I am interested in buying a Grand National within the next year, but then I hear about the Turbo T. Is there any noticable difference? Thanks for any help!
GN's are black,Turbo T's came in different colors.
Frank is correct (as usual.) The Turbo-T came in about any color exterior/interior GM offered for the Regal. The GN option only came in black. They had a special grey and black interior and badging. Turbo-T's and GN's both had the exact same driveline. If you are planning on buying one in the next year now is the time to do your homework. An unbelievable amount of great information is on the gnttype.org website - but you know that already. Kirban also prints a guide to purchasing these cars. Generally, the '86 and '87 models are more desirable from a performance standpoint because of the intercooler and more boost (horsepower.) Option codes to look for on the inside of the trunk lid are "LC2" - turbo engine - and "G80" - limited slip differential. There are a lot of good ones out there yet. Do your homework, get a good one and get ready for one of the greatest automotive experiences going - but be careful - these cars tend to take over your life. Just my .02 Good Luck.
Thanks for the info. I thought they were the same mechanically, but I couldn't find a definitive answer. Is there anyone on this website from New Mexico?
Yep, a few. Where are you located exactly?
I am in NE Albuquerque.
Clayton, there are quite a few TR owners in Abq. as you can see from http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/3650/alb4.html I'm not an owner presently, but I'm in NW Albuquerque, not far from Rio Rancho.
There are several in Albuq. In fact my parents still live there as well (I am in Las Cruces). Look on the website for names and numbers.
Erik
Hi BUICK owners! i finaly got one my-self,,I found a beautiful 87 GN 42,000 miles on it,, and its almost perfect inside and out! this one was the first one i had ever been in and
driven!,,car is so clean it feels new. I used to get out run by Buicks in my 5.0 back in 87 and now i see why. Ive added a few upgrades and been playin with it some. orig owner says the best time he got out of it was a 13.8 (stock) besides a small cam and chip. what is the avearage stock GN run in a 1/4 mile and in a 1/8 mile??
Welcome to the Dark Side!
To answer the question... stockers ran anywhere from low-mid 14s bone stock. Good air (sea level or really cold) and traction can get you in the high 13s bone stock (and I mean as in stock from the factory, not "stock" in the street sense of the word!
) A quick comment:
A cam is one of the last things you want to do to these cars. Bolt ons are way too effective, with little/no downsides.
13.8 is definitely acheivable with just some traction and maybe a chip.
Take a look at the Performance Recipes to get an idea of some proven performance mods.
Have fun!
Just a personal opinion to the above;
I believe that traction is the very last thing you should try for. If you do your mods according to the recipes, and you learn how to get the most out of your car on street meats, you will save a lot of broken parts and learn how to jump the tree at the strip. Then when you just can't go any faster, you get your M/T's and go faster than you would by getting your street/strip tires first. I know this is a controversial opinion and am interested in hearing other opinions. What do you other guys think?
Interesting! Not that I necessarily agree ..
Here's my thoughts ...
- The Recipes that Chuck and I wrote have traction very high on the list. The reason? The slicks are a very easy mod and make a great "return on investment" in terms of E.T.
- I don't think that breakage is that big of an issue (in fact, I would contend that tire spin with street tires is more dangerous from a breakage (overrev) and control stand point (rear end getting away from you too quick to catch)).
- I have to concede if you get going fast enough with slicks, you will have more chances to break your rear end/axles. However, from my experience (the 1.5s), that's a pretty stout modified ride anyway.
- The starting line "jump" is going to change a bunch with slicks vs. street tires too. The car with traction will react faster (and harder), so your starting line tactics will be different as far as which light you leave on, how much boost, car reaction, etc.
However, all that said, it's the different approaches that make this interesting!
thnx for your comments,,just to let you know what ive done as far as bolt ons,this is what i added
,,,,,,,3"ATR downpipe, no cats,2 1/2"pipes flowmaster muffs,cool air k&n filter,aux fuel wiring kit,340 fuel pump,237 fuel regulator,33lb injectors,valve cover vent,aluminum drive shaft,
(ATR rp313b hydraulic cam & a pit bull chip was already installed when i bought it)with these upgrades,what kind of times should i be turning and what would you do next to get faster without upgrading the turbo? and to lean the car up some ,i believe its runnin a lil rich how do i do this? (just got the new exhaust and the inside of the pipes are very black)
thank you all for your opinions!!
Well, I Am definately an advocate of the "Big horsepower, but don't get traction or you'll break" crowd. My car ran a best of 11.33 @118.355 mph on street tires. Although I have Strange steel axles, I still worry about breakage. Most of the street racing I have encountered has been with Mustang Num's while already driving at about 35-40 MPH. They come up, rev the engine, and take off. Then I mash the go pedal and stomp them. In my opinion, if you want to go fast, at the track, then by all means, go for the slicks and traction. But dont do it unless you strengthin the driveline. GM articles from 1987-88 have stated that the weak points of our cars were the crankshafts and axles. So be ware!
Ken,
As always, a well thought out and accurate answer. I agree that results per dollar spent are better with street slicks than with other more expensive mods.
I like the totally stock with street tires look. It's fun watching the ricers doing their burnouts with their FWD's while I sit quietly at the line waiting for them to approach the tree. My last time out, I won 25 heads up races, in a row, against the ricer posse. They were p###ed. My little ol' stealthy WE4 buried their butts.
Still crazy after all these years!
It took them 25 races to figure it out? Well, I guess we've never been all that impressed with the typical ricer IQ!
I love street stealth too (and that's where BF Goodrich Drag Radials on the street are appealing ... hook better than straight street tires and look like a typical Radial T/A tire).
On the strip though I find the slicks to be safer and a good insurance policy for slippery conditions. I have a set of stock axles with several hundred passes on them (with many 1.6 short times) and never had a problem with them twisting or breaking. The worst problem I had was a shattered ring gear on a 1.51 60 foot launch with about 15 psi of boost (yep, I was *THAT* stupid!
)
whats the diff. between the my 1987 buick Regal limited and a buick GN???
thanks
Gene
Trim and color mostly ...
Drivetrain was the same.
Wheels are different.
Interior is different (you have the "pillow" seats and the lighted dash panel on the pass. side, right?)
Exterior color is always black on the GNs. GN option code was WE2, which included special seats, badges, and wheels.
thanks for the info i love regals my dad has a bad a** regal his is a 83' with a 350 chevy uder the hood.(yea)to ur ???
thanks
gene