Hey everybody, I have just come into the possesion of a '97 SE. I just have some quick questions as I am making a list of mods I would like to do. First off, just out of curiosity, is there a such thing as a manual transmission for 97-03 gp's? And secondly, why do people replace the stock thermostat? I love the car how it is but from what I have read it looks like it has great potential and I can't wait to start working on it. Thanks for your help!

There is no manual tranny for this car. The transmission for the GTP is 4T-65E but for the SE is the weaker one. The destroyer of any car is heat so by taking down the temperature you are able to keep the chamber cooler and therefore less damage to the compartments and parts of the train. By replacing the thermostat you are also able to take down the temperature of the transmission cooler which will polong your tranny life. The one thing that a lot of people neglect is their automatic transmission. is you are able to put in an Aux Tranny cooler you will be able to prolong the life of your transmission which is probably the most complex system in the car. Cooler car the better. If you are able to isolate different systems so that the gas lines are cool, the air intake is cool and you are able to install headers or wrap the headers the better!
Enjoy!

Thanks for the info!