Danimal

Not sure if anyone ever noticed my sig. But I have a 1985 Buick Regal T-Type that I've been working on for entirely too long. The reason I've never completed it is lack of money. This wasn't a full build or anything, essentially just a motor swap.

The 84 and 85 Turbo Regals (Regal T-Types, Regal Limited Turbo, Grand National) were hot-air cars. They were pretty poorly designed looking at how the air flowed, and the lack of an intercooler was pretty much a deal breaker. They're slow, but make lots of fun turbo noise and a decent amount of torque. 200 hp and 300 lb·ft according to Wikipedia.

The 86's and 87's were infinitely better. Completely redesigned intake system. 245 hp and 355 lb·ft according to Wikipedia. This is what I have been trying to switch to. All the parts I should need to finish this are on their way.

All variants of the Turbo Regal were 3.8L V6's from the factory. So no, your cousin never had the V8 Twin Turbo GNX. And no, the Syclone and Typhoon are a 4.3, not the same motor at all. Sorry to burst your bubble.

However, a 4.1L V6 from a slightly older Buick LeSabre will fit the same front cover, heads, etc. This is what I used on the bottom end. Coupled with 204/214 cam, ported heads, and a ported intake. My original goal was to have a fast car, so I blew about all my money on the long block... and haven't been able to save up enough money to get everything else for a few years. Until now. Also, found out the 4.1's are known to over-heat a little bit when used in applications such as this one, so I opted to get a radiator from a Monte SS (G-Body). Getting radiator hoses that fit correctly might be an issue, as most people opt for one from an F-Body (Camaro and TA?)

I ordered a couple of extra bits that I've heard make the car a little more reliable. Like an RJC Powerplate. 98% of the Buick guys swear by this thing, it supposedly evens out airflow to the cylinders (the back two get lots, the front two get less somehow), thus reducing knock retard by a substantial amount, which is a huge problem on these cars.

I also have a vacuum brake setup, instead of the WalletMuncher, I mean PowerMaster brakes, so I got a vacuum block for the throttle body with fittings for it.

Also, the driver's side header is know to crack between cyls 3 and 5, so I had a buddy that's handy weld it back together for me. He also made them JDM (pic to follow).

My headers, plenum (upper intake), throttle body, injectors, intercooler and turbo will all be the stock 87 units. These are all pieces that are easy to change out later, and most are good well into the high 12's, so I'm not terribly worried about any of them. This turned into a budget project so that I could get it done and worry about speed at a later date. I honestly have no idea how fast this car will be, and I'm not really worried about it. If it runs 14.0, I'm fine with that, it's faster than the SC by a long shot, and I'll be happy to have a running turbo car that I can cuss at and work on.

Without further ado, here are some pictures.

The Buick as it has sat for ~4 years.






Holy crap! Gauges!



My totally sick 80's dash.



The only sight of my car the neighbors have ever seen. My poor neighbors, they're going to be awake a lot now.



My friend Jay welding on my header.



My JDM driver's side header.



New vacuum block. Sorry it's dark.



I will take a post more pictures here in a minute. I'm hoping to be done and have it driveable within a month. If it takes longer, it takes longer, but then I'll get to have the joy of registering and insuring it again. Ugh. One more year and I can get a historic plate though!

Danimal

Round 2:

The motor sitting on the stand, waiting for something to happen.



Classy Coupes.



Motor as of 9/5/09.



Uh, you spelled Liter wrong.



The Powerplate. I know you're looking saying "There's no way in f*** that thing works".


If anyone would like to see pictures of any of the rest of the car, let me know, I'll be more than happy to oblige. Let me know what you think!

Jetfire

iTrader: (3)

Nice. My neighbour has a mint black grand national. The engine on that sounds angry as hell.

King7Two

ALWAYS loved the Turbo Regals. I've actually tried to look for 87 GNX's, but man. Most of those guys are dreaming.

Cant wait to see your's when its finished. Looks like its gonna be a beast.

Hil

iTrader: (61)

haha I love the JDM headers.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

thanks for sharing! should be a lot of fun when done. but 4 years sitting in the garage... that's a long time!

mmarshall

Congragulations. Nice car. Should be even nicer when you're finished with it.

You're a good example of what I've been telling people here on CL for years.............that Buicks are not just for Grandpa/Grandma.

Don't be surprised, though, if you get some creaking and minor rattles around the T-Top. That is more or less normal with this car. The big roof cutouts on either side of the center bar take out some of the roof stiffness, though not as much, of course, as on a full convertible. Even with the roof panels mounted and locked on, you still get a small amount of body/roof flexing...and that causes some creaks/rattles, and sometimes small water leaks.

Danimal

No worries, it's a hardtop car. Thanks for the compliment! About the Buick thing. I know! I wish they still did the turbo setup. I saw that they make the LaCrosse Super with a V8 now, didn't even know that until today.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

maybe in 1985 (his car is 24 years old), but today buick certainly doesn't make anything exciting in their extensive 3 model line-up.

their typical buyers are dying off fast.

mmarshall

I only mentioned the T-Top problems because you indicated in the opening post that it had one:


The Lucerne, BTW, also has a V8 option, not just the LaCrosse Super. It is essentially the same one used in the FWD Chevy Impala SS and Pontiac Grand Prix GXP. Buick, currently, does not do a RWD product.

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

Wow, nice Regal!

mmarshall

The image and association of Buick with Grandma and Grandpa is nothing new, Paul....or even limited to the mid-1980's. It was alive and kicking back when I was in high school (the late 1960's), and yet, Buick did some big-engined GS350/ GS400 models back then, done on the same platform as the Pontiac GTO, Chevy Chevelle SS, and Olds 4-4-2. The larger, sport-oriented Riviera also had some good-sized powerplants. Of course, Buick also made cushy, easy-riding cruisers back then, too, that, in the largest Electra models, were Cadillac De Ville derivitives.

And, it also depends on what you mean by "exciting". The term, to you, probably means race-car-like performance, but I, for one, found BOTH the classic muscle-cars and the big luxury-cruisers of the period to be attractive, in different ways.

And, just a few years later, by the late 1970's, the Olds Cutlass, sister car to the Buick Skylark (and, in many ways, quite similiar to it) had become the top-selling car in America, a position it kept for a number of years, but was to give up as Americans became more and more infatuated with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.

Danimal

Oh, the T-Type was the trim level, was available with or without T Tops (from what I know). Just signifies it was the turbo motor. Later on they called it the Turbo T, which is less confusing if you ask me. But then it begs the question, what does the T stand for?

-Dan

mmarshall

OK. I agree it is confusing. A T-Type, in Buick language, (as with Camaros and Firebirds) traditionally, stands for a roof compartment that is cut 50% by a fore-aft center bar down the middle, with two matching panels on either side. Why Buick would made a "T-Type", in your case, without one, I don't know. Perhaps, in fact, it may not be not a T-Type at all......just a mistake on the car's title or registration.

LexFather

Sweet pics and car, thanks for sharing!