Newbie here with a 21,500 original mile 87 gn

[stock 87 GN]

Hey everyone, finally got my friend to sell me his 87 GN that he bought new in 87. going to change the plugs tomorrow, i have a set of AC Delco plugs, are they okay or do you guys use different spark plugs? I would like to keep the car as stock as possible but i would like to squeeze some more power out of the 3.8...what do you suggest? Thanks

 

[Travon]

Welcome! Nice looking gn. Go to gnttype.org
Check out the spring cleaning section.

 

[GetOwnedVette]

Welcome! Nice looking gn. Go to gnttype.org
Check out the spring cleaning section.

+1 good suggestion for a new owner Gratz on the new ride by the way, best car ever made and most fun to drive! As for spark plugs you cant go wrong with NGK Ur-5s or Ac delco cr42ts!! Just dont go with fancy types of plugs..our cars dont really like them from my experience.

 

[stock 87 GN]

Thank you guys, I want to remove the cats is that a good idea? i want the engine to breath a little better, and where can i find it. i looked at tons of ads but i didn't find anyone with that part. So far only a Buick dealer serviced the car and they just replaced the exhaust with stock parts. Took out the GN last night and everyone wants to race it..esp the kid with a mustang 5.0 and a 5sp who was trying his hardest to keep up with me...i wasn't even trying. Let me know if you think this is a good idea to alter the exhaust or just leave it alone. looking forward to taking the GN to some shows here in Florida and i did see the warning about the guys stealing GN's thanks for the heads up..we are locked and loaded waiting for them here. This car will never be offered for sale, my son will take it with him to HS when he is old enough. I know you guys will notice the "T" on the horn, the old one broke and the dealer only had that one at the time, so they put it on but i got the correct buick piece and have to put it on.

 

[Boostdeznuts]

You from Florida But have NY plate on it. Yes you can remove the Cat and replace it with a test pipe, It will sound better

 

[Rafs-T-Type]

I'll trade my grand national horn button for your T. Let me know.

As for upgrading I would do spring cleaning, than put a scanmaster in for monitoring, new hotwired fuel pump, bigger injectors with a matching turbotweak chip, than Julios alky injection.

 

[TurboTGuy]

I'd get a camera that can focus better!

 

[LC2ROD]

Congrats on your new to you GN and welcome aboard! Nice car you have there. I'm sure you will have lots fo fun with it.

 

[Rafs-T-Type]

Here's a good read that has links to more good reads http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/ge.../266220-best-bang-buck-upgrade-first-mod.html

 

[stock 87 GN]

Thank you for all the good info, sorry about the pics they were taken with my CASIO...yes casio phone the day i bought the car in NY from my friend who looked like he was going to cry when i took the car that day and shipped it to sunny Florida. i will post better pics. Thank You Scot from GNS Performance...he set me straight regarding the cat delete, i will look for a 2.5" downpipe and possibly a 3" exhaust. i changed the sparks today and the 3.8 is driving nice and smooth. i did notice that the rear main seal is leaking a bit..probably from the car sitting for so long. i will tackle that on friday. Another question for you buick gearheads, if i have to change the brakes in the front, do i have to do anything special before squeezing the piston in the caliper? i don't have the manual for the car yet. i remember back in 87 hearing that you had to let off some pressure. sorry for all the questions but will appreciate the info.

 

[SPOOLIN]

nice ride. Hope you have some anti theft on that new ride of yours.

 

[stock 87 GN]

So far, 2 Alarms, column lock, 1 Kimber .45, 1 duty .9mm, 1 off duty Glock, 1 PD issued .38 all with hollow points. looking for a Bazooka, hope my friends stationed in Afghanistan will bring one home when their tour is done...

 

[GetOwnedVette]

So far, 2 Alarms, column lock, 1 Kimber .45, 1 duty .9mm, 1 off duty Glock, 1 PD issued .38 all with hollow points. looking for a Bazooka, hope my friends stationed in Afghanistan will bring one home when their tour is done...

1911s go perfect under Buick seats. As for parts keep a daily eye on the classifieds here. You can build anything from an 8-12 second car for next to half price if you wait for the good deals on here

 

[stock 87 GN]

they do hide well...

I was looking around for a down pipe and a test pipe as well. i checked jegs and summit but i didn't find any..i will continue to look in the classified section as well. anyone have any info pls let me know. happy holidays to you all.

 

[TurboTGuy]

That car really is a beauty, and it seems you can take a little ribbing, so that's good.

That rear main seal thing......well, get used to it, it's a Buick.

Try TA Performance for a test pipe.

 

[stock 87 GN]

I was told that i can get a $500 ticket for using a test pipe here in FL, do they really check for that?

 

[TurboTGuy]

I was told that i can get a $500 ticket for using a test pipe here in FL, do they really check for that?

Not if you take it off and put the cat back in when you go to test, or court........ Do you really think cops know what they are looking at on a 25 year old car?

 

[t-typinator]

I was told that i can get a $500 ticket for using a test pipe here in FL, do they really check for that?

A high flow cat may be the better way to go.
No ticket worries,less exhaust fumes, less exhaust noise + drone in the car.

 

[stock 87 GN]

I spoke with Rick from Harper's racing in Ft. Lauderdale, he was very helpful in giving me some info. i found him here by the way under the vendor list..thanks. He has a 3" high flow cat for only $60 and i think that i'm going to do a chip, k&N filter in the stock airbox and a 160 degree thermostat. Lets see how the car reacts to these mods. i changed to the NGK PLUGS on friday..the last plug on the right, next to the firewall is a bitch. going to change the rear main seal this week will post some pics soon. This is my daily driver by the way

 

[t-typinator]

Wow ! nice evo,that must be a little rocket.
If you havn't already decided on a chip, I believe most people on this forum would suggest "Turbo Tweak" for your chip,you can find him here. http://www.turbotweak.com/ I got one for a car a few months ago that didn't idle that great + was burning rich at idle + it worked wonders for it.
I will make one more suggestion on "Bang for the Buck" mods that doesn't hurt the stock like drivability.
Since you are going to be unhooking your cat converter from your downpipe to put in a 3" high flow cat,you may want to think about getting a 3" downpipe to go with the new high flow cat + do both while it's apart, the 2 together should really work nice,I don't think the bigger down pipe takes away from drivability, or makes it any louder,but is supposed to add good power + helps the turbo spool quicker.
Here is some info on it + a site vendor that sells them.
http://www.kirbanperformance.com/pr..."+Bolt-In+DOWN+PIPE+and+CLAMPS+(2)+#6568.html
One other thing i will point out in case you are not familiar yet, the fuel setups from the factory are pretty weak on these cars,+ even stock cars can benefit from strengthening it, but with a few mods it becomes even more important to "At Least" put a "Hot Wire" on the stock fuel pump, which then gives your stock fuel pump full voltage.(Remember your fuel pump on such a low mile car is probably the original 25 yr old one so you may want to consider the Hot Wire + a hp fuel pump)but i would at least do the Hot Wire which is quick ,cheap,+ easy.
I believe the Hot Wire is just a wire going directly from your alternator to your fuel pump,giving it full juice,which the factory wiring didn't do.
If you have any questions about these items,just ask + people more informed about them can give you more info + tell you the best places to get them etc.You already have a turbo car so i'm sure you know that you don't want your gn to lean out under boost,it gets expensive real quick.
Good Luck with the new GN.