SO, what is the next big thing?

[getdowngranny]

I know many of you consider it blasphemy when we swap out the LC2 for something else. I myself am a bit of a purist and think that if you have a Turbo Buick it should stay V-6 powered. I love the LS sawps and every other motor but its just not for me and my buick. BUT the 3800 seres II motor has been successfully installed by one of our members in the past with great results. I feel that the 3800 motor has even more potential than our stndard 109 motors and are a dime a dozen. The technology is ahead of the 109 and they have proven themselves in the past. If someone were to come out with a full "swap kit" i.e. headers, downpipe, computer, etc.... they would really be on to something. Hell, if that were to happen at an affordable price I would be willing to buy a roller, intall the "swap", and have it as my "beater". I would run it balls to the wall and ont be too concerned about blowing it up and having to find a replacement motor at a decent price. Just a thought....

 

[forcefed3.8's]

Compression, fast ramp cam, spring pressure.

 

[bison]

I have said it many times before, I am looking into increasing displacement. I like the use of a 3.75 stroke crank that has been in existence for 25+ years. There has to be something else in the cylinder head dept. There have only been about 7 or so different heads since the beginning production and stage. Maybe a Canted valve design or an OHV type. ( Take the cam out of the block ) Let every member make a contribution in the name of Research and Development towards a TA Performance or Champion or any particpating vendor towards the R and D of much wanted ( needed) parts. TA can possibly make the raised cam block or change the head design( not that they need to either head). Champion can continue the Iron stage 2 block with a few twists or improvements. This R and D money could be used to approach big time companies like Brodix , Moroso ( who used to make a lot Buick parts - oil pans, oil pumps, vavle covers, etc...) or any of the new start up companies that's supporting the LS market. There are many companies out there looking for work to keep their employees busy, no matter how large or small the orders. Mike Licht you would know better than us the ins and outs of Buick V6 products( R and D, marketing , sales) I sure you've had products that you thought were the next big thing and wondered why it wasn't flying off the shelf. Like everyone has noticed , it is all based off of the races we that go to every year. The racers create the need to have products that have to be on the cutting edge of performance, reliability and durability. Bad news travels at the speed of light. Pick any product that had negative feedback. Most of the negative feedback stemmed from incorrect installs or something else other that the actual failure of the part. Call Mike at TA and tell him that all members of turbobuick.com each donated $100 bucks a piece toward R and D of any new product to help keep retail costs down and to speed up the process a little and watch what happens. A portion of the donation could be returned, ( or witten off on taxes), if that person purchases the product. I would be willing to put up a $100 toward block or cylinder head experiments. Name the companies willing to take on the projects. Sorry for jumping around. Ron

The blocks cam bearing bore location, deck height, and the fact that the cam journal is so small would require so much re-engineering that it's not cost effective to do it. Adding more stroke further aggravates the rod to cam clearance. Changing one thing requires many other things to be able to realize a benefit.

 

[dr_frankenstein]

I think one other thing too is the economy still sucks for many. A lot of people don't have the disposable $$$ to be racing a car, looking for max performance.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

who can afford it?

id be out racing on a track right now if i could afford to be... but i cant... with rule changes and class changes... and lack of local tracks... it makes it cost way too much to enjoy one weekend. Street racing is making a huge come back... because its what we can afford.

 

[tbone87]

2nd to that its all about the $$$$ now and how much u can spend. I would give my left nut to have a bad ass street/drag car but I cant maybe some day $$ is king and how much u can spend

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using TurboBuick Mobile mobile app

 

[Mike Licht]

So while we are talking turbos what very popular part that almost everyone owns, has hurt us far more than it ever helped? ........... The Terry Houston Downpipe, if it was not for stupid rules in early class racing like "no external wastegates" and the invention of this pipe for said rules and the ease of install we would all be using 4 bolt turbos with better turbine housings and external gates with better boost control. Feel free to discuss or disagree

 

[GetOwnedVette]

I have no problems with the Ls swapped cars but to me it takes away my favorite aspect of our cars...the sound. Nothing is better than building up a rowdy V6 and hearing what almost sounds like a v8 rumble with the seat shake to go with it...yet...more refined like a fine wine. As someone mentioned before our parts cost a lot.. due to the fact we don't have a passion for some cookie cutter muscle car you see 10 of at every car show. The second I hear a turbo regal my eyes and ears immediately lock onto it like a hawk <3

In this day and age if you are into TR's you simply must have a passion for them and not care about JUST making power and going fast...and definitely cant care about the money lol. I mean for what I have invested into my car I could have honestly had turn key stage 2 cars..yes plural delivered to my front door. But I try not to think about stuff like that....my regal will be the one car that never gets sold or traded so I try not to pay attention to the cost...it is simply a car that is my passion. I know every nut and bolt on this smelly car and have turned them all at least twice.

I myself am far from a master builder like some on this site...however I can definitely note and give my .02 that how we are tuning our cars with new computers and new fuel is definitely making them much faster..and with the reliability to boot. With so many fail safes built into these new programs it is definitely peace of mind knowing only a purely mechanical fail is going to wipe something out. We are definitely peaking in the computer era for sure.

To me the next best thing is simply keeping up with what new combinations work well....matching turbos to convertors....etc etc.... Most people always just wanna make higher dyno numbers when in reality its always just been the right combo of parts we already have available to us that makes these cars FAST. Watching someones face when they finally get the perfect convertor in their car is priceless.

 

[GetOwnedVette]

So while we are talking turbos what very popular part that almost everyone owns, has hurt us far more than it ever helped? ........... The Terry Houston Downpipe, if it was not for stupid rules in early class racing like "no external wastegates" and the invention of this pipe for said rules and the ease of install we would all be using 4 bolt turbos with better turbine housings and external gates with better boost control. Feel free to discuss or disagree

100% agree....these new turbos are so crazy boost control is definitely a problem. I have a 3" DP and Tial 38mm wastegate and already know its going to have a boost creep issue when it comes time to tune. Don't have the scratch to decide on a new WG yet though. Havent even researched wastegates for years.

 

[bison]

So while we are talking turbos what very popular part that almost everyone owns, has hurt us far more than it ever helped? ........... The Terry Houston Downpipe, if it was not for stupid rules in early class racing like "no external wastegates" and the invention of this pipe for said rules and the ease of install we would all be using 4 bolt turbos with better turbine housings and external gates with better boost control. Feel free to discuss or disagree

I strongly agree. The t4 tang and more recently investment cast v-band stainless ex housings are rarely put to proper use on our cars.

 

[dr_frankenstein]

if anything makes any of these cars faster...

its TurboBuick.com

the free exchange of information and data has forever changed the way these cars are being built and restored.

the better it gets here.... the faster WE all tend to go as a whole.

 

[tbone87]

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using TurboBuick Mobile mobile app

 

[Mike T]

Most of the time I do not question the price of a high quality well built product but I don't get why engine management systems haven't gotten cheaper over the years like other electronics. I would think this is the one product that you couldn't blame a small market for the higher price.

 

[rag231]

Yes engine management is a tough one to swallow $$$$ . It seems to be the best insurance policy for power.

 

[Nick Micale]

Most of the time I do not question the price of a high quality well built product but I don't get why engine management systems haven't gotten cheaper over the years like other electronics. I would think this is the one product that you couldn't blame a small market for the higher price.

Actually engine management systems have gotten less expensive, and you are a perfect example of that as you have a Maft Pro SD, a Powerlogger and I would guess a wideband O2!

Even using the original factory computer almost 30 years old, Bob and Eric have done wonders with it to bring 21st century electronic technology in our cars at a very reasonable cost.

Just the chip that can be "tuned" and adjusted by the owner is a big step forward.

The one weak link is the original engine harness that was marginal at best when new, and now they are having many "aging" problems. A large part of the cost of a FAST system is in the harness, so the computer cost itself is not that expensive, especially when you consider the new 2.0 XFI has many more features and capability than the Classic unit, and the cost comparison is even less than the Classic when you factor in inflation.

The way I look this situation is the stock computer and custom chip is more than adequate for most street cars, the PL and SD additions are excellent when some performance mods are done, and for race and competition use the XFI rules.

Define your performance goals and pick the one that fits best your budget.

 

[Mike T]

I consider my current setup a good value and only have between 6 or 8 hundred in everything. The chip was so close right out of the box the low range fuel was the only thing that was changed by a very small amount. Bob really deserves a lot of credit for what he has done to keep cost down and things moving forward.

 

[TurboBuRick]

Hey Mike,

Show the peep's how far you can go with the factory ECM!

I don't see the solid cam kit on your website. Got a link??

Rick

 

[rmar]

Didn't Ruggles design and run several aggressive/fast ramp cams years ago? I still run one of his designs
In a small 210-205.

 

[Mike Licht]

Didn't Ruggles design and run several aggressive/fast ramp cams years ago? I still run one of his designs
In a small 210-205.

Yes he did as a matter of fact I was around when that went down and Jim Haas from Florida got Ruggles a Diesel cam from some hot rod motor Cat or international had done with a turbo and he cam doctored it. That 210/205 was the result of that project. Jim and I had the first 2 and they worked well at the time but also at that time everyone was preaching stock cams or the 200/200 "club cam" as the ONLY thing that would work. it was really the beginning of the move to bigger cams which I think needs to happen again

 

[rmar]

It works great..likes air.. I'm waiting to see what comes out of this with a fast ramp roller (non custom) and head make up. Thanks to all who are sharing. Some secrets need to be told just to help preserve our small community.

Thanks
Ronnie

 

[Mike Licht]

Bison and I seem to be on a similar path but the way I see it we will most likely end up with a few cam grinds based on cylinder head type (iron or aluminum) and turbine wheel, the proper springs and torque converter will complete the package. I know this is where I am going, we have some things done and few still to test we will keep people informed for now if your ready for some parts call we can set you up.