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  #1  
Old 12-09-2005, 09:30 AM
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Default Here seeing if its worth it...

I have this mint 87 GN here..and i love it. i cant get enough of it.
i was thinking of replacing my normal daily driver with a TR daily driver. but, im too anal, and if this TR is too nice, ill start pouring all sorts of money into it, cuz its a bad habit to tinker. so im looking for a non mint hot air....all i want to put into this thing, is maintenance stuff and thats it, and the affordable turbo regals, are the ones noone wants, the hot air cars. I constantly see very good hot airs go for freakin 6 grand all day. im gettin pissed that these opportunities are blowing by me, but, the only reason i havent gotten one yet, is because im scared that if i do get one, its going to go tits up on me in a week, and im going to be screwed, cuz i dont know sh*t about these cars and wont be able to find someone that does.
so, my question is, if i get one, and sh*t starts goin south on me, is there enough people here, to answer even the most obscure questions about a hot air? scott? ken? peacemaker?
this would be my daily driver, so i canNOT afford this thing to freak out on me, with some super rare disease, that not even the top man at mototron can diagnose, cuz ill be screwed then.
Hows the aftermarket for replacement parts. What parts do I have to watch out for, in terms of irreplaceabilty. ("im sorry sir, that was a 'dealer only item' and they quit making those 53 years ago.)
If i get this hot air, I wanna be
.... not having to to make this thing work. guys? are they worth it? or do you have to have an alternate car, cuz of these things' attitues...
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  #2  
Old 12-09-2005, 09:56 AM
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Default Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

id shoot for an 86-87 model, that way you can swap out parts from one another to help diagnose any situation

I have my 86 GN as my daily
i also have my 86 TType for the weekend street races
and 87 GN complete parts car..

" also my 86 GT mustang for the real serious street/drag races"
I love driving my TR everyday.. i wouldnt have it any other way.
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  #3  
Old 12-11-2005, 04:36 PM
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Smile Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

Hi buddiee,

As a proud owner of a hot air car, even I'd say stick with the 86-87 intercooled TR. I agree with PaCemkr86, you'll have parts you can more easily swap into and out of your garage queen.

I like the hot air car just to be different. Parts and info are not too hard to come by, plenty of guys and vendors out there to get support. Chips are not common at all, but it's fairly easy to swap in the intercooled ignition controls so you can start using intercooled chips.

There is some commonality between the hot air and the intercooled models, but there are a fair amount of differences, i.e. turbo, intake, up/down pipes. Trannys, cranks, heads, rods, pistons, and for the most part, blocks are the same. But you can't expect a hot air block to support the ponies possible with the intercooled 109 block.

Keep in mind, my experience has been that these cars are hearty. Given the damage I can do to a car, mine still runs pretty good. And I've got plans to beef up my ride, just need more money.
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Old 12-11-2005, 08:02 PM
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Default Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

well, im not interested in swapping parts. my weekend car and my daily driver, are separate for a reason. i rarely drive my gn. shes too nice.

but, hot airs are soo much cheaper. a intercooled is always twice the money. im not interested in making this hotair a screamer, just a driver thats all. i just want to know whats available for maintenance not performance. would she be worth it guys?
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Old 12-11-2005, 09:10 PM
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Default Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

its going to go tits up on me in a week, and im going to be screwed, cuz i dont know sh*t about these cars and wont be able to find someone that does.

thats the only reason why i recommend gettin a 86-87..

when ever i have problems with either one of my tr's its nice to have a known good part on the TR next to it in the garage

Last edited by PaCemkr86; 12-12-2005 at 10:12 AM.
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Old 12-11-2005, 09:11 PM
brad_padgett brad_padgett is offline
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Default Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

All parts are readily available for the 84/85 GN\TTYPE. You just have to find the right vendor or website. Some of the most popular websites for parts are here and at Turbobuick.com. Some of the large vendors are GBODYPARTS and Poston Enterprises. Both of their websites are only partial listing of their parts. I would call them first. These cars are realisticall around a 15.0 quarter bone stock. If you ever want to go faster in a hot air it will cost you. The savings on the original purchase will be gone by the time you get the hot air up to 86/87 times. Just my opinion. brad
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Old 12-11-2005, 11:19 PM
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Default Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

15 seconds? actually, theyre a little slower, as the 87 was a 14.8 car. either way it dont matter. its just a daily driver. not my fun car. i already have a fun car. a mint 87 GN. i want a normal daily driver. but as hard as i look, i just cant seem to find a car as cool as a turbo regal. i love the 95-8 talon/eclipses but, fuc*, theyre just not as cool. it wouldnt feel good.
with some skid row blarin' out the speakers, this 80's guy wouldnt look right in an eclipse, but rather, a nice turbo t, maybe t tops, some nice white letter 255 radial T/A's, and some good buick mud flaps.
15 seconds? no problem, throw a tinman cold air kit, 3 " single shot with a straight thru muffler, 3" down pipe, arizonaGN radiator with 160 t-stat, good chip, throw some turbo blue in her, and turn up the boost a pound or two...no worries. thats plenty fast right there. bilstein shocks and eibach springs all the way around, new sway bars with energy suspension links and bushings, box the control arms and were off to get groceries .... i wouldnt want a car faster than 14.5 anyways. not as a daily driver. i'd lose my pristine driving record in 2 weeks with anything faster. i just want a car thats quick enough to make its way around traffic with ease, and look cool while doing it. and we all know nothing, but nothing looks as cool as a turbo regal... daily maintenance is ALL im worried about. can i keep her running. thats all.
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Old 12-16-2005, 01:20 AM
1986GN 1986GN is offline
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Default Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

buddie i am starting to work on a light yellow 84 t type with blacked out trim and iam having to ask my self the same questions is this car worth putting money into it... i seem to want the same results you do a stock daily driver my car is all stock starts but runs rough so i got to start from zero.....i have researched this car at this site and i dont see any problem with doing this car...well then againg i have been a diesel tech for RYDER for 14 years...by the way i also own a 86 gn wich i just love driving on weekends!!!!!!!!
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Old 12-16-2005, 12:57 PM
85 ttypewh1 85 ttypewh1 is offline
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Default Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

IMO these cars are no different than any other car to maintain. If it is just going to be a daily driver than you wont intentually break anything. If something does go wrong you can find the part to fix it from a vendor or the bone yard. If looks is all you want then get a v8 regal and buy a TR hood. Most people are scared of these cars because of their differences between the hotair and i/c versions. They are more the same as different. My car runs better than a stock i/c car and cost me less than to buy a i/c car. Resale might not be as good but i dont plan on selling it for a long time. My thinking on these cars are when a part goes bad as it will on any car, i put the newer i/c part on. IE coil, module, maf, ecm. etc...
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Old 12-17-2005, 12:40 PM
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Default Re: Here seeing if its worth it...

I see.. yea I agree.. my weekends, are always looked forward to, as i know what car i get to drive. i love my 87 to death, and catch myself staring at her in the driveway every chance i get.. what a hot fuc*ing car. (am i odd? anyone else do this?) I feel 10 feet tall and bulletproof when riding in my GN. Not even a Z06 or Porsche 911 would give me that feeling.

But, if one has to start from ground zero, it shouldnt be that bad, as it looks like you dont really want a 10 second monster so, maintenance and replacement i guess, should be kinda easy with a scanmaster, and this website.
good look to you.
as far as an NA regal, (normally aspirated) im not sure i can bring myself to do that, as i contemplated it for a long time. ive had other G bodies in my life, mostly buicks though, and a NA regal is NOTHING, even CLOSE to a turbo regal. a shi* brown (it seems thats all they come in) regal, with a dog V8 307 piece of crap, bench seating, column shifter, landau top, cuz i can NEVER find a non landau top NA regal, 14" steel rims with the cheesy wire wheel hubcaps, is about the ugliest car to ever roll on four wheels, besides the chrysler cordobas and volaries.. lol.
i mean the shape is still there, and still sexy but, its just not the same. AND gas mileage sux. i cant justify, driving a car, which has worse gas milage, but crappier performance, and looks like a grandma should be driving it. its a lose/lose situation. cant do it. i tried. it wont work. its like trying to pound the triangle shaft into the round hole, on that little mental aptitude test. wont happen.
id rather push a turbo regal, than drive an N/A one again. this crap is worse than heroine or crack. once you hit the throttle for your first time, in a turbo regal, forgetaboutit. its like dying, and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. the most beautiful thing youve ever seen in your existance. from that moment on, you begin to plot, and conspire, to reroute every available dollar, to your new mistress, the turbocharged regal. "well, if i dont drink a coke for lunch, for 3 weeks, i can get a hotwire kit..hmmm"
Ive seen no other car around, inspire such a cult like following, than these rides. its rediculous. ( i literally, and i'm not kidding, have to BEAT people off with a stick, when i cruise my car. they stare at it, like its from another freakin planet) and ive got it bad.. im selling things i never thought i would, to support this nasty habit. god darn it. i fiend for it.. i cant help it. im constantly searching for a decent 4000 dollar TR project base, which would give me an excuse to sell my bmw daily driver for another TR. am i obsessive compulsive? what moron would sell his nice BMW, for an old ass 20 year old buick boat that he has to work on... (me)
i need a hobby.....
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