1984 GN cheap?

[mastrdrver]

I was new to the GN cars. I have come across a GN that ok on the interior and paint, no rust. The guy has the turbo and has a 4.1 in it right now. Was wondering what you guys thought about it. I could probably get it for 1800 with the turbo. The kid that was paying him for the car tore it up bad, what he said. He blew the 3.8 and the kid never paid the shop for it so he put a 4.1 in it. I just heard they werent good on performace. So I was wondering. I dont have a lot of money so this looks like a good buy. Dont care about a rare car, just a fast one.

Thanks
Jeremy

 

[equalizer442]

problem is it aint fast

 

[84GNTTYPE]

As much as I love the '84 GN's it sounds like a lot of work to me. How is the body and interior? I bought my 84 for $2000, it needed extensive body and interior resto, but the drive train was excellent. For my area of the country it was a pretty good buy. The 4.1 is definitely not going to be fast. Not sure how bad the 3.8 is "tore up" but probably will cost a bundle to fix. In my opinion, if you're just looking for something fast and not worried about rarity look for an 86 or an 87, they're faster to start out with and you should be able to find one halfway reasonable, expecially if you're willing to do some work.

Just my thoughts.

 

[equalizer442]

man dont tell him to buy a 86-87 i dont want to see pictures of another one wraped around a tree.

if your looking for something fast go buy a ummmmm integra, yes thats it, a integra.

lol just messen with ya. a 86-87 are the fast ones BUT there pricey.

 

[fireberd350]

you can make the 84's fast but it takes times and alot more $$...and if you dont have a good foundation to work with then you need to work on that first which will cost more $$ and more time. I've had my 84 GN since february and have been working on it non stop since then, it has come a LONG way believe me(was all hacked up) and now should be a solid 13 sec car in street trim which is respectable but nothing to the 86/7 cars.....if you get the 84 (or any GN for that matter), expect a never ending headache b/c there's always something wrong but no matter what you still probably won't ever want to give it up good luck w/ it man!

 

[49-blues]

Could always convert the drivetrain to a 87 ,then it will be fast.

 

[mastrdrver]

What are the differences between the 84-85 and the 86-87 GNs? I know that the 84 doesnt have an intercooler, but is there something else that the later years have the the 84s are lacking? Also I thought the 4.1 was an upgrade, for more displacement, to the 3.8?

Sorry if the q's are simple for you guys and thanks for the help.

Also why do you say they cost more then the later years to go fast? Is there something in the drivetrain or ECU?

The car has leather too, how common was that?

 

[StealthyTtypeX]

I bought my 84 for $800. IT has a rod knock and it was an WH1 with horrible paint. I painted it myself, full color change to burgandy, for $400.00. Andi'm fixing the rod knock this fall. So it will be a show car for about $1,700.00. And since I got it so cheap and don't want to mod a hotair, I will be buying an LC2 and putting the whole drivetrain in it.

That will leave me with a nice 3.8 turbo to put into something I'm thinking of an 81 Smokey and the Bandit TTA or a Fiero.

 

[NASSTY]

I put the drivetrain from an 87GN in my My 85 GN I did it pretty cheap but I already had wrecked 87GN I bought before I had the 85.So I already had everything I needed for the swap before I had a body to put it in.It can be a costly swap if you have to buy everything you need seperate.And also my nephew gave me a good deal on the 85 GN and it had sentimental value so I wanted to keep the car in the family.

 

[IRACEIT]

I did just about everything possible with a "hot-Air" car; alky, nitrous, and the V2 set up (this was the best deal out there IMO).

The problematic issues of the '84/'85 setup were repaired with the '86 offering; no turbo to intercooler adapter failures (and this seems to be very common), an intake that flows worse than a wet sponge, and a downpipe configuration that will never flow anywhere near what the '87 can do right from the start.

You can bandaid the '84/'85 setup and go quicker. The same mods; fuel upgrades, a larger turbo, higher stall converter, drag radials, and an after market exhaust system will wake up these cars. Spend $1,299 for a Spearco system. (Ouch)

In the end... converting it to the '87 setup will save you a bunch of heart ache and restless nights. You can pick up a complete used '87 motor with turbo, intercooler, all the brackets and pay out $1,200 to $1,600 total. Instantly with no other mods put your 15 second car into the 13's. (sea level)

My tractionless '84 GN went 14.22 at 102 ( a 2.78 60 foot time) with nothing more than dropping in an '87 T-type motor, and a Terry Houston downpipe (high flow cat-converter), and a 3" single shot exhaust. Convert that high altitude Pueblo, Colorado ET to sea level and you'll see the conversion paid for itself.

Save yourself a bunch of heart ache. Unless you desire to keep it "original" you will get off cheaper buying a complete '87 motor outright. A TA33 turbo alone is $850!

I was a glutton for punishment...