New Owner

Ok, so technically im not a new owner, Ive owned my '89 for about 2 years now. But im finally getting to the point of working on it. What are my options of what to do with it? Ive done some stuff that i needed to get it running (new brake lines, new fuel lines, replacing headlight bushings) but now im looking to see what I can still do to this car. Im 17 so im looking to make this car fun (not that it isnt already)

You wouldn't believe what can be done to a Reatta to make it more interesting. I think nice wheels are the best bang for your buck in making a Reatta really stand out. You could add a spoiler on the rear or mud flaps to the fenders. You could put your favorite emblems, stripes or decals on it.

If you just want to make it more fun OR if you want to make fun of it, fixing it up like this one should do the trick.

This one would be a close second:

I guess the question is, what are you looking to upgrade? Appearance? Performance? Stereo? How do you define what makes a car fun? The ability to leave 300 foot tracks in the street, or fuzzy dice on the rearview mirror?

Ronnie's suggestion of upgraded wheels and a trunk lid spoiler are both fairly easy mods to the look of the car, if that is what you are after. A lot more can be done - custom paint and interior, LED lighting on the exterior, sequential tail lamps - depending on your skill level and budget.

Performance mods won't come easy or cheap. The supercharged 3800 engine upgrade has been done by multiple owners, some of whom post here. This is what I consider a major project so your budget, time and level of expertise will need to reflect that if you choose to go that route. Outside of that, there isn't any notable gain to be had from so called performance chips, upgraded intakes and filters, or other passive measures that are commonly sold as horsepower boosters.

The 3800 is a solid engine made for decent fuel economy while lending itself towards being a great highway cruiser. It is decidedly not high output, by current standards anyway. If you want a 400hp muscle car, the Reatta is not your best choice short of spending a lot on custom work. Even then, it is still front drive with an auto transmission. Not exactly the stuff race cars are made of.

Stereo upgrades are easy in the 90/91 models. The 88 & 89 cars are a bit more involved but not impossible. This is one place where big improvements can be had (over stock setup) without breaking the bank. Personally, I am an audio snob.A good sound system is an absolute must both at home and in the car. I've focused a lot of my efforts here.

So, if you want specific suggestions we need to know what aspect(s) of the car you feel need attention to make it, in your words, "fun".

KDirk

Good to see another young guy with a Reatta out there.

As far as making it a fun car, you're not going stupid fast without a motor swap. And motor swaps are a pain. There's a few supercharged options, and the v8 route, neither are feasible with a marginal budget and less than professional fabrication skills. Look up a member named D-A-N-I-E-L to see one of the coolest SC builds ever. Sinister Performance does them also.

I'm all about minor detail oriented stuff though, my goal has been to do little stuff to make my first 90 couple look like a sports car under the hood and minimally increase performance. I deleted the air box and ran a cone filter, leaving enough tube to leave all the sensors intact. Runs fine, sounds cool, removal of the enormous air box really cleans the engine bay up. I'm also running all new exhaust with a high flow cat and a low restriction 1 in 2 out camaro muffler turned sideways, and you just cannot beat the sound. Converting to the Delco ICM with performance coil packs is on my list, looks nice, I hear you'll see smoother running from the Delco unit, and it won't break the bank. You can use Camaro front discs for more stopping power or they also make slotted rotors that look really cool.

Inside an 89 is tricky, the crt makes it difficult. I've seen people run standalone aftermarket stereos in the console. Just having the stereo unit rebuilt might be enough improvement for you or you can look at KDirks stereo build. New speakers obviously can make a difference also, but the Wal Mart 28 dollar special will always disappoint you.

One of my favorite visually modified Reattas is Car domain member Red Devil Reatta 's 90 coupe. Definitely check that out. I like Ronnies suggestion of wheels. Nice Buick logo mud guards really look nice too. I've always liked the early 90s Grand Prix spoiler as well. You can swap in all sorts of GM factory steering wheels, but check compatibility first. A few people have lowered the front of theirs. Some people do body color chrome. The T handle shifter off an El Dorado looks nice in a Reatta, as does the compass mirror out of a Roadmaster, or the wood trim from a Rivi if that's what you're into.

You'll probably eventually run into the engine cradle bushing problem. DANIEL did a write up on using Fiero urethane bushings, they say it handles stiffer that way.

Good luck with your Reatta, these guys here are awesome people, very knowledgeable.

Thanks for all the replies guys! the two top things on my list are a new audio system and wheels. The next thing after that (if possible) would be new seats. The previous owner didnt really take care of the seats so if anyone has any experience with that please let me know. Another thing I might try to tackle in the future is modernizing the inside. So taking off all the kinda carpet looking panels and fabricating my own. Also i am a big skiier, would anyone happen to know if there is a ski rack out there that can go on the reatta?

There are several vendors on here who sell seats and parts, East Coast Reatta parts comes to mind, they had pics of nice 16 way seats on Facebook recently. What color is the interior of your Reatta? I recently saw a Reatta with great looking black and grey leather recovered seats. Recovering seats may be the way to go as it sounds like all original isn't your cup of tea anyway.

P.S. you might want to add info on your Reatta to your signature. That way everyone knows what year and color parts you are looking for.

thanks, and I actually was wondering about aftermarket seats. I know the seats are electric but would there be a problem with putting say a set of corbeau's in there? I dont know a lot about cars, but ive been building an airplane with my dad for a few years now so i know my way around a tool box, so the physical work wont be an issue, its just id like to hear its possible before i tear apart the inside of such a beautiful car.

The seats come out fairly easily. 4 bolts and 2 clips. If you're comfortable fabricating brackets to get your aftermarket seats mounts to the studs, and if you don't mind losing your power options, as long as it works dimensionally, you should be ok. Never seen it done though. Probably because the factory seats are really comfortable.

ok cool, and the main reason is i'm probably going to make inside mostly carbon fiber. So i wanted to match that with more modern/sporty seats. Im hoping it turns out well, if it does it should look pretty freaking sweet.

Carbon fiber? Never seen that done. Definitely keep us updated with pics. Grey interior or tan...?

not much advice here other than make sure she runs, drives and stops first.

lots of info (wheels, audio, etc.) can be found in the "search forum" function above. also check out ROJ: http://reattaowner.com/roj/ much info/parts, etc. will be found there!

keep us posted - we all love pics - and have fun with her!!!:cool:

look at a line of seats by Corbeau they look cool to me and I am sure they could be retrofitted to a Reatta. I saw them at autobahnpower.com

Sound like an interesting project

Replacing the seats is not hard and if you bolt the new seat on the existing rails you can keep all of the standard power features (not the extras in the "16-way" though).

Have said before that if you want a track car the best way is to use the Reatta to tow something light/powerful.

..., its just id like to hear its possible before i tear apart the inside of such a beautiful car.

Words of warning: It is always easy to "change" things. But very difficult to actually improve them. (I could go into the trials and tribulations of my '61 190SL when I was your age, but I'll spare you... ;-) )

Those seats with the high bolsters may be great at a race track when pulling high Gs in curves. But for normal daily driving, they are a PITA to climb over every time you get in and out of the car. That said, if your seat covers are worn out anyway, looking for alternatives is a reasonable thing to do.