Hood Emblem 87 T- Mine doesn't say 3.8L

[TurboTnZ06]

So, every 87 Turbo T I've seen in my life has had the 3.8 Litre type of emblem. Mine is blue with a diagonal bar through it like a regular regal I suppose. This blue emblem also exists behind both opera windows. Was this not a factory option? My car came with the chrome appearance package and was not a WO2. Is this a rare thing or the original owner though they liked a different emblem? Perhaps it was hit and the emblem was lost in the accident? As far as I can tell the only time the car was hit was when I tagged a honda driven by a non-English speaking, non-insurance carrying red light runner Good thing I was only going 5 mph and swiped his rear 1/4 panel.

Here is the blue emblem:

http://www.billionsandtrillionsinc.com/pics/buickemblems/pages/DSC01473.htm

 

[Brer Rabbit]

I think...

I think thats the same one I took off my 86 Regal limited. It was originally a 307 olds powered car. Im gonna have to out to the garage and look to make sure. Maybe the car was in an accident and the repair shop didnt know better when they replaced the header panel? If ur lookin for the turbo emblem, u might be in for a shock, there was one on the board a while back but the guy wanted crazy money for it--like over a hundred I think.

 

[RT87]

I have the 87 Buick sales brochure in front of me and it has a picture of a T with 3 emblems (The T in the picture is not a turbo T) like yours in your picture and another picture of a standard Regal with the same emblems.

Some Turbo T's came with the side emblem like yours. The T package could also be ordered with or without the turbo motor on any Regal. If the car also had the Turbo package, it came with a turbo emblem in front.

It seems that the only thing unusual on your car is the missing Turbo emblem in front.

Anything can happen at the factory, and anything can happen after the car left the factory, but usually it was only a non turbo T that got those front emblems.

 

[TurboTnZ06]

I've been all over this car since June 2000 and the only part of the car painted on is the top half of the driver's door. So, perhaps the car was hit, but only in the middle of the front bumper and took out the header panel and bumper and/or grille. It would have also have not hit the hood nor fenders nor any other supports. The header panel looked original as well when I pulled it off. It had the alum bumper insert and everything looks pretty original. I have all the paper work from the original owner but perhaps some of it is "missing." Oh well, maybe I can inquire about dealer records where the car was always serviced? Perhaps this was a day when somebody effed up at the factory. Could be easy to do. I could try tracking down the original owner too. At this point I'm leaning towards a mistake at the factory since there are no signs of an accident bad enough such that it would cause an emblem to be destroyed.

 

[SouthernCal GN]

Check the SPID label in the trunk- does it have the LC2 code? WO4? WE2? WO2? Is the VIN code (8th from the left) a "7", and "A", or a "Y"?

There are more than a few clones running aroung out there.......

 

[TurboTnZ06]

Check the SPID label in the trunk- does it have the LC2 code? WO4? WE2? WO2? Is the VIN code (8th from the left) a "7", and "A", or a "Y"?

There are more than a few clones running aroung out there.......

Trust me, it ain't a clone. I have the vin verified, window sticker, odometer statement when new, all paperwork from purchase in whcih the owner ordered and extra T wheel for a full sized spare. When I got the car it had an original tire from 1987 as the spare. Trunk shows RPO codes (LC2 + G80), I also have all documentation from the original owner who had everything serviced at the dealer, including recommended rearend oil changes with date and mileage. It's a 87 Turbo T with turbo engine and T package (lots of chrome in the appearance package). I think I just have the wrong hood emblem somehow and will have to try to contact the original owner to see what's up.

 

[ksmmspt]

At this point I'm leaning towards a mistake at the factory since there are no signs of an accident bad enough such that it would cause an emblem to be destroyed.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of vandalism. Those ornaments are pretty fragile under strain or pressure. I would guess they went to the dealer to have it replaced and they put on that emblem instead of the other one, for some reason.

 

[TurboTnZ06]

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of vandalism. Those ornaments are pretty fragile under strain or pressure. I would guess they went to the dealer to have it replaced and they put on that emblem instead of the other one, for some reason.

Come to think of it- when I was in 8th grade some derelict in my goegraphy class ripped off the hood ornament on the teacher's mini van.

 

[TurboBuickSix]

Even worse was the poor benz dealer around the corner from my grammar school.The hoodlums used to rip off all the hood ornaments and wear them on their necks.There would be like 30 cars in the front row with the little cables hanging out that once secured tose ornaments.

 

[turbofish38]

I would say your hood ornament was the victim of vandalism. Even when you could get a new part they were going for $35-$50. Its hard to believe that one of the previuos owners was such a cheap a$$ that they put just the standard Regal one on. NOS ones have been trading in the $125-$150 range on eBay. You can also find that blue slash emblem on the sail panels of turbocharged Regals. They were installed on all of the Regal models except the GN/WE4/GNX and T-Types for 84-86.

 

[TurboTnZ06]

Guess I'll have to be on the lookout to pick one up. Only found one other car on here that is like mine. All the rest of the 87 T's have the turbo emblem and only a handful still have the blue emblem behind the opera windows...

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=10129&stc=1

 

[87LtdT]

I'd say there is a very distinct possibility that it was a factory mistake, or the factory was forced to use the standard emblem because of a shortage of the turbo emblems....that sure wouldn't stop them from completing the car assembly.

I worked in diesel engine assembly factory for 18 years....lots of requests for deviations to use something not spec'd on the engine when what was spec'd was not available.

I also vividly remember a guy at the Corvette Bloomington Gold show ranting about seat belts. He'd just had his car judged and it just missed the "Gold" certification. One of the point deductions was his '66 Corvette had '67 seat belts. He was the original owner and the car was built very late in the year. He was ranting that it was not his fault that Chevy ran out of '66 seat belts and used the new ones instead.....boy was he ticked off.

Bob

 

[441120]

Hood orn

Hit a deer one night, went back to the scene of the crime just to get that turbo hood ornament
The cars back with that same one.

 

[strikeeagle]

Years ago my ex-boss's son had a collection of over 100 hood ornaments he'd ripped off. The ex-boss was none too happy when he found out. Maybe yours is in that pile?

strike

 

[turbofish38]

I'd say there is a very distinct possibility that it was a factory mistake, or the factory was forced to use the standard emblem because of a shortage of the turbo emblems....that sure wouldn't stop them from completing the car assembly.

I also vividly remember a guy at the Corvette Bloomington Gold show ranting about seat belts. He'd just had his car judged and it just missed the "Gold" certification. One of the point deductions was his '66 Corvette had '67 seat belts. He was the original owner and the car was built very late in the year. He was ranting that it was not his fault that Chevy ran out of '66 seat belts and used the new ones instead.....boy was he ticked off.

I've been working for GM dealers for the past 27 years and I think I sold just about every turbo guy in town at least 2 of those ornaments over the years and I dont ever recall there was a shortage of them. Not to say that a screw up could happen. I'm thinking the TR was the flagship of the G-bodies and everybody on the Pontaic MI assembly line took great pride when these cars were being made so I have my doubts that it could happen.There was a specific code on the build sheet for a turbo hood ornament. Why else would the last car off the line be a GN. Just speculating.

Yes those Vette guys are a crazy bunch. I hope we dont become fanatics about our cars like they do. It takes the fun out of owning a car. A car should be driven, not worshipped like a God. There are some specific rules that the NCRS and Bloomington Gold uses and as far as seat belts go they have to have a date code in a certain range. Probally what happen here. Like I said, if you aint the original owner than who knows what happened.