New to the Site, but not to the A/G Body's:
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Here's a few more that havn't been mentioned, but are definately worth getting.
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Most of these are good for stiffening up the G-Body's relatively flimsy frame design. Before anyone goes into a rage over that statement, compare this frame to the earlier A/G Bodies made prior to the "new" '78-'88 Chassis. The earlier ones used a better grade of steel and were designed and improved over the years to handle increasing amounts of weight, torque, and crash standard requirements. The '78-'88 frame has several important design flaws. GM eliminated a reinforced front crossmember, used smaller C-rails, used a lesser grade of steel, placed the drain holes poorly so wet debris collected inside, they went back to the crack-prone, ungusseted rear axle mounting design used in the early years of the A-Body, and also eliminated the bar that boxed the rear ends of the frame frame rails. The loss of a rear frame bar was likely a GM cost cutting measure, because the rear bumper ties the rear frame rails together, but as anyone in circle track racing knows, it doesn't do it very well...
Enjoy, Brother Al
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Aluminum Front (RPO VD6) and Rear Bumper (RPO VD7) Braces/Supports:
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This was mentioned in a previous post, but I'll elaborate. Many of the G-Body's used their own versions of these, some interchange, some do not. A bunch of the Malibu/Cutlass/LeMans 4 Door Sedans and Wagons had these, as did the Monte SS, 442, GN, Turbo Regal, and Grand Prix 2+2.
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Triangulate your front end:
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Pontiac didn't use the F41 braces in the front of the Grand Prix, but instead used a similar sized dia. hollow bar that connected both front frame rails together. It mounts just behind the front sway bar and is about the same dia. If used in conjunction with the F41 bars, you'll triangulate the front of your car. Its a PITA to remove, and is held in with two 13mm bolts, one on each side. You'll need to insert a closed end wrench inside the framerails to hold each one while you turn the exposed ones and it usually requires a can or two of PB Blaster, elbow grease, a BFH, and a nice sized breaker bar. Bring some electrical tape for your knuckles too... LOL!
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'82-'92 F-Body Hollow Sway Bars:
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These can be found on the Z-28, IROC-Z, Trans Am WS6/WS7, and Formula WS6. They can be ID'd by looking at the mounting area on the ends; all Hollow versions have small drain hole on each end and are very lightweight for their size.
36mm Hollow Front sway bar, 34mm Hollow Front sway bar
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1978-'81 Radiator Support to Firewall Braces:
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These braces are not the various useless small fender-to-radiator support braces GM used on the '82-'88 cars, these are noticably longer and beefier. Unfortunately, they were usually tossed aside as ugly junk right after purchase, so GM nixed them. Structurally, these are very useful, triangulating the top ends of the radiator support with the firewall, ending the notorious fender wobble, and it only adds a tiny bit of weight in the process. The only modifications you will need to make will be to drill a mounting hole(s) in the firewall's cowl deck lip, using the doner car as a template. Depending on the application, you may need to test fit your bars before you drill to clear the air cleaner. GM never changed the multiple holes in the radiator support from the early design, so its easy to find and use which ones work best.
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Radiator Support X-Brace Rods:
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These braces were used on various A/G-Bodies and on the '82-'92 Camaro-Firebirds. They further strengthen the rad. support. I did find an aluminum version on a Cadillac FWD chassis, but have not come across any since. Hoping I do.
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Radiator Support:
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The F-Body and the A/G-Body used the same rad. support, however the Camaro/Firebird version is tack welded to the fender supports due to its unitized design. Some modification will be needed. Another problem is that many F-Body's have had their noses stuffed, so be careful when choosing.
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Reinforced Wheelwells for Monte's:
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The Cutlass Supreme and Pontiac Grand Prix used a reinforced plastic wheelwell design that has built-in braces that stiffen them and support the fenders much better. I believe the GN's, Turbo Regals, and 307ci Regals did as well. The Monte Carlo used a flimsy design and if you compare the two side by side, you will see the difference. They do interchange, but it will require changing over to the Cutlass Supreme/Grand Prix radiator overflow and washer jug. A bit of mounting modification may be needed to bolt it to the fenders as well. I added them to my old '83 Monte with little difficulty.
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Windshield Antenna:
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This eliminates the fugly antenna on the fender. On some earlier '78-'81 A/G Body's, GM did use a windshield with the cast-in antenna like the their earlier kin. These are a real PITA to remove in the junkyard, but most good glass shops have them in stock. All '78-'88 G-Body's should have the antenna hole predrilled at the center of the windshield channel base/dash mount. If your's doesn't for some strange reason, you should be able to see where it is supposed to be and drill it.
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'82-'92 Camaro/Firebird T-Top Door Jamb Wedges:
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Found on all T-top equipped F-Body's, 4 pieces total, mounted on the upper part of the doorjambs & doors. Early years are metal & riveted in, later cars are cheap plastic & screwed in. GM used these to stiffen the door jambs area and reduce rattles on these cars. Some G-Body's did use these but they seem to have been used randomly by the various assembly plants.
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Rear Seat X-Brace:
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On some G-Bodies, GM used a stamped steel X-brace that ties the rear quarters, rear decklid, and rear floor/trunk floor area together. Again, this does help stiffen up your car, especially if your T-top car doesn't have this. I recommend adding this if you don't have it. Although they seem more common on V-8 cars, not all have this. I have found Monte SS cars without this feature and base 3.8 Regals with it, doesn't seem to have been standardized between the various production plants and chassis either. You can cut it our with a sawzall/die grinder, or simply fab up your own version.
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Trunk Bracing:
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On some G-Bodies, there were several braces added to support the rear trunk floor/rear body mounts to the tops of the trunk opening lip/rear edge of the quarter panels. All have at least one added to the pass-side to mount the spare tire. On some cars, there were 4 used. One on each side near the trunk lid hinges and two others further back, one mounting the spare and one on the opposite side. They require a bit of sawzall/die grinder work, but are worth adding.
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'84-'92 F-Body Aluminum Spare Rim, (space saver):
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14" spare for 15" Alloy rims
15" spare for 16" Alloy rims...Version A Iron Rear Calipers
15" spare for 16" Alloy rims...Version B w/ PBR Aluminum Rear Calipers
* 17x4 wheel space-saver out of "new" GTO, So if you guys have upgraded to 13" or bigger brakes, this will fit.
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1 Piece Trunk Floor:
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On '78 to '85/'86 A/G-Bodies, (possibly later), GM used a 1 piece trunk floor design. This design is far superior to the later 3 piece design. The body sealer used on them degraded rapidly and allows them to rot far more readily than the 1 piece. These should be the prefered replacement for rotted 3 piece floors. One thought is that GM cut up the floors to save on shipping and production costs, others think that it was done because the cars were to be phased out and the stamping dies sold off to aftermarket body panel makers. Whatever the reason, the 3 piece design is garbage unless the seams are welded. If your trunk requires replacement, I highly recommend using a 1 piece floor from a donor car and also adding the trunk braces I mentioned above. These will definately stiffen up the rear body of your car.
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Aluminum Rear Window Panel:
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Some A/G-Body's used an Aluminum rear window filler panel. It fits between the rear window and the trunklid. Great piece to add for some slight weight savings.
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Aluminum Rear Drums, aka RPO J42, GM P/N: 1255496:
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I know this was mentioned previously, but I can clarify this further. The RPO J42 Aluminum Rear Drums were used on various RWD GM vehicles from '78 up to 1987. They are very light when compared to the Stock steel rear drums. They are a better conversion than rear discs because they offer far more surface contact area, are cheaper, and and fit behind stock rims. They also shed heat very well, especially during heavy use, thus protecting your axle shaft seals and brake components. Another advantage is that they reduce recipocating mass from the drivetrain, helping you use more energy at launch. They also look a lot better than rusty steel drums. If used in conjunction with the early S10/manual-drum-brake 7/8" rear wheel cylinders, you will see an improved braking response. These were used quite randomly by GM and thus are not very common, but I do regularly find them on Full size GM
B-Body's. One problem tho is that if they are heavily gouged or turned down, they are unrepairable junk, so it make take several cars to make one good pair. Last I checked, GM still had some in inventory, but they were $111.00 each.
The following all use the same bolt patterns and are interchangable:
'82-'87 S-10 pick-up/Blazer, '78-'87
Caprice/
Impala/ Bonneville (Rwd)/
Catalina/
Parisienne/
Delta 88 (Rwd)/Electra/Ninety-Eight/
LeSabre, '78-'87 Full-size GM wagons, '78-'87 Full-size Chevy/GMC trucks (5 lug), '82-'92 Camaro/Firebird, '78-'87 Monte Carlo/Malibu/El Camino/GMC Caballaro-Sprint-Conquistador/Cutlass(Rwd)/Cutlass Supreme/Regal/
Grand National/Grand LeMans/Grand Prix/Grand Am(Rwd), '78-'87 All Mid-sized wagons.
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7/8" S10 Rear Brake Wheel Cylinders:
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This is a great swap for any RWD GM vevicle with rear drums. Most vehicles use 3/4" rear brake wheel cylinder. Unless you plan to hone & rebuild them with new parts, I highly recommend buying new, (non-chinese-made), and painting the metal casings in high temp paint to protect them. These will make a noticable improvement over the stock 3/4" version. They offer more brake fluid capacity to prevent fluid boil and the resulting brake fade. Best results if used with the J42 Aluminum Rear Drums.
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GM HO 200R4 Transmission:
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The 200R4 transmission used in the Monte SS/Grand National/Turbo Regal/
Hurst/Olds/442, are NOT the same as the regular 200R4 used in all other G-Bodies. They offer much stronger components, firmer shifts, and a host of other GM improvements not seen on the run-of-the-mill 200R4. Even if it is blown, it is still worth grabbing.
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T5 Light Weight Flywheel, GM P/N: 385678V8, 2pc Rear Main Seal:
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Found only on the 1983 1/2 to early '86 Z-28/IROC-Z 5.0L ("VIN G" RPO L69), Trans Am HO 5.0L ("Vin G" RPO L69) equipped w/ the Borg-Warner T-5 manual transmission. These are not very common. 14 lbs vs. standard 23 lb flywheel.
( *Note: If you find one still in the car, the car is worth putting on Ebay whole/parts, 1986 HO cars are very, very rare.
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Computer Command Control ECM/PROM & H.O. E4ME QuadraJet:
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The CCC ECM/PROM and E4ME used on the 1983 1/2 to early '86 Z-28/IROC-Z 5.0L ("VIN G", RPO L69), Trans Am HO 5.0L ("VIN G" RPO L69), Monte SS, 442 307 HO, **
Hurst/Olds 307 HO, and some El Camino/Caballaro's/Full size wagons equipped with the GM Heavy Duty towing package, were all modified by GM for higher output engines: faster response, richer fuel mixture, etc. They are not the same as the standard versions, despite the myths. The E4ME Q-Jets used a richer hanger & secondary metering rods, richer primary circuits, and a few other tweaks. The use of the H.O. Q-Jet without the HO ECM/PROM will not give you much of an improvement.
* (Note: If you find one still in the car, the car is worth putting on Ebay whole/parts & 1986 HO cars are very,very rare.)
** (The
Hurst/Olds used a highly tweaked ECM/PROM and E4ME, & is considered the Holy Grail of Olds 307 performance.)
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Underhood and Trunk Lighting:
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These are relatively easy modifications that you will get much use out of. If you do not have an underhood light, you can grab one from many other GM vehicles and add it to your car. Another addition, most A/G Bodies were designed to use them on both the left and right sides of the hood, depending on application. It is very easy to add a second light to the unused mounting area. The same goes for the trunk lighting, many cars were available with this, so adding this isn't very hard to add either. Another idea I've used: on some 80's/90's Chevy/GMC, Ford, Dodge Full-Size Trucks/SUV's, you can find the optional extending/retractable underhood light. They are not very common, but are usually found on the upscale versions. These are easily adaptable to add to your car's current underhood or trunk lighting and come in very handy at night. All were used under the hood of trucks, so they are often in rough shape. I added it to the rear trunk area where it was kept clean and dry and served me better. I havn't come across one in awhile, but they are out there.
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Overhead Console:
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Lets face it, most A/G Body's have limited interior lighting and no place to stash your shades and misc items. Those with T-tops have no dome light what so ever. It makes no sense seeing as the Ttop Camaro & Firebird got a dome light, oh well. Some people have added the optional overhead console used in the '82-'92 Camaro/Firebird, (2 versions, Ttop & Non-Ttop). These are very dated looking and really useless, except for the flashlight. A better alternative is the 1998-2004 S10, Blazer/Bravada/Jimmy/Astro Van, Yukon/Tahoe/Suburban/Escalade overhead console. This unit both is very useful, looks good, is easily adaptable to your roofline, and can be wired up to function in your car. There is a lot of wiring and a few sensors that needs to be removed from the doner vehicle, but is well worth the effort. There is also a shortened version used on sunroof equipped trucks which might work in a sunroof equipped A/G body. Starting in 1993, GM began to use this style of overhead console which features several storage compartments (incl. one for your shades), 4 spotlights mounted on adjustable ball sockets, and two dome lights, front & rear. Upscale versions feature a compass/outdoor temp display, the base versions use a blank plastic cover over this area. The early versions, '93-'97, should be avoided due to the use of elastic bands that degrade heavily, sagging with time. The '98-'04 design is basically the same, but far superior because GM revised it, removing the elastic junk. All feature the Compass, outdoor temp, & an ice warning display. An upscale version offered more info on the display, but it would require a lot of crazy homework to make it work and should be avoided.
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Improved Sunvisors:
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Most S10/Sonoma pickups and Blazer/Bravada/Jimmy's used lighted mirrors in both sun visors which do mount into the A/G body. There are some found in upscale versions that feature slide out extentions. There is also a few that feature a 3 piece design with the primary visor w/ the slide-out extension and a secondary plastic visor that can be used to block the side window so you dont have to adjust the visors at all. These are very useful but quite hard to find.
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Please refer to this specific post ocassionally for updates, as I have more that I've likely forgotten.
Cost me a 5 bucks for the bracket. I really like it.
