I just bought a 1997 Champagne SSEi for $3,000. It has 90K miles with some minor dents and scratches. The paint is overall good. However, it has some mechanical and electrical problems. They're as follows:
1. Valve Covers are leaking oil. Gaskets need to be replaced. How much time and money? Can I do this at home?
2. Intake Manifold'* leaking oil. Does the supercharger need to be removed? If so, is this a good time to rebuild it?
3. Vent'* blows hot air all the time. Verified A/C Compressor'* working. My mechanic said that it'* the "Blender" under the dash, which needs to be removed. How much time and money?
4. The Instrument Panel'* Information Center Display is intermittent. Can I replace the panel with another one? What about the Odometer? Where'* the mileage stored?
5. I'd like to replace the pulley with a 3.4 inch. Do I need to order a Hub Assembly too? Will this decrease the longevity of the supercharger?
6. Has anyone tried the Thrasher Shift Kit? Is it worth it? Can it be isntalled just by dropping the pan when you change the filter?

1. $50, pretty easy to do yourself. Couple of hours. Buy a Chilton'* 28200
2. Change your LIM gaskets for GM aluminum ($75 dealer) , supercharger will have to come off.
......Check Forced induction forum re rebuild.
3. Probably the air mix door actuator - $90 and a couple of hours - search of this forum for "air mix" to find tons of info. Dash does not have to come out.
4. Search archives and/or post question in Everything Electrical & Electronic forum
5. Check Performance and Brainstorming forum
6 Check Performance and Brainstorming forum

Hi and welcome... I've done most of the items you are asking about. If you are mechanically inclined and can follow steps, this should be a piece of cake.

#1. Easy enough to do, since you need intake gaskets...do it at the same time and they will be much more accessible. Time: See #2
#2. The alternator, supercharger, throttle body all come off easy and this is a fairly easy thing to do. Merely a matter of time. On the supercharger, I would suggest changing the oil and the coupler. Time: 8-10 hours if you haven't done it before.
#3. The blender is technically called an "Air Mix Actuator", Bill B meant to say they are about $40 from www.gmpartsdirect.com. Time: ~2 hours.
#4. If the compass is also intermittant, we probably need to look at grounds. In the Techinfo section there are instructions for taking a cluster apart and they are the same for your year. I would take it apart and look for loose connections. The mileage is stored in that information center part of the cluster.
#5. You can get a press on pulley, although if you plan on changing to smaller/different sizes later a Multi Pulley System or MPS is suggested. The other work would need to happen first along with other checks to make sure the engine is ready for this mod.
#6. Unsure about the Thrasher kit. I know the kit Intense-Racing sells is tested and proven here on the forum.

As you are ready to tackle the projects, post it up and we can help you source the best parts for the best prices, tell you the tricks and tips on how to do things. Personally...it takes me about an hour to swap a supercharger, once I learned the tricks.

Let'* talk about the mechanical stuff here and leave the Performance stuff for another topic to keep this on track.

Well, actually, Boost, when I did my 97 a couple of years ago, the dealer wanted about $80 for the little stepping motor. I just added $10 as a guess for inflation for the quickest new part available. Mail order is always cheaper than the dealer, but some charge a LOT for shipping and handling and some take a long time to deliver. When I use mail order, I like to use http://www.rockauto.com They list the actuator for $42 (C61 RPO code), but ship for about $5 with no handling fee and normally deliver within a week. The dealer will not likely have one in stock, either, but can usually get one in a couple of days. They can also be had from a junkyard, in which case, expect to pay about $25 - $30. Most guys prefer to replace with a new unit 'cause it is a kind of cramped upside down, feet on the headliner, kind of job. (Some guys remove the front passenger seat to provide room to work.) Not the kind of job you want to be doing again, soon.

It obviously pays to shop around for this. I needed an actuator for a 2000 GMC Jimmy. By pictures shown here, it looks the same - but, there must be some difference. I ordered it from GMPD, thinking it was likely the best price. A bit over $100, shipped! So, check several sources, and I'd agree on not getting one from the junkyard.

OK, I'll try to attempt the work myself. Just wanted to make sure about the Instrument Cluster. If I replace it, will I lose the mileage? Where can I get a used one?