panel. That way we know about your car without asking. I went with a cat-back exhaust first - I wanted the sound and the performance gains. These cars respond really well to intake / exhaust improvements. The thing you will want to do first I am sure is get rid of CAGs (computer asisted gear selection) - that is what forces you into fourth rather than 2nd. It is easy to eliminate - cheap part and easy install.

[94 formula]

It depends what you are looking to do with the car. If your going to race alot a sound system with heavy boxes is not the best idea. I like the look of a TA the way it is IMHO. For modding start out getting it to breathe in and out better. Do you have ram air? If not I'd start with something like a SLP whisper lid and a good 3in catback exhaust. Headers after that. Also do the free mods. Just do a search on here for them and you'll find them all and many discussions about them. What are your goals for the car?

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Welcome to the boards.

First of all, what do you want out of your car? More speed? Or just more cosmetic upgrades?

Most people here will encourage you not to "pimp out" your car with big chrome rims, and a heavy stereo as they take away from the true mission of these cars -- performance. It also looks stupid. Sorry, that slipped out...

You have an LS1 Trans Am, it already looks great IMHO... I wouldn't change much at all. Aftermarket rims look nice, but don't go bigger than 18's.

How fast do you want to go? Is your car a daily driver, or just a weekend/evening crusier? Definitely go with some exhaust mods and give your car a little more bark. If you're looking for a real monster, then go with a turbo.

I'd encourage you to look through all the general info forums on ls1tech. www.ls1tech.com

[Dave M]

As others have said, it all depends on what you want the car to be. It already looks and performs great, so you have a good base to work from. As far as looks go, of you don't have 17" rims already, get some. It'll help in the looks and handling department. Zaino is the best auto polish ever made and is the only thing you need to keep these cars looking great. It's a board sponser so you can find a link or banner on this site.

As for performance mods, the general consensus for starting out is this:

1. Intake (either ram air or a cold air induction, most brands are about the same)

2. Exhaust (start with a cat-back exhaust, this replaces everything from the catalytic converter to the bumper)

3. Gears (4.10 rear gears in a 6 speed in the usual reccomendation)

4. Headers and y-pipe (replaces the exhaust from the catalytic converter to the engine)

5. Suspension (there are a host of things you can do to help thes ecar handle the corners and put the power to the ground, strut tower brace, subframe connectors, lower control arms, torque arms, panhard rod, lowering the car, etc)

6. Computer (once you get a lot of mods, it's best to have the computer reprogrammed to get the most from your combination)

7. Serious engine mods (here you get into heads and cam, rocker arms, boring, supercharging or turbocharging, nitrous, etc... these are your big dollar mods that require more work and are best done later)

I think those are the usual suspects. If you're looking for a drag racer or an autocrosser, the order of tha list could change, but if you're like most on this board who just want more pep for their weekend cruiser, this list is a good bet.

[hotwhip9]

I'd go in the order dave said. That pretty much sums it up. Welcome to the board, a lot of experinced people on here. Stereo system, all depends on what you want. Mine cost a little around 2 thousand. Pictures of mine, are on both links in the signature. The angelfire link has some videos as well.

[hotwhip9]

Jay- You telling me my stereo looks stupid?! lol. It sounds good though, especially with the tweeters in the cieling!

[MasterC117]

sorry for not being specific. yes my trans am is a ws6 and has the ram air package. i also have looked into the skip shift eliminators, and i plan on doing that soon. my goals for my car are that i want it to be both fast and look great. i fell in love with these cars the moment i saw them, and since i have the last year they make them it is special to me, so i want this car to last. i have heard about sts turbo and i wanted to learn more about that. i also have heard about modding the engine to a 7.0 which i know absolutly nothing about and really was hoping someone could elaborate on (sounds a bit like cut up the engine, glue stuff in, tape it back together). i also am really exited about the apperance. i want a new paint job. i was thinking one solid color with the racing stripes (they look great on the ram air hood). as for rims i did want new ones but as one of u said no bigger than 18's. so if anybody has any nice ideas please leme know. i have also seen a few rare pics of body kits on trans ams. supprisingly they look really good. the trans am never struck me as a car that would look great with body kits, so opinions on that would be great. as for a sound system, my trans am already has an awsome sterio. its got the monsoon system, which i believe is an upgrade (so the question about the car int he link was more curiousity and eye cany ). i dunno if i mentioned this but it also has the hurst shifter. i think thats all i left out. as for some new questions i was hoping you guys could more on headers or heads (not exactly sure what thye do), the computer ship thing. i know that it adds hore power, but thats it. but please just because u gave some advice dont stop. i need as many ides as possible. thanks.


and here is an idea of what kinda paint job im leaning towards (the idea not necisarly the colors) http://www.conceptcarz.com/folder/ve...vehicleTypeID=

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Jay- You telling me my stereo looks stupid?! lol. It sounds good though, especially with the tweeters in the cieling!

lol... no, big rims look stupid. hahaha...

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

sorry for not being specific. yes my trans am is a ws6 and has the ram air package. i also have looked into the skip shift eliminators, and i plan on doing that soon. my goals for my car are that i want it to be both fast and look great. i fell in love with these cars the moment i saw them, and since i have the last year they make them it is special to me, so i want this car to last. i have heard about sts turbo and i wanted to learn more about that. i also have heard about modding the engine to a 7.0 which i know absolutly nothing about and really was hoping someone could elaborate on (sounds a bit like cut up the engine, glue stuff in, tape it back together). i also am really exited about the apperance. i want a new paint job. i was thinking one solid color with the racing stripes (they look great on the ram air hood). as for rims i did want new ones but as one of u said no bigger than 18's. so if anybody has any nice ideas please leme know. i have also seen a few rare pics of body kits on trans ams. supprisingly they look really good. the trans am never struck me as a car that would look great with body kits, so opinions on that would be great. as for a sound system, my trans am already has an awsome sterio. its got the monsoon system, which i believe is an upgrade (so the question about the car int he link was more curiousity and eye cany ). i dunno if i mentioned this but it also has the hurst shifter. i think thats all i left out. as for some new questions i was hoping you guys could more on headers or heads (not exactly sure what thye do), the computer ship thing. i know that it adds hore power, but thats it. but please just because u gave some advice dont stop. i need as many ides as possible. thanks.


and here is an idea of what kinda paint job im leaning towards (the idea not necisarly the colors) http://www.conceptcarz.com/folder/ve...vehicleTypeID=

The STS turbo is great on the wallet, but probably the worst turbo out there. Nevertheless, it will get you 450 rwhp. Have you ever driven a car with this much power before? If not, you might want to become acquainted with this first... 450+ rwhp is not for the faint of heart.

Building the engine to a 7.0L (or 427 CID) would give you a massive power increase as well... especially low-end torque with no lag. But it would also be $$$$$$$$$$$$ Basically, the engine would be taken out of the car and dissected. The block would be re-sleeved, and the crank, rods, and pistons would all likely be replaced. When the engine is fully built like that, you would also do heads and cam on it while it is out. Time for a new clutch and rear end to hold the power now too...

I'm not a fan of the body kits I have seen on for the Trans Am...

That paintjob looks good... but it is hard to get a finish as good as the factory finish. If you still have a nice look to it, I wouldn't touch it yet.

As far as the Hurst shifter goes... REMOVE ASAP. That should be your first mod. The factory Hurst shifter is J-U-N-K junk. Get a Pro 5.0 shifter w/ Lou's short stick. wolfman, can you provide a link for that?

Headers will give your car an amazing racecar like sound. I give them a big thumbs up. But before you do headers, make sure you aren't planning on doing a turbo later down the line, otherwise the money spent on headers will be wasted, since you need entirely different exhaust plumbling if you go turbo.

[MasterC117]

i think the shifter i have is the short stick. its got a H at the top of the stick and is about a tall as my fist which is about 4 inches. and if i do have the factory shifter, whats so bad about it?

[MikeE24]

If modding to a 7.0 liter is what u want, most of the kits I have seen for 427 strokers recomend not using the stock 5.7 block. They recomend the 6.0 liter block that comes in some GM trucks and SUV's. That will add up to even more extra dollars than Jay mentioned earlier. At least that's what i found when I looked into earlier. The advantage tho is that if u can pick up the 6.0 block for cheap, u can still drive your car with the stock engine while the machine work on your stroker is being done. It does cost more dollars in the long run tho. It is an attractive option for people like me who use thier trans am as their daily driver.

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

i think the shifter i have is the short stick. its got a H at the top of the stick and is about a tall as my fist which is about 4 inches. and if i do have the factory shifter, whats so bad about it?

Yeah, you have the factory Hurst shifter. Once you feel a different shifter, you'll know how bad the Hurst one is. When I had that shifter, I was shifting so hard and fast, that the shifter couldn't keep up... The shifter was going into 3rd gear, but the transmission was staying in neutral. The clutch was useless, and I had to physically RIP the lever out of the 3rd gear position and return it to neutral. Doing this bends the shift forks in the transmission, and can make it impossible to engage, or stay in, a given gear. Luckily, I only did this once or twice before I said enough is enough and put in the B&M shifter I now have. I haven't been able to do that with the B&M shifter -- and I doubt it's because my shifting got slower

No real complaints about the B&M shifter, but after feeling the Pro 5.0, I wish I would have gone with that.

[Drychtnath]

Hello, and welcome to the board. I am new by a couple weeks as well. I had similar questions as you, and a good idea is to get a good book. A forum member told me about a book called Modern Automotive Technology. That thing is insane and a huge resource. It tells you everything you need to know, and even how to do it. Try to get as much info from everyone before you do anything though. And I think that paintjob is badass

EDIT: One mod I want to do to my car is upgrade the lights to HID. I think its a sweet edition upgrade during nighttime