Greetings, Newbie question.

[84T-TypeGuy]

I was just given an 84 t-type regal. no engine, no tranny. t-tops, excellent interior, good body.

I dont know what direction to go with it. I know t-types are worth a bit of cash if in decent condition, but this one has pretty much been stripped under the hood. the last engine in it was a SBC 350 and i believe TH350 tranny.

Would it be worth it to actually put the turbo and all related components back into it, or just put a nice healthy 350 down in it and make a halfbreed. I havent the faintest clue as to what a turbo buick with computer could be picked up for or if there is even a reasonable availability to start looking for one without a second mortgage on the house.

I'm sure there are a few purists that think it should be taken back to the factory specs, but price is a bit of a factor here.
Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Buick Beginner]

Going out on a limb

O.K. , I'm going to stretch out my neck here. First, do you have tons of time and an equally large amount of money to spend? If not, then keep the 84 for a parts car and buy a running 84-85-86 t-type and use the first one as a donor car. Just my .02. - BB

 

[84T-TypeGuy]

Well, i've got the time, a fair amount of cash to play with, i dont have any other toys at the moment, but i'm a workin stiff like everyone else.

I've done a quick glance across the net to see what kind of prices i'm looking at. From what i've found so far, i can pick up a fresh 3.8 turbo shortblock for around a grand. I'm almost scared to go on a serious search for the turbo goodies. And i havent delved deep into the car as i just took possession tonight, but i'm guessing that if there is a brain box still on it, its probably useless. So it would be safe to say that it will have to be pretty much everything under the hood that needs to be bought, including the required wiring harnesses.

i'm estimating about 3k to find stock stuff, probably around 4-5k if i want to realisticly play..its just an estimation, i figure the peeps here might have better outlets with better prices if i ask nice.

But I'm also thinking that it might just be better to just make it a playtoy and stuff a healthy 455 down in it or sbc, dress it up pretty, brush its teeth, comb its hair and either keep it for purely a street toy or throw it out there for sale.

I dont really want to part it out, but i could probably make a fair amount of cash from that as the rest of it is in pretty good shape and there are lots of useable parts on both the body and interior, but i've been looking for a project toy for a while anyway, so i'll probably just play with it.

my sticking point is if its worth the money to track down a 3.8 turbo and required accesories or put a stout normally aspirated engine in it

 

[topfuel]

Re: Going out on a limb

Originally posted by Buick Beginner
O.K. , I'm going to stretch out my neck here. First, do you have tons of time and an equally large amount of money to spend? If not, then keep the 84 for a parts car and buy a running 84-85-86 t-type and use the first one as a donor car. Just my .02. - BB

"tons of time and an equally large amount of money to spend"
That pretty much describes it either way you go lol

I think at this point it may be a little less expensive to go with
the SBC drivetrain, kinda sounds like youre leaning towards
that anyway

I put a nice SBC in an old 79 Regal I had long ago, it was
fairly inexpensive and easy to do.

Nothin like a good ol turbo motor though

 

[84T-TypeGuy]

well its not that i'm leaning towards an SBC one way or the other. i've dealt with carb. engines before and have made hybrid cars before, but i've never dealt with a turbo before. I know nothing about them. I understand the basic concepts, i'm fair with a wrench and i'm sure i can learn what i dont know. Personally i'd rather have a 3.8 under the hood, but if its something that would end up costing me more money than the car would ever be worth and be an extra large pain in my butt, its not worth it to me. I could as easily put a healthy 350 chev. or 455 buick down in it, tub it or lower it and make it look pretty, have less in it than the turbo motor and probably get more of a return for money spent out of it.

the choice here hinges on the cost of the required components and the aggrivation involved with installing everything.

ive actually looked around a bit more and found 3.8 shortblocks for around 800, longblocks for a grand, and supposedly complete turbos that claim to be rebuilt for approx 500. its the wiring that im more concerned with it. having a fantastic hairdryer under the hood isnt all that impressive if its plagued with computer/electrical problems from patchwork wiring

 

[topfuel]

If you look some more you'll probably find everything you need
in the parts for sale forum, ecm's, complete wire harness ect...
Always somebody parting out a GN in there, we also have
lots of good vendors on this website with new parts too.

I'll bet you can put together a combo of used parts worthy of
low 12's for under, lets say, hmmm..... 5000 or 6000
Dont forget about the trans and convertor, the intercooler and
the exhaust too, those things can get pricey if you want the
good stuff.

Keep your eyes open here, everything you need is available.

hth

 

[TDS-84]

quite often there's people wanting to get rid of a hot-air (non-intercooled) motor for cheap, if you watch the parts for sale section here. Could you get one, freshen it up, and spend less than you would dropping a SBC or something else in the car? Maybe, maybe not. But it could still be a turbo car that way, for a lot less than going with an 86-87 setup, which so many will tell you to do because of parts cost, availability, and more power. But the 84-85 cars can still be quick and enjoyable to drive, if you don't have the need to run 10's or 11's.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[84T-TypeGuy]

well i just got a good look at the car in the daylight. here's what i see:

Body is overall in very good shape.., missing the valances between front bumper and body, nose has a small chunk missing by the hood latch, paint is faded, dont know if it can be brought back to life or not. generic alum. wheels, nothing special, but look ok. all glass intact including t-tops, no rust anywhere (southern car), no major dents or holes

car has ac, but many component missing

power everything, interior is stock and in pretty good shape, maroon cloth, t-type steering wheel..etc

the engine bay looks pretty much stripped of everything that was turbo related

 

[Dean]

Bear in mind what your SMOG law situation is too.

Given a clean slate, I would consider a turbo'd SBC.

 

[tc86gn]

If it were me, I would put a turbo 3.8 in it. 86 and 87 years. If I decided against a turbo, I would go with a Chevy BB 454 w/t400.Much better than a buick oiling system. I doubt you could do the turbo thing for 5 to 6 thousand dollars and do it RIGHT.
If It were me.

 

[WH1 85]

GO 3.8 HOTAIR

I know that I'm gonna catch some flack for this but....

1. the car is an 84 that means a hotair 3.8 turbo
2. this can be built for 5,000 to 6,000 grand
3. it probably still has the correct rearend carrier, (if not the gears)
4. bq or brf tranny's are always in the for sale section for $500 to $850
5. the value of the car will be much higher with a turbo 3.8
6. you can buy a block and crank for about $500 a pop
7. or you can go to the scrap yard and find them for about $100 a pop, I did
8. wiring harnesses are always in the for sale section, or they can be bought new
9. (pureist talking), do the right thing or sell the car to someone who will, an 84 t-type is an extremely rare production car. So treat it as such. Far to many of these cars have been hacked up, tubbed, sbc'd or parted out already. It blows my mind that the mustang and camaro guys are willing to start of with nothing more than a frame and a rusted out body. They'll spend the time and the money to rebuild the car, regardless if they'll ever be able to get their money back out of it or not. But the first piece of advice given by BUICK guys to other BUICK guys, who have a car with no engine or a body with rust is to PART IT OUT. Or drop in a chevy 350. Are these cars really worth so little? I bought mine because I always thought that the TR's were something special. Better than any mustang or camaro. I'm sorry to see that other TR owners do not feel the same way.

No flames intended, I just can't figure out why some people in the buick community don't feel like these cars aren't worth saving. After all it isn't cheap, fast or easy to build ANY car.

 

[84T-TypeGuy]

again, remember im a total turbo noob

the rear is stock

once the engine is in, how much aggrivation will be required to rewire it, because from what i see, it doesnt have alot of the wiring needed, all i see is basic stuff required for any engine.

would the 86-87 3.8's fit into it with no problems from the turbo setup..i would guess the longblock itself is no biggie as its probably the same

right now, the engine bay looks pretty much stripped

and lets say it takes 7k to put it all back to turbo (not stock mind you..just turbo) will it be worth the investment? I look at any collectible car in terms of investment. If i would need to put 7k in the car, but it is only worth 8-9k...that doesnt sound as good to me as spending say 2k on a healthy BBC and turning it over for 6-7k

 

[Dean]

Are you building it to turn over or to play with?


SBC: ~$3,000
DFI: ~$2,000
Turbo: ~$500
Headers: ~$1,000
TR Rear: ~$500
TH400: ~1,500

Total: ~$8,500


Cool factor: PRICELESS.



You need to choose a path and dedicate the resources to it. I wouldn't criticize you for going the BSC/TH350 route. Kinda boring (who hasn't done that before), but it is very cost effective, and if you are going to move it down the line, you wil surely find a buyer (again, depending on the SMOG restrictions in your area). BUT, if you are going to keep it, for a while anyhow, and want to stand out, go Turbo Buick. Wanna be more unique? SBC turbo. Wanna be real unique? Twin-Turbo SBC!!

:-Dean

 

[84T-TypeGuy]

Ok, got it home, checking everything out. minor body parts missing, but overall its in excellent shape. all the ac stuff is in the trunk.

the guy also threw in a chev 350 with the deal. from the looks of it, i'd say its going to be nothing more than a block to start with, the engine overall looks pretty trashed, bent pushrods, smog motor pistons..nothing serious. as long as the block magnafluxes out ok, it will probably be the base to start with.

i've also procured a chev. v8 turbo kit..1500 bucks complete


any input from the turbo peeps that know would be a major help

thx.

 

[NASSTY]

You could probably find a complete turbo regal cheaper than you could put that one back together.If you do look for one an 86-7 would give you more options for upgrades,more parts available for upgrades.I've seen a couple pretty nice ones sell for $3500- $4500 in the last year.Good Luck whatever you do.
Mike

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by 84T-TypeGuy
i've also procured a chev. v8 turbo kit..1500 bucks complete

any input from the turbo peeps that know would be a major help

You have mail.

:-Dean

 

[.38 special]

I think I speak for all turbo entusiasts when I say please put a 3.8 back in there. We all sort of feel offended when we see a small block in a turbo regal. I don't know what part of the south you're from, but there is a guy in Conroe, Texas named Earl Howe. He ownes E.J.'s Buick Ranch. He could definaltely help you out. I think if you look hard enough you could find a complete stock unrebuilt motor/tubo/ecm/wire harnesses for less than $2,500. E. J.'s would be a good place to start

 

[WARP SIX]

Personally, I would put a '86-7 drivetrain in it. By far, the easiest and cheapest way would be to get your hands on a complete car with a good drivetrain. I have seen rusted out northern cars with decent drivetrains go for $2000-$3000. It will be much more difficult, and more costly, to buy things separately. (That is probably the understatement of the year!)

Plus, if you don't have any experience with these cars, it would be ~very~ helpful to see where everything goes before you pull it out of the donor car. Otherwise you'll end up pulling your hair out trying to figure out how it all goes together.

Also, I highly recommend getting your hands on a factory service manual from Helm, Inc. before undertaking such a project.

My second choice would be an '84-5 turbo drivetrain, and third choice would be a Buick 455... at least it'd still be all Buick!