I got a hair up my arse. I can just hear MAC saying 'Oh no, now what?'
What if we start a thread dedicated to advanced engine theory and a place to throw design questions around? Anything goes as related to engines, Buick or otherwise. Cutting edge technology has a way to trickle down to older engine designs and those of us that are true tinkerers can usually figure out a way to adapt new ideas to the Buick engine. We can also discuss old, forgotten technology that could have a place if resurrected. A good example being water/alcohol injection. Since the Stage II forum is at the top of the heap, as far as the capabilities of the Buick V6 engine, I thought this would be the best forum to start a thread like this.
A little bit of my background. I've always been a motorhead. Street raced a '68 Chevelle in my high school days (surprising a lot of others with a SBC 307) and always had an interest in making HP. Though, at most times in my life, I couldn't afford to fulfill my dreams. My job interests always strayed to the things that challenged me. Gas station attendant and mechanic's helper during the gas crunch years, worked at a data processing center for a large Bank working up to the computer room (amazing how the size and power of computers have changed), welding for a large ship yard, and always falling back to working on cars. I decided to make working on cars my career. In the late 70s, specialization was becoming a big thing with computer controls coming into the picture. For me, front end work or tranmission work. Transmissions were more interesting and challenging, so that is the way I went. I got a job with Rapid Transmission, one of the more respected shops in the San Diego area, and learned my trade. I worked there for 13 years, being a transmission rebuilder for 9-10 of those years and struck out on my own in '93. During those years at Rapid it was interesting watching lockup torque converters hit the scene and computer controls taking a firmer grip on every aspect of the automobile. Our shop currently performs general maintenance and repair along with tranmission repair. The jobs I perform at the shop are usually the more interesting. One which includes tinkering with the shop project. Of course, a Buick GN. Now, this intro is not intended as an advertisement. On the contrary, I just want you all to have an idea of who I am and not be asking yourselves, 'Who the hell is this Don Wang guy?'. By the way, that is a quote by a famous person in the Buick community.
Anyone else that wants to post a brief history of themselves is more than welcome. This way everyone has an idea of where each other are coming from. I'm hoping this can be a thread where the heavy hitters can meet with new ideas or just wanting to confirm a thought. For the technically minded, this could be quite a treat.
How I learned of the famous Buick turbocharged V6 is an interesting story. I was rebuilding a 200-4R at Rapid trans and happened to walk by the bay that the trans came out of. It just looked like another Regal to me. It was a light blue colored T-Type. If I recall, not a lot of chrome. I don't recall seeing any badging and told the installer to let me know when the trans was installed so I could personally test drive it and check the operation of the trans. He did and mentioned it had a turbo. That didn't impress me too much. I had driven other turbo production cars. I took one of the longest test drives I had ever taken. My reaction was, 'What the hell is this!!! Oh my G#d!'. I was hooked and in the back of my mind I knew that one day I would own one of those things. It is so intense to not know anything about the history and performance of a particular model car and learn it through the seat of your pants. It was such a sleeper.
In the next post, I'll start a list of 'areas of interest' that we can choose a subject from or if others have a list, feel free. I'll do my best to get the ball rolling.
What if we start a thread dedicated to advanced engine theory and a place to throw design questions around? Anything goes as related to engines, Buick or otherwise. Cutting edge technology has a way to trickle down to older engine designs and those of us that are true tinkerers can usually figure out a way to adapt new ideas to the Buick engine. We can also discuss old, forgotten technology that could have a place if resurrected. A good example being water/alcohol injection. Since the Stage II forum is at the top of the heap, as far as the capabilities of the Buick V6 engine, I thought this would be the best forum to start a thread like this.
A little bit of my background. I've always been a motorhead. Street raced a '68 Chevelle in my high school days (surprising a lot of others with a SBC 307) and always had an interest in making HP. Though, at most times in my life, I couldn't afford to fulfill my dreams. My job interests always strayed to the things that challenged me. Gas station attendant and mechanic's helper during the gas crunch years, worked at a data processing center for a large Bank working up to the computer room (amazing how the size and power of computers have changed), welding for a large ship yard, and always falling back to working on cars. I decided to make working on cars my career. In the late 70s, specialization was becoming a big thing with computer controls coming into the picture. For me, front end work or tranmission work. Transmissions were more interesting and challenging, so that is the way I went. I got a job with Rapid Transmission, one of the more respected shops in the San Diego area, and learned my trade. I worked there for 13 years, being a transmission rebuilder for 9-10 of those years and struck out on my own in '93. During those years at Rapid it was interesting watching lockup torque converters hit the scene and computer controls taking a firmer grip on every aspect of the automobile. Our shop currently performs general maintenance and repair along with tranmission repair. The jobs I perform at the shop are usually the more interesting. One which includes tinkering with the shop project. Of course, a Buick GN. Now, this intro is not intended as an advertisement. On the contrary, I just want you all to have an idea of who I am and not be asking yourselves, 'Who the hell is this Don Wang guy?'. By the way, that is a quote by a famous person in the Buick community.
Anyone else that wants to post a brief history of themselves is more than welcome. This way everyone has an idea of where each other are coming from. I'm hoping this can be a thread where the heavy hitters can meet with new ideas or just wanting to confirm a thought. For the technically minded, this could be quite a treat.
How I learned of the famous Buick turbocharged V6 is an interesting story. I was rebuilding a 200-4R at Rapid trans and happened to walk by the bay that the trans came out of. It just looked like another Regal to me. It was a light blue colored T-Type. If I recall, not a lot of chrome. I don't recall seeing any badging and told the installer to let me know when the trans was installed so I could personally test drive it and check the operation of the trans. He did and mentioned it had a turbo. That didn't impress me too much. I had driven other turbo production cars. I took one of the longest test drives I had ever taken. My reaction was, 'What the hell is this!!! Oh my G#d!'. I was hooked and in the back of my mind I knew that one day I would own one of those things. It is so intense to not know anything about the history and performance of a particular model car and learn it through the seat of your pants. It was such a sleeper.
In the next post, I'll start a list of 'areas of interest' that we can choose a subject from or if others have a list, feel free. I'll do my best to get the ball rolling.
