Hello All,
I've been visiting this forum for a long, long time and just recently registered. So now that I'm official, I can finally share some stuff with y'all!
A little bit about me- I grew up in a service station and was raised on a strict diet of 60s-70s American muscle cars. I rode in them, wrenched on them and have always had a deep appreciation for them. As many of you here can relate, I've owned a bunch of cars, many of which I wish I could have back! One of those was my old 1983 Trans Am, which I bought while I was in college back in 1995. This wasn't the first car that I'd fixed up, but it was my favorite. My inspiration was the '92 Firehawk. I did tons of stuff to this car, including new paint, a GTA rear wing and tail lights, Harwood hood, GTA seats, RHS 355 engine, world class T-5, Nitrous and a bunch of other stuff. Here are a few pictures of how it turned out back in 1997:
Over the last 12 years or so I've been heavy into Mitsubishis and DSMs. I'm not an "import guy" I just grew to appreciate the huge power that the Mitsu 4G63 engine can dish out reliably while doing it all on a tight budget!
I currently own a 1991 Eagle Talon Tsi AWD Turbo a turbocharged 1992 Miata and am most known around the web for my old 1989 Mitsubishi Mirage with a 4G63 engine swap. I've also owned a 1991 Eclipse Turbo, 1989 Starion (swapped a 4G63 in that) and a 2003 Lancer Evolution. All of those cars have been tons of fun and have taught me many new things, such as how to work on them and how to get the performance results that you want by following a well thought out plan with a strict budget. I love the "sleeper" style too, and always strive to build understated stuff. Here are some videos of those cars for your enjoyment:
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When spring rolled around this year, I felt like it was time to get back to my muscle car roots! I was 13 years old when I saw the 1987 Grand National in person for the first time. It was parked in the showroom at our small-town Pontiac/GMC/Buick dealer. By this age I was a full-blown car fanatic and had memorized practically everything performance related from my monthly Car & Driver magazine subscription. I knew what I was looking at back then and I knew it was special. As I looked it over, it was menacing. All black, front to back. As you all know, this was very different in 1987, as chrome trim was still a very popular design element on most every car. Swimming in the expanses of deep black paint were bright emblems on either fender and the trunk that read "Grand National" and "3.8 SFI Turbo" on either side of the hood bulge. They were just a little hint to what was going on. This wasn't a trim package, it was the total package.
So you may've gathered that this car left a bit of an impression on me. So much so that I've been shopping for one (on and off) for the last ten years. I've just always loved the mix of American muscle car and high tech that's found in the Grand National. Recently I got serious and ramped up my search efforts. I wanted a rust-free southern car that was well maintained but not perfect. I wanted a car that I could restore over time while I'm driving and enjoying it. After a few misses, I was wondering if I'd ever find what I was looking for.
Then while browsing this forum, an interesting car caught my eye. After a few emails and phone calls with the seller, I set off to check it out. Here are a few pictures, you can see many more and read the full story on my website here: 1987 Grand National: The Find!
So without further delay...here's my new(to me) 1987 Buick Grand National! As the keen-eyed will see, it's wearing a set of 16x8 American Racing "GNX" style wheels. The previous owner also threw in the stock wheels, which I'll probably just keep in storage because these look right at home on here.
Here's another shot, those windows are DARK! It took a little getting used to, I haven't had tinted windows in a long time.
One more! The paint is likely what will get the most attention in the future. It looks OK, but has plenty of little nicks and scratches. The body and undercarriage are all in great shape though since the car spent the majority of its life in sunny Florida.
Here's the good stuff! This car came with a nice list of great modifications, like a Tial blowoff valve, LS1 Mass Airflow Sensor conversion, old school Kenne Bell Ram Air intake system and a 3 inch downpipe, to name a few.
The interior is in excellent condition. Riding home in here brought back loads of memories, as my family had various iterations of 80s GM vehicles. It was all instantly familiar and very retro feeling.
Thanks for reading my tome and I'll be adding updates soon!
-Tom
I've been visiting this forum for a long, long time and just recently registered. So now that I'm official, I can finally share some stuff with y'all!
A little bit about me- I grew up in a service station and was raised on a strict diet of 60s-70s American muscle cars. I rode in them, wrenched on them and have always had a deep appreciation for them. As many of you here can relate, I've owned a bunch of cars, many of which I wish I could have back! One of those was my old 1983 Trans Am, which I bought while I was in college back in 1995. This wasn't the first car that I'd fixed up, but it was my favorite. My inspiration was the '92 Firehawk. I did tons of stuff to this car, including new paint, a GTA rear wing and tail lights, Harwood hood, GTA seats, RHS 355 engine, world class T-5, Nitrous and a bunch of other stuff. Here are a few pictures of how it turned out back in 1997:
Over the last 12 years or so I've been heavy into Mitsubishis and DSMs. I'm not an "import guy" I just grew to appreciate the huge power that the Mitsu 4G63 engine can dish out reliably while doing it all on a tight budget!
I currently own a 1991 Eagle Talon Tsi AWD Turbo a turbocharged 1992 Miata and am most known around the web for my old 1989 Mitsubishi Mirage with a 4G63 engine swap. I've also owned a 1991 Eclipse Turbo, 1989 Starion (swapped a 4G63 in that) and a 2003 Lancer Evolution. All of those cars have been tons of fun and have taught me many new things, such as how to work on them and how to get the performance results that you want by following a well thought out plan with a strict budget. I love the "sleeper" style too, and always strive to build understated stuff. Here are some videos of those cars for your enjoyment:
[YOUTUBE]H0IzDaf_w8E[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]oALHs8-eFrQ[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]lnHVylzk0Wc[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]KfZnv660abE[/YOUTUBE]
When spring rolled around this year, I felt like it was time to get back to my muscle car roots! I was 13 years old when I saw the 1987 Grand National in person for the first time. It was parked in the showroom at our small-town Pontiac/GMC/Buick dealer. By this age I was a full-blown car fanatic and had memorized practically everything performance related from my monthly Car & Driver magazine subscription. I knew what I was looking at back then and I knew it was special. As I looked it over, it was menacing. All black, front to back. As you all know, this was very different in 1987, as chrome trim was still a very popular design element on most every car. Swimming in the expanses of deep black paint were bright emblems on either fender and the trunk that read "Grand National" and "3.8 SFI Turbo" on either side of the hood bulge. They were just a little hint to what was going on. This wasn't a trim package, it was the total package.
So you may've gathered that this car left a bit of an impression on me. So much so that I've been shopping for one (on and off) for the last ten years. I've just always loved the mix of American muscle car and high tech that's found in the Grand National. Recently I got serious and ramped up my search efforts. I wanted a rust-free southern car that was well maintained but not perfect. I wanted a car that I could restore over time while I'm driving and enjoying it. After a few misses, I was wondering if I'd ever find what I was looking for.
Then while browsing this forum, an interesting car caught my eye. After a few emails and phone calls with the seller, I set off to check it out. Here are a few pictures, you can see many more and read the full story on my website here: 1987 Grand National: The Find!
So without further delay...here's my new(to me) 1987 Buick Grand National! As the keen-eyed will see, it's wearing a set of 16x8 American Racing "GNX" style wheels. The previous owner also threw in the stock wheels, which I'll probably just keep in storage because these look right at home on here.
Here's another shot, those windows are DARK! It took a little getting used to, I haven't had tinted windows in a long time.
One more! The paint is likely what will get the most attention in the future. It looks OK, but has plenty of little nicks and scratches. The body and undercarriage are all in great shape though since the car spent the majority of its life in sunny Florida.
Here's the good stuff! This car came with a nice list of great modifications, like a Tial blowoff valve, LS1 Mass Airflow Sensor conversion, old school Kenne Bell Ram Air intake system and a 3 inch downpipe, to name a few.
The interior is in excellent condition. Riding home in here brought back loads of memories, as my family had various iterations of 80s GM vehicles. It was all instantly familiar and very retro feeling.
Thanks for reading my tome and I'll be adding updates soon!
-Tom
