Did the same thing with my old GA. Amazing how good it looks without the old hazy headlights.

Looking good!

 

To add to things crossed off the list, I changed the trans fluid and filter on the Grand Am GT today. I like to change it on my cars around 100K miles, this one sits at 108,650. Figured it's worth doing.

When I ordered the trans filter from Rock Auto, I also ordered one for the Monte and my wife's '01 Mustang. Both have about 70,000 miles, I figure considering they are not "daily driver" cars, it's worth changing the fluid next spring (and heck, I saved by bundling them with an existing order, as Rock shipped them from the same place.

I also put a new inner wheel well fender skirt on (original one was, uhm, modified by the last owner, BIG HOLE). Last two items, wheel hub assembly and one inner tie rod. Weather permitting, those will be tomorrow's project.

 

Ya know, I find it AMAZING, my '94 Grand Am (the style ran from '93-'95, then was a mid-generation re-styling for '96-'98), it has plastic head lights. I have NEVER seen those suckers on ANY Grand Am of it's type discolor, pit, damage. They might have fine scuff, but I'll tell ya, wash and wax them, you are DONE.

So what I don't get, why is it THOSE plastic headlights (and others from that era) held up so well with the test of time, yet ever late 90's up car after like 5 years begins to get nasty??? What I have seen, the plastic of headlights of these newer cars is thinner. I think it's another auto-industry cost cutting.

 

Not only is it thinner, but it's probably a different mixture. Cost cutting measures 4-sure. Around Windsor, Chrysler cars have turned yellow and hazy after a few years since the late 80's or early 90's. And when GM cars started doing it, Ford cars started doing it too. The cheaper, entry level imports have done that for a long time also.

Never seen a more upscale car do it though. Until in the last 10 years, Cadillacs are doing it now too.

Considering how much we're paying for a car (any make or model), and how important to safety the headlights are, you would think the headlights would be one of the things they wouldn't cheap out on.

I hope you're enjoy the GA so far. I enjoyed mine when I wasn't having to repair it. It was a fun car to drive. And looked cool at the time. Looked like a mini Grand Prix.

 

I think consumers need to complain more about these cars having hazy headlights. It's apparent to me the manufacturers should know what's causing this AND how to avoid it. Even your CHEAPEST new car still costs a considerable amount of money.

As for the GAGT, I can't "enjoy it" until I sell the '94 and move the plates over. But in all honesty, I think it will be good for me, for what it is, a reasonably nice winter car.

 

First, the good news!
The '02 Grand Am GT FINALLY has NO more SVS, CEL, Trac, ABS any error lights on the dash!!!
The CEL code about the fan relay was a result of the previous owner bridging two connections in the fuse box (dad helped hunt that sucker down a couple weeks ago).
The ABS/Trac/SVS lights were all on because of a failed wheel speed sensor. Today, took about an hour, when according to plan, popped the hub assembly out and put a shiny new Timkin one in! No more dash light errors
I also changed a failed outer tie rod (it had some play). I had to borrow dad's propane torch (like what one might use to sweat pipes when working on plumbing).
Also, the factory MP3 CD Player is now programmed in the GT (as well as one in my wife's Impala). These are factory decks that were never offered on those cars. So I'm really happy!

The BAD News:
So the rear had a clunk (new it when I bought it, but looking at it in a driveway, hard to check the suspension). Turns out the rear laterals are bent (like some one jacked the car up on them). I managed to bend the one that was REAL bad almost straight (as a "for now fix", the real answer is, replace them). My step-mom's '00 Grand Am had an issue where the rear end "hopped" to the left/right going over bumps and it turned out after a month of dad and I curious to what it was that the alignment shop messed up her rear laterals!

 

I thinking I found something interesting....
The rear laterals on the Grand Am GT are "stamped steel" like our original trailing arms. I did a little reading and it appears the N-Body crowd found they can "upgrade" there laterals using the stock OR after market W-Body laterals!
Our stock laterls are adjustable AND are solid bars! Heck, I found they appear to be a buck or two cheaper then the factory N-Body laterals!

As long as I don't have any big/noticable drivabilty issues with the GT, I'm going to try and hold off on the laterals until next spring (when i test drove it, I only noticed the clunking noise). But when I do go to change them, I think they may get W-Body parts

 

As long as you're swapping in W-body parts, maybe an upcoming L36 swap is on the list for future mods? That would be one bad *** GAGT.

(yes I know it won't fit in the engine bay.)

 

Taz, you'd be surprised!! I've seen two different pics of the '99+ Grand Am holding L67's in them!!! Heck, I just Google-ed for it and found one of my '94 body with one!!
And yeah, that would be crazy!! A lighter, smaller body with all that power!!

Keep in mind, I had a '93 Grand Am with a 3300 v6. If I recall, the 3300 shared the same block as a 3800 Series I.

Here's a couple pics

 

Wow. I stand corrected. When I looked at the engine bay of my GAGT years ago, I never thought anyone would be able to shoe-horn an L67 in there. The 3400 was a pretty tight fit. Obviously I was wrong. Congrats to the GA owners who did it! If it was me, I would've kept it looking stock on the outside. No body kit, graphics, supercharged badge, nothing but what originally came on the car. Then would've had fun blowing the doors off other people and left them in shock at being badly beaten by a GA.

So... Could it be on your future mod list?