Working on my '97 SL

[missionsminded07]

OK. so this car i got it because it was really cheap off of craigslist. i'm not gonna lie. after a while of getting to drive it (over a year), I have started falling in love with my '97 SL. Sadly, the previous owner neglected things about this car and his son had access to it. It runs pretty well (gets 34 mpg) but I want to make it better.

What it looks like now:
My '97 SL


Standard S-Series 2nd Gen engine look. the only thing ive done so far was remove the silencer (correction, it removed itself. the screw that held it in place fell off and it started to move around a little bit so i removed it)


Steering wheel, has LOL engraved on the airbag and cigarette lighter burn on the top


Hood has a few dents, need to get those hammered out


No rear speakers, no speaker wiring, did it come stock like this? what the crap


Standard Center console, getting a new CD player next week


Tail light is broken, need a new one


Power nothing. Working on getting the windows hooked up



Some eventual goals for this car:
Cold air intake
new exhaust system
Power windows and locks
Security system
Some nice rims
New sound system
New paint job (black)
Re-Do the interior (black as well)
New steering wheel with airbag
Fixing the Tripometer
New breaks
New Tail light
Just make it look and run nice
Spoiler?
Window tints?
Tail light tints

[JRSTANGE]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

Thats how mine started out when i purchased it. However mine was a used rental car from Saturn. But, yeah you have the base, base line sl! only thing different on mine when i got it was it came with rear speakers. This was an option on the base line.

[missionsminded07]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

So I decided to completely remove my back seats the other day (pics to come) and all i can say about it is THE HORROR!!! I spent well over 2 hours vacuuming and another 2 cleaning all the random crap that was under the seat. on the bright side i found $8.65 in change under the seat. [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/wink.gif[/img]

[missionsminded07]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

So today I got my new headunit and got it hooked up, and it sounds NICE!!! i went with a Dual XHD7720 which puts out about 22 RMS and 200 watts!

btw, anyone know how to fix the tripometer without taking it into a shop? mine busted a few years back and i really dont want to have to pay someone to do something that I could do myself

[The Shaolin]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

That car has a loooooonnngggg way to go before it looks nice, performs well, or handles nicely.

I'd keep it and just drive the shit out of it...don't mess with anything on the drivetrain. Make it reliable and get those MPG's up....and then get a twincam car for cheap to play with.

[ZombieSatty]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

That car has a loooooonnngggg way to go before it looks nice, performs well, or handles nicely.

I'd keep it and just drive the shit out of it...don't mess with anything on the drivetrain. Make it reliable and get those MPG's up....and then get a twincam car for cheap to play with.

this guy speaks the truth. Just drive the thing. You can get a twin cam for the same price with some looking.

[missionsminded07]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

thats what I plan on doing. i'm saving up for a twin cam while I make what I got the best I can. I Got some new speakers in and went with a K&N Air Filter. It's running more solid now and I'm getting a little bit better gas milage than I was before I started to really take care of it.

[punkboySL2]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

sweet, just keep up on general maintenence of the thing. Have you checked the spark plugs and wires? And if the engine bay still looks like that it needs a cleaning badly haha. I used to have an SL, it was a fun good first car. SLOW, but fun.

[missionsminded07]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

I haven't yet. I'm going to try and head to my uncle's shop in the next couple weeks so i can do a complete tune up. any suggestions on how I should clean it. It makes me mental that it's so dirty. Inside the car is really dusty too and I can't figure out how to get rid of it. its sucks with allergies

[sl2_dude4]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

engine degreaser and a hot pressure washer should do you well

[missionsminded07]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

sweet. I'll stop by Kragen and pick up some degreaser. any ideas on how to get all the dust out?

btw, anyone know what kind of pins i need to buy for the cover of my center controls? My friend helped me put in my CD player and ripped those suckers right out and broke them.

[PurdueGuy]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

heck, just a rag & some water may be a great place to start. Use that to get the majority of the dirt off before you go using cleaning chemicals that cost $$. Find a cheap junkyard - it'll be your best friend.

[missionsminded07]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

Alright, so it's been a while, but here's what's been going on:

Got some engine degreaser, going to be working on that my next day off from work
I also got some new speakers (Alpine Type-G), cut out some holes for them. its not the best job in the world, but it still looks nice.
I also got a steering wheel cover just so my hands would stop sticking on all that crap.

Next step is getting an amp for my subs that I got from my brother's friend, and then getting some new wheels for this baby. I got a Quote from Big-O Tires and they said it would cost about $1200 total for 17" rims and low profile tires.

Pictures coming soon of the speakers and Head Unit that I never took pictures of.

[Ricer Ryan]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

17" rims... eww. Especially with drum brakes. Go with 15 or 16's. We don't have big ass brakes to show off, and you don't even have disc on the back. The 15's would look good, and still ride like stock. If you go too big, you'll notice the lack of sidewall.

[revcyanide]

Re: Working on my '97 SL

just buy a DOHC for the price of stupid wheels >.>