right now my dd is a 94 z28 camaro. its the lt1 with an a4 tranny. it puts out about 300 or so rwhp and runs a 8.89 on the 1/8th. i recently found a 84 or 85 grand national and im very intrested in it. its got 103,000 on the clock and from what i can tell its all original with no mods. any idea off hand as to a range of what the car is worth? i love the grand national's and t types but please help sell me on them. my camaro is lots of fun and actually is pretty quick on the street. will i loose out on the fun factor if i sell it to buy a grand national? i see lots of gn's in the high 9 low 10 range on the quarter but i dont know how much money it takes to get them there. i guess my goal would be to build a solid 11 sec car. thanks for your help and sorry for a f-body guy invading your forum.
camaro owner, help convert me!
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I've got an 85, but if you're really wanting a GN to have or to make faster in the future, the 86/87's are cheaper and easier to make faster.
If the 84 or 85 GN you found has already been swapped over to 86/87 setup, then that would be alright, but if it's still the 84/85 configuration, then it's a lot harder to go as fast as you could with the later setup...
If the 84 or 85 GN you found has already been swapped over to 86/87 setup, then that would be alright, but if it's still the 84/85 configuration, then it's a lot harder to go as fast as you could with the later setup...
No prob, F body guy coming in to ask questions. We're all American muscle car guys, regardless of make/model right?
To answer your question, we would need pics...and lots of them...to begin to give you a fair pricing report for the car you're asking about.
The 84-85 are not as desirable as the intercooled 86-87 models. But they're cool too in their own right. I'd venture to say look at spending upwards of $5k on a nice 84-85 "hot air" GN and even more than that for an intercooled model.
I don't think you will lose on the fun factor if you sold your Camaro to purchase a GN. These cars are docile just cruising around town, but they start talking as soon as you get the turbo spooled up. And especially if you have a T type, which is the same car as a GN minus the all black paint.....for the most part are sleeper cars.
The fun factor starts when you tell people "it's just a V6" and they start laughing and making jokes.....until you spool up the turbo and walk away from their V8's, then the laughter ends.
Another plus is I've seen the underhood of a 93-up Camaro and it looks cramped. Not that a GN is as easy as working on a Model T Ford but it's a little easier than the Camaro. And the GN/T type also have a sturdy 8.5 10 bolt. I never could get past all the Z28's having a fragile 7.5 rear in them.
Oh well perhaps I have changed your mind?
Hit us back if you have any more questions.
To answer your question, we would need pics...and lots of them...to begin to give you a fair pricing report for the car you're asking about.
The 84-85 are not as desirable as the intercooled 86-87 models. But they're cool too in their own right. I'd venture to say look at spending upwards of $5k on a nice 84-85 "hot air" GN and even more than that for an intercooled model.
I don't think you will lose on the fun factor if you sold your Camaro to purchase a GN. These cars are docile just cruising around town, but they start talking as soon as you get the turbo spooled up. And especially if you have a T type, which is the same car as a GN minus the all black paint.....for the most part are sleeper cars.
The fun factor starts when you tell people "it's just a V6" and they start laughing and making jokes.....until you spool up the turbo and walk away from their V8's, then the laughter ends.
Another plus is I've seen the underhood of a 93-up Camaro and it looks cramped. Not that a GN is as easy as working on a Model T Ford but it's a little easier than the Camaro. And the GN/T type also have a sturdy 8.5 10 bolt. I never could get past all the Z28's having a fragile 7.5 rear in them.
Oh well perhaps I have changed your mind?
Hit us back if you have any more questions.hey guys, thanks for all the input. i have a few more questions. what kind of mpg's do these cars seem to get? i have done lots of reading about the 84-85 hot air gn's and how much would it cost to intercool them? i know that there are tons of threads about mod's and stuff but since in new to the scene and i dont really know what i am looking for, are these fairly expensive to mod?
turbonut85
Rarely used member
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What muscle car ISN'T expensive to mod???
From what I've read...(Mine isn't driveable yet:redface: ) The H/A turbo regals are cheaper to get into, but performance parts aren't as available as the I/C cars. IMO, If your goal is 11's, you could do it with either a H/A or I/C for close to the same money. It just depends on if you want to spend more up front on an I/C and have fewer mods to get to the 11's, or spend less up front for a H/A and spend more on mods to get to the 11's. It doesn't matter which one you get, you will be in good company if you stick with the guys on this forum. They can help more than you ever thought possible!! Oh yeah, I think a stock TR was rated at about 14 to 20 MPG...that is, if you can stay out of the BOOST!!!
---I kinda doubt it!!GOOD LUCK!! FWIWBLACK6PACK
1 sec reaction King
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- May 24, 2001
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- 4,849
You're looking at $1500-2000 minimum to convert a HA to a intercooler setup. Then you start adding mods after that. It doesn't take a lot of mods to get these things to really move if you buy the right parts and listen to the people on this board. A modern chip, alky injection and sticky tires can get you into the low 12s pretty quick. You will need supporting mods, a scanmaster or data logger will set you back a few hundered, intake, exhaust, wide band 02 sensor for tuning, injectors, etc.
You would be looking at the price of the car, conversion to cold air, and $1500, and you could be making 400-450 to the rear wheels.
Remember these are 20 year old cars, so expect an ignition module to go out $300, or a tranny rebuild $1500, or new bushings for the suspension $$$. You need to be able to work on your own car to keep costs down.
You would be looking at the price of the car, conversion to cold air, and $1500, and you could be making 400-450 to the rear wheels.
Remember these are 20 year old cars, so expect an ignition module to go out $300, or a tranny rebuild $1500, or new bushings for the suspension $$$. You need to be able to work on your own car to keep costs down.
Junior Samples
Walk Away
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- Aug 3, 2007
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- 5,294
Drove mine from Mich to FL a few weeks back and with a little help 3oz of acetone per 10 gal fuel I got about 25 mpg, BB extender chip has a lean cruise option and i heard guys tweakin em to almost 30 mpg.
Ive had some fast street cars..all chevys but nothing as evil as one of these untill last year when i made the jump...pain in the ass sometimes but when its runnin good...man hold on.
in fact the snow guys with fast sleds might add to this.... pull your sled out on a frozen lake bed at night and throttle it...the adrenalin rush is hard to beat....the buick comes real close.
find an 86 or 87 limited, light green with hubcaps and an AARP sticker in the back window, if no mods were done to it, your lookin at about 2500 in upgrades to make it start to come alive.
search smart and good luck
TR Custom Parts
Mark Hueffman - Owner
- Joined
- May 25, 2001
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- 12,735
Easiest way to sell you on a Turbo Regal is to get a ride in one.:smile: Go for an 86-7 without t-tops and get one with the lowest mileage possible that you can afford.
get an 86/87 you wont regret it. as for an 11 second build you are looking at 500 for a ta49 or te-44 turbo. and some race gas with some good tuning and launch. or if race gas is too much you can spend 550 and get an alky kit which will pay for itself. though it may sound cheap ther is alot of other things to take in account for. these cars are very tempermental. you need to make sure your car is up to snuff. spark, fuel system, and vaccum hoses are solid and ziptied. these cars can easily throw a crank or blow a headgasket if not tuned properly. so i tell you to read on the board about all you can before you purchase or go out and race. goodluck on your venture
Underboost
Mr. Dull
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- Oct 4, 2005
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- 4,277
Remember if you get a GN you will need to keep your eyes on it at all times. You can't just leave it in a parking lot and expect it to be there when you get back. That's the down side of a GN always worrying about it. Good Luck!
Take a ride in a well tuned stocker or a well tuned modded one and I'm sure you will be convinced it's worth Turning to the Darkside. As far as upkeep goes these cars are no worse than any other muscle car/hotrod. You have to pay to play no matter what you drive.
I've converted several Camaro guys, just by taking them for a spin. They think their cars are fast....then they find out that a V6 is a whole other animal.
As for what kind of gas mileage mine could optimally get....I'll never know. But it's got a bad alky habit.
As for what kind of gas mileage mine could optimally get....I'll never know. But it's got a bad alky habit.
This is true however there are some special parts that can be a bit hard to come by and pricey (i.e. cam sensor, powermaster brake parts on 86-87 models) plus not just any mechanic knows the turbo 6 or much less the powermaster brake system.
But fortunately if you have the will and desire to learn there's lots of folks on this board who do know and are willing to help teach you.
Still learning....
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