New from Delaware

[Dads 86 GN]

Hello all. My name is Marc and the car is my dad's 86 GN. Long story kinda short is, unlike me my dad is really not a "car guy". In 1991 my dad happened to see a GN driving down the road. He didn't know what it was but he liked it. So after about 6 months of looking he found a really nice one and bought it. About 50k miles few bolt ons and black paint that looked like you could swim in it. Well, my dad lives in Maryland and he doesn't have a garage. After about 2 or 3 years of sitting outside in the elements the paint started cracking and peeling. The car had been re painted 2 or 3 times and never stripped. My dad loved that car soo much he was embarrassed to drive it looking that way. So it sat and sat and sat. Only being driven if he absolutely had to. Then my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Luckily they caught it early and he was able to make a full recovery from this extremely fatal type of cancer. Then after all that it sat for approx. 6 years in his yard. Uncovered, and unstarted. Last fall I was talking to him about it and he said he was thinking about selling it. I told him please dont! I told him if you can get it to me I will get it fixed up for him. (I live over 2 hours from him) He knows someone with a rollback so 2 weeks later it was in my garage. (October '14) The day after I got it I threw a battery in it and it fired right up. With alot of blow by tho.
This is what it looked like when I got it.

I dont have alot of free time and even less money. (1 ex wife 2 jobs and 3 kids). So this will be a long build. But it will be finished. By the way I am kind of "meticulous".
This is the one material possession my dad bought for himself and his butt belongs back in the seat behind the wheel of his dream car. This is what it looks like now.

The inside of the motor looks brand new! Except for the blown head gasket

But the interior is perfect.

Sorry for the long post. Glad to be here!

 

[SPOOLFOOL2]

Marc,
Welcome to the site.

The bad news: Your dad's car looks ugly and needs lots of work.

The good news: You have in your possession, one of the most iconic hot rods to ever come out of Detroit. Once restored to it's former glory, it will only go up in value, and will once again, (as Road and Track magazine said) "Lay waste to everything in site". The engine may still be good. It "may" just need a head gasket. This was a very common problem with these cars, as people learned the hard way, what worked and what didn't.

I'll bet you a beer here that you'll find a Kenne Bell chip in the ECU. (I like German beer).

Let us know what you need or any questions you might have. This is your thread. You own it. Please post up pictures as things progress.
Once again, welcome to the site and happy spooling.

Mike Barnard

 

[achalmersman]

Welcome fellow delawarian. Not too many of us especially down south. What parts are you in? I'm in the Camden / Felton / Harrington area.

Good luck with the resto. Hope to meet up someday

 

[Dads 86 GN]

@SPOOLFOOL2 Thanks for the welcome, even though you called my dad's beautiful GN ugly. Lol its all good. I have thick skin and a good sense of humor. Seriously tho the car honestly is not as bad as it looks. Considering years of neglect. The body is straight as an arrow and other than surface rust none to be found YET. The inside of the engine looks almost new. Still have the cross hatch marks in the cylinder walls, barely a mark on the lifters and cam lobes. And like I said interior is good as new.
I'll be contacting you soommedaay for some of your bumper fillers.
I'll be starting a resurrection thread when I get some more progress done.

 

[Dads 86 GN]

Welcome fellow delawarian. Not too many of us especially down south. What parts are you in? I'm in the Camden / Felton / Harrington area.

Good luck with the resto. Hope to meet up someday

You are like 5 minutes down the road from me. I live in magnolia. Hope to meet up someday and you can share some of your knowledge on these cars. I am still learning.

 

[achalmersman]

You are like 5 minutes down the road from me. I live in magnolia. Hope to meet up someday and you can share some of your knowledge on these cars. I am still learning.

Awesome. We need to meet up. I have an 87 GN and my father has a 87 Turbo Buick. I run the piss outta mine every chance I get. His is apart as it needs restored and a very long-term project (t-top car that sat outside all its life). He has had his since 1987 when he traded the original owner a car + cash.

I am still learning about these cars as well but if I can be of any help let me know. My father was a GM tech for 25 years and now has a shop of his own. Message me if you need any local help!

Edit: I should add that my expertise is limited to electrical & mechanical. Body work and fabrication is my major weakness.

 

[Dads 86 GN]

Awesome. We need to meet up. I have an 87 GN and my father has a 87 Turbo Buick. I run the piss outta mine every chance I get. His is apart as it needs restored and a very long-term project (t-top car that sat outside all its life). He has had his since 1987 when he traded the original owner a car + cash.

I am still learning about these cars as well but if I can be of any help let me know. My father was a GM tech for 25 years and now has a shop of his own. Message me if you need any local help!

Edit: I should add that my expertise is limited to electrical & mechanical. Body work and fabrication is my major weakness.

You wouldn't happen to be friends with Matt W***er would you?

 

[achalmersman]

PMed you