Motors Modding ideas for my '95 Buick Century

As many of you know in the motor's section, I drive a beat up old '95 Buick Century.

The body is in good shape and the only rust I notice is on the hood.

This car is my project car, and while I don't have all kinds of money to spend on it right now, I want to develop a sort of 5 year plan for the car. Here's the basics I've done so far:

• New Iridium Spark Plugs
• Switched to Synthetic Oil
• PCV Valve (yeah, I'm listing everything)
• New "Gold" Series cheapie brakes. (rather than general cheapie brakes)

Here's what I have parts for:

• Spark Plug Wires (standard quality)
• Catalytic Converter (to keep the air a bit cleaner)
• Serpentine Belt

Here's what I'm hoping to do over the next five years:

• Replace Fuel Pump
• Install aftermarket Fuel Gauge (including the parts in the gas tank)
• Get Air Conditioning working (there appears to be a leak in the high-pressure valve)
• Paint car dark gray (currently "old-lady maroon")
• Replace carpet with light gray carpeting
• Replace Front bench seats with 2 independent seats and middle console.
• Upolster back seat/window area to match the gray theme.
• Install Sun/Moon/whatever Roof The bigger the better, motorized optional.
• Cold Air Intake
• Whatever else is required for better performance/gas mileage/reliability

And the dream goals, which may or may not be possible, and are probably outside of the 5 year plan:

• Rip out the dash and build something (or nab something from the junk yard that fits) more modern.
• Touchscreen GPS/Flash-based MP3/Bluetooth hands-free/etc.
• New Steering wheel with audio/bluetooth/voice-activated stuff controls.
• Move Transmission shifter to middle console instead of steering column.
• Re-build engine compartment with newer parts (new wires/tubes/plastic parts/etc)
• Computer that shares touch-screen with GPS and monitors various sensors and tracks mileage.
• Incorporate WiFi with the computer so I can subscribe to podcasts in my car

And finally, the list of things I Don't Want:

• Crazy high-end stereo
• TV/Video Games
• too many LED's and Cathode tubes
• Rear Spoiler
• etc

The goal is to turn it into a luxury car with modern technology and to just be cool. I'd love to do some custom computer work to have something unique, but if I have to stick with tons of aftermarket stuff, I'm okay with that.

 

A cooler under the back seat for road trips?

And while I never did before, you know I won't be able to look at it anymore without thinking 'old lady maroon'!

 

I actually thought about a cooler in the center console, since I'm sure under the back seats is reserved for stuff like the rear axle. (but I could be wrong)

The question is how do you make a cooler that is safe for use in a moving car? Do they sell them in a way that I could mold them into my center console design?

I also need to figure out how to replace the ceiling cloth, but I'm sure that won't be near as hard as some of the other stuff I'm wanting to do.

Basically most of the electronics are glitchy at times (some lights don't work even with new bulbs and good fuses, and the dash lights didn't even come on last night until I played with the dimmer switch a bit).

 

This:


j/k
You're problaby going to want stiffer spring rates to help with the awful body roll of a sedan. It will harshen up the ride quality a bit, but will make cornering a less nervous affair--don't lower it for the sake of looking better, though. You probably don't want flashy wheels and performance radials, so we'll skip that. A racing steering wheel (or similar ergonomic design) and mount will probably make your car more comfortable and a bit easier to drive since it's your main interface with the vehicle--no airbag, though!

New pedals, probably stainless steel ones.
HID headlamp bulbs after the gunmetal grey paintjob.
Change transmission if your drive a bit quicker than a granny.
A prettier instrument cluster
Exhaust headers, I guess.

 

Well, to start off with some background, that's a GM A-Body, identical to the Cutlass Ciera. In 1995 they only had two engines, the 2200 four banger, and the 3100 V6.

My research says (and correct me if I'm wrong) that it's front wheel drive and has the Turbo Hydramatic 4T60-E four speed overdrive slushbox.

So, obviously, your first task is going to be getting a 4T60-HD (Heavy Duty) transmission with a shift kit and a blown 231ci Buick V6.

Nah, just kidding.

if you're looking for performance oriented mods, try a shift kit. They're pretty inexpensive (<$50).

Read this site, it's got good info about improving the feel of your trans. It's a mopar site but it applies to GM as well.

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/shift-kits.html

Basically, the shift kit will make the shift not feel as "smooth" as in you'll notice the trans shift, but it will improve the performance and reduce wear on the transmission. It will still use your current column shifter and will still function like normal (i.e. put it in drive and go)

Now, what you can also do is make it so that you control the shift points... so that instead of putting it in D, you put it in first, and it stays in first until you put it in second, and stays in second until you either put it in third or back in first. It won't change gears by itself.

Something like that is actually really versatile. I drive manual, and being able to decide when to shift is great. It gives you a lot of flexibility in the ride. If I'm trying to move quickly, I'll stay in each gear until I hit 5,000-6,000 rpm (not recommended for you) because the motor is producing a lot more power at those high RPMs in a lower gear than it would at lower RPMs in higher gear. OTOH, if I'm just slowly cruising around town and I want a smooth economical ride, I'll upshift at like 2,000-2,500 rpm.

A cold air intake (CAI) is actually pretty simple to do. I made one for my Oldsmobile using like 3 bucks of dryer vent.

How about some pictures of the car, including some decent resolution ones of the engine compartment and intake system?

 

Great tips guys!

I definitely want to improve performance and reliability. This is a simple in-town car and I just want to make it last as long as possible and be as comfortable to drive as possible.

Here's my new questions based on what I'm reading:

1. Is it possible to switch to floor shifting with the current transmission?
2. Will a shift-kit damage an already damaged transmission? (I think it has some bad seals)
3. How hard is it to repair a transmission with bad seals? Should I grab a couple of mechanically inclined friends and lift the car for a weekend, or should I save up and have it fixed by a mechanic?
4. Are there down-sides to CAI, especially on older engines?
5. Do any of the transmission fluid additives really help seal things, or is it just hype? (I've heard there really aren't any truly helpful oil additives, and many can cause long-term damage)

Thanks for the tips, and I'll be looking into the whole shift-kit idea, especially if that improves mileage and reduces wear of the transmission.

 

Oil additives dont really work, if the seals/gaskets are leaking oil out of the transmission, remove the old gaskets and fit new ones, or use a liquid instant gasket (they set quite quickly once bolted back up). A shift kit wont damage anything. Downsides to a CAI are that it might be harder to start in winter, and thats about it.

 

You just need to find a floor shifter that works with your transmission, which shouldn't be hard. Do you just want the P-R-N-D functionality, or do you want to pick which of your four gears you're using as I mentioned before? I personally wouldn't bother getting a floor shifter if you're only doing the former, one of those is like $200+ and it's not really justified if you only use it twice each time you drive.

Although I have to admit towards being a little biased, I prefer it on the steering column for an automatic transmission. Since you aren't really using it that much, I like having it up and out of the way, and it prevents you from having to swing your arms all over the place every time you want to go for a drive. I especially like the older GM ones where you can hook your right thumb around the steering wheel and pull on the lever with your fingers, so you don't even have to let go of the wheel.

CAI won't cause any problems. My Olds had one stock, and I fixed it after it broke. Don't expect huge gains in power, but the engine is running better on paper, and it's super easy to do.

The line I've always been told for those liquid repair things is that if the part in question is ****ed up enough that it actually needs whatever the bottle claims to do, it's a serious enough problem to warrant a complete replacement or rebuild.

A shift kit is only adjusting the way that it shifts, not making it run differently. It won't fix a problem that's already there, but it won't create any more.

 

Now a silly question from someone obviously new to advanced mechanics:

There are various Transmission overhaul kits available, if I am having leaks due to poor seals, would using an overhaul kit fix this issue?

Overhaul kits are around $160, Automatic Transmissions are $1400 to $1700, and simply having the transmission repaired at a shop would cost closer to $600.

This makes me wonder if the overhaul kit would be ideal or simply having someone fix whatever is wrong. It was inspected in the past but the previous owner didn't want to pay to have it replaced because it only impacts performance while driving on the highway. (It won't stay in overdrive)

 

Only an experienced mechanic should overhaul an automatic transmission. It's one of the most mechanically compicated systems in your car. I knew someone who attempted to overhaul his transmission, who had decades of experience working on cars, and he never got it working again.

Even more reason not to attempt an overhaul yourself!

What I would suggest is to find a good local junk yard and locate a "slightly used" replacement transmission. Should be able to pick one up for less money than rebuilt or new.

 

If you ever watched Bill Nye the Science Guy (which I really used to when I was younger), I remember on one episode he had grass literally growing on his car. Try googling it, but I think he put several layers of newspaper and some other stuff (really can't remember now) on it, then sprayed it with a hydroseeder. After a while he had grass about 4" long growing on it and I'm pretty sure it was street legal.

It's a different way to go green - and the grass will consume some of the CO2 your car generates!