'04 Pontiac Grand Am GT SC/T Ram Air

See below the images for links to my Projects and History of this Grand Am

A Little Pre-Story:
Basically, I wrecked my '02 Grand Am GT while out driving during the winter.   The full story and pics can be seen here: '02 Pontiac Grand Am GT - Wrecked.   Despite how unfortunate this was, I was surprised when I got a really nice payout from my insurance company for the old '02 Grand Am.   My parents loaned me my step-mom's car until I could find a replacement.   I used this ability for some extra time and the payout to search for what I wanted when I bought the '02 Grand Am. I wanted an orange Grand Am GT with the Ram Air hood.

The story about this '04:
In March of 2014, I bought a '04 Grand Am GT with the SC/T package.   This was everything I was looking for, down to the MP3 factory radio.   There is a down side.   This car is a rebuilt vehicle (I new this before I we went to look at the car, the previous owner disclosed this).   I understand the basic concept: the car was totaled at some point and put back together and inspected to remove it from a salvage title to a rebuilt.   In this case, this car was totaled when it was two years old and roughly 30K miles based on a history report.   The owners I got it from said it was fixed before they got it and all they were told was that it was front end damage.

Many people feel a built car, one that was totaled out at some point is unsafe to drive and you are running the risk of everyone's safety on the road.   First, learn some facts. Totaling a car means the cost of repair exceeded it's value, nothing more.   What it all really comes down to is the quality of the repair.   For example, how many cars are on the road that insurance cut a check to the owner and the owner fixed it themselves or decided to just take the money?   They are out there, and possibly unsafe.   Or shops that do bad work and leave possible safety problems broken.   A good example is my '04 Monte Carlo, it was hit in 2013 and I finally had my insurance allow me to take it to another shop (the one they recommended kept leaving issues).   In the list of what the second shop fixed, they also found the first shop never replaced a damaged impact bar!!   This was not a totaled/salvaged car and a reputable shop was leaving damaged parts!   So lets now move past this myth and just say if you are not comfortable walk away from it.

I looked the body over as much as I possibly could on this car (laying on the ground looking underneath, checking the radiator core support, signs of paint issues, metal issues, anything). What I found was nothing, just a badly re-painted front bumper cover. I later had this car on a lift, the underside looks almost brand new on a car from Toledo Ohio, bought in 2014 with 111K miles on it!! When I replaced the front bumper cover, I did find some non-factory welds on one side and could tell the driver side fender was a repaint.XX I have yet to find anything that screams "this is why it was totaled" when it was not that old and the miles were not that high.   My guess is the air bags deployed and coupled with the body repairs, was just over the top, but it's a guess.

Now the fun part.   I was not worried about resale value on this car (when I'm done with it, it will either go to the junk yard or be of such little value either way it won't matter).   I did speak to my insurance claims office (as they were still finishing the claim on my '02) and my company informed they do not de-value a rebuilt car.   OK, good for me. Things I have learned in this process (as it applies in Ohio):

• Some insurance companies charge more for full coverage on a rebuilt car!   The reasoning is that they feel the car as at risk (so it's not just the driveer at risk) because they cannot validate how well it was repaired.   Hence why many owners get liability only coverage.   In my case, I have full coverage, to my knowledge I'm not being charged more and incase I ever have any issues and the quality of the car is in question, I have taken tons of pics of the under carriage and around any part of the body I have exposed while working on it.
• I don't know why but in some cases the car is re-titled and keeps it's original VIN number (but the title is flagged with something to tell it was rebuilt) and in other cases, the car receives an entirely new VIN number and the sate rivets it to the body of the car.   I know a guy who bought back his totaled car (it was an older car totaled for a bumper cover and fender, no air bag deployments) and he has his original VIN.   My '04 was given a new VIN that is in the door jam and now is titled as a '07 Pontiac (as '07 is when it was inspected and a new title issued).   I believe this is also what is done with "self built" vehicles.
• Per what I've read, the state Ohio inspection to re-instate a totaled car to be road worthy is NOT a safety inspection.   Basically it sounds more like they are validating you did not use stolen parts to put the car back together.
• If the car gets a new VIN, to get a true vehicle history report, you need to look up both the factory and the new VIN (there is no link automatically made between the two).

List of what has been fixed (issues when I bought this car):
Driver's Window Sash Tabs (Dorman replacement tabs)
Re-glued weather stripping on top of windshield
Corrected HVAC wiring problem
Hazard switch/Flasher module
Cleaned inside of turn signal wand assembly
Had ignition lock re-keyed to match rest of the car
Replace rear 6x9s with Rockfords from the '02 (original Monsoon speakers were missing)
Headlight Assemblies (Brand New via eBay $62 Shipped)
Replaced locking gas cap with regular cap
Replaced missing trunk hold down for spare tire cover
Replaced driver & passenger side controls with dead back lights
Replaced worn out buttons on MP3 Monsoon Stereo
Replace missing screws as found
Front Bumper Cover (previous owner replaced it, it's cracked and the paint job has runs and areas without paint) - April 2014
Replacement sunshade for sun roof - July 2014

List what still needs fixed (as of writing this page):
Re-position plate on the firewall around heater core tubes

Done for Good Maintenance March 2014 since it has 111,000 miles:
Spark Plugs (NGK Platinum Plugs)
Plug Wires
Change Transmission fluid and Filter

My Modifications:
L67 Coils - March 2014
Plug wire heat sheilds (found on many 3800's) - March 2014
Re-Wired Dome Light (allow all three lights to come on when a door is opened) - March 2014
Painted Red Rings Around the Air Vents - March 2014
LED Replacement Bulbs - March 2014
LED 3rd Brake Light (using '00-'05 Impala/Monte Parts) - March 2014
Cargo net (did not have one from the factory) - March 2014
Add cruise light (GM removed in '04 models) - March 2014
Added Oil Life reset button (GM removed in '04 models) - April 2014
Red HVAC Knob Indicators - March 2014
Late model Bonneville GXP Shift Knob - July 2014
Red Stitching on eBrake Boot - July 2014
Remote Start with Keyless Entry (one fob for all features) - October 2014
FE2 aluminum control arms (poly horizontal and rubber vertical bushings) - July 2015
Energy Suspension Sway Bar End Links 9.8122R - July 2015
K&N Drop-In Air Filter - July 2015
LED Fog Lights - August 2015
'04 Grand Prix Needles - August 2015
W-Body Rear Laterals - August 2015
Aftermarket Tail Lights
Custom Made Front and Rear Strut Braces - January 2016
Bypass coolant flow to throttle body - July 2016
Water pump with improved aluminum impeller - July 2016
Half Shafted Throttle Body - August 2016
Grand Prix Torque Spoke Wheels - October 2016
Relocate Condensation Drain (stop dripping on power steering/subframe)
Aux Jack Mod

Future Modifications:
Painted the Pontiac arrow logo on the steering wheel red (coming soon)
Dual Post Mirrors
Research if the TPMS can be enabled on a non TPMS equiped car

Here are pictures from when I bought.   They are at various phases of being worked on and span from purchase in March 2014.    Sorry folks, no good pics of the GT all cleaned up at the moment: