pontiac 6000

[jester4666]

are there any other owners here?

[jester4666]

i take that as a no

[yater13]

Had an 83 6000 STE for about 10 years and I loved that car. Great handling little car. I wish I still had it.

[jester4666]

mine was good handling on the 14" wheels.....does even better now that i put on some 16"s.

[wagonman76]

Got it with 62k miles and now have 215k. Almost no problems, and no major ones. Ive done a bunch of little modifications to it too.

[Chipper2]

I have a 1990 SE - the all wheel drive model with 96,000 miles on it. I've been wondering how long it will last. What do you all think I can expect out of it?

[davidfnickel]

I have an 88 6000. Just turned 39,000 miles, it was a freebie from my mother in law when she bought her new car. I have been looking for information on adaptabilty of parts from other models, or a resource for aftermarket performance parts. When I say performance, I mean stiffer and lower springs, shocks and struts, larger rotors and perhaps a back disc brake conversion. Any ideas?

[yater13]

The quickest way to improve performance is to switch to poly bushings. I think they are available for just about every application now. Don't go to poly motor mounts though unless you want your teeth to rattle. The suspension bushings will help tighten the handling. Also, find the sway bar from and STE, as they are larger and help with cornering.

[davidfnickel]

Thanks for your reply, what about the rear disc brakes form the STE. Could I get every part needed for theat conversion new?

[WakkaWu]

I have a 1990 SE - the all wheel drive model with 96,000 miles on it. I've been wondering how long it will last. What do you all think I can expect out of it?

If you keep it maintained and up on oil changes...stuff like that then you can expect a lot out of it.Same thing with all cars.

[wagonman76]

I dont know if you can get all the parts new. But the STE rear disc brakes are a direct swap as long as you already have the larger 115mm bolt pattern. The only things that I dont know if theyre available new is the parking brake cables and backing plates. Youll want the used calipers for exchange purposes since rebuilds are like $70-$90 each plus about that much core. The used ones usually work fine, and if the bleeder is snapped off, just install a bleeder repair kit. Oh yeah I dont know if the parking brake caliper brackets and levers and springs are available new either, so youll wanna totally strip the caliper for exchange.

I put them in my wagon. They make a noticeable increase in braking. I like them mainly because I dont have to worry about the typical GM rear drum lockup syndrome anymore. And besides they look cool. (Theyre not in the pic above.)

[davidfnickel]

thanks alot again. I am kinda stuck with this car for a while, I got it as a freebie from my mother in law who was the original owner. I turned 29,000 miles driving it home. I have really grown to like it, and I am a car enthusiast by nature. So I figured I might as well have a little fun with it.

I am purchasing new tires for it and am going up to a 15 inch, right now I am in the process of scouring junk yards for a set of straight aluminum 15 inch wheels that will fit. I dont care about the finish because I am going to bead blast and paint them anyway. Do you think I will have any problems with clearance going with a 15 inch maybe 60 or 65 series tire? Plus, what wheels fit these? I know they are a 115 mm 5 bolt but was wondering what other gm cars shared that bolt pattern so I know what I have to choose from.

Thanks again,

Dave

[wagonman76]

My wagon came from the factory with the 15" wheels in the picture. Many 88-91 6000 SE and STE models came with these wheels in silver, gold, and other colors. They are the same as those used on the 90-91 Trans Sport vans.

The 115mm pattern was used on the most midsize and large GM FWD vehicles up to 91 or so. After that, some of the larger FWD vehicles got a larger pattern, but many vehicles still kept the 115mm pattern.

You can go to http://www.ackerwheel.com and http://www.aaarims.com and they have a huge selection of wheels, with nice pictures and tell you the bolt pattern and what vehicles the wheels came from. They are very expensive, but I just use the site for a good reference.

As far as tires, my car calls for 195/70/R15 tires. They dont make these anymore, so the next proper size is 205/65/R15 which I have. They wont rub on a vehicle with a straight frame.

If you went to 15" wheels on your car, you could go with a 195/65/R15 tire and it should fit just fine and not affect your speedometer reading.

[rosebush]

i have a 87'6000 2.8L 153k.It has to be one of the most reliable cars on the road.They are also cheap to buy.Why couldn't gm listen and just keep making them.

[pcv]

Mine's an 88 6000 with 302000km and still going strong. Easy to maintain. The wife drives it. I maintain it well. Don't want any complains from her.