What does it take to run under 10 seconds in the quarter?

syclone98

New Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
I've returned to being a GN owner once again (after owning a 1/2 dozen Turbo Regals over the years in various configurations as well as two Turbo TAs) after I bought my 14-1/2 year old son his first car this weekend. It's an 86 GN and if you check out his profile (3.8turbolover) he has a couple of pics posted.

You'll have to excuse me if this issue has been beaten to death but either the search I did was totally off base or else my day has been way too long. Anyway, we decided that we'd like to build a sub-10 second car but weren't quite sure what kind of engine would be required to achieve that goal.

Is a 109 or a stage block really required to go that fast or can it be done using the stock engine with a big enough turbo and other mods? Also, can it be done using the stock PCM or is something more robust like an XFI system required?

I've got a reasonably healthy budget available so any and all suggestions would would be much appreciated.

Thanks much,
Christopher
 
short answer....horsepower & traction :) sorry couldn't resist a smartass comment..haven't done one in a while thanks for your cooperation:):)
 
Can't wait to see the recomendations to come!

A BUILT 109 will get you to where you want. The bottom end of the 109 comes into play when you start pushing 10's. Not sure about stock engine management in the 9's. YOu know how it goes, $$$=Speed. I have seen FAST on a 9 second car, I have seen stock ecm's pushing mid 10 second cars.

(109 is the stock block)
 
I've got a reasonably healthy budget available...

Thanks much,
Christopher

Looks like you got the first requirement.:D
I would call Jack Cotton and talk it over with him. He is awesome to deal with. (413-789-0531) Tell him I sent you.

Welcome back, good luck with it.
Bryan
 
Best thing to do is pick a good vender, one you can trust, and listen to them. A good one will tell you what is needed and what is not. Also helps if they can help with the tune.

There are lots of 109's in the 9's. Built and tuned right, they can be reliable to. I have 90+ runs on my car this year with no major breakage.

Good luck!
 
For easy repeatable 10's see my sig. I G-teched it on the street and it went 11.30 on drag radials with a very light launch and part throttle till i hit about 65mph. You have to be able to tune to get good et's. Its not about bolting on a bunch of parts. Sub 10's $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is always required.
 
Whoops, I didn't realize that a 109 was the stock block. Thanks for setting me straight on that one. :eek:

I can definitely relate to the importance of a tune as I saw that first hand with my 07 Corvette. After bolting on all my mods (cam, headers, CAI etc) I was only able to achieve a best ET of 11.9. After the tune I was able to pick up almost a full 1/2 second and the car now runs 11.487 @ 123MPH.

The other question I have is what to do about the engine that's currently in the car. It's got 130K on it and the story I got from the previous owner was that the turbo stopped spooling all of a sudden and by the time I purchased it for my son, the guy had started taking it apart. The motor itself is intact but all of the various plumbing and electrical stuff had been pulled off.

I'm not sure if I should pull the block and have it gone over or just replace the turbo so that we can at least drive it and have a baseline to start working with. I seem to remember from my prior ownership days that if a turbo fails, it's usually a good idea to go through the entire engine (and possibly tear it down) just to make sure that everything else is okay.

Is that still a good idea or would it just be overkill? Any other suggestions on how I should go forward with the car?

Thanks again for all your help as it feels really good to be back in Buick V6 land yet again.

Christopher
 
Oh and what should I do about the turbo that may or may not still be useable?

Is it worth rebuilding or should I consider looking for something bigger in order to get into the 9's? Is there a particular turbo that seems to be a "fan favorite" that I should consider purchasing?
 
10's are a walk in the park ... 9's are a little harder :eek: Call Russ Merritt Performance.. He can do a complete combo from start to finish ... my daughters street GN has gone 9.94@ 138 in street trim with drag radials :cool:
 
That depends. If the car was shut down after the turbo let go you should be fine. I lost my stock turbo due to overspool last year and have not had any issues. I have a stock bottom end and seek the mid tens (160K).

If you have the stock turbo that went bad, take it apart and look to see where it failed. The bearings went south on mine and the compressor/turbine wheel lodged in their respective housings. One of the spring loaded bearing surfaces split in half cleanly.

I agree with everyone so far. Find a vendor you trust (and there are plenty of those here) and get them on the phone and talk about what you want to do. That info will be free and give you a good idea about the future of that car.

Good luck, and see you on the boards!



Dan
 
I bought my 14-1/2 year old son his first car this weekend. It's an 86 GN and if you check out his profile (3.8turbolover) he has a couple of pics posted.

I hope your not going to let him drive a 9 sec GN on the street, when he first get his liscense. Looking back, I wouldn't trusted myself with a 12 sec GN until I was 21. ( I am sure I thought I was ready to have a fast car then)
 
Ive got a different opinion on how to go fast. Id start with the basics. Id go through the engine. With 130k on it why not. You obviously do not know the history on it. Start with a clean slate with a fresh motor with good ring and valve seal. No sense running 25+lbs of boost and letting it escape past the rings or valves! I could go deeper but you should get the point.


Scott

Ps.Get a good head porter...Not just some clown with a grinder!!!!!!!
 
Thanks for the continued tips and advice.

As for my son driving a 9 second car, we've already got that worked out - he doesn't live with me full time so the current plan is to let him drive the car only while he's over visiting.

Once he turns 18 and gets his unrestricted license I'll let him keep the car with him all the time. Basically it becomes a case of "If you satisfy the California DMV requirements then that'll be good enough for me".

In the meantime we'll just plan on having a lot of fun at the drags. I just know however that I'm never going to live it down once he starts running faster than my car at the track.
 
Scott - Please feel free to go into much detail as you'd like about what you'd recommend in regards to the motor. If you think it'd be too long and boring for the post, you can always PM it to me as well.

Thanks,
Christopher
 
Heads alone are not goin to be the one thing to make the car go :eek: a right COMBINATION will :biggrin: we have gone low 10s with "nothing" heads :p
 
Ive got a different opinion on how to go fast. Id start with the basics. Id go through the engine. With 130k on it why not. You obviously do not know the history on it. Start with a clean slate with a fresh motor with good ring and valve seal. No sense running 25+lbs of boost and letting it escape past the rings or valves! I could go deeper but you should get the point.


Scott

Ps.Get a good head porter...Not just some clown with a grinder!!!!!!!

I have to agree with Scott here, You just never know about someone elses stuff. A good rebuild from a TRUSTED Machine shop that KNOWS BUICK engines is a MUST. And like there other posts on here, 10's are a walk in the park. I have rebuilt stock 109 with slightly ported heads, a tiny 194/204 cam, and a bigger turbo and have already gone low 11's. Its all in the TUNE and Combination. Tuning these cars and seat time will help most overall. Get it to hook!
 
As for my son driving a 9 second car, we've already got that worked out - he doesn't live with me full time so the current plan is to let him drive the car only while he's over visiting.

Once he turns 18 and gets his unrestricted license I'll let him keep the car with him all the time. Basically it becomes a case of "If you satisfy the California DMV requirements then that'll be good enough for me".

It sounds to me like some people have more money than common sense.
 
Call Cottons or Russ. They will set you up. For reliable 9's you can do it on a stock block. Gurdled block, bilit mains, forged crank, rods, pistons, champion aluminum (ported or not), full roller cam, upper plenum, bigger TB, FMIC, headers would be nice, champion ported intake, as for the turbo, theres many choices. a 70mmP trim will do it but would be easier with a 70gtq BB. Ide go with the XFI for tuning purposes. Along with the motor your going to need alot of suspension and tranny work. A good tranny will cost you about $3 grand. Talk to Brian Hoffer on here. Get a trans brake!! You'll need axles in the rear, a rear HR sway bar, maybe airbags, All depends on how we'll youde like the car to leave. Other than all that, a roll cage would be smart, supporting guages, and a good grip!! Like said above. $$$$$$$$$$$ you'll need a fuel system too whether it be a sumped stock tank with external pump or a cell with bigger braided lines. Plan on a grand for the fuel system alone. Injectors too. 83's would be good. Maybe a step larger. I can keep going as they come to me.
 
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