Newbie Question, Why are GNXs going for 100k and TTAs going for 28k?

Welcome!

By registering with us, you'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

SignUp Now!
No I've never changed a fuel pump in a TTA....I have heard you have to drop the rear end assembly to do it....though I have heard of people cutting a hole in the metal over where the pump is to make an access door to the fuel pump.

I didn't think they'd have a rough ride...I've heard the Regal rides better but is not much of a corner carver as opposed to a TTA. So is this so on all 3rd gen F body cars?
Yes, the fuel pump is harder to get to, takes an additional hour to remove the rear, and an additional hour to put it back, 2 extra hours that you will need to do in the lifetime of the car, all else the same or just as easy/hard as a GN. Yes, it does ride harsh compared to the cushy ride of the GN, but will out corner the GN by far, yes all 3rd gen f-bods ride fairly harsh... the TTA will out corner the '95 and '99 TAs I have as well stock for stock suspension.

Don't know where the loud ride comment comes from, maybe the sound dampening padding was removed to make the car lighter or something, mine is as quiet as any other car I have..actually quiter than the verts :)

And who cares that Kirban and Richard won't touch them, there's a lot of cars they do not deal with as its not their expertise..its probably because they have a much smaller market as most people don't know about them, everyone knows what a GN is and about the twin turbo v8 option :D , afterall, those guys are in it to make money and turn cars quickly.
 
Yes, the fuel pump is harder to get to, takes an additional hour to remove the rear, and an additional hour to put it back, 2 extra hours that you will need to do in the lifetime of the car, all else the same or just as easy/hard as a GN. Yes, it does ride harsh compared to the cushy ride of the GN, but will out corner the GN by far, yes all 3rd gen f-bods ride fairly harsh... the TTA will out corner the '95 and '99 TAs I have as well stock for stock suspension.

Don't know where the loud ride comment comes from, maybe the sound dampening padding was removed to make the car lighter or something, mine is as quiet as any other car I have..actually quiter than the verts :)

And who cares that Kirban and Richard won't touch them, there's a lot of cars they do not deal with as its not their expertise..its probably because they have a much smaller market as most people don't know about them, everyone knows what a GN is and about the twin turbo v8 option :D , afterall, those guys are in it to make money and turn cars quickly.

I knew there was a reason why i liked you so much :biggrin:
 
You've Obviously Never changed a Fuel Pump in a TTA, I have, Twice, ..MAJOR Major PITA!!
And thier way LOUD(Major Road noise) & Ride Rough Bone Stock, compared to a Regal, or Any Modern pony car...

I have changed a fuel pump 3 times all in less then 1 hour one I did at the track...do a search for "how to change a tta fuel pump in 30 minutes or less" ;)

The TTA wasn't designed to be comfortable...it was designed to go 170 mph, was basical a factory race car. It is firm and stable, with a good set of tire handles awesome. I wouldn't want to be in a stock or even a modified GN going anywhere near 170 especialy turning...don't even want to turn a stock GN much over 70 or 80 mph :eek:

When I close my dump, roll up the windows and turn on the AC my TTA is nice and quiet and comfortable enough to drive wherever I choose...it's real fast, handles awesome and most of all I love my TTA :cool:
 
when i close my dump, roll up the windows and turn on the ac my tta is nice and quiet and comfortable enough to drive wherever i choose...it's real fast, handles awesome and most of all i love my tta :cool:

x1000
 
seriously who would cut a hole to change a fuel pump in a TTA ? I have a beater an i wouldnt do that .... an my beater doesnt look bad :D
 
seriously who would cut a hole to change a fuel pump in a TTA ? I have a beater an i wouldnt do that .... an my beater doesnt look bad :D

I would/did and would do it again...if done right there is nothing wrong with it...butcher it up yeah but I don't butcher anything and am a perfectionist when it comes to mechanical fabrication. All the purist can cry all they want but when they are out far from home without a trailer and the fuel pump goes up have fun paying somebody to do it. I can change my fuel pump on the side of the road if I have to. My access panel is a clean as it gets with S/S press in nuts & screws, silicone gasket and 1/16" S/S access cover. Under the carpet nobody will ever know its there and will thank me it they ever need to replace the pump again. I do not regret doing this mod at all...in all reality it is something GM should have done in the 1st place...pretty much all the import's have access panels :rolleyes:

5,133 view's and only a couple say it was a mistake...the post is linked to pretty much all the F-body sites and I get e-mails from F-body guys all over the country asking for a kit of info on doing this.

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/tu...how-change-tta-fuel-pump-30-minutes-less.html

Sorry for the off topic hi-jack :rolleyes:

TTA's will have their day...GNX is more rare then the TTA with 1/3 the amout built, TTA's are very rare as well with only 1555 built and now with Pontiac going away their value should start to climb more. There is a book from a few years back that list the top 100 most collectable cars and the TTA is in the list. Plus stock vs. stock the TTA was faster then both the GN & GNX :biggrin:

Scott
 
quick and fun 3rd gen F bodies are common- even from the factory. the TPI Camaros and Firebirds were pretty quick for the time, and they were dirt cheap. the little V6 with the turbo and that weird little radiator thing plumbed in between the turbo and throttle body just added too much complexity with not enough gain for a lot of people.
but a fast factory 80's G body is a true oddity. the 84-87 turbo Buicks were pretty much the only impressive factory G bodies, which sort of adds to their mystique- and thus their relative value.
 
Thats you i wouldnt ... i have trailers an people who would get me... how many third gen firehawk owners asked you ? NONE hope your car is a REAL beater because soon as you tell me you cut a hole in it for the fuel pump i would say thank you an hang up if i was interested in buying it. my beater has 46k miles .
 
Thats you i wouldnt ... i have trailers an people who would get me... how many third gen firehawk owners asked you ? NONE hope your car is a REAL beater because soon as you tell me you cut a hole in it for the fuel pump i would say thank you an hang up if i was interested in buying it. my beater has 46k miles .

I have had several owners of very nice low mileage TTA's contact me to do this to their cars when they are ready for a pump...and I'm sure there are some Firehawk guys who would as well and some who wouldn't and that's fine.

That's ok...I don't plan on selling it but if I did plenty will line up that wouldn't care and in fact would be thrilled o buy my car...and no my car is far from a beater. It just turned 50K and has been garaged since new, stored all winter, only been driven in the rain by accident a few times and until I added some bolt-on's was 100% stock/original...including paint & interior. It also has several 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies at some very big 1,000+ participant car shows. So no I'm not worried about you tuning me down for a very nice and valuable modification. I do however respect you as a fellow owner...your opinion is yours and mine is mine they just differ a little on a few things :cool:
 
For a stocker car that is not modified, you will need to change the pump only 1 time in your lifetime if you use a good quality pump. It takes an additional 2 hours tops to drop the rear and the exhaust and put it back, can the DIY'er cut a hole and do it as nice as Scott has in less than 2 hours for a 1 time use? I can't.
You have to drop the rears on the 4th gens too.
But if you have other plans for your car other than keeping it stock then there may be a need to get at the pump more often and if Scott doesn't mind and the car is modified already why not make an access panel.
 
For a stocker car that is not modified, you will need to change the pump only 1 time in your lifetime if you use a good quality pump. It takes an additional 2 hours tops to drop the rear and the exhaust and put it back, can the DIY'er cut a hole and do it as nice as Scott has in less than 2 hours for a 1 time use? I can't.
You have to drop the rears on the 4th gens too.
But if you have other plans for your car other than keeping it stock then there may be a need to get at the pump more often and if Scott doesn't mind and the car is modified already why not make an access panel.

Rob,

When I did mine I looked at the job and not having a lift I decided it was going to be a royal pita so know I could do a nice job I went that route. I only planned on changing the pump once but 400 miles later my new Walbro turned out to be one of the factory rejects. It failed on my way to a BPG event about 10 mile short of the track. I was able to limp it there and a friend picked up a OEM pump from a auto parts store on his way. When my Walbro replacement came six months later I changed the pump again...3 times in less then 1 year. So yeah it was a modification that has been well appreciated not once but three times. You are correct that not everyone has the skill or the tools and supply's to do the job like I did so yes it can be very difficult to do it in a way that doesn't turn into a disaster. A lot of guys want me to make a kit but the problem is coming up with something that the average guy can do without having to buy expensive tools. I'm very fortunate to have the resources and mechanical ability to do things like this from experience acquired from 30+ years of fabricating. The job most certainly isn't for everyone that is for sure. Some day if I get motivated I'll find a economical way to put together a kit that the average DIY'er can do ;)

Man...all you guys have some real nice cars !!! :cool:

Scott
 
True, but thier Also INSANLY Expensive! Compared to a Clean Low mile BPU
TR! And they Respond REAL Well to your Insurance companys bottom Line, ie.$$$ to insure, compared to a Clean Low mile BPU TR:)
I don't know, 86t... Roughly $40k for a new Vette... Maybe $5k in mods to run strong 10s in the 1/4, plus get 28-ish MPG, be able to cut a curve big time and have a ton of creature comforts to boot... I don't really see that as being all too expensive in the grand scheme of things.

Now all of that said, I see 10 Vettes running around every time I leave my house. I see 1 TR running around (2 if my buddy Ron decides to actually drive his that day :D). So I do prefer the more limited factor of the TR.
 
I don't know, 86t... Roughly $40k for a new Vette... Maybe $5k in mods to run strong 10s in the 1/4, plus get 28-ish MPG, be able to cut a curve big time and have a ton of creature comforts to boot... I don't really see that as being all too expensive in the grand scheme of things.

Now all of that said, I see 10 Vettes running around every time I leave my house. I see 1 TR running around (2 if my buddy Ron decides to actually drive his that day :D). So I do prefer the more limited factor of the TR.

How many TTA's do you see ?
 
How many TTA's do you see ?
That last TTA I saw was in MO last year. That was the first one I had seen in probably a year or longer. I never have seen many of those on the road. But considering the rarity, that's understandable.

I just hope to see one in my garage one day. My TR needs a stable mate. :cool:
 
I don't know, 86t... Roughly $40k for a new Vette... Maybe $5k in mods to run strong 10s in the 1/4, plus get 28-ish MPG, be able to cut a curve big time and have a ton of creature comforts to boot... I don't really see that as being all too expensive in the grand scheme of things..

$40k can buy TWO Mint GN's, and maybe THREE TTA's!!:smile: And 5K Just in MODS is a LOT of Money!! And i LEFT OUT the POWERTRAIN WARRANTY being VOIDED on the Modded Vettes too!! WOW that REALLY Does add up!!:eek:

But if your Single with no kids etc., or an Internet Millionare....
 
$40k can buy TWO Mint GN's, and maybe THREE TTA's!!:smile: And 5K Just in MODS is a LOT of Money!! And i LEFT OUT the POWERTRAIN WARRANTY being VOIDED on the Modded Vettes too!! WOW that REALLY Does add up!!:eek:

But if your Single with no kids etc., or an Internet Millionare....

Or better yet, buy 4 Gns and 1 1/2 mint TTA's for 40K... :biggrin:
 
Back
Top