My 1986 Buick GX1 (GN)

[1986 Buick GX1]

I've visited from time to time over the last 10 yrs. now it's time to be active.
This is my 1986 Buick GN, bought new from Richard motors LTD in Charles city Iowa. I ordered the car May 10 and picked it up two months later (July 10) with less than 3 mi on the odometer and have enjoyed driving every one of the 71k mi that are on the car now.
I ordered it as a bare bones car with minimal options, halogen headlamps, carpet mats, digital dash, best radio and posi (posi was not standard equipment in '86). No power windows, no power door locks, no power seats, no power antenna. No heavy t-tops or sun roof.
The car weighs 3300lbs (3450 with me in it) at the elevator scale.
The GX1 is my thing, just something different.

A few mods:
TA49 turbo
80lb fuel injectors w/ TT 5.7-E85
Amped up DW300 fuel pump
Volt boosted
Hallman Pro boost controller
PTE plenum and RJC power plate
Mease 15 row stock location intercooler w/ TR Customs I/C tag
Custom 3.5 MAF pipe
Z06 85mm maf & X-lator
Kenne-Bell intake kool valves
DUI 10mm livewires
Dual 14in. slim line fans w/ custom shroud (3100 CFM)
Kenne-Bell ram air/ intercooler scoop
CPP under drive crank pulley
Custom alternator pulley w/ billet fan
GNX body brace
RJC motor brace
Husek 3021HF converter .085 EP
Art Carr shift kit w/ super extreme trans cooler
Ported factory headers
TA performance 3.5 down pipe
Connleys performance plus Mag tune 3in dual exhaust
Vacuum brake conversion w/ '86 Monte SS M/C, booster and pedal
SSBC rear disk brake kit
Kenne-Bell lift bars (lowers) - UMI Uppers
UMI performance 1" lowering springs
Bilstein shocks
Herb Adams/ Moroso swaybars
Front: 1 5/16" w/ heim joint end links, ADDCO urethane bushings
Rear: 1 1/2" (lower control arm mounted)
HRE 504 wheels
Front: 17x8.5 w/ 255/40-17 Dunlop SP8000
Rear: 17x9. w/ 285/40-17 Dunlop SP8000
ATR diff girdle
Kirbans Grand National horn medallion
BGC seatbelt guides
199 mph digital dash upgrade w/ built in detonation detector & tinted lens
Custom SS ashtray 6 switch panel with brake light cutout, fog light, high/ low/ delay off fan control and fuel pump shut off switches +2 X-tra
Hella vision + H4/ H1 conversion w/ LED
Factory look driving lights w/ H3 LED

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Instro84]

nice looking car

 

[VtheGNMan]

Stumbled upon the thread, typically don't watch this section. Nice ride! Not sure if you are interested but in the Midwest section there is a thread for Iowa guys. We are talking about having a get together in June. You are more than welcome to attend too.

 

[JOHNDEEREGN]

Nice Ride. I work for a company in Floyd, looking to move that way soon.

A few of my co-workers live in Charles City. Love the Pub on the Cedar

 

[blackazz]

Sweet looking ride!
By chance is that a Gonzo made hood pad?

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

Thank you for the welcome and the coments.
The hood pad is a bowling green customs/ southern kustoms racing unit I got in '03. I'm not sure they're still around or have them. They bragged that there was over 33,000 stitches in the embroidery. Nice pad, made of trunk carpet type material.

 

[TurboSkunk15]

nice GN welcome

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

I've never really been happy with the homemade mild steel 3in down pipe I made to clear the ATR headers so I decided to get a 3.5 SS TA down pipe through Gbp and ditch the ATR's.
I know the 3.5 DP is over kill, but I really liked the photos of how they fit. I took the header wrap off the ATR's and found a few cracks (I will fix them and sell them). A friend welded the flanges on my stock headers, I ported them slightly larger than the felpro 1400 gaskets just in case I want to run big heads.

I ceramic coated the headers and DP tungsten color. They turned out nice.

I just need to trim off a couple inches of the CPP mag tune muffler, weld on a 3.5 collector ring, make a short extension and all together again.
I revamped my factory looking fog lights with some better lights as well.

 

[blackazz]

Any info on the three gage pod under the radio?looks sweet.

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

Thank you. It's a 4 gauge pod. I made it out of sheet metal and welded the ends on. I didn't know the spacing should be wider so I had to trim the housings on a couple gauges but worked out well.
I trimmed out the plastic dash lens just behind the trim as well and glued a piece of tinted plexiglass in there for the blacked out look. The digi dash still shines through it well.

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

Better shot of gauge pod.

I built it in 1987, back then all you could get was the autometer classic gauges so I took them apart and painted the needles white instead of orange and painted the bezels black. It looks like I will have to redo a 30 PSI gauge. They have held up nice.

When I did the tinted dash lens I installed an LED knock detector display in the top right corner with a ribbon cable to the circuit board/ control box under the dash. I forget who made it, but it had a round green LED for ready and 7 round red LED's for knock detection (didn't want more the 4 knocks through the 1/4 mile). I changed the LED's to rectangular ones with a green, 4 yellow (warning) and 3 red (danger).

 

[Richbel]

nice ride!!

 

[VtheGNMan]

I like your fog light and parking light mod. Which ones did you use and how was the fit? Have to make your own bracket? Nice to see some ingenuity and thinking outside the box!

 

[VtheGNMan]

Better shot of gauge pod.
View attachment 264948

When I did the tinted dash lens I installed an LED knock detector display in the top right corner with a ribbon cable to the circuit board/ control box under the dash. I forget who made it, but it had a round green LED for ready and 7 round red LED's for knock detection (didn't want more the 4 knocks through the 1/4 mile). I changed the LED's to rectangular ones with a green, 4 yellow (warning) and 3 red (danger).

Any pics of the knock gauge mod? Lots of guys did the digital voltmeter in the dummy light spot, same kind of idea but led lights for each setting?

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

I think the knock detector was the prehistoric predecessor to the scanmaster. It only detects knock, it doesn't tell you how many degrees of knock retard, just that you have detonation so you can tune for none or just a little on 1-2 and 2-3 shifts.

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

I like your fog light and parking light mod. Which ones did you use and how was the fit? Have to make your own bracket? Nice to see some ingenuity and thinking outside the box!

Yes, make your own. The bracket is a big "L". Make your own holes in the front panel because you design them around whatever lights you use, you can match or contrast holes/ slots for the turn signal to show through. They would have to be shallow lights to fit into the bumper cavity though. Maybe some old Pilot brand h3 projectors. I used 1 7/8"X 5? driving lights off EBay. I bought the same lights from Walmart 5 yrs ago for my '94 Olds Cutlass Convertible. I'll see if I can find them, but really it's up to your imagination, what you think is "bitch'n dude".

Added link to factory look fog light how to.
https://www.turbobuick.com/threads/gn-factory-look-driving-fog-lights.433004/

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

These are the lights I used, the letter "S" ones. Pilot has several others that will fit as well.

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

I just modified an Autometer 30lb boost gauge to match the ones I did years ago.
With the E85 conversion and running 25lb + boost levels I needed to ditch the 20lb gauge.
With a small screwdriver pry the back of the bezel away from the gauge, working your way all the way around.

Pull the bezel off.

After the tail of the needle is trimmed off and some black and white paint applied. You can choose a color that matches your set up.

Reinstall the bezel, bend the back edge of the bezel over the housing and your done. Since I had to get the Z series gauge, I will be installing the painted (classic gauge) bezel from the old gauge.

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

I bought a Mease 15 row SLIC from jdpolzin, got it cleaned up. I sanded down the rough casting marks and installed a reproduction I/C tag from TR Customs.

 

[1986 Buick GX1]

The new gauges smaller plastic housing made it a little difficult to crimp the old "classic gauge" bezel back on, but it is back on and looks right at home.
When running all out with the needles all pointing straight up it only takes a glance to see all is well, no need to look and try to figure out what number the needle is on.

I'll have to update the photo when it's warm enough to have the overhead door open and can get some light in there.
Edited: better photo loaded.