I may have found a GN from a member here

N

nolanator

@none_more_black
Joined
Mar 13, 2015
After browsing this forum and becoming a little more informed on what I am looking for, I posted my Nova in the for sale section of this thread, and received a response from a member here named Josh Rosaaen. He has an 86 that looks pretty decent. Here is the parts list he had in his signature.

Fresh built engine oil pan to intake, standard crank, peened stock rods, 30 over j&e pistons, balanced, 2 billet main caps, studs main, studs heads, arp rod bolts, filled and fully ported heads, comp 206/206 billet roller cam setup, earl brown front cover, Cartek ported intake
Larger Throttle body and plenum with RJC Plate
ATR Liquid to Air Intercooler
pte64e turbo
poston headers
hooker downpipe with delta gate waste gate
3 inch flow master exhaust
Optima Red Top Battery
Fuel:
Upgraded Inline Pump
80lb injectors
alky control kit
aeromotuve Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator
Transmission:
sling shot
10" Non Lockup Convertor
3200-3500 stall
Valve Body Kit
Billet Servo
Rebuilt by Gary Rogers at AZ Precision Transmission
Suspension:
Lowered Higher Rate Springs
KYB Shocks
G-Tech Front Sway Bar
scan master and atr airfuel/knock sensor
turbo tweak chip and power logger
hurst line lock



The trade is going to be his car plus $4k for my Nova. I'm not 100% sure what the going price on these Buicks are, but I am excited to potentially be getting one and making it my project. My question is, with this list that I posted, where do I go from here? My goal is to have a dependable low 10 second car that I can drive around town now and again. It wouldn't be my daily driver, but I would like to enjoy it on the street.

My first guess would be to upgrade the turbo to a newer unit, but what do I know? Any input would be appreciated.
 
Has anyone tuned the car? The parts are there to be in the tens but the suspension is key. Myself and others have gotten into the tens with less of a build. Rear sway bar? Control arms? What is the "upgraded" inline fuel pump. Fuel deliver is key on the tune. Who built the motor? That alone speaks volumes. What are the oil pressures looking like? What front cover and pump? Ttop, roll cage, body mounts, motor mounts, brakes? Everything matters.


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getdowngranny said:
Has anyone tuned the car? The parts are there to be in the tens but the suspension is key. Myself and others have gotten into the tens with less of a build. Rear sway bar? Control arms? What is the "upgraded" inline fuel pump. Fuel deliver is key on the tune. Who built the motor? That alone speaks volumes. What are the oil pressures looking like? What front cover and pump? Ttop, roll cage, body mounts, motor mounts, brakes? Everything matters.


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Click to expand...

I believe he put the motor together and the only reason I say that is in one of the photos of the car, the motor is out and on a stand in his garage. I'm not sure of the oil pressure, or tuning. I made this post hoping to get questions like this and also hoping he might chime in and answer the questions I would ask if I were more knowledgeable on these cars.
 
Also, I don't mind if the car isn't completely done. If it needs control arms or a better tune, I can do all that. I want to enjoy owning the car and part of that is wrenching on it and getting involved with the ins and outs of it
 
Who built the motor would be on the top of the list for me....Has the car been run at the track? What kind of numbers? It was obviously on a dyno, what kind of HP?

The Flowmasters need to go...


Good luck. Do your homework so you know exactly what you are getting......You have a nice car that you are giving up, make sure you are getting your moneys worth.

Bryan
 
I think you need to thoroughly do your homework on the particular car you are getting. You have a really nice car and we would hate to see you trade it off to a problem car. I am not saying you are getting a good or bad deal. I'm just saying to make sure you know exactly what you are getting. That way there are no surprises. And there WILL be surprises. Ask any questions that you might have before completing any deal.


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I asked the seller to visit this thread and read it through and maybe answer some questions. Like I mentioned, I am excited about getting a GN, but I am (and im sure he is as well) a little nervous about getting a car sight unseen.
 
I would be way more than a little nervous. ..
How far away is the car from you ?
Maybe find a member close that can go over the car for you. Even if you have to pay someone for their time , it could save you àn enormous headache or put your mind at ease . Well worth having it checked out by a knowledgeable member that can find things you would miss

Bryan
 
Phoneguy said:
I would be way more than a little nervous. ..
How far away is the car from you ?
Maybe find a member close that can go over the car for you. Even if you have to pay someone for their time , it could save you àn enormous headache or put your mind at ease . Well worth having it checked out by a knowledgeable member that can find things you would miss

Bryan
Click to expand...
The car is in South Dakota and I am in California. I just ran a carfax on it and I think it actually might be a clone. The title comes up as a T-Type and claims it has a 6 digit odometer.
 
carfraud is notorious for being WRONG!

I'd rather eat a hot pepper and have diarrhea, than trust carfraud.
 
Don't worry about the report coming back as a T Type. My 43k mile GN has Regal on the title .

Do yourself a favor and keep looking at other cars for sale. Not bashing either of the cars you are looking at but there have been some very nice cars come up for sale under $20k with low mileage. The best thing you could do right now is continue looking so you can make an informed decision on what you are getting for your car. The more cars you look at the better you will get at seeing the differences.
I paid 17k for my car in 2006, I , like you, was in a hurry to get a GN. Had I continued to look I could have been better informed. Not that my car was a bad purchase at all but I could have spent less for the same quality. I have a very nice heavily optioned car that is still very tight but the paint was not very good , typical GM checked paint.
If I had it to do over I would find a car that was modded to my liking with a little more mileage on it and gone from there. I now have a little north of $50k in my car and it still isn't where I want it.
Have patience and you will get the car you want....

Bryan
 
There are also a few nice clones in my area and it makes me wonder how big of a deal could it be to have a clone? I'm not a collector by any means. I like drag racing and wrenching on cars, so I'm stuck between $20k Grand Nationals that have mediocre parts installed, or $14k clones that look and perform awesome.
 
nolanator said:
The car is in South Dakota and I am in California. I just ran a carfax on it and I think it actually might be a clone. The title comes up as a T-Type and claims it has a 6 digit odometer.
Click to expand...

86's WILL NOT come back as a Grand National, but rather a Regal T-Type. In 86, Grand National was an option package, unlike iin 87 where it was an actual model.
 
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