Warrior's S197 "Build"

[lwarrior1016]

I cut the stock mufflers off and welded in a set of Hooker Max flow mufflers with 3.5” tips.






Heres an exhaust clip. This is a while after they were installed, and no cats.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Ordered a set of s550 seats for it.

Put the s550 rear seat in. I pulled the covers and foams from both sets. Put the s550 covers and foams on the s197 frames. They don’t fit together perfectly, but they don’t fit bad enough to be an issue.



Got the full seat set installed. They sit 1-1.5” higher than the stock seats when both are all the way down, but it’s not too bad.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Then my son and I replaced the a/c system

 

[lwarrior1016]

Installed the Dynavin D8 radio. This thing is fantastic! GPS antenna for navigation And it links up to the phone. If you tether, it will do screen mirroring. I love how factory it looks too.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Going to leave it here for the night, and update more when I get a chance.

 

[96blak54]

$800 is a score for sure! Looks to be a $2500 market value car for around Ky.

I love this model! And cringed to the 3v idea when it was introduced. Although with regular maintenance the 3v turned out to be a long sprinter engine with not many problems. I think the sparkplug seize issue and the vct sprockets were the biggest reaccuring problems. Anyhow, great score and i love the content!

 

[lwarrior1016]

Drove the car for quite a while as it was. I enjoyed the comfort of the seats, but they sat too high in the car and they were leaned rearward because of how the tracks had to be mounted. So I grabbed a set of 2014 s197 seats off eBay. The driver airbag was deployed so the seat needed to be stitched back together. I am very happy with how this repair came out. The seats are not great in the sense that the cushions are broken down and the leather is showing its use. I am planning to rebuild these seats at some point in the future. Until then, these will suffice. They sit low in the car, as they should, and the newer s197 seats have the head rest that folds.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Installed a 5 spurs arm rest. It delivered in August, it was ordered in February. It’s an awesome piece, but you have to wait forever to get it. It’s super comfortable and fits perfectly.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Daily duty for months, until I found a sticking caliper. Had a wore out tie rod and a dragging caliper. So it got a MM bumpsteer kit and 11-14 gt brakes which are bigger than 05-09 and the bolt right up. Got that stuff fitted in, only to find the barrel of the wheel hits the caliper. Brought the grinder out after that.

The replacement driver caliper was no good. It locked up on the slide pins when it was bolted down, and had a stuck piston. I already ground on it too so I don't know if I can get my money back. So, I reused the driver caliper and put the new passenger caliper on. I still don't have a warm and fuzzy about them so I'll probably order a set online. Either way, they are on for now, and after some grinding, they clear the wheels. Longest freakin brake job of my life.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Did all new poly sway bar bushings front and rear. And I also finally installed fender liners. It was missing all 4.
When I did the brakes, I took out the BMR springs in favor of a set of Steeda springs. Also went back together with maximum Motorsports caster camber plates, to make sure the alignment was good.




I did a rough alignment at home to get it straight enough to driver to the alignment shop. Car actually drove straight.




And with bmr springs, you’ll see the front was very low


Steeda springs brought the front up and closer to level

 

[lwarrior1016]

This is where it currently sits in terms of progress. I do have a bunch of parts for it right now though. Ive purchased new front and rear control arms, inner tie rods, and all the parts to do an electric steering rack swap from a 2013 gt.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Started tear down today. Also found the alternator was trying to eat itself, it’s making all sorts of noise and I’m really surprised it hasn’t failed yet.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Got the EPAS rack in, and the front control arms on. Pretty sure I found my clunking. The control arm bushings are totally shot, so hopefully this will tighten it up.

 

[lwarrior1016]

Anyone wanting to do this swap, there is a very known write up on how to do it. They say to use the early inner tie rods, and use spacers on them at the rack. It allows for a little extra angle, but you have to cut the tie rod down so the wheels will toe in enough. I figured that out the long way. Just use the late s197 tie rods and call it good.

I updated to a 2010 alternator, they are supposed to be better. Hopefully it works and doesn’t crap out on me. Also got a shorter belt since the power steering pump was removed.


Turned the battery around and rerouted the wiring a little. Got a positive terminal from like a 2014 f150 with the fuses on it.

Got it all wired up and fired up the car for a test. Everything worked!

 

[lwarrior1016]

Alright. Test drive was perfect. The steering feel is amazing. It’s very smooth all the way through the turn, and it is progressive. Low speed movement, like in the driveway, is much easier now. When you go faster it gets a little stiffer. Response in turns is immediate, and I kind of feel like it takes less steering wheel input to get through normal curves on the road. Overall, I am very happy with how this turned out. Now I am considering fabbing something and swapping one of these into the sn95.

 

[SnakeBit!]

looks like a different car. very nice what you have done. looks great. has a CS vibe to it.

 

[98snakehorse]

ugghh this makes me want to get another project car

 

[lwarrior1016]

looks like a different car. very nice what you have done. looks great. has a CS vibe to it.

CS vibe? Like California special?

If so, that’s because it is a California special. Lol

 

[lwarrior1016]

ugghh this makes me want to get another project car

You should. Maybe even get a couple of them.

 

[lwarrior1016]

No pictures but, I got the rear lower control arms changed. Now to do the upper rear control arm at some point and all the suspension will have been replaced.