SmallTires Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Hi all. I am new to the forum. Essentially why I am here is because I have the opportunity to purchase a turbo grand prix. I ran across it at a friends tow yard. Apparently it was someones project that sat on the street too long. Anyways the car has peaked my interest. Peaking under the hood everything seems to be there minus the turbo itself and it is missing a louver on the hood. Everything else as far as I can tell is there. Quite frankly though I am not too familiar with the vehicle and after reading how specialty it is I am afraid that I maybe getting in way over my head. I am familiar with taking on too much car, and if it missing a bunch of one off highly expensive parts then I may just scrap the idea to buy the thing. It is fair condition and the price is right if all I have to do is replace a turbo. However after reading for a few days I am not ultra clear on what if anything is specialty to the car other then the engine setup. And if it is truly missing the turbo, what other parts I should be trying to look for that are unique and quite possibly missing/expensive to replace. Sorry for the long post but I am obviously green when it comes to all of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Personally from what you're describing, I wouldn't bother with it unless you could get it for free. The brakes are likely shot, the turbo is gone, crossover is undoubtedly bad. Eh.. I'd pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted To Boost Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 How many miles are on it? Interior and exterior in good shape? If what Digi said was true, there would be *maybe* 20 TGPs still driving around, they all have one or more of those issues. These cars do require a bit of work, and that is up to you whether or not you want to take on that challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 For someone who understands these cars, it's not a big deal. For a complete newbie to W-bodies, a broken TGP is a complete nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted To Boost Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 True. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallTires Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Car had 110k on the odometer. The body is in good shape interior is tan leather and could use some work. What crossover are you referring to? Appears everything else is there though as far as I can tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted To Boost Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 The flex bellows on the exhaust crossover goes bad on all of these cars. It is the pipe that joins the headers together to feed the turbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallTires Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 IS there a particular way that you can tell if it is bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted To Boost Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 You may or may not smell exhaust under the hood, you may or may not hear an exhaust leak under the hood, the car will run rough and not boost properly, car will run rich, poor mileage, the list goes on. The only way to tell for sure is to pull the crossover and remove the heat shield to inspect it. If it is the stock crossover, there is a 99% chance it is bad. Look at the odds lol. Pretty much everyone with TGPs on the boards here has had their x-overs redone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94GPGTP Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Hi all. I am new to the forum. Essentially why I am here is because I have the opportunity to purchase a turbo grand prix. I ran across it at a friends tow yard. Apparently it was someones project that sat on the street too long. Anyways the car has peaked my interest. Peaking under the hood everything seems to be there minus the turbo itself and it is missing a louver on the hood. Everything else as far as I can tell is there. Quite frankly though I am not too familiar with the vehicle and after reading how specialty it is I am afraid that I maybe getting in way over my head. I am familiar with taking on too much car, and if it missing a bunch of one off highly expensive parts then I may just scrap the idea to buy the thing. It is fair condition and the price is right if all I have to do is replace a turbo. However after reading for a few days I am not ultra clear on what if anything is specialty to the car other then the engine setup. And if it is truly missing the turbo, what other parts I should be trying to look for that are unique and quite possibly missing/expensive to replace. Sorry for the long post but I am obviously green when it comes to all of this. Where are you located?? Howmuch are you ablt to get it for?? if you dont buy it and its at a good price ill buy it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 IS there a particular way that you can tell if it is bad? Is it original? If so then there is a 95% chance it is bad. Unless you see some flex bellows welded in it. Fortunately those can be repaired. There is a good bit of specialty parts for these cars so long as that does not scare you and you are willing to put the money and research necessary into one of these cars they can be rather rewarding. At very least I would get some pictures of the engine and that should give us a better idea of what all is missing. Might want to ask the owner what became of the turbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 If you can get it for cheap (like $100 cheap) then go for it, you'll have to get a turbo so you can run the car to further diagnose any other problems the car may have. The crossover pipe flex bellows (if they look like an accordian) are original, and will be leaking and need replacing. The PM3 (the hydrualically assisted brake master cylinder) MAY need a new accumulator or maybe a pressure switch. These items are hard to diagnose when the vehicle is sitting immobile in a yard. And thats on top of things that every older car needs like suspension and brake pad/rotors etc MY major deciding factor would be in what condition the body is in. If its a rusted hulk, I would walk. But if the body is decently clean, with 110k miles, it could be worth putting some money and time into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ride Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Having worked on my own Project TGP, I say go for it, but I'm very biased towards these cars (Grand Prixs in particular, since my first car was a 90 Grand prix but it was a base model, and TGPs have all the options) Turbos are just a Garrett T25 so that part isn't really speciality, Crossovers are fixable for a couple hundred bucks from Kenny, or you can buy the flex bellows from a place like EPI (I think, I know they are based in the southwest and make bellows for motorcycles) and have an exhaust shop weld it up too. The PMIII is probably the major concern since it is uber expensive to replace. I personally swapped to non-abs brakes, for simplicity and cost, but I will never drive the TGP in Winter. Any almost 20 year old car is going to need some suspension work most likely. Ball Joints, tie rods, struts, etc. They are a nice car though. In the end its your choice, they can be fun cars, with a lot of potential, many people here have 5-speed swapped their TGPs if thats your style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmallTires Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Well it is located in central california and it is all there body wise. I could likely pick the car up for about $400. It is pretty straight and clean. The interior is kinda dodgy but all there. What is the PMIII? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 PowerMaster III Anti-lock Braking System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted2bass Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Well it is located in central california and it is all there body wise. I could likely pick the car up for about $400. It is pretty straight and clean. The interior is kinda dodgy but all there. What is the PMIII? The master cylinder from hell lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted To Boost Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 $400 Cali car? Hell yeah pick it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ride Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Well it is located in central california and it is all there body wise. I could likely pick the car up for about $400. It is pretty straight and clean. The interior is kinda dodgy but all there. What is the PMIII? I would pick it up then, we'll help you fix it Well it is located in central california and it is all there body wise. I could likely pick the car up for about $400. It is pretty straight and clean. The interior is kinda dodgy but all there. What is the PMIII? The master cylinder from hell lol. Pretty much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have seen a lot of the cali tgps , which one is it? black or red? if its the mexican dude with the black one that got rear ended then no. open the trunk and you will see. there is another with a rod knock thats real bad. with only 50 k on it. actually there have been alot of tgps surfacing down there lately. however some of the owners are willing to be dishonest to prospective buyers, so beware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 however some of the owners are willing to be dishonest to prospective buyers, so beware. Let me tell you about that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Actually, let ME tell you about that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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