newbie questions

[boatn70]

found an 86 ttype for sale, has some mods done but not sure of all....
heres what i know:
33-SPLINE MOSER AXLES, MOSER FULL SPOOL, C-CLIP ELIMINATORS, MOSER 3.23 GEAR, 50 LB. INJECTORS, ADJUSTABLE FUEL REGULATOR, 3" DOWNPIPE, EXTERNAL DELTA WASTEGATE, PORTED STOCK HEADS, INTERIOR BOOST CONTROLLER, AIRBAGS IN COIL SPRINGS, WELD PRO STAR WHEELS ON E.T. STREET TIRES

my questions would be: when i go look at this car do these mods tell anything special that i should look into. im not to "up" on the axles and rear end setup, and what are c-clip eliminators.
ive researched on the injectors and regulator, seems a starting point. i havent found out what exactly was done to the heads or the rest of the motor.

see anything in the pics thats creates questions or interest?

im going to look it over tomorrow

thanks for all the help!!

 

[boatn70]

maybe someone knows of this car........

 

[22lbChevelle]

Looks nice under there. Just don't be distracted by the painted tube, that is merely one small aspect of the car. Pull the plugs and check for small specs on them, this will indicate that he's been knocking on it (not good). Do a compression test before you buy it. Check fluids, check under the dash for spliced or cut up wiring. DRIVE it.

 

[22lbChevelle]

Looking closer, I see it has a spoiler put on it like the GNs had, so it has new paint. It seems like there is something on the passenger inner fender than is hard to see in both engine pics. Could be a rubber mat for leaning on though. It has a eye bolt for the alternator which is used to run a engine tie-down strap to the frame. No tie-strap present. Looks like a stock innercooler, long block and intake manifold. lonCheck that it comes with a scan tool visible while driving, like a Scanmaster or better. If the guy has had it for a long time and hasn't had one, that might spell trouble. Good luck.

P.s. I think its a very nice car! I wonder, for how much?

 

[SouthernCal GN]

MOSER FULL SPOOL, C-CLIP ELIMINATORS, MOSER 3.23 GEAR

Full spool is not for the street. Also, 3.23 gear is not stock/puts the motor out of the sweet spot. What's the rest of the story?

The rest looks good....but I'd be asking questions, and not buying on the spot before you get those questions answered. Something just doesn't seem right.......

 

[boatn70]

i havent seen any signs of a scan tool in any photos, interior is completely stock looking, no extra guages etc. i dont see what you see on the fender.
i overlooked that eyehook.
story goes that the guy started the car about 3yrs ago as a project, painted it then, stock color i guess, slate blue. he started with the suspension first then was going to work on motor. obviously did some things.....
came across a truck project that hed been looking for and wants to bail out.
i will definately look into compression and check plugs first.
any way to identify turbo and check for a chip installed?
asking price is 14800.

keep thoughts coming, i DO appreciate any help.

more photos next post.

 

[boatn70]

Thanks!

can you tell me more regarding the full spool. explanation please....i have no idea.

he did say it was gonna be a street/strip car.

BTW, the car isnt at the guys house, its with a dealer "collection" so, those cars in the background are not his!

 

[SouthernCal GN]

Seems like a mismatch of parts; external wastegate DP with a stock/TA49 turbo.....full spool on a street car......

Very pretty underhood, though! Check the SPID label in the trunk for the correct codes.

 

[boatn70]

more pics.

 

[boatn70]

again, i will find out more tomorrow.
sounds like he stopped partially through the build.
please, SouthernCal, get into more detail on what your thoughts are.

what would the drivability be like, what turbo does it sound like it needs, can you tell its the TA49, what the heck does "full spool" mean?

 

[boatn70]

read about the full spool deal....sounds like something i wouldnt want for street use.

hypothetical: i buy this car, want to remove the full spool and axles. put in limited slip posi. what kind of costs incurred and can the others be sold and for what value?

 

[cooled85T]

Looks like a good starting point. The rear is nice and strong. The c-clip eliminators just hold the axles in the axle tubes if you break one. The spool is going to get annoying if you plan on driving a lot of street time. The spool is going to lock the axles, so your inside tire is going to "chirp" around turns. Has a couple of good mods that IC is holding it back pretty good. Plus to take full advantage of those heads you probably want more turbo(im guessing its stock or ta-49) Ask about the fuel system (pump, hotwire). Ask what chip he has, turbotweak is the best. It looks to be a pretty nice start but looks can be decieving. Whatever you do have fun with it!!

 

[boatn70]

"IC", im following all but that...

My intended use will be street. with the occasional track run im sure...just for fun. I would probably have to change the rear. anyway to identify chip?

 

[SouthernCal GN]

IC=intercooler

The chip is in the ECM, located in the kick panel on the passenger side. Pull the panel, you'll see a large silver box- that's the ECM. On the lower side, you'll see a small cover held on by 2 screws.

Ground yourself before opening the ECM. In the ECM, you'll see 2 chips- the larger is the chip you'll want. Pull the chip straight out, and you should see a label. Report back with the info.

Rear end- figure about $400-600 to reconfigure it.

SPID label- service parts ID. There's a label in the trunk that will show all the production options that the car originally came with. Check for LC2 (turbo engine), G80 (posi). That will tell you if the engine is factory, or it's a clone car (transplanted engine).

15k for an essentially stock motor with some mild upgrades is spendy.

 

[boatn70]

thanks all!
keep the opinions etc coming.

 

[PhenixCityGN]

How many miles on it?

 

[boatn70]

78000

 

[jurassic five 7]

Didnt anyone else realize the PS inner fender was from a NA regal??

See the 'bumps' in the wheel well? TR's did NOT have those, they were flat.

Also, I bet that's why theres no stock over-flow tank!

I bet the car has been in a wreck!!

Adam

 

[fatride]

I know the car very well. It's a very nice car with alot of time and $$$ into it. Here is a link with more info about the car.
86 Buick Regal T Type - TurboBuicks.com

I think you should do alot more research about these cars before you jump into something like a TurboBuick. These aren't cars you just jump into and mash the peddle. It's your $$, but I have seen alot of people buy these cars w/out knowing anything about them and they don't enjoy the car because something goes wrong or it doesn't run the way they think it should. Then bad mouth the old owner or Turbo Buicks in general. It takes knowledge and tuning, tuning, tuning to get these cars to run great!

 

[boatn70]

fatride,
thanks for the link....do you know this car personally?

i appreciate you thoughts on the purchase of one of these, i do not have tons of knowledge on these cars but i am here to learn. i am, as many here are or have been, a hands on learner. and i dont see any reason to assume anyones gonna badmouth TB or the forums or the old owner for that matter.

however, so far, i havent been able to get a ton of information on this car.
if theres something youd like to share PLEASE do so. my goal isnt just to buy a car and expect it to run like a new one. my goal is to find one in good clean shape and hopefully some mods that someone else spent some time and money doing....so i dont have to.

i have read many threads here and other sites to gain insight and knowledge about these cars, i dont know alot but i sure know a heck of alot more than i did before.

Also, i asked for forum input and thats what im getting....i never would have thought of the inner fender difference, that takes a trained eye. how do you get a "trained eye", experience, how do you get experience........time and trial.

sorry to sound miffed about this but i thought your comment was aimed directly at the thought of a person with limited knowledge not being capable of learning about these cars. namely me.

Please, share with me what you know about this car and correct me if i am misunderstanding your comments.....thanks for the input.