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Chevrolet Impala Accessories & Modifications

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Comments

  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    Ok, check the site. Its under the How-To section. Photos and descriptions have been added.
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    Thanks man. So I'll probably get the downpipe / cat from http://www.mandsproduction.com

    That'll get rid of the u-bend and open it up some. I'm just concerned about replacing the CAT before 5 years. Do you know if it's relatively safe to do? Like what I mean is it won't be easily noticable when getting an inspection?
  • night_owl1night_owl1 Member Posts: 760
    I don't know the answer to that one. In Hawaii, we don't have a smog check, but we do have an annual safety check. It is mostly a visual check (no cracked glass, tires are good, etc) and usually it's done with the car on the ground. I could change the cat on my car and it wouldn't be detected.

    If you were concerned about it, you could put the cat back in before going to the inspection. From what I have seen, replacement downpipes with cats on them are direct bolt in replacements. If you put anti-seize on the bolts before you install the nuts, they should come off easily later on.

    How much is the M&S downpipe? The Random Technology unit is $340. It looks pretty slick though.
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    They don't list the price of the part on-line but I think I remember atbear saying that it was cheaper then the random tech and flows a little better.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Autozone just has a code scanner/grabber... not the Tech II... I don't have the cluster yet, but want one..

    I've heard the GMPP Exhaust is awesome! I would have gotten that instead of the Borla had it been out when I got mine (for the price). It does not replace the Ubend.

    The MandS Downpipe/Cat/Ubend is great quality and a good cat. I'm just about to receive my second one cause the first one set my SES light, but Shane at MandS said he'd replace it for free cause he thinks I got a defective cat.. I should be getting the new one this week.
  • 03_impala03_impala Member Posts: 6
    What's the deal with using a Tech-II to modify the stereo settings? Does anybody know the TSB number? I've heard about this mod from someone who ought to know what he's talking about, but I need the TSB number to get anywhere.

    Thanks!
  • tommy42tommy42 Member Posts: 70
    01 08 44012
  • 2002ls2002ls Member Posts: 11
    otto42:
            Were you successful with disabling the
            DRLs in your Impala? Steve :-)
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    Hey guys how much HP do you think I would gain by the following mods:

    GM Perf. exaust
    Ubent replacement straight pipe
    zzp TB and TB coolant plug
    zzp Intake
    zzp 180 thermostat

    What kind of results do you think with those mods?

    Then what if i added Other Guys header after that?
  • otto42otto42 Member Posts: 33
    As cold as it's been, I've not been able to get out and try. I'm fairly certain of how to do it, but I'm just going to wait until it warms up and I have a chance to work on the car more.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    GM Exhaust = 2HP
    Ubend = 3HP
    ZZP TB = 7HP
    Coolant Plug = 0HP
    ZZP Intake = 5HP
    Thermostat = 0HP

    All together about 10-15HP.. You probably won't feel any difference at all with your car (maybe a little for the HV Throttle Body)... but it'll sound better. To feel anything you'll need more than 15HP gained, or the DHP PCM or rocker arms. Sorry to bring bad news, but it's the truth.. Let me know if you have any questions..

    Drew
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    That's not bad and its what I would guess too - 10 to 15 HP total. Do you think the TB coolant plug is a good idea?

    And what do you know about the other guys header? Have you heard anything good or bad about it? And what do you think it would add?

    Thanks!
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Yeah, I'm gonna do the coolant plug.. should be a good mod, just not worth any HP.

    TOG Headers are top notch in quality, but they aren't a perfect fit and they are VERY expensive. Plus the are very big (not always the best). The S&S headers are more what we need, but they're quality doesn't really compare to the TOGs. The New SLP Headers look to have the best of all worlds. Good flow for us L36's, great quality and a little cheaper than the TOGs. If I were to get headers, I'd get the new SLP ones. But, headers aren't really needed for us, we are FWD (transverse engine) and we have a V6 (less air to flow)... Headers aren't a very cost effective mod at all. Make sense? If not let me know...
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    Thanks for the input! I think I know what you are saying with the headers. It's not going to make enough HP to be worth the cost of it.
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    Well my wife is helping me pay for some upgrades for my birthday in April! So I have a MOD plan but I could use some advice...

    1) GM Dual Exhaust!!! - This one for sure (for sound)

    2) Front and Rear sway bars? Worth it?

    3) Customized Impala mud flaps (from dealer) - why the hell not.

    That will be the first step.

    In the summer I will install the ZZP throttle body, TB plug, and Ubend replacement or the full downpipe / cat / ubend from ZZP.

    Next summer I will do one of two things...

    1) ZZP intake and DHP PCM

    2) or IPS CSC (supercharger) stage 1. Call me crazy but this car will rock.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Check my response on ClubGP
  • ghostwolfghostwolf Member Posts: 91
    Hey I got part numbers for some LS Sport Parts from Kim at gmpart.com
    ----
    Part Number Description List $ Sale $
    88954942 bumper extn. 237.20 201.62 - 0 in stock, no stock avail, no release date
    88954949 lic. cover 51.19 43.51 - 0 in stock, can order
    10306208 cluster 313.10 266.14 - 0 in stock, can order
    ----------

    Don't know about spending the 266.14 for that cluster until I know for sure if its going to work, guess I need to go to the garage and talk to someone about it and find out once and for all.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Actually the LS Sport Cluster part number is 10306213.
    I think your 08 number is the Police Cluster.

    I have a full GM Impala/Monte Carlo parts list.
    It'll work, I know somebody who did it. Hopefully we can find it for less than 266.14. Thanks!
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
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  • ghostwolfghostwolf Member Posts: 91
    Hey atbear,
    Glad to hear someone did it. I'm going to make a note of the number you posted and try to figure out what is going on. I need to get a VIN I guess. Have a good one!
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    A VIN for a 2003 LS Sport is: 2G1WH55K639115280

    As you can see, I've already been through all this =)
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    I just heard that the DHP PCM is available for the Impala now! I'll have more info when I get it! This is great!
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    Really that is great news! Yea keep us updated. Thanks.
  • ghostwolfghostwolf Member Posts: 91
    Hey
    I went down to the dealer and got a VIN off of an LS Sport, and now I am getting cluster number 10306212. The vin I used was 2G1WH52K639151040
    and I got the clusternumber from gmpartsdirect. So now I'm really confused between the part numbers. Guess I will just order from someone who will take it back if it is not the right one.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    We have a 98 Aurora - 4.0 V8 and a 2001 Impala LS. The Impala is the wife's car and she doesn't want anything modified, but I have made some changes to the Aurora and dyno'd some of them. I'll share the results just to give some idea.

    I realize that the 4.0 DOHC is a very different motor, but the results are interesting. In light of some the conversation, it might help. The Aurora is 250 HP, 260 torque stock.

    All my dyno results are at the WHEELS. All dyno's were done the same day - back to back. The Aurora drivetrain loses about 24% whereas I've seen the Impala drivetrain estimated at only a 21% loss. You can see the dyno's on http://www.caddyinfo.com

    I gutted the air box and installed the K&N panel. The K&N panel filter added 6.5 to 7 HP to the peak - not much below the mid 4000's. The air box mod allows more of the filter area to be used and it added 2.5 ot 3 to the peak torque, but no peak HP. It also add 1 to 3 HP from the mid 4000's and below. With both together there WAS a noticeable difference - especially punching it from a roll. Whether you "feel" it or not seems not to be so much a matter of how much peak power it adds, but a function of how much power it adds through the power curve. I wish I could modify the Impala air box, but is does not seem to be as workable. It only uses a small area of the filter and I believe a K&N would greatly help the car - my guess - at least 5 HP at the engine. I do have the K&N panel in the Impala though.

    I had a bored out throttle body added. It went form 75mm to 80 mm. This added 5.4 peak HP, but did a great job adding power all over the curve. Fattened it up more than 5.5 in a lot of places. I definitely felt it. Later I bored the mounting plate (or plenum) to 80mm as well so everything was matched ported to the manifold. That probably added another 2 or so.

    I put a cat back exhaust from Corsa. It was made for the STS but works great on Auroras. Anyway, the exhaust is the best improvement you can make. My system is all straight-through. No baffling. It like having a straight pipe (but quiet because of some cool sound cancellation technique). Corsa dyno'd an STS and it added peak 21 HP at the wheels. Granted, this was a 300 HP engine that revs very high (breaths hard) and is probably bottled up pretty good with the factory exhaust. I'd expect some good gains from a similar system on an Impala. My guess would be 7 or 8 HP - 10 at the engine.

    I know "Thrasher Charged" made a decent looking intake for the Monte and it probably fit the Impala.

    Good luck.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Maybe this has been posted before. If so - sorry.

    http://www.rsmracing.com/impala.htm

    RSM does some good stuff. However, I'm not to keen on the idea of the open cone filter drawing hot air off the engine. I think the thrasher charged intake (an enclosed cone) is better.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Looks like your did some good stuff to your Aurora, garnes, but it really doesn't apply to the Impala too much.
    What I mean is, adding just a K&N panel filter will give no gains whatsoever by itself. Gutting the airbox and then adding a K&N Panel is ok, but really the only way to go would be a K&N Cone filter. You're just not getting enough air through that airbox.
    The exhaust on the Impala flows fine. No gains (maybe 5 HP being generous) will be felt at all with a cat back system. It does sound good though (I have the Borla).
    There is a great Throttle Body out for the Impala. Go to www.ZZPerformance.com to see it.
    I've done a TON of research on modding the Impala, and I think I'll have mine around 270HP when I'm "through"... should be next month sometime. I'll post my mod list, plus what I'll be getting next month. Thanks for posting, and Good Luck to you too!

    2002 Impala LS
    Now:
    FWI w/ 9" cone, Borla Exhaust, MandS 3" DP/Cat/Ubend, 180thermo, BMR Swaybars Front and Rear
    Next:
    ZZP High Velocity Upper Intake Manifold
    ZZP Stage 2 High Velocity Throttle Body
    LS1 Fuel Injectors
    ZZP Extended Range High Ratio Rocker Arms
    DHP PCM Tuned to ZZP Stage 2 Specs
    INTENSE Pushrods
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Also, guys, please don't waste your money on RSM Racing!! There are much better and cheaper places!!!
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    Damn bear your car is going to rock.
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    atbear - you've really done a lot. Wow. Have you ever looked into the thrasher charged guys in Indiana? Any good?

    Yes, the Aurora is quite different, but some of my experience may shed some light on how much mods help.

    Hey - I dyno'd that K&N panel filter with the stock air box and it added some nice power (all tests back to back - same day). They do work. I even dyno'd it on more than one occasion when I was there to test other ideas. It's too bad that people dismiss them so often without any proof or testing. I think their claim of 2 to 4% gain is pretty good.

    The Aurora air box isn't the greatest., but is very different than the Impala. When you "gut" it, you really get a nice flow through it. There is a big opening under the box that can be exposed for more fresh air from behind the fender. Another Aurora buddy did the cone filter set up on his car and dyno'd it and the results were about the same as my panel - really. The key is that filter media is SO much better than paper- that's the big difference.

    Just MHO here - I'd be concerned about pulling hot air off the engine with an exposed cone filter. Hot air will lose you power.

    How do you know the Borla doesn't add much power?? Any dyno's? Have you gone to the dyno for any of your other mods?

    RSM can be expensive - but hey , for me, who else is doing Northstar stuff and Aurora V8 stuff??

    If you have dyno'd your Impala or taken it to the track or anything, I'd like to know how you did. Maybe the wife will let me "touch" the LS. Also, how do you like the Borla??? How is it at cruise on the highway??? Is it straight through, or does it use some baffling??? Packing???? Overall, how polite is that Borla system???

    How much $$ is that throttle body??? My understanding is that the TB and MAF are together as one unit on the Impala.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    "Have you ever looked into the thrasher charged guys in Indiana? Any good?"

    Yeah, they are good guys... They're cage car is really fast. They are more race oriented than street performance oriented though, so I wouldn't go for their cam unless you don't plan to drive your car everyday! It's very aggressive!

    "The Aurora air box isn't the greatest., but is very different than the Impala"

    Right, you won't see those kind of gains by the K&N panel on the Impala, the stock airbox is too restrictive. If you gutted the Impala airbox you might see gains though! I don't doubt the gains on the Aurora V8.

    "I'd be concerned about pulling hot air off the engine with an exposed cone filter. Hot air will lose you power."

    You ARE certainly right there! The is very true. That is why I have a Fenderwell Intake (filter is in the fenderwell). I get cold air all the time! I had a Thrasher Cold Air Intake box, but I found it's quality to be less than perfect, so I sold it, and did the FWI.

    "How do you know the Borla doesn't add much power??"

    I haven't made it to the dyno yet, but others have and it really doesn't do much unless you open up the exhaust before it as well. The stock catback on the Impala isn't the restriction, it's the downpipe and ubend on our cars that is the restriction starting point. I got my exhaust because I've done downpipe/cat/ubend too, and I like the sound!

    I went to the track stock and ran a 15.9 in 99 degree temps (I live in Baton Rouge, LA). I was running the same as a late 90's Mustang GT! Now I'm probably a few tenths faster, but not a whole whole lot. Once I get all my other mods I'll probably be low 14s in the 1/4. My ultimate goal is 13.999.

    I love my Borla. It's NOT loud at all (people with Grand Prixs who have it sometimes complain it's not loud enough). But, it does have an awesome low tone. There's not a lot of drone with it either. And the quality is TOP NOTCH. Borla is straigh through design- best flowing on the market! I believe it's 2.5" into 2 2.25" pipes. Dual dual tips. It'll last forever. It's kinda pricey though. And if you have anything other than an '00 Impala, you'll have to get the 2nd hanger welded on, cause they changed that in '01 and Borla didn't update. I personally would suggest the GMPP Stainless Exhaust for a cheaper solution. They didn't have that out when I got my Borla. It's getting good reviews.

    "How much $$ is that throttle body??? My understanding is that the TB and MAF are together as one unit on the Impala."

    Yes, the TB and MAF are in the same unit, and are controlled together. That's why the TB is so important, makes great gains, and is a good mod even for a lesser modded Impala. The link to it is here: http://www.zzperformance.com/zzp/products/prod_throttlebody_GT.ht- m . That is the Stage 1, and the Stage 2 will be out soon (I'm getting Stage 2).

    Let me know if you have anymore questions... I've been researching this a long time, so I like to think I'm pretty knowledgable.. for a TON of info on our cars though, go hang out on www.ClubGP.com . That's where I've learned all my stuff. Good luck!
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Thanks. You certainly have done your homework. The cone in the fenderwell sounds great. That info about the exhaust is really interesting too. I guess if the exhaust before the converter is lacking - then yeah, the stock exhaust is probably pretty good for what gets to it. I'll print your post out if I ever get an opportunity to work on our 01 LS. Very interesting about the Thrasher charged intake too. That thing looked good, but maybe that cone is a bit too stuffed in there. It may experience a lot of bad turbulence around the cone.

    One thought - a simple K&N panel on the Impala may actually help more than you think. The way I see it is that because the box only allows a small area of the filter to be used, it's got to really hurt airflow. Therefore, opening it up with the K&N media may seem like a huge relief for the engine - unless the used area is so small that it is still restricted even with the better media. Another way to look at it is this - if the air was evenly drawn through -say - 2 sq.ft of filter (just for illustration here - that would be huge), paper would probably not offer much more resistance to flow than the K&N. As the filter area used gets smaller, the paper hits it limit as to what it can flow and resistance to flow probably goes up exponentially whereas the K&N panel may still be flowing OK without some exponential loss yet. Just a thought.

    Back to questions - where/how did you improve the downpipe and U bend? Is there a kit?

    You know, I do get ticked off at GM sometimes. That 3.8 is a great performer - I love it. But it seems GM will strangle these engines with half baked intake and exhausts. Why? For instance, the reason (my theory here) why the air box is so restrictive - it's to keep it quiet. If the box had more volume inside and used the entire filter area it would probably resonate more. The Aurora box used some double wall stuff - but on the inside so it was only slightly better flowing. If they want to keep things quite - double wall it on the outside.

    The exhaust - no excuse for that. Throttle body too. A bigger TB is better for everything - even economy unless you hammer it too much.

    Anyway, I just have to add that my other car is an overhead 4 cam 32 valve V8 (with one heck of a record at Indy) and I still have a lot of respect for the pushrod 3.8 in our Impala. I get tired of the pushrod bashers. They are great engines they offer economy, affordability and good performance.
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    You can buy the downpipe, cat, and ubend replacement as a single bolt on. There is one at http://www.mandsproduction.com that looks like the best option.
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    Atbear:
    I have read that many GPers have had the u-bend and resonator removed by a muffler shop as an inexpensive way of opening up the bottleneck and having a sportier exaust note.

    Any thoughts???
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    That TB looks great. That is pretty reasonable when sending back the core too.

    What will be different on Stage 2???

    The description makes it sound as though they taper the transition from the TB. That would be very good.

    Also, when I dyno'd my TB on the Aurora (bored from 75mm to 80mm) it did indeed add power all over the curve. So I don't doubt the claims on the link saying it adds power throughout the curve. I really noticed it. Better throttle response and all.

    I tried to tell RSM that the TB would be better if they tapered the transition from the MAF to the TB (on Aurora) and make it more bell shaped. They never listened. That one you link to seems to incorporate this idea.

    Is it hard to do?? How do you get the TB off on the Impala? I can't even figure out how to get the rubber boot off the unit.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    "Atbear:
    I have read that many GPers have had the u-bend and resonator removed by a muffler shop as an inexpensive way of opening up the bottleneck and having a sportier exaust note.
    Any thoughts???"

    The ubend is a restriction, the resonator is not. Depending on your planned mods, the best route changes... for a quick fix just do the ubend. For a complete fix get the DP/Cat/Ubend and a Cat-Back system.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    "What will be different on Stage 2 TB???"

    Stage 2 should be way better. I believe the only mod on the Stage one is porting, but the Stage 2 will have optimized MAF tables and such.. and might come with larger fuel injectors.

    "Is it hard to do?? How do you get the TB off on the Impala? I can't even figure out how to get the rubber boot off the unit."

    It's super duper easy. You just pull the boot off with force. And then the TB is held down with four simple screws. Very easy and quick.. Yes the new TB is tapered for High Velocity!
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    Thanks. That sounds easier than the Aurora. I'm always afraid to use a lot of force on anything. I take it that you have to mess with those throttle cables too - but those aren't that bad I guess.

    I'm tempted to do this. Sounds cool.

    Can you give me some idea of what is better about the after market drop pipe? Difference in diameters, smoother bends, stuff like that. What's so bad about the stock one? That is interesting.

    Also, any links to your intake would be cool - or did you fab that yourself? Yours sounds very good.

    If you did the drop pipe, and Borla, would you get some good gains?
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    I don't think you have to mess with anything... but probably just unhook/rehook them. I've never done it before.

    The Downpipe is pretty small. It's 2.5" pipe, but it's insulated, so the I.D. is even smaller than that! I got a 3" DP/Cat/Ubend all the way through with a 2.5" exit to bolt onto my Borla Catback. With the DP/Cat/Ubend and Catback, you'll probably get about 10-15HP total, and that's if you have already done intake. The exhaust really isn't restrictive in it's stock form. But once you start modding, it becomes restrictive.

    I had a Thrasher Cold Air Intake Box, but it wasn't working like I'd hoped (when you stopped at a light or in taffic, the heat would "leak" into the box). So I sold it and made a Fenderwell Intake. It's pretty good (better). Give me your email and I'll email you my directions. Another option for you is to wait for the ZZP Intake that'll be coming out. It's should be the best thing out when it's released. It's like the Thrasher, but better sealed and with more available air. The Thrasher was pretty low quality. Let me know if you have any questions...
  • garnesgarnes Member Posts: 950
    atbear - send me any info at greg.garnes@earthtech.com Thanks. Pictures are cool. I may do some of this someday. The TB is really interesting.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    sent!
  • 03_impala03_impala Member Posts: 6
    I'm working on a custom grill for my '03 Impala. Does anybody have the part number for this piece, or even better, access to a drawing? I'd like to use the original drawing to be sure I've got the dimensions correct.

    TIA.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    The Impala Grille is Part # 10289769 and it's $107.80 from the factory.
  • ghostwolfghostwolf Member Posts: 91
    atbear, I spent some time at the dealer and I got a second opinion telling me the number was 10306212. Then I spoke to mechanic who said sure everything was fine, we had to order the cluster and then they would send it off somewhere else to be programmed.

    Then I got home and got a call from the parts person who told me that GM said that you can't switch them out, it would not work. So I'm not going to take no for an answer, I'm going to go back and talk to the mechanic again and then try to get it set up to where at least if it dosen't work out, I can get money back on the cluster.

    I will keep you informed and let you know if/when I get it done.
  • atbearatbear Member Posts: 322
    Hmm.. everything you said makes sense, except the part number I have for LS SPORT is 10306213. I know I'm right, unless it's been changed in the past 2 months. I'm not saying you aren't right, but just make sure before you order. Good luck, let us know what happens!
  • txguytxguy Member Posts: 57
    I saw the earlier post about going to a Xenon lamp. Does that really improve the output? These LS stock fog lamps seem to be for appearance only. They are pathetic in the fog as I have found out each morning this past week during my 55 miles daily trip to work. We've had thick fog each day.
  • 02lssport02lssport Member Posts: 75
    I'm putting xenon's in place of the factory fog lights real soon so I'll let you know!
  • jeffreyw1jeffreyw1 Member Posts: 145
    Does anyone know if there are any good vinyl floormats, that cover most/all of the carpet area in the front floorboard, being made? Also, does who manufacturers/sells these have any that are close to the neutral color of the 2001 Impala? I would like to find some because I have some of the cheaper floormats which do not cover very much space. Thanks for any and all input!
  • tommy42tommy42 Member Posts: 70
    try Mats For Less
  • 2002ls2002ls Member Posts: 11
    I ahve a 2002 LS and I have upgraded to 130 watt xenon bulbs. They throw out a bit more light, but the real problem is in the reflector behind the bulb. It is very poor compared to other factory fog lights out there. I am going to try and put a mirror coating on the reflectors, I'll let you know if it works.
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