2017 LaCrosse Build thread (GS tribute)

[Ghosthawk]

Today I swapped out the steering wheel... again. LOL
The CTS wheel was black leather and the thickness of the rim felt small. I considered just adding a cover but the center trim kept popping loose from the padded housing for some reason I couldn't figure out.

I ran across this Cadillac XTS V-Sport wheel on eBay, brand new for $120 so I jumped on it.
The rim is thicker, and after it arrived I noted the color was much closer (almost exact) to the Buick ebony interior.
I had to splice the connector for the heated wheel so it would mate to my Buick harness but that was a simple 4-wire plug. The best part was the airbag I already had for the CTS fit perfectly and the 4-spoke design looks like many of the Regal GS cars I've seen so I thought it looked a bit more factory. I swapped in the chrome paddle shifters from the CTS wheel.
Supper happy with how this came out!

 

[DrivenDaily]

Nice job! I like a nice, thick wheel rim, and leather is the best.

 

[Ghosthawk]

Lately I keep having the urge to own a classic muscle car. Such a move would require pressing my Buick into daily driver service and while I love driving it, I don't know that I want anything else bad enough to take her out of the garage.
Karma must agree because every time I wind up browsing old Trans Ams online, I wind up getting stopped at the gas station getting questions about the LaCrosse. A guy at Sheetz this morning wanted to know if it was alright for him to snap a few pics.
After that, the drive to work today was pure joy. As cool as it might be to have an old classic muscle car, any of them would have a hard time putting a bigger smile on my face than Sgaile does now.
I will keep on tweaking her, and on that note, I saw a Chevy Blazer Premier with a tu-tone interior called "Maple Sugar" and I think that color leather would look perfect in Sgaile.

 

[Ghosthawk]

Beautiful day outside and after all the hard, hot days in the garage of late, it was nice to get out and show my four-wheeled ladies some love with a wash-n-shine 😎😍
(The red reflection on the door is from the school bus at the corner)

 

[DrivenDaily]

What's that address? I'll be right over! 😀

 

[richardnewton]

Looks OEM !

 

[Ghosthawk]

Beautiful sunny day to be stuck at work but Sgaile still looks gorgeous! 😎 Gotta love the work commute days because she is such a great hi-way cruiser.

I am considering a more aggressive, wider 19in wheel/ tire combo but need more research to see if a 9.5 wheel and 275/40 tire will clear everything on the front.

 

[leprechaungabe]

Could you post some of those interior parts (carbon fiber) link please?

 

[Ghosthawk]

I dont have a link but got them all on eBay. Search for Buick LaCrosse interior trim

 

[leprechaungabe]

Could you repost the link for the exhuast please?m As well as the setup.

 

[Ghosthawk]

Sorry, been gone for a bit...health and work issues...plus vacation! LOL (and Cadillac headaches)
The exhaust components all came from eBay
Flowmaster Hi-flow metallic 200 cell cat #2000125
Flowmaster Super HP-2 2.5in for resonator #12518409
Flowmaster Flow FX mufflers (2) #71226
2.5 in/ out Y-pipe

 

[richardnewton]

@Ghosthawk hope you are doing better.

How is the Lacrosse treating you?

 

[leprechaungab]

Sorry, been gone for a bit...health and work issues...plus vacation! LOL (and Cadillac headaches)
The exhaust components all came from eBay
Flowmaster Hi-flow metallic 200 cell cat #2000125
Flowmaster Super HP-2 2.5in for resonator #12518409
Flowmaster Flow FX mufflers (2) #71226
2.5 in/ out Y-pipe

could you post a sound clip?

 

[Ghosthawk]

Sgaile is doing wonderful! She just crested over 70k miles today...which is about double what was on the clock when I bought her 4/2022.
I gave the C8 Corvette steering wheel swap one more try but it turned out to be a heartbreaker. Got the wheel installed along with the airbag and the wiring looked compatible but none of the switches worked. The didn't throw any codes or act wonky in any way, just all the buttons except the horn were dead.
But all was not lost. I installed the decal I got for the Corvette airbag cover on the Caddy XTS wheel and put that back on. Final product looks good!
Happy the Hawk flies again!

 

[Ghosthawk]

could you post a sound clip?

I've tried recording sound clips before and they never turn out decent. Basically, unless you have some really loud set-up you can't really hear it recorded by a cell phone. My goal was to maximize flow while giving the car a better tone. You can clearly hear the car, inside and out, and it has an almost exotic sound at full throttle (a good bit of that is coming from the intake at WOT) But I never want to have to blast the music to hear it over the exhaust, and I absolutely want ZERO drone at highway cruise speed. I do apologize but if I posted a clip it wouldn't be very impressive.
For reference, here is a clip I did of my 2018 Impala with the 3.6 LFX. The set-up is virtually identical but I used Magaflow components vs Flowmaster.
The sound is nearly the same. The Impala may have been a touch louder but not much.

 

[leprechaungabe]

I've tried recording sound clips before and they never turn out decent. Basically, unless you have some really loud set-up you can't really hear it recorded by a cell phone. My goal was to maximize flow while giving the car a better tone. You can clearly hear the car, inside and out, and it has an almost exotic sound at full throttle (a good bit of that is coming from the intake at WOT) But I never want to have to blast the music to hear it over the exhaust, and I absolutely want ZERO drone at highway cruise speed. I do apologize but if I posted a clip it wouldn't be very impressive.
For reference, here is a clip I did of my 2018 Impala with the 3.6 LFX. The set-up is virtually identical but I used Magaflow components vs Flowmaster.
The sound is nearly the same. The Impala may have been a touch louder but not much.

Gotcha. Thats kind of what im going for. Currently, I hear everything coming from the engine bay. I want to let her breathe a little and give her a nice deep rumble that doesnt sound obnoxious or like a ricer haha. I definitely dont want drone. If you do get a chance, though, id love to hear yours. Or maybe under load to get an idea.

Also could you send the link for your intake? And maybe post a picture of that? I checked the WOT website and couldnt find one for buicks.