I Need Some Info Fast

[KidWithARegal]

I bought a 1978 regal. It's my first car, and I was devistated when I discovered it didn't have a turbo in it because it had messed up. I want to buy a turbo for a 86 grand national and put it on there, but I dont know if it will fit. If it won't fit, will a Garrett T70 turbo (35psi) work with it? It was a 231 V6 and is a 2bbl. I'm pretty car-retarded, but I'm trying to work on that. :biggrin: And if they both work, which one is better? Thanks for the help, and please reply ASAP.

 

[awash242]

I bought a 1978 regal. It's my first car, and I was devistated when I discovered it didn't have a turbo in it because it had messed up. I want to buy a turbo for a 86 grand national and put it on there, but I dont know if it will fit. If it won't fit, will a Garrett T70 turbo (35psi) work with it? It was a 231 V6 and is a 2bbl. I'm pretty car-retarded, but I'm trying to work on that. :biggrin: And if they both work, which one is better? Thanks for the help, and please reply ASAP.

 

[Pronto]

Do you mean 1987 Regal? Take 2 giant steps back and do lots of reading here and at http://www.gnttype.org/ Report back when your are more up to "speed".

 

[m2gn]

the best thing to do is your homework. the guys here will help you with any question you might have, but first you must know what you are asking. some of the question you have someone else asked them. so read some of the post first and good luck. :biggrin:

 

[87we410877]

Wtf

 

[LUCKY1313]

Yea, dont take it wrong, no one is getting on your case or anything. Its just that where your wanting your car to be & what it is now is a long way between the two.....

And to help with your question, YES a turbo can be put on, BUT it will take alot of other things to go along with it & is by no means something that you would just go out and buy & stick it on & be cranking out some horse power & burning the tires.

Do alot of reading as the guys suggested. Learn what your car has in it. Find someone that has a Turbo Buick & see if they will show you the differance between yours & it. There is a lot of differance, but it can be done. But read, & then read agian & then go read some more. Even when you know what is going on & have all the right stuff it is still no easy thing to make power & keep it together at the same time.

So somethings that you need to find out are.

What exhaust do you need to hook the turbo up?
What fuel system do you need?
How you going to controll the timing?
You going to use Fuel injection or Carberator?
What does your motor need on the inside to take the turbo?
Will your trans & rear end work with this much power?
You going to run a Intercooler or not?
If your going to use Fuel Injection are you going to get the system out of another buick or buy after market?
How much power do you want to start with?
How much money can you spend?
How you going to tune it, or know what it needs for the tune?


These are just some of the high spots in setting up such a system. But it can be done. And it can make big power & be streetable. It is one of the great things about the Turbo Buick. They are sweat & fast & enjoyable, but they cost alot of money to.

Besides the forums meantioned above from the other guys TurboMustangs.com is another good forum for turbo info. Good Luck, and dont be afraid to ask when you dont understand what you find in your readings.




Jess

 

[yullose]

Your best bet is to scrap the 78 Regal and find an 86 or 87 Turbo Regal/Grand National.
They are still around and can be bought fairly cheap and in need of TLC.
I just picked up an 87 GN last week for $4500.

Don't even waste a single dime on the 78 231/2bbl car. They are a pile of pus and not worth putting any money into.

 

[TURBOELKY]

Damn!

Your best bet is to scrap the 78 Regal and find an 86 or 87 Turbo Regal/Grand National.
They are still around and can be bought fairly cheap and in need of TLC.
I just picked up an 87 GN last week for $4500.

Don't even waste a single dime on the 78 231/2bbl car. They are a pile of pus and not worth putting any money into.

that is kind of harsh to a newby! here you are kid with a regal, this might help.
78 turbo regals have the turbo on the manifold, 86 and 87 gn's do not. There is no way to fit a turbo from an 86 on your 78 unless you drop a complete drive train from the 86 into the car. Buy an original 78 turbo for your car, bolt it on and drive. As you tinker with that car, learn more about these cars, what years had what in them, and enjoy what you have until you can purchase something more desireable or should I say something with more potential. And stay away from the ideal of 30 lbs of boost, you'll never see that in any car unless your are a fool, or have a stage 2 engine, and maybe not even then I have an 81 sport coupe, has almost what your car has in it, and its a blast to drive. Not very fast, but I drive it everyday and enjoy it. Now go and do your book work, and dont be influinced by friends who have no ideal what they are talking about telling you to buy a t70 good luck.

 

[KidWithARegal]

Thank You!!!

Thanks for the info guys. I really appreciate it. I don't want a really good car (like later models), because this is going to be a toy car basically. I want to try new things with it, and learn how it all runs. Also, I want to learn how to do the work by myself too. Know what I mean? Oh, btw, a OEM turbo will run around $700. Would it be better to just get a supercharger do I don't get the lag I'm always hearing about? Or will I sacrifice HP? Thanks again for all the help guys... And be honest...

 

[LUCKY1313]

The lag is not any thing to worry about, if you size the turbo right it want be a problem. Atleast not until you start trying to make big power and use a big turbo which I think may be alittle much for starting out. A T70 is a bit much to start with. Now a T61 & a good Holley 4 Barrel carb with the right fuel system would be a good place to start in a turbo setup. Like I said before go to TurboMustang.com & read the Blo-Thu section & you will learn alot about how to turbo a none turbo car, they have a DIY section also.

Suparcharger is not a bad idea tho, you could pick up a used one easy because many people are switching to turbos because of the gain in power. It is alot easier to get installed with a lot less fab work & would make a good first step for learning & would not be to hard to achieve. It could be done with a 4 barrel carb also, they make a 4 barrel intake for your motor.

Another good way to go would be to go to a V8, your model car even came with them sometimes so changing mounts and stuff would not be that bad a switch. Then you could turbo it later. With all the after market support for small block chevy motors it would be a good route.

But if you want to stick with the V6 it would pay off to find a GrandNational that had been totaled to get everything & then you would have the turbo,fuel injection, trans, rear end, computor system ect ect ect. Not a easy think to find but I do see them sometimes.

There is many ways to skin a cat as they say, the T61 with a 4barrel or the SuperCharger would be the quick & easy ways to some power. Then you can find stuff for better upgrads latter like finding a wreaked GN or a V8 setup.


Jess

 

[TURBOELKY]

Sorry

I TRIED TO HELP, BUT BOTH OF YOU ARE LOST CAUSES GOOD LUCK GUYS

 

[MoeJr]

If the car came with the 3.8 turbo from the factory and was converted to a 2bbl NA setup then just hunt down the parts to put the turbo back on there.

I had 2 78 Sport Coupes and when they are dialed in are pretty fun to drive. Use the original style QJet carb. Much better than any Holley or Edelbrock. But remember the QJet has to be from a 3.8 Turbo of 1978-1980. Keep us posted.

 

[jhef83]

My advise: Don't ever open the hood on this car. Find another Regal to tinker with. Then you still got something to drive. :biggrin:

 

[Ormand]

There is another forum on this same board called "Before Black"- the folks there know all about the earlier cars with carburetors, and will be able to offer you some advice, and may have some parts at a good price.

 

[KidWithARegal]

If the car came with the 3.8 turbo from the factory and was converted to a 2bbl NA setup then just hunt down the parts to put the turbo back on there.

I had 2 78 Sport Coupes and when they are dialed in are pretty fun to drive. Use the original style QJet carb. Much better than any Holley or Edelbrock. But remember the QJet has to be from a 3.8 Turbo of 1978-1980. Keep us posted.

I read that there were 236,652 Turbo Regals produce in 1978. 30,507 of those were Turbo powered. And 2,697 of those were 2bbl. So I started thinking I might wanna keep that and keep original. But, changed my mind, and decided to be a toy that will get me through high school. But it is one of the 2bbl carb. I was also looking into changing the transmission. Not that it is bad, but I was hoping to be able to but a 4 or 5 speed trans on it. If I did, what would I risk.
Well, I pretty much want to make this the best car I can. It sounds really nice now, has a good frame, no rust on body, and I'm not sure if it was a Dealership package or what, but is has a large chrome thing between the rear window and the back seat window. It says "Crown Coupe". I've just never seen this before. Anyone know what it is? And also, I keep getting different answers from everyone I ask. When restoring a vehicle, what order should you go in? The engine is dependable, so I don;t have to worry about that. But then do I forus on interior or exterior. Thanks again for all your help guys. I do appreciate it. And forgive me if I sound kinda dumb when it comes to cars. Just started getting into cars like 2 months ago.

P.S. I've heard 231 and 383 are really good engines for pulling out more and more HP. I plan to save up, and am planning to purchase a 383 (hopefully a stroker) and throw that in there. My dad used to build up and race cars for 20+ years, build engines from scratch, and has tons of experiece. So I know if it can be done, he'll help me do it. Also, will a long block 383 fit? I think it'll be too long, but not sure. Thanks for taking the time to read...

 

[MoeJr]

Ok I misread. 78 had a 2bbl turbo also available. However itwill be easier to find the 4bbl set up as much more were made. Did you get that car off ebay?

If it were my car I would turn it back into a turbo 3.8. 383 is chevy engine. Keep it all Buick. There aresome guys in the before black forum on this site that have quick carbed Turbos. They can get you headed in the right direction.

 

[KidWithARegal]

Hola!

yeah. bought for $625 i think, but had to drive to oklahoma to get it (im in houston). Item #320010239029. Horrible paint job on it tho. I don't think they even sanded the old paint off before they started. Btw, what are the tire sizes I can put on it? I cant find the right freakin information anywhere. I need new tires, and I'm planning on buying new rims (on eBay too, lol). But I need to find out how wide, and what radius the tires can fit on it.

 

[jhef83]

Externally the 383 is no bigger than the 305 these cars came with so yes it will fit no problem. You would have to change to Chevy frame mounts which is a big pain though. And a tranny swap to at least a 350 turbo. And a larger radiator. I like the 84-85 T/type wheels. I see them alot on Ebay pretty cheap. 15 inch aluminum. Or are you wanting 24's

 

[KidWithARegal]

Hola Again!

I'm not getting the large wheels (once you need a lift to even fit). Maybe later though But, It has 205/75/14 on it now, and I can go bigger. But I'm not sure exactly what size I can get up to. For instance, how wide the tires can be, and how big they can be (height). If you or anyone else knows, please lemme know. I still have the original rims on it, and maybe even original tires (they are cracked a little bit on sidewall). Kinda funny though. If I even accelerate a little hard, I'll start burning out. And I don't even have the turbo. Well, I guess thats kinda dangerous too though. Anyways, thanks Jhef83.

Btw, do you know if the long block 383 would fit also? or just the short. Thanks again...

 

[jhef83]

Short block just means without the heads on. Long block is with heads on. :biggrin: