General question on GN's

[rhturbo]

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and looking to purchase an 87 GN. I don't know a lot about these cars other then I want one. I have read some general info I found online on what to look for when buying one. I am very picky about cars and have owned many muscle cars over the years but never a GN. These cars in good condition are not cheap which is fine but what expectations should I have when looking for a nice one ?

I went to look at an 87 yesterday that was fairly low mileage (about 50K) According to the owner it had been re-painted once many years ago. I understand that the paint jobs from the factory were not great on these cars and that there was an unofficial recall on some of them that got repainted by the dealer ?

Here are my observations . The car I looked at did not have have what I would call good fit and finish. The gaps between the doors and fender and door and pillar were not even. One side of the trunk lid was just a little bit higher than the rear quarter but the rest of it fit fine. The bottom of the doors and rockers were painted with "rocker guard" meaning its kind of a thicker finish to prevent stone chips etc...

The paint in general was decent from 5 ft away but I did notice a tiny "run" on the rear quarter. In the sun there were quite a few swirl marks

Interior was spotless with no rips , cracks or stains anywhere. Wheels and rims were perfect with no curb rash. Just under the VIN number on the front dash I noticed rust . Under the hood the engine bay was clean and tidy. The car had been rust proofed with a fairly thick coating . It appeared to have done its job as I didn't see any signs of rot in the floor pans etc.... I did notice that the bottom of the oil pan looked wet with oil.

Some of the rubber seals around the doors frames and windows was dry rotted.

Questions:
1. Is fit and finish (door, trunk alignment) generally good on these cars or did they come misaligned from the factory ?
2. Did they come from the factory with Rocker guard paint on the bottom of the doors and rockers ?
3. Is it common for the bottom of the windshield support (under the VIN tag) to rot and rust ?

 

[captndave737]

1. Fit and finish was terrible. The repaint with the run helps replicate the factory paint jobs. Yes some, Including at least one GNX I know came with runs.
2. Rocker guard paint was factory
3. Not that I know of. Mine has 215K on it and no rust there. Im the original owner and there was a 3 year period where it wasn't garaged.

I'd make sure you knew all the mods that have been made or it can lead to a can of worms. Does it have a scan master?

 

[rhturbo]

Thanks for the reply. It does not have any mods that the owner knows of and he has owned it for 20 years. It does not have a scan master.

 

[turbofrank]

Fit alignment of doors trunk etc from factory was hit or miss usually a miss.
All Gn's came from factory with lacquer paint most cars were spot painted . My front end was metal flaked if u looked hard.
Turbo Regals are known for leaks the only ones that don't are garage gueens or trailered.
Rubber door seals are hard to find good ones at least.
As stated above by other poster
Look to spend money on timing chain ,valve springs,transmission,door seals,rear eng seal.
Good luck

 

[Reapersgbodys]

rhturbo,
I purchased my first Turbo T last year, it was an 18,500 mile “garage queen”, I am the 3rd owner since new, and the previous owner let it sit in his garage and not see pavement for 5 years. Needless to say, having a “bone stock” car left a bit to be desired, after all the brace kits, gauges, scan master G, powerlogger, rear main seal, radiator, dual fans, injectors, new chip, cold air intake, etc etc, $3,000 before my car even hit the road. They are not for the faint of heart, or someone who just “wants one”, it’s a commitment to keeping it alive and running properly.
Fit and finish sucked for the 80’s
Oil leaks, get used to em
And door seals, IF you can find them, NOS are the only that fit right, figure upwards of $500 per door for upper and lowers, IF you can find them.
Good luck and hope you find a decent one to join the Dark Side!!!!!!

 

[rag231]

With the muscle cars that you've owned before, did you ever have a LOVE/HATE relationship with any of them? Actually it is a pretty good time to own and maintain a turbo Buick. Many companies old and new are still committed to bring top notch replacement and aftermarket parts for our cars. Two new catalogs came out this year with restoration parts that I
was about 100% sure that I would never ever see new again. There are very few pieces ( I can only think of about 2) that are not being reproduced. If you're really into an American 80's icon this is truly it. To answer your questions #1. when I first purchased my GN it was laser straight on my door alignments. The gap opened at the top on the pax side and one of the reasons was the bushing under the radiator support was nearly gone, the busing was 22 years old. So it appeared like the left side of the car had a droop to it. There are adjustable rubber pieces on the trunk and hood that could simply be worn or out of adjustment on that car. You have to put a little grease on the center on of the hood if you hear it squeaking and you may have to twist the rubber trunk adjusters up or down to get the height correct on it. #2 All of mine have rock guard on them. #3. I think It would be extremely odd to have more than just light surface rust there unless at some time that vehicle lived under a tree and had years of leaf accumulation and water in that area. It is pretty smooth and it actually slopes down toward the front of the car and towards the driver side to a drain hole to aid in water runoff. Good luck on your hunt, hopefully where ever you are located there are some other Buick friends to help out.

 

[silver/black]

if the car was on jack stands without the engine supported, the gaps in the doors and fenders will gap "wider at the top" ...the frame is not strong and someone just jacking haphazardly has it's consequences

 

[rhturbo]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I will continue hunting