It could be saved?????

[pontiac6ksteawd]

Today was a good day and a bad day for the TGP. I will start with the good..  (hopefully this is in the right section)

So as some of you know, earlier this year, my TGP got hit by a hail storm. The car was insured with full covereage, and they decided to total it out. I have been fighting them on this tooth and nail since it happened. I plan on keeping the car, but I dont want the "salvage" title that goes with it. Thats the last thing any prospective buyer wants to see on a title.

Well I took it to a body shop last week that had a inhouse appraiser. He advised me that because the car was of a particular rarity, that I should have a member of the ISA appraise that car. So I met up with a ISA Appraiser today...

To cut to the chase, the insurance company appraised the cars value at 2900 dollars, and the hail damage amounted to 2700. The appraiser has informed me that the amount the insurance company was way off. He hasnt given me an exact number at this point, he is mailing it to me Thursday.

The appraisel give by the ISA Appraiser will not, and cannot, be challenged since my insurance company also uses this guy routinely. So if the appraisel is over 3800 or thereabouts, the insurance company will either have to pay for the repairs PLUS the 200 dollar fee the apraiser charged, or, give me the appraisers amount in a check for total out PLUS the appraisers fee.

I am hoping for repair personally.. Get a new paint job, plus a few other things. Keeping it original paint, but with some gold flake if thats a posibility.

Now the bad..

I stopped at my buddys shop on the way out to top off the fluids and what not this morning. One of their machines nailed my drivers side door and made a really nice dimple in it. They told me to take it to a dentless repair place. Did that, and they informed me the dimple is to sharp, and since the paint has been removed to the metal, it will have to go to a body shop. The dimple can be rolled out, but it will have to be paint blended. Luckily its going to the shop for other things (hopefully) and can be taken care of then.

Also, on the way home from the appraisers, the TGP starting running like shit. I was smelling rotten eggs, motor was missing, motor was bucking, but no SES light. I am thinking the Cat took a shit, and probly fouled out the plugs. Got under the hood, and she is sure missing, exhaust sounds like shit, and you can hear it in the motor. I also found a vacume leak at the four way port at the throttle body. Gonna have to get a new vacume system.

So, the TGP is running like shit, but could be on the way to the sop to look like a million bucks!! 

Now comes the questions. If the CAT is bad, should I even bother with a high flow cat? or just go stock? I am going to keep the plugs and wires stock at this point so nothing there really. Where can I get a new vacume setup? I know some member got a new one, just wondering where he got it from, and cost?

[R Dubya]

Don't know what the laws for emissions are where you live, but I just gutted my cat when it plugged.  You will know for sure if its the cat if its glowing like mine was when it finally plugged.  The case is there on mine, but all the internals are gone.

[Robby1870]

It's really your choice whether to gut the cat, cut it out completely, or get a high flow replacement.  All are good and simple solutions.  And I don't think one is that much "better" than the other.

About the vacuum system, how much of it do you need to replace?  Just one line from the TB, or all the lines?  If it's just one line, you can just use flexible vacuum hose instead of the hard plastic crap.  If it's the whole system, you could probably get one from a junkyard fairly cheap.  I doubt you'd find one from a TGP, but you could use on from an n/a 3.1L and adapt it as needed.

Finally, I hope it all works out for your car. 

[mfewtrail]

Brian, if the cat is shot, a high-flow catco or carsound(by magnaflow) off of ebay would be the cheapest route(I think they're around $45-50 shipped).

[pontiac6ksteawd]

This car is confusing the hell out of me. The other day, rotten eggs, running like shit, bucking, weird noises, etc. Today, runs like a scalded ape, no problems what so ever...

I think I am going to find a Mandrel Exhaust shop, get a 2 1/2 stainless exhaust from the flex pipe back, high flow cat, really good tune up, and some RTV or some other type of product on the vaume lines. Taking the cat out isnt really an option as the emmisions laws here are pretty strict. Hopefully that will cure all the problems. But at this point, this is all winter projects after I rebuild my bank account from my expensive Paper Anniversary.

[mfewtrail]

If you need a cheap and/or quick fix for the vacuum lines, you can chop off the broken section and splice in some regular vacuum hose from any parts store(you can buy enough to replace every vac line on the car for a few $'s). This is assuming that the very ends of your lines aren't broken off. I bought some silicone vacuum tubing and did this on my '93 a few years ago.