Beretta.net

so.. this is my first post here.. i guess to start off, ill give some quick details about my car.

1990 Beretta GT
3.1 V6
Red
Hail Damage Everywhere
Oxidation in Paint (heavy)
Dent in Fender
Dash is Warped and Cracked
Door Panels are coming away from door and vinyl at top of door is warped
Needs New Exhaust

I really didn't know where to put this because it was kind of a general question,
but,
What Can I Do To Improve the Look/Performance of My Beretta?
I only have basic knowledge of engine/drivetrain components, and a limited budget.
we tried to buff the paint, but it wouldnt cut any of the oxidation, we almost cut into the paint itself.
I was thinking of pulling off the side molding for a start, as a real quick way to give it a sleeker look.
What Else Do You Guys Have In Mind?

Well, first opinion I can give you is to give a new paint job as that will seriously help the looks. Shop around and see what kind of prices you can expect. There are cheap paint jobs and expensive ones. An average good price for a paint job is probably 2-3 grand. Maaco will probably do them a lot less but for less quality too. Have to see what your local options are, and save for it.
Start visiting local junk yards or look online at www.parts.com (i think it is) and see what you can find to replace some of your parts. Keep in mind that many parts are the same on all years of these cars, then broken down by engine type, etc...

Obviously get your exhaust fixed, and anything else that compromises safety. Brakes, etc.
Pulling the side molding will leave a shadow of the paint color change, so it will look like its still on there. I would not recommend doing that till you are ready to prep and paint it.

Good luck and be sure to get us some pics!

www.car-part.com will also allow you to search all junkyards for parts you can get shipped to you.

shift knob i tore out of my totaled grand am





[img]ttp://img99.imageshack.us/img99/2996/31759101501872256701238.jpg[/img]
alrighty.. so you now have an idea of what you're working with here..
if you need more pics i can get em up no problem.

Bigger pics? lol

working on it.. dunno what happened

the shift knob came off of my first car, a 92 grand am, which i flipped end over end going too fast on a country road.
the pedal COVERS are walmart covers and only until i can get legitified pedals
i was thinking about doing a filler panel repaint, when i repaint the whole damn thiing, but i want to get whatever body work i was going to do, done (spoiler, body kit, fender, hood)
any idea how to fix hail damage?
and while im going to fix my exhaust system anyways, why don't i just upgrade? recommendations? (remember, not too much technical jargon, please)

hammer and dolly, grind, fill, sand, prime, sand, paint, clear, buff.

I honestly would consider either a(roll on paint job) or b(buying a different car).

Is there a demo derby scheduled for your area anytime soon?

It's admirable that you would like to try and save it, but sometimes it's best to salvage whatever parts might still be of value and move on.

i think..
a new paintjob
exhaust
door panels
fender
and it's ready to roll..
looks, anyways.
it runs.. nicely.

All and all man the best thing to do is to make sure all the sensors are working or new. Then go for mods later. Basic mods should be a Cold Air Intake(with a K&N) and a high flow cat and muffler(Magnaflow on both). You can get a "chip" for your car too. Take a look around here http://www.wot-tech.com/shop/ for fun and to dream.
I will add that with a CAI you will need to do some cutting to get it to fit. Also the 3.1 has a need for more top end power, so a Warm Air Intake may be better. There would be no need to cut anything. You would just need to get rid of the stock air box. http://www.stylusscustoms.com/intakes.htm

asylum wrote:Is there a demo derby scheduled for your area anytime soon?

It's admirable that you would like to try and save it, but sometimes it's best to salvage whatever parts might still be of value and move on.

yo old man, ive seen people make better from worst, not all of us are rich and can just go buy 10 beretta's and keep the 2 we like the most. SOME of us have to actually get greasy and work on our cars.

no time or patience to install CAI.. besides, it does need more top end power, so ill go with a simple short ram WAI. itd be nice to have more torque in the low revs.

about the cat and muffler..
whats the difference between a hi flow cat and a cat back? what pipe diameters? i almost want to go with a glasspack dual outlet muffler and do fake duals.
eventually im [dreaming of..] wanting to do a dual stage twin turbo system, with a direct port nitrous injection.. but in some eibach lowering springs and tuned headers..
but lets focus on the realistic goals, here, shall we?

gustafson wrote: eventually im [dreaming of..] wanting to do a dual stage twin turbo system, with a direct port nitrous injection.. but in some eibach lowering springs and tuned headers..
but lets focus on the realistic goals, here, shall we?

Ok, I'm glad you said it before I had to.

Well man the stock down pipe is a bit small, so a bigger one along with bigger pipe all the way back will help alot. As for size I think that 2.5 would do it. The high flow cat is what goes before the cat back. Now a Magnaflow muffler would be much better than a glasspack. It will last longer and won't be as loud. With all that the exhaust flow would be the best that you can have(less headers or 3400 exhaust manifolds). Exhaust is a weak point on these cars. Fake duals may look good, but there is a small loss in flow(also a small loss in power).
Wicked at one time made a great down pipe and full exhaust. I'm not sure if he still does.