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Chevrolet Impala Accessories & Modifications

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Comments

  • wwnfwwnf Member Posts: 40
    In the state of PA your car shouldn't pass inspection if your fog lights stay on with your high beams.

    How do I know this? A friend's car failed inspection because of this mod. =)
  • wwnfwwnf Member Posts: 40
    I'm looking for Polyurethane bushings for the front sway bar and end links.

    Anyone know where there is a kit that fits or knows the sizes?

    Thanks
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    try Grandprixstore.com or montestore.com for the bushings and endlinks!
  • wwnfwwnf Member Posts: 40
    mid bushings are out of stock and no ETA for availability.

    They have the end links but I need the bushings too. =)

    Thanks
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    Hey everyone...new guy on the list, but not to the Impala. For those of you looking into the pushbumpers, check into the Go Rhino! bar. I just put one on my black '02 LS. The left lane clears out in a hurry on the interstate...

    The bar hugs the car bumper, and it mounts firmly to the car with NO HOLES! Two brackets thru the grill, two in the lower airdam. Does not affect anything on the car. It looks sweet....will try to get pics up ASAP. It can be purchased thru Galls for about $180.

    NOTE....this item is for use by law enforcement and it does makes the car look like a squad from the front. Exercise some judgement in regard to your driving habits to prevent a trip to the clink in the backseat of a real 9C1!
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    One other quick thing...I was reading the questions about running the cables thru the firewall. If you have more than 2 wires 10ga or bigger, forget about the rubber plug with the harness in it on the passenger side.

    The fast way is to take a 1" - 1.5" hole saw and put a hole in the upper floorpan next to the rubber plug. Drill the hole (watching for obstructions), place a rubber grommet in the hole, then run the wires. That's how our unmarked impala's (and mine, now) got the wires in from the engine compartment. Once you have the stuff in, seal the hole with silicon to keep the water out.

    It's easy, and still is hidden by the carpet...
  • emtbemtb Member Posts: 42
    I found that I could just snake the wires out through the plug (along the old wires). Wasn't a problem.

    I have to wonder why you have a push bar though... :) Are you PD?
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    emtb: I could get a couple wires thru the plug, but I had 10 wires that needed to go thru...it was easier to perf the hole. The pushbar was put on to hang my Hella driving lights from. I don't have a big chrome bumper like the '89 Caprice I had before, so the Rhino was the next best thing. I'm state....but this is my personal car- I don't work with it! I do other volunteer emergency services work, so I've got some equipment in it.
  • emtbemtb Member Posts: 42
    10 wires? Ouch. Them headlight flashers will kill you. ;)

    Got any pics? I'll be tossing some more of my car up tomarrow.
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    It was the 8ga power leads to the trunk for the motorola's that took the factory plug out of play :) The other wires would've fit.

    No pic's yet, will get to that asap. I like your front LED bar next to your rearview mirror. Is that an original 911 bar, or newer? All blue- that must have hurt the wallet!
  • emtbemtb Member Posts: 42
    Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Been busy. :)

    It's the newer version, the LS-15. The old LS-15 wasn't worth squat, but this new one is very sweet. Cost me just under 300.00 US and is very nice and useful. People yield quite well to it 'round these parts. Got any pics of yer car? :)
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    Sorry for the delay...been too busy the last few days

    Yeah, I got the pic's taken, just not on the computer yet...will get to that the next 2 days while I'm off. I'll let you know when/where they are up.

    A couple of the guys have those in their cars, and most of 'em have additional lights since the installed lighting is horrible.
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    emtb- I got the pics, but my bonehead buddy who's site they were to go on went on vacation....email me and I will send you the pics

    mke9c5@wi.rr.com
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    I just finished installing an ignition bypass in my ride. It was simple, 5 wires and a heavy duty 3 pole switch. It will be great for the winter- I'll be able to start the car and let it warm up without worrying about it getting stolen. Even tho the car is running, if the key is gone you can't shift out of park. GM wised up again and went back to a mechanical key/gearshift interlock (in the form of a cable this time). Car gets warm, and stays in one place. Total install time was about 5 hours.

    Price for parts: $25.00

    Warm car seat in December: Priceless
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    I've got a silver 2000 Impala, and I'm thinking of getting it pinstriped (probably white). I'm wondering if anyone has had a pinstripe put on their Impala, and if so, where exactly did you put it? There's an obvious line running down the side of the car, but it's broken up by the door handles. There's another that starts at the front wheel well and works backwards, but it seems too low. Just curious to see if anyone has done anything out of the ordinary that turned out decent on an Impala.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    check it out at http://www.pfyc.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PFYC&Category_Code=IM
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    I just installed the Borla exhaust on my 2002 Impala LS... It looks and sounds great, and the build quality is great. It's a dual exhaust and have dual rolled angle cut split rear tips. I love it, but it DOES NOT come with everything you need to install it! Since the Impala comes with single exhaust, you need to have another hangar on the driver's side to hold the second muffler. Well Borla gives you another hangar but there is no where for it to go! I am going to go to my dealer tomorrow and get another stock style hangar and mount it there. Check out this link to see what I mean.

     

    http://www.lynoise.com/images/borla/driveHanger.jpg
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Borla said they'd pay for my new bracket.... Great customer service!!!!
  • ghostwolfghostwolf Member Posts: 91
    I'd like to switch, but I would like to know first if this would just plug in and work or does more work need to be done to get the 2 additional guages to operate?

    Also does anyone know the GM Part Number for it?

    Thanks
    gw
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    GW -

    I checked with my local dealers about a month ago when I saw an LS Sport, and they all said the same:

    The PCM's have different programming, the harnesses are different and the (additional) hardware is/would be different to support the cluster. If someone could get around that, I'd be in line behind you to get the cluster. I don't know why they couldn't have done that the first time.

    Unknown part number...I didn't bother to ask.
  • dgonzalez13dgonzalez13 Member Posts: 110
    and waiting for it to be shipped. no tach, just a speedo that goes to 140, otherwise same as standard cluster. Anyone tried to swap them out before?
  • ghostwolfghostwolf Member Posts: 91
    Thanks mke9c5, I may go in when I have some time and just ask what all would be involved, but from what you are saying I can bet that it would cost a fortune to have them make it work.

    I was hoping that I could just swap it myself and it would work, thinking that it was still sending oil pressure and battery information to the cluster (to the idiot lights) and that maybe the gauges just read that info. Of course nothing works out that simple does it?

    If I do find out anything I will post it here.
    gw
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    gw and crowd,

    I think the cluster swap could be done, if the additional hardware was there. From the limited research I have done thus far, it looks to be possible at some point. Get the helm book for the LS Sport when it comes out, get the Sport PCM and a few custom harnesses and make the cluster work. I hope. Don't quote me :)

    When my '02 LS is out of warranty, I may try it.

    First, I'm going to do what dg13 did and get a 140 mph Certified speedo for mine. Chevy says you can leave the tach cluster in and swap out the speedo head. We did a certification run on my stock 120 mph speedo, and it was just over 1 mph off of actual speed. Not bad, but I still want the certified one.

    dgonzalez13- let us know how the swap goes. It is the spring project for mine.
  • dgonzalez13dgonzalez13 Member Posts: 110
    My Impala is a work in progress. I got the V-shaped pushbar finally on order, and should have it in a few weeks i hope. I should have the 9c1 cluster delivered to my house within the next couple of days, so if it is there today i will install it this weekend and take pictures. Hoping the connectors are similar since no functions are added or removed from the base Imp cluster. Only the ability to read speed up to 140 instead of 120, and the fact that it is certified. Wish me luck. By the way, anyone know where i can get the 9c1 steel wheel center caps?
  • garywgaryw Member Posts: 116
    Has anyone seen a white face set of gauges for the Impala (2002). For example, the North Face edition of the Avalanche has a factory version.
  • dgonzalez13dgonzalez13 Member Posts: 110
    look around the 2000-2003 Monte Carlo sites. They seem to modify their cars heavily and someone should have one with a white face (but without Nascar or #3 on it). I think Monte clusters are the same as Impala's, anyone know for sure?
  • dgonzalez13dgonzalez13 Member Posts: 110
    installing it tomorrow... will take pictures and try to post em to my web page tomorrow night... it seems to only have one connector, a multi-pin rectangular socket.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Great! Please take pictures of all the connectors behind the old instrument panel and dashboard etc. I'll be trying to do this to mine (LS Sport IC) later on, so I'd like to know what I'm getting into. Thanks!
  • charts2charts2 Member Posts: 618
    Go to Ebay and type in: Impala reverse glow gauges. Current bidding price is $29.99.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Word of warning on those gauges. Someone ordered a set and while they fit and looked good, the markings were a little off.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Has anybody thought of painting their gray body side moldings? My car is Navy Blue and I think it'd look better if the moldings were Navy Blue too instead of gray.... what do y'all think? Is it possible/will the paint "stick" to that kind of plastic?
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    With the correct primer, paint should stick to it. A couple people have talked about it, but I don't know anyone who has actually done it.
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Word of warning to those of you who are looking for Indiglo gauge faces. The gas and temperature markings on the reverse Indiglo gauge faces from ProCarParts.com are incorrect. These are the same ones offered on e-bay. This warning only applies to the base set as they do not offer a LS kit yet.

    I posted a warning about this on my site, but I just got another report about it. No word on if the company will correct the problem.
  • garywgaryw Member Posts: 116
    Stupid question of the day. On the '02 LS model can you replace the exhaust tip with an aftermarket version that has the look of dual exhaust.

    Rather than spend big dollars on a cat-back system it might be a cheap alternative to achieve the look.

    Thanx...
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Are you talking about cutting off the existing tip and attaching a dual output one or putting one on each side? Either way can be done. Cheapest would be to attach a new tip so you have dual output on one side. Check out this link for an example: http://www.truckxccessory.com/truckxccessory/uet-pm-567.html


    This one can be clamped or welded on: http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLine/Products/ES/ESFT/f59905FLT.html


    Here are some others: http://www.hedman.com/pages/hot-tips.html

  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    You can't get the look of dual exhaust with just a tip. You can get a tip with dual outlets, but that's not the same thing.... This is dual exhaust: http://www.lynoise.com/images/borla/rear.jpg


    The one's Nathan posted are just tips..

  • garywgaryw Member Posts: 116
    I love this board! I wanted just a dual-tip to avoid the cost an entire system. The Holley dual tip is a looker!
  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    dg13-

    Did you get the 140 mph speedo in yet?

    Also, regarding the steel wheels/caps...chevy will sell you the set of 4 center caps for about $200, and each heavy-duty steel wheel is around $130. I've got a set of wheels coming, along with goodyear UltraGrip mud/snow tires for my winter/hunting adventures. I was just doing backwoods driving with it this weekend, and it is well mannered in the mud without the tires.
  • dgonzalez13dgonzalez13 Member Posts: 110
    If you follow impalahq.com's instructions for removing the IP Cluster trim panel (the lower dahboard panel that includes the vents) you are 4 screws away from removing the Instrument Cluster. 4 Screws and one blue retainer hold the cluster in. The cluster interfaces the car via a small green plastic connector that consolidates the wiring into one connection. It fits snugly, but is secured against road vibrations with a blue retainer that you need to unclip to remove. Once the blue retainer is off, and you have unscrewed the 4 screws holding the cluster to the dash it removes easily. Just lower your tilt steering if necessary.
    It worked great for the most part. The potential problems for me were:
    1. Your mileage needs to be synced from the cars computer to the cluster. The cluster will carry over it's original host vehicles mileage on it's display. My 60K mile impala now reads 9970 miles, which is annoying, so i will trry to get it synced this weekend.
    2. The Temperastue, turn signals and message center work fine. The Gas needle needs to be reset. I had to fill the tank and drive till almost empty twice before it gave me an accurate reading again. I drive 82 miles a day minumum, so it only took a week and a day to reset.
    3. Speedometer now has a top speed of 140, which i would never hit even if i could. I still dont know if it is accurate though. I have to drive by a police sponsored highway radar "Your speed is:" sign to check. Will let you know. All in all, it's a small detail to add, and pretty cheap. I got mine on ebay for $68, so i was pleased. I also gained a little confidence in pulling things apart on the car which i was always scared to do. It was worth it.
  • dgonzalez13dgonzalez13 Member Posts: 110
    will they fit the standard black steel wheels hidden by the hubcaps that ship on standard impala's? Do you have a link, part number or phone number to call to get them?
  • bh0001bh0001 Member Posts: 340
    I don't think I would take my Impala in to the backwoods without tires. Isn't the ground clearance kind of low?

    Sorry...couldn't resist ;-)
  • woo_bywoo_by Member Posts: 28
    they do not fit the standard black steel wheels (at least on the base model)...
    I just returned a set of the caps and the bolts needed to put them on after realizing my black steel wheels didn't have the bolt holes
  • nosirrahgnosirrahg Member Posts: 872
    FWIW - I was doing a generic search on eBay and ran across a set of "Impala/Lumina Police Centercaps". The guy says they fit '00-'02 Impalas, "but you must have the right lug nuts. If your car has the bolt on hubcaps, then these should bolt right on."


    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1867556686


    Maybe you can contact this guy and get more info about how these attach.

  • mke9c5mke9c5 Member Posts: 18
    The caps will not bolt up to stock Impala wheels. The police/taxi wheels have 3 holes that the caps use to bolt to the wheels. You would also need 4 sets of new lugnuts that are chrome or silver, instead of the plated nuts on the car now, since they are now exposed. I have the caps, just waiting on the wheels. A friend of mine took stock Impala wheels from his wife's car, and drilled/tapped the needed 3 holes for his center caps. Looks and mounts the same as if the factory did it. I must admit, it was cheaper than 4 new wheels too!

    bh0001, thanks for the catch on no tires from my previous post. I was typing too fast! No baja with the Impala, but some unimproved National Forest roads in northern Wisconsin. I agree with the ground clearance, but it never bottomed out on anything but grass. I just have to pick and choose a little better then the 4x4's. I may have to look into the full-cradle skid plate for it...
  • grvdiggazgrvdiggaz Member Posts: 12
    Is there any and if there is will it just plug in to the existing wires on my Base LS and work? Thanks.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    LS's all have a Tach in the stock cluster 2000-2003
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    What is your question? As atbear pointed out, all LS models have a factory tach. The base models do not. The Impala's computer handles the ignition so it can tell the factory tach what the RPM is. The tach doesn't measure RPM directly, that's why you cannot just install an aftermarket unit. I believe AutoGauge makes an adaptor so you can add on a tach.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    What's a Base LS? It sounds like it belongs on George Carlin's list with Jumbo Shrimp and Military Intelligence.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Have you ever had any experience with the instrument panels... as you've probably read, I'd like to install an LS Sport App Package instrument panel in my 2002 LS. Do you think my PCM would support it?
  • grvdiggazgrvdiggaz Member Posts: 12
    I ment to say I have a Base Model Impala... So can I just pick up a LS model Cluster(with the tach) Plug it in and it will work? and if this is the case do you have the part number for the LS cluster? Thanks
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