Hey guys,
I just recently bought an '83 regal and sadly it isn't fast enough. It's got a 3.8L V6 engine and only 110hp... any way I can boost that? Or do the regals have to be made to accept turbochargers? (grand nat'l, etc.) Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!
The early (carbed) turbo setups could be adapted to your motor. There aren't as many differences between the NA and turbo motors in the early years. However, once you get into the FI cars, things are very different. See http://www.gnttype.org/general/v6hist.html for some info on this.
Basically, unless you have something like a wrecked donor car to move the drivetrain over from, I wouldn't bother trying to modify your current setup. Note that the differences between the NA and turbo cars go beyond the engine compartment and extend into the whole drivetrain, fuel system, etc.
There are some parts (cams, headers, etc) available for NA Buick V6's, but it would take a lot of work to approach the level the turbo cars are at. And once again, the rest of the drivetrain is likely not up to the task.
That being said, there's a nice buildup article on the carbed setup at http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/recipes/carb.html
Consider a blow-thru turbo set-up. While you will not reach 86/87 TR power levels, it is an option worth considering. A NA motor should handle 10 psi just fine. Take a look here:
http://home.flash.net/~rjgeorge/blowthru.htm