I guess I should have done this a while ago but never got to it so here goes. My name is Joe and Ive always had a love for cars. I was an automotive engine machinist/assembly specialist for 10 years and always held a job as a part time mechanic. I currently work for BIG OIL...(dont hate, LOL)I reside in WIlliamstwon NJ. I currently own a 67 Nova, 70 Chevelle, 69 Camaro, 85 GN, 91 Syclone, 89 Mustang 5.0 and an 06 YZF-R1 Raven. My latest addition is an 87 GN that I purchased a few months ago. I purchased my 85 GN in 1995. This car has every available factory option that I know of. It was stolen from me in 1996. Fortunately it was recovered but I was so disgusted with the whole situation that I stored the car until 2003. I started to get the car ready for paint and an intercooled conversion which of course snowballed into what will be a frame off on this car. I didnt want to go this way but it has evolved into it and Im still working on it.
Now to the car Ive quickly grown to HATE:
My son has been interetsed in these cars for a while and he will be driving at the end of the year so I thought it would be nice to follow a tradition in my family and purchase a car for him. (Mine was the 69 Camaro from my dad). In the beginning of the year I was working many hours almost every day and I was running around looking at local cars. After looking at 3 dogs, I come accross this guy on craigslist advertising an 86 GN. I talk to him on the phone, seems like a nice guy and I go look at the car. He meets me at a local diner with the car on a trailer. I look at the car and its pretty clean. Ran ok which doesnt concern me much as I have no problem tuning and rebuilding engines as well as trannys and rears...just about anything but the last thing I wanted was another full blown resto project for now. SO I keep lookin at it. Interior is very nice. No rust on the doors, flexible bumper fillers, pretty much stock under the hood for the most part. Pretty much what I was looking for. So after looking at the car, I look at the VIN, count over to the engine code, see the 7 and im happy. This is where it goes bad...I buy the car, and drive it home. The next day i go to title the car and when i double check the vin I notice that I miscounted and the 7 I was lookin at was the 7 from the J47 body code. The code was for a 5.0 V8. I immediately call the guy who calls himself BIG BLOCK RAY and tell him that this car has had the vin tampered with. DONT EVER DEAL WITH THIS GUY. HE IS A POS. He plays dumb of course and refuses to take the car back. SO now I am wondering if its stolen or not. I immediately go for the build sheet in the door an it was still there. Found the correct vin, 1G4GJ117XHP462626. So i call a trooper friend and he comes to look at the car to make a report. Long story short, the car was a salvage for a theft recovery in 1993 and I guess someone wanted it to be a clean title car again so they revinned it with an 86 Regal vin. It now is once again a NJ State Salvaged Title car. I was so pissed but after looking at what the car was and the condition it is in, I guess if you dont mind owning a salvage car, its a pretty darn nice GN. I will say that for the first time in my life I hate a car. I truly hate it but Im making the best of it. First bad deal I ever made purchasing a car and Ive made many. I was so distracted from lack of sleep and looking at junk that I guess I saw what I wanted. SO ive done some work to it and cleaned it up...here are some pics when i first got it and now.....Man, I hate this car...lol
BEFORE I touched it.
And AFTER I played with it a little
Thats it so far....still debating on selling it because Im just not feeling it with this one becasue of the situation. But for now, Im gonna keep playing around with it...its actually a very solid car..if I still have it by October, Im gonna get it painted and have some fun with it. Thats pretty much my story...hahaha
I have to say this is the best of the TR sites by far. I have already purchased a few parts from members to bring her basically back to stock under the hood. Like I said, if I keep her future plans for performance mods will be, a TE44 or 60, SLIC, 3 DP, 42psi injectors, TT CHip, 62MM TB, RJC Plate. Id like to have it in the 11's. I dont want it to be any faster than that...honestly 12.0s would be fine.
Glad to be part of the community.
Now to the car Ive quickly grown to HATE:
My son has been interetsed in these cars for a while and he will be driving at the end of the year so I thought it would be nice to follow a tradition in my family and purchase a car for him. (Mine was the 69 Camaro from my dad). In the beginning of the year I was working many hours almost every day and I was running around looking at local cars. After looking at 3 dogs, I come accross this guy on craigslist advertising an 86 GN. I talk to him on the phone, seems like a nice guy and I go look at the car. He meets me at a local diner with the car on a trailer. I look at the car and its pretty clean. Ran ok which doesnt concern me much as I have no problem tuning and rebuilding engines as well as trannys and rears...just about anything but the last thing I wanted was another full blown resto project for now. SO I keep lookin at it. Interior is very nice. No rust on the doors, flexible bumper fillers, pretty much stock under the hood for the most part. Pretty much what I was looking for. So after looking at the car, I look at the VIN, count over to the engine code, see the 7 and im happy. This is where it goes bad...I buy the car, and drive it home. The next day i go to title the car and when i double check the vin I notice that I miscounted and the 7 I was lookin at was the 7 from the J47 body code. The code was for a 5.0 V8. I immediately call the guy who calls himself BIG BLOCK RAY and tell him that this car has had the vin tampered with. DONT EVER DEAL WITH THIS GUY. HE IS A POS. He plays dumb of course and refuses to take the car back. SO now I am wondering if its stolen or not. I immediately go for the build sheet in the door an it was still there. Found the correct vin, 1G4GJ117XHP462626. So i call a trooper friend and he comes to look at the car to make a report. Long story short, the car was a salvage for a theft recovery in 1993 and I guess someone wanted it to be a clean title car again so they revinned it with an 86 Regal vin. It now is once again a NJ State Salvaged Title car. I was so pissed but after looking at what the car was and the condition it is in, I guess if you dont mind owning a salvage car, its a pretty darn nice GN. I will say that for the first time in my life I hate a car. I truly hate it but Im making the best of it. First bad deal I ever made purchasing a car and Ive made many. I was so distracted from lack of sleep and looking at junk that I guess I saw what I wanted. SO ive done some work to it and cleaned it up...here are some pics when i first got it and now.....Man, I hate this car...lol
BEFORE I touched it.
And AFTER I played with it a little
Thats it so far....still debating on selling it because Im just not feeling it with this one becasue of the situation. But for now, Im gonna keep playing around with it...its actually a very solid car..if I still have it by October, Im gonna get it painted and have some fun with it. Thats pretty much my story...hahaha
I have to say this is the best of the TR sites by far. I have already purchased a few parts from members to bring her basically back to stock under the hood. Like I said, if I keep her future plans for performance mods will be, a TE44 or 60, SLIC, 3 DP, 42psi injectors, TT CHip, 62MM TB, RJC Plate. Id like to have it in the 11's. I dont want it to be any faster than that...honestly 12.0s would be fine.
Glad to be part of the community.
