1990 GP ste Turbo mcclaren
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1990 GP ste Turbo mcclaren
ok theres a 90 ste turbo GP down the street from me.. the car is over all in great shape the ac was just recharged and the throttle body was replaced and the alt was replaced.. its only got 75k on the clock.. it need tires and brakes and suspention all the way round.. and little things like the hood lever broke and the e brake line broke and ummm the sun visor need re coverd but other then that it stated right up... but its got the 3.1 (if i member right) but the guy as askin 2500 obo... said he is flexable with price.. is that a good buy? i dont know what they sell for... i just odnt see a 17 yr old grand prix worth 2500 i was thinkin maybe 1500.... but is there anything to look for on the 60* V6?? thanks all....
oh ya btw the major drawback from the car is that its white!!!! unless that only counts on bvilles!!!! lol
oh ya btw the major drawback from the car is that its white!!!! unless that only counts on bvilles!!!! lol
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I belive Dbtk2 has that very year and model, you should shoot him a pm?
My understanding is the car is somewhat rare and is considered special.....but talk to Shawn first.
My understanding is the car is somewhat rare and is considered special.....but talk to Shawn first.
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Here'* a simillar post from a while back that has some insight.
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...88&highlight=A
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...88&highlight=A
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Originally Posted by 1993 SLE
ya iirc DBK2 ran 13'* with his STE....they have some AWESOME features, i would scoop it up
1990 Maroon Grand Prix STE McLaren 3.1 Intercooled Turbo, 14.695 @ 94.49 on 12psi before cam/heads/etc.
1990 Bright Red Grand Prix McLaren 3.1 Intercooled Turbo, 14.819 @ 92.72, 189whp
1990 Bright Red Grand Prix McLaren 3.1 Intercooled Turbo, 14.819 @ 92.72, 189whp
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Originally Posted by PontiacDad
I belive Dbtk2 has that very year and model, you should shoot him a pm?
My understanding is the car is somewhat rare and is considered special.....but talk to Shawn first.
My understanding is the car is somewhat rare and is considered special.....but talk to Shawn first.
Performance
Stock: The turbo version GPs produced 205 hp/ 225 tq from the factory. They were tuned extremely conservatively (see "Stock chip" section under common problems for reasons why). The Garrett T-25 turbo used were way too small for a 3.1L V6. The excuse by Pontiac was to limit turbo lag, but I suspect the real reason was to stop the potential of a V6 family car beating out the 'Vette and the likes. The prototype used a bigger turbo (unknown which) with some other variations, and produced 305 hp with a 1/4 mile time of 14 seconds flat. The magazines from the era had the production 2-door TGPs running anywhere from 15.3 - 16.3. Most of them run low to mid 15'* stock even today, 17 years of wear and tear later, so I don't know how accurate those magazine figures are.
Modded: The easiest mod to do is get a chip. This will cure drive-ability problems, as well as dramatically increase performance. The Jeff M "Top Gun 160" chip kicks the fan on at 160°, requires a 160° thermostat, and pushes the hp up to ~240. Most TGPs run ~mid 14'* with this chip. Kenney'* chip (TGPilot on the boards) is supposed to go well beyond even that in power. Beyond that, several people have gone with bigger turbos, bigger injectors, rising rate fuel pressure regulators, 3x00 top end, etc. A member in Canada is shooting for low 12'*/high 11'* with his latest set-up. There is a lot of potential for these cars if you're willing to spend the money on a bigger turbo.
Common problems
Cross-over pipe: Perhaps the biggest plague of these car. If it'* the original one, it'* almost guaranteed to be cracked, most commonly in the flex bellows on account of the poor quality materials used. Replacements are over $1k from GM, and are the same, poor quality, worthless garbage. Jeff M and TGPilot from the w-body and TGPForums sites make MUCH better/more reliable x-pipes for MUCH less. This would definitely be the way to go.
Stock chip: McLaren was given 2 weeks to "perfect" the chip for these cars, and it shows. Normal running/drive-ability is an issue, let alone performance. The chip was programmed extremely conservatively, most likely to be on the safe said and avoid any tranny issues since they didn't have a chance to thoroughly test it. Again, Jeff M and TGPilot make terrific chips for these cars, with TGPilot'* chipping pushing the performance even beyond Jeff M'* top chip. Both will also cure your drive-ability problems.
Powermaster III ABS: Not so affectionately referred to as "Walletmaster III", this is the most expensive common problem on these cars (or any car of that era that got ABS). They work decent at best when they're functioning, but most often are not. Luckily, a new ABS accumulator (the brakes are hydraulic like the first SSE'*, not vacuum) takes care of any charging/stopping issues a good portion of the time. You can get one for around $200 from GM, or $100 from Prior Remanufacturing. Should you need the whole unit, be prepared to plop down over $2k at the dealer for a rebuilt one. Otherwise, you have a couple other options. Prior Remanufacturing rebuilds them for ~$800, with some improvements to minimize future failure, or you can convert them to non ABS (cheapest, and most reliable option).
Any other questions?
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well ya that about sums it up..... i liked the car.. no doubt about it... but im just not sure if i wanta pay the insurance on it... i know how expensive it was for my GTP so im sure this will be somewhere right around there....
but ya its a white 4 door ste power sunroof cd player grey cloth int.....
and with only 75k on it... for 2500$ dont seem to bad to me.. but i figured
if i offered him 2k for the car and put new brakes tires and struts all the
way round.. that should run about 1000$ so for about $3k i could have one slick ride...
but ya its a white 4 door ste power sunroof cd player grey cloth int.....
and with only 75k on it... for 2500$ dont seem to bad to me.. but i figured
if i offered him 2k for the car and put new brakes tires and struts all the
way round.. that should run about 1000$ so for about $3k i could have one slick ride...