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Old 11-18-2013, 04:17 PM
78turbomach 78turbomach is offline
 
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Default question on getting a 78 Turbo regal into the 12's

I am thinking on buying this 78 Buick Regal turbo that's for sale locally, what would it take to get this car into the 12's with what mods and roughly what it would cost,thanks Darrin
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Old 11-18-2013, 06:41 PM
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Keller Keller is offline
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Exclamation Re: question on getting a 78 Turbo regal into the 12's

Honestly, working with the OEM carbed motor will be tough. A good basic guide can be found here: http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/recipes/carb.html

14s are possible. 12s are a lot easier with an intercooled EFI motor. Not saying its impossible, but it will take a LOT more work with the OEM carbed setup.
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Old 11-18-2013, 10:13 PM
charlief1 charlief1 is offline
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Default Re: question on getting a 78 Turbo regal into the 12's

It is possible Darrin, but the carb turbo set up isn't an easy project. First thing you'll need to do is change to the 79 up heads, exhaust manifolds/headers, and the 82-83 intake parts. If you haven't worked with a quadrajet before then start reading up on how they work and how to modify them. The turbo will need to be modified as well and that's not cheap. The stock turbo can be made to flow better and the intake ported as well as the plenum where the carb mounts. The carb can be modified to flow as much as 1000 CFM but there are few shops that will do it these days. You might want to visit www.beforeblack.net and do some reading and research. Rich's site will give you a better understanding of the earlier cars and how they work.

Keller is correct that using one of the SFI models is much easier than one of the C/T cars but it can be done. If you're not mechanically inclined quite a bit I wouldn't consider doing it, but if you're used to building engines and chassis then you should be ok. The sticky at the top of this forum is advanced work and shouldn't be undertaken by a beginner or novice. Using the 301 TTA unit is for someone that's well versed in how to modify things.
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Old 11-18-2013, 10:45 PM
78turbomach 78turbomach is offline
 
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Default Re: question on getting a 78 Turbo regal into the 12's

I would have to say I am a beginner with these turbo cars, so I would just like to get more bang for my buck with some easy mods that I can do, I have a $1500 budget on getting the 78 performance better, what should I do then
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Old 11-19-2013, 12:50 AM
charlief1 charlief1 is offline
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Default Re: question on getting a 78 Turbo regal into the 12's

Quote:
Originally Posted by 78turbomach View Post
I would have to say I am a beginner with these turbo cars, so I would just like to get more bang for my buck with some easy mods that I can do, I have a $1500 budget on getting the 78 performance better, what should I do then
Have you looked at Rich's site yet? He's got a ton of info as well as a DIY alky injection set up that will help quite a bit. Another simple thing is to add a better flowing exhaust. If you want a better down pipe you'll need to make that yourself, but it's not that hard. Up grading the turbo is some serious $ but you could put a higher stall converter in the car which will help get it out of the hole faster.

First thing first though is if you get the car or not. If you decide to then drive it and see how it behaves. Make sure to put super in it to reduce detonation problems and that it's got clean oil in it. None of the TB cars are cheap or easy but the 78-83 are the hardest for people to understand much less modify. The basic long block will take the exact same mods as the later cars but the rest of the system is where most get screwed up.
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