whiteregal6
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
It had been a dream to own one of these cars since I first saw one in 1987. I swore I would own one before I died. I got my chance in 1996 when my buddy sold me his. Driving the car was like no other car I had ever driven.
Fast forward to present. My 87 T has been sitting for eight years since the Powermaster decided it didn't want to be in the Buick anymore. After 140,000 miles I had just had the engine and turbo rebuilt and changed about every sensor on the car whether it needed it or not. We were in the process of having our first child, and I just lost interest in the car. It stayed in the garage, gathering dust and boxes and whatever else could be piled on top of it. I was recently informed by "she who must be obeyed" that it was either "drive it, or dump it". While my wife was having visions of the car being towed off to the junk yard, I cleaned off the dust thinking that I'd better get it looking at least like it was restorable so I could sell it. I started to detail the outside of the car and thought the car was starting to look pretty good. I looked at the interior which was just as I had left it, in excellent condition. Then I thought I may have been stupid enough to leave the battery hooked up and in the car, only to find that I at least had the sense to take it out, or it would have corroded right through the car. Changed the oil, filled up the tires, flushed the coolant, and put in a new battery. Cranked it to get some oil in there, reconnected the wire, and she started right up. As I sat there listening to the motor I thought, "okay, there is no way I'm selling this car. I gotta fix the brakes." Now, if I could only get the courage to tell the wife. I can hear her now, "Okay, but if that thing breaks and you don't have access to your work vehicle......." As my thoughts of the sound of the turbo spooling up slowly drowns out her voice. :smile:
Want to know what it's like getting back into these things after eight years? I was paranoid about discontinued parts eight years ago. Now, it's downright scary. Still, the aftermarket appears to have actually come around in alot of areas where I thought they wouldn't. However, am I only a wastegate solenoid away from the car sitting for another eight years?
Anyway, just wanted to tell my story, as boring as it may be. I am looking to get the beast running so that I can enjoy it for as long as I possibly can. I can see that the crop of Buick turbo car owners has not really changed much since I was last reading posts eight years ago. Turbo enthusiasts are a special breed, just like these cars. In the past, I had received alot of on-line help through reviewing posts on forums like this one. Alot of people giving up valuable time to help those with less knowledge out. I thank all of you for that. My knowledge of these cars pales in comparison to most of the members here. I hope I have something to contribute. Thanks again.
Fast forward to present. My 87 T has been sitting for eight years since the Powermaster decided it didn't want to be in the Buick anymore. After 140,000 miles I had just had the engine and turbo rebuilt and changed about every sensor on the car whether it needed it or not. We were in the process of having our first child, and I just lost interest in the car. It stayed in the garage, gathering dust and boxes and whatever else could be piled on top of it. I was recently informed by "she who must be obeyed" that it was either "drive it, or dump it". While my wife was having visions of the car being towed off to the junk yard, I cleaned off the dust thinking that I'd better get it looking at least like it was restorable so I could sell it. I started to detail the outside of the car and thought the car was starting to look pretty good. I looked at the interior which was just as I had left it, in excellent condition. Then I thought I may have been stupid enough to leave the battery hooked up and in the car, only to find that I at least had the sense to take it out, or it would have corroded right through the car. Changed the oil, filled up the tires, flushed the coolant, and put in a new battery. Cranked it to get some oil in there, reconnected the wire, and she started right up. As I sat there listening to the motor I thought, "okay, there is no way I'm selling this car. I gotta fix the brakes." Now, if I could only get the courage to tell the wife. I can hear her now, "Okay, but if that thing breaks and you don't have access to your work vehicle......." As my thoughts of the sound of the turbo spooling up slowly drowns out her voice. :smile:
Want to know what it's like getting back into these things after eight years? I was paranoid about discontinued parts eight years ago. Now, it's downright scary. Still, the aftermarket appears to have actually come around in alot of areas where I thought they wouldn't. However, am I only a wastegate solenoid away from the car sitting for another eight years?
Anyway, just wanted to tell my story, as boring as it may be. I am looking to get the beast running so that I can enjoy it for as long as I possibly can. I can see that the crop of Buick turbo car owners has not really changed much since I was last reading posts eight years ago. Turbo enthusiasts are a special breed, just like these cars. In the past, I had received alot of on-line help through reviewing posts on forums like this one. Alot of people giving up valuable time to help those with less knowledge out. I thank all of you for that. My knowledge of these cars pales in comparison to most of the members here. I hope I have something to contribute. Thanks again.
What's wrong with the powermaster???? As far as the wife goes, get the car in top shape and take it out for a night on the town. I bet she changes her mind. Mine is at a similar point. It's more like "do it right or your selling it. THere's no reason why it shouldn't be a like a new car when its done!"
