I was just wondering, is there anything I can do to make my thirdgen feel like a newer car?

 

...sell it and buy a new car?

 

but then it wouldn't be a thirdgen anymore

if you wanna make it look newer, paint it. if you wanna make it feel newer, get some suspension parts. i'm hoping to do both in the near future.

 

I dunno, put 4th generation camaro seats in it with a 4th generation firebird center consil and change the look of the dash. That'll make it feel different

How bout new motor, new tranny, new suspension? that would do it!

 

I was thinking more about what I could do to the interior. I love the way thirdgens look on the outside, but the inside seems to just be lacking something.

 

http://members.***.net/cgoblirs/Side.JPG

 

yep, another thing to add to my "things to do" list,,,4th gen seats and maybe console.

 

I already have some new suspensions parts. I have no complaints in that department.


A different console is a must. I'm not sure if I want to do the 4thgen console yet, but it does make the interior look a bit more modern.



I think chasing down those squeaks and rattles would help too.



What can I do with door panels? I don't like the way the armrest handle just sticks out.

 

SFC's might help with some squeeks and rattles

 

Even though I have a 2.8l, I think SFC's are a definate must do.

 

for sure, check out his link:

http://www.iroczone.com/techartsfcs.html

 

That is some scary stuff to think about. I better go get some as soon as possible.

 

I did the paint and am in a work in progress suspension... so far got new springs, shocks and struts and it handles much differently than before... can't wait for the sub frames...

 

A complete 4th gen interior conversion will do the trick. In fact thats the whole reason I'm doing the conversion, to make the car feel newer and more modern. The interior is what we, as the driver, see the most. The stock 3rd gen interior reminds me of the 80's or something. Its not exactly bad, but its just not the feeling I want when i get into my car. I mean our cars are old, thats a fact, but it dosnt mean we cant spend money/time to make them feel newer. The exterior of the car is smooth. The interior is blocky. I know how you feel man. I spent 3 hours cleaning the interior of my 90 RS this past weekend. Its alot nicer now, but still .... its old!! LOL!!

 

Get The Silvina Silver Star headlights. Those headlights are tight. I got them and made my car look new. There even brighter than stock lights.

 

About the SFC discussion... these should be the first thing ANYONE does to ANY f-body. If you go pick up a brand new 2002 SS, get SFCs installed. If you find a cherished 68 camaro, get SFCs installed. It's unreal how important these things are (and for about $350 invested in parts and labor, it's unreal that GM didn't make them a standard option!).

As far as the interior goes... I'd say swap the seats and consoles with 4th gen stuff.

 

New Leather Seats

New carpet

New Console

AIR FRESHENER

 

You could clean the car thoroughly; vacuum the carpet, the seats, then wash the carpets to get all that dirt out. You can then buy Silicate gel that smells like the "new car smell" or you could go buy some leather & vinyl reconditioner that smells like "new car smell" (if you have leather/vinyl seats).

if you have cloth seats, buying some new seat covers definately help make the car smell and look better.

some other things to do:
- new steering wheel (other then stock)
- new gauge faces
- new pedals (kind of *******-Y)
- Get a CD player
- change out the center console
- Get a new shift ****


and a bunch more stuff. buying some Armor all is the best way to get that good smell back into the Car.

 

Something I did this weekend that was cheap and relatively easy to do..

1. Take off your door panels
2. Get some WD-40 and lube up the various joints in your door that operate your door handle, power windows (or manual), and power door locks. (use it liberally on all moving parts basically)

3. Let the WD-40 set for a while, and then clean off as much of it as you can. Spray some lithium grease on the same joints (all moving parts) and put the door back together. You should notice that the door opens and closes like it did when it was new. Additionally your locks should open and close properly as well.

There are more detailed articles about this if you search for them, I am just saying that they make a significant difference.

 

Astroturfhead"..... Hey, did you have to cut out a spot on the consol for the window buttons or did you find a consol that already had them.. And if so what year had them right there... Thanks....

 

Okay. I'm an idiot. What are SFC's? Matt

 

sub
frame
connectors

 

Sub frame Connectors

They add rigidity to the frame.

 

Can I put them on myself,or do tey have to be welded on? How much are they? What advantage would I notice when driving my car? Matt

 

can you weld? if so then yes, but i would recommend having someone that has done it before put them in. do not get the bolt-in sfc's cuz the bolt holes will elongate. depends on how much you want to spend. Spohn at the top of page makes good ones. look around at summit and jegs and such. car would be much stiffer, better launches, less rattles/squeeks in car. do a search on this site, you will find tons of info.

 

clean it all out really really good, works for me

 

I have no problem with the dash and face plate.

My biggest gripe besides the center console is the gap between the face plate and the center console.

Will a 4thgen console eliminate the gap? You can see that the gap in mine is kind of large.






I also want to get some aluminum pedals like these.

 

I am also going to take my headliner down and have it lined in black vinyl.

 

Refreshing your interior does make you feel better, here's how I did mine

 

Suspension...I went with TA Sways, Eibach prokit springs, SFC, Adj panhard, lower control arms, and energy suspension bushings...

Interior overhaul...New carpet, fix any cracked or faded parts in the interior...or do a 4th gen swap. I'm not going to do a 4th gen interior swap, too much hard plastic, but I plan to tweak my existing console. Maybe rebuild it or recover it. Its been on the verge for a while. Now the console lid has a split and will not open. I thought about getting a new one, but its grey & I want to get rid of my grey in the interior. Installing the new seat covers...my dash black out...

For the rattles. Soundproofing, soundproofing, soundproofing...

 

What do you mean by soundproofing? Dynomat-ing your problems away?

 

Well the doors, speaker mounts and random pieces are dynamated...

The outer door skins are sprayed with Duplicolor Sound Eliminator...as are all the outer and inner panels in the car, under the carpet... Behind the tailights... The underside of the car, I shot as well...Granted not the tranny, springs, driveshaft, exhaust, or any other vital moving part. The Gas tank was done when it was removed to replace the fuel pump...

Under the carpet I also layed down thermoshield, for sound dampening and heat and cool insulation.

Then all interior plastic panels got backed with subbox carpet to help reduce their vibrations. I even lined the licence plate and dash pad. I put foam at the top of the dash cluster plastic to reduce its vibes. The brake lever even got some felt inside to reduce its rattling...

I plan to do some sound measuring inside a stock car then inside mine to see how much sound this actually dampens. LT1Guy has access to some equipment designed to test just that inside paint boothes. Should be interesting to see.

When LT1Guy first met me he was surprised by the lack of rattling and raod noice my car had compared to other 3rd gens...and this was before the SFCs...

The sound proofing make it so your stereo does not have to be turned up so loud to drown out the road noise and squeeks. Also it keeps me from gettting a head ache from the sound of the exhaust. Yes its loud for a 2.8L, but load in a good lopey cam way!

 

Dang.. I bet your interior is quiet as can be...

I wonder how much weight that's added to the car.

 

Well if all goes well with installing the shift kit and torque convertor, I can find out the weight this Sunday (Gafba shootout at the track) Though I have the fiberglass hood now...
Then a bit more weight in the rear...disc brake rear to be added as well on Saturday (3.73 Gears).

Oh one of you best potential fixes....rebuild the distrubutor. We rebuilt mine and it made a world of difference...though after the car still had timing issues, so we checked the clearance between the dist gear and the shaft. The endplay was twice what it should have been...Heck I was running 22 degrees of timing when I should have been running 10. With that shimmed the car will finally run at 10 degrees of timing...this should help on the track also.

 

See I like the third gen interior. I like how simple and plain it is. How utilitarian the whole setup is. I wouldn't change a thing. I would have used better quality materials if it had been me designing the thing. Other than that it's one of the qualities I find so damned appealing about these cars.

 

id say fix the little things first and then worry about expensive and time consuming tasks like a 4th gen swap. fix the little things, and your car will feel totally different. im talking about the real small stuff. a chip out of your weatherstripping, a small crack in your dash, something that just doesnt line up right....whatever. id rather drive a car that just looked and drove the way it was supposed to.

(but horsepower is ALWAYS a plus )