Vintage GN video

[reggie44]

Tinted headlight covers...

Curious ... what year did the tinted headlight covers become really popular ie: what year did people really start putting them on (it appears before 1990 with all the ones that are cars at Dennis show) and how were they held on - velcro?

 

[GNVenom]

I had an 84 Monte Carlo SS, bought it new and tinted headlight covers were the first thing I added to the car.

Had them on for a month (metal brackets with small screws) and realized I blocked most of the weak Halogen light with them. It was hard to see at nigt before they were installed. Took them off permanently.

What a dumb idea.

 

[Dennis Kirban]

Curious ... what year did the tinted headlight covers become really popular ie: what year did people really start putting them on (it appears before 1990 with all the ones that are cars at Dennis show) and how were they held on - velcro?

There was at least 2 versions of tinted headlite covers...neither really fit real nice due to the shape of the headlite opening not to mention warpage or drooping of the bezels.

We sold them because it was popular also sold tail lite covers which in many states was not legal. Version we sold were made by extang and was held in place by velcro.

Other style had a attached bracket to the bezel they were flat looking. I think the company was GTS or something like that.

We have made the parking lite covers that sit over the marker lites in the front bumper. Those are the only pair of lites that look like they belong compared to the various headlite and tail lite covers.

Another design came out a little later where they spray painted the tail lite lenses black.

This was not the real crime back in the early 1990s, it was putting the 3 holes into that GN dash trim panel, or cutting the 3 inch hole or better in the inner plastic fender, or mounting a guage on the hood.

But back then stock cars were plentiful today of course its reversed. Every popular collectible car has gone through the cycle....look at the sting ray corvettes adding extra tail lites or eliminating the pop up headlites....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

I know reggie 44 you got an outstanding limited example!

 

[asto-t]

We watch the vintage video from 21 years ago, and trivia questions come to mind. I'll throw a few out there:

So...what year did the "open element" K&N air filter become part of our culture? In the video, the only K&N filter available was the short one that replaced the OEM filter.

I'm guessing somewhere around 1992. That was around the time that the small breather filter replaced the air pipe which we all took off.

For that matter, can anyone guess when the aluminum folding chairs became obsolete, replaced by the fold-up "umbrella" chairs everyone uses today....?

How about injector upgrades? My best guess would be 1993 when they first became popular, then known as the "blue top" 36 lb. injectors. Anyone?

These and other trivia questions to follow.

!993 was the year the warranty on the 87 were up? 6/60 power train? I didnt buy mine new but still has gm protection sticker on the quarter glass. Was this for extended protection plan or did they all have them because of the 6/60

 

[Rich Gio]

We watch the vintage video from 21 years ago, and trivia questions come to mind. I'll throw a few out there:

So...what year did the "open element" K&N air filter become part of our culture? In the video, the only K&N filter available was the short one that replaced the OEM filter.

I'm guessing somewhere around 1992. That was around the time that the small breather filter replaced the air pipe which we all took off.

For that matter, can anyone guess when the aluminum folding chairs became obsolete, replaced by the fold-up "umbrella" chairs everyone uses today....?

How about injector upgrades? My best guess would be 1993 when they first became popular, then known as the "blue top" 36 lb. injectors. Anyone?

These and other trivia questions to follow.

Looking back at my service records:

I put the small breather on mine in '91.
Kenne Bell had the infamous "Ram Air" that I personally added in '90. Shortly after that I removed the fiberglass "ram air" housing that restricted flow. I remember going to the GN Vs Mustang shoot outs at Englishtown in '91 and seeing a lot of turbo buicks doing the same.

Also, Eastern performance had "upgraded" injectors which I installed in 91. I recently looked up the numbers after I re-upgraded and found they were actually red top ( 32# ? ) injectors from a T bird super coupe.

 

[GNVenom]

Oh yeah, the red top injectors. You could use the stock chip with those. Followed by the blue top 36 lb. injectors a year or two later.

Then in around 1993 or so, the Tomco 36 lb and 42.5 lb injectors showed. We had to modify the data part of the chip for the 42.5 to make them run properly back then. That's when the heavy mod's started...ATR was one of the first to dig into the program portion of the EPROM. I can remember seeing their "checksum" mod, which would require a certain checksum in bit 2 of the chip, otherwise, it'd code 51. You couldn't modify the Pit Bull unless you set your checksum to that hex value. I think is was hex 26 as I remember.

Anyone remember "Chips R Us"? Zimmer "Z Industries" chips?

 

[GSX-PKV]

I just came across the receipt the other day from Applied Technologies where I made my first purchase to modify my car... their "Stage 1" kit and ram air. It was March 88, almost exactly one year after I bought my car. I drove my car stock for one year and then that opened the floodgates Paul

 

[fitz3820]

A bit of interest that shirt you are wearing was called the Bad Medicine T shirt...we used to sell them it was probably one of he first shirts done on a national level for the Turbo owners outside of the ones Molly did for his line of clothing.

That was a sinister shirt...

not sure if you still got it the shirt ...or the hair.

denniskirban@yahoo.com

I don't think I have the shirt - but I still have my hair but it has been cut since 1991!

I was 17 in those pictures

 

[Rich Gio]

I just came across the receipt the other day from Applied Technologies where I made my first purchase to modify my car... their "Stage 1" kit and ram air. It was March 88, almost exactly one year after I bought my car. I drove my car stock for one year and then that opened the floodgates Paul

I still have that catalog, circa 1990! Interesting to see they sold GM parts as well. An '87 Grill for 116$, Wastegate solenoid 13$, Front air dams (pair) 32$!

Anybody remember the "Turbo Spooler" ? Looked like it was made in an icecube tray and plugged into your wastegate solenoid. Raised boost to 18psi! All it did was make my car knock... bigtime. Pulled it off immediatly. Not sure who sold it, though.

I still have catalogs from Kenne bell, Eastern performance, Kodiak west, Bowling Green customs etc. Funny to look back on, now.

 

[christians87]

Wow, what a great video! I love to look back on these times to see how everything was back then. Funny thing is i was born in 1990! Still wish I could have been there im sure I would have still enjoyed it :biggrin:!

 

[GNVenom]

Look at what life was BEFORE cell phones...notice everyone there is actually paying attention to the show cars, and not texting or talking mindlessly.

There were "Pay Phones" everywhere back then. Try to find one today...

 

[Rich Gio]

Look at what life was BEFORE cell phones...notice everyone there is actually paying attention to the show cars, and not texting or talking mindlessly.

There were "Pay Phones" everywhere back then. Try to find one today...

Yeah...I just noticed that! Cell phones were around, but they cost 1$ a minute, were the size of a briefcase and weighed 15 pounds! My boss had one and the battery pack was the size of a garden tractor battery!

 

[turbo nasty]

I remember the Bag phones.

 

[GNVenom]

It was 1990 when I got my first cell phone. It cost $80 a month for 20 minutes of air time...and if you should roam outside your area (basically if I drove a few miles away) it'd cost $4 for a five second call, whether you sent it or received it.

20 minutes of air time! You would constantly look at the call timer screen.

The NEC was actually small enough to fit in my pocket - sort of. It came with two batteries, one you'd keep charged and the other in the phone would last maybe 4 hours of standby, 30 minutes of talk time.

 

[1987Vader]

There was at least 2 versions of tinted headlite covers...neither really fit real nice due to the shape of the headlite opening not to mention warpage or drooping of the bezels.

We sold them because it was popular also sold tail lite covers which in many states was not legal. Version we sold were made by extang and was held in place by velcro.

Other style had a attached bracket to the bezel they were flat looking. I think the company was GTS or something like that.

We have made the parking lite covers that sit over the marker lites in the front bumper. Those are the only pair of lites that look like they belong compared to the various headlite and tail lite covers.

Another design came out a little later where they spray painted the tail lite lenses black.

This was not the real crime back in the early 1990s, it was putting the 3 holes into that GN dash trim panel, or cutting the 3 inch hole or better in the inner plastic fender, or mounting a guage on the hood.

But back then stock cars were plentiful today of course its reversed. Every popular collectible car has gone through the cycle....look at the sting ray corvettes adding extra tail lites or eliminating the pop up headlites....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

I know reggie 44 you got an outstanding limited example!

These came with my 87 3 years ago but never put them on. Looks like I need to get the other side of velcro and attach to the inner section of the headlight housing. Is this correct?

 

[bison]

They sure did offer a lot of "crap parts" back in the day for these cars. I remember seeing a lot of it. I didn't have the $ to buy anything much so I worked with what I had. It doesn't take any trick parts to run low 12's, high 11's without a turbo or intercooler. I went fast without buying any of that crap. Back then everyone thought that 22osi was the limit for boost. I just agreed and ran as much as I could.

 

[GNVenom]

Lots of bolt-on "appearance" parts back then. It was GN Fever. Many of the cars in this show had the very beginnings - KN filter, chip, 30lb injectors, breather bypass, crushed regulator. Soon, we had better performance improvements: Larger turbos, 36lb. "blue-tops", adjustable fuel pressure regulators, modified exhaust systems and so on, but that all started in 1991.

Look at the under-hood images in that video. Interesting how nice these cars once looked.

 

[davelostmissing]

I see why my kids don't let me wear a fanny pack anymore

 

[usetaboost]

Am I the only one that feels like a lot of cars are molested now after seeing all the stock ones in the video?

 

[RatFink]

The TTA's got as much attention in the video as they ever do today...very little. oh well.