Dennis Kirban
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2009
- Messages
- 4,765
kirban 2 cents worth
Moving a long lets next look at the seat options starting with the 1987 and working backwards. Like I did with the radios. Most will agree, that the bucket seats was the most popular option in the 1987 Turbo-Ts except of course not in the Limited Turbo-T versions. The trunk ID code for bucket seats was AR9 which included the console was $195. You would also have the console code which is D55. Granted under the WE2 code for Grand National you would still have these two codes on your trunk ID label.
For whatever reason they only put an ashtray on the back of the drivers seat back and not the passenger in the bucket seats. The same is not true on the Limited pillow style seats they got an ash try on both seat backs as did the earlier Lear Siegler seats.
Not a great idea to encourage smokers in the back seat with no windows that go down!
In the bucket seat version they had a total of 4 colors available besides the two tone GN seats. All the material for these bucket seats was called Pallex cloth according to the 1987 Dealer Album.
The colors for the bucket seats options were: Blue, tan, gray, and dark red. Of these colors I would say tan and grey are the toughest colors to maintain.
As for combos with tan and dark red cloth to find them in a black Turbo-T is fairly rare since most owners would go with grey. (I have only had one of each). Another rare combo would be to have a blue cloth in a silver or grey Turbo-T as again grey would be the more popular color.
Again these findings are based on cars I have owned.
The dealer album for 1987 also shows a solid bench notch back seat and a split 55/45 bench seat. Of these two bench seat versions I would say that the solid bench seat would be the rarest based on what I have owned. Unfortunately, for some reason these seat options do not appear in the price guides I have. The code would be A65 for the notch back and AM6 for the 55/45 split bench seat.
Both these versions have a fold down armrest that is more useful than the pad on the center console is for the bucket seat cars.
Once again their code system is not very consistant. One code is A65 other is AM6 you would think code would be somewhat in some sort of order.
They never offered a power seat option for the passenger side bucket seat. However as some of you may know years ago at least to me the person that discovered what works was Pete Serio the window rattle guy. Others may have known it beforehand but he is the one that brought it to my attention and of course installed one in my 3rd test car.
The trick is not with the motor assembly, it was locating a passenger side panel for the 6 way power switch. To my knowledge, only one GM car had that exact image for the passenger side and it was in the Caddy Cimarrons. This was the small Caddy that proved to be a flop in the late 1980s. These Cimarrons were made 1983 thru 1988 if I recall. I am not 100% sure if the power seat panel was the same for every year Cimarron but they probably were. The actual seat track itself from the Caddy will not work as it is too narrow. A lot more details can be found in my Kirbans Guide Book.
In the Limited Turbo-Ts you had 2 leather seat options tan Sierra, or Doeskin (grey). While they are called leather they actually had leather top surfaces and vinyl side panels. Usually referred to as pillow style seats. Thy were an extra cost on a Turbo-T Limited which included the DE9 console was $377.00.
This console is usually referred to as the half console since these cars were column shift. As you can imagine any parts for this style console today is hard to find.
The cloth seats in the pillow style for the Turbo-T limited were 5 different colors according to the dealer album. Sage, blue, grey, tan, dark red. Based on my experience sage and tan cloth would be the rarest. Sage was only offered on 2 exterior colors most of the others could be had with 4 to 7 exterior colors another reason sage would be a rare seat color today in Turbo-T Limited.
I don't think they ever offered a power pillow passenger seat however they did have a recliner option. Going by memory this would be a small metal handle on the side of the passenger seat.
Obviousily in 1987 anything on a Limited Turbo-T is rarer that a regular Turbo-T.
They built 1,035 Turbo-T Limiteds which is included in the 20,441 total Limiteds that year. Of that total 20,441 built 792 received the grey leather pillow seats and 338 received the tan leather pillow seats. I was never able to get the break down any further than that to mesh with the Turbo-T production. So if you have a Turbo-T Limited with tan leather or sage cloth, chances are slim you will see another one now that 23 plus years has passed.
It would have been nice if Buick had run a different series of VIN numbers for the Turbo Regals it would have made everything easier to compute, like GMC did with the Syclone.
tis it for this post to digest.
kirbanperformance.com
denniskirban@yahoo.com
More tomorrow......still anyone 51 and down or 98 or more? Also the gas hood shock question is still unanswered.
Moving a long lets next look at the seat options starting with the 1987 and working backwards. Like I did with the radios. Most will agree, that the bucket seats was the most popular option in the 1987 Turbo-Ts except of course not in the Limited Turbo-T versions. The trunk ID code for bucket seats was AR9 which included the console was $195. You would also have the console code which is D55. Granted under the WE2 code for Grand National you would still have these two codes on your trunk ID label.
For whatever reason they only put an ashtray on the back of the drivers seat back and not the passenger in the bucket seats. The same is not true on the Limited pillow style seats they got an ash try on both seat backs as did the earlier Lear Siegler seats.
Not a great idea to encourage smokers in the back seat with no windows that go down!
In the bucket seat version they had a total of 4 colors available besides the two tone GN seats. All the material for these bucket seats was called Pallex cloth according to the 1987 Dealer Album.
The colors for the bucket seats options were: Blue, tan, gray, and dark red. Of these colors I would say tan and grey are the toughest colors to maintain.
As for combos with tan and dark red cloth to find them in a black Turbo-T is fairly rare since most owners would go with grey. (I have only had one of each). Another rare combo would be to have a blue cloth in a silver or grey Turbo-T as again grey would be the more popular color.
Again these findings are based on cars I have owned.
The dealer album for 1987 also shows a solid bench notch back seat and a split 55/45 bench seat. Of these two bench seat versions I would say that the solid bench seat would be the rarest based on what I have owned. Unfortunately, for some reason these seat options do not appear in the price guides I have. The code would be A65 for the notch back and AM6 for the 55/45 split bench seat.
Both these versions have a fold down armrest that is more useful than the pad on the center console is for the bucket seat cars.
Once again their code system is not very consistant. One code is A65 other is AM6 you would think code would be somewhat in some sort of order.
They never offered a power seat option for the passenger side bucket seat. However as some of you may know years ago at least to me the person that discovered what works was Pete Serio the window rattle guy. Others may have known it beforehand but he is the one that brought it to my attention and of course installed one in my 3rd test car.
The trick is not with the motor assembly, it was locating a passenger side panel for the 6 way power switch. To my knowledge, only one GM car had that exact image for the passenger side and it was in the Caddy Cimarrons. This was the small Caddy that proved to be a flop in the late 1980s. These Cimarrons were made 1983 thru 1988 if I recall. I am not 100% sure if the power seat panel was the same for every year Cimarron but they probably were. The actual seat track itself from the Caddy will not work as it is too narrow. A lot more details can be found in my Kirbans Guide Book.
In the Limited Turbo-Ts you had 2 leather seat options tan Sierra, or Doeskin (grey). While they are called leather they actually had leather top surfaces and vinyl side panels. Usually referred to as pillow style seats. Thy were an extra cost on a Turbo-T Limited which included the DE9 console was $377.00.
This console is usually referred to as the half console since these cars were column shift. As you can imagine any parts for this style console today is hard to find.
The cloth seats in the pillow style for the Turbo-T limited were 5 different colors according to the dealer album. Sage, blue, grey, tan, dark red. Based on my experience sage and tan cloth would be the rarest. Sage was only offered on 2 exterior colors most of the others could be had with 4 to 7 exterior colors another reason sage would be a rare seat color today in Turbo-T Limited.
I don't think they ever offered a power pillow passenger seat however they did have a recliner option. Going by memory this would be a small metal handle on the side of the passenger seat.
Obviousily in 1987 anything on a Limited Turbo-T is rarer that a regular Turbo-T.
They built 1,035 Turbo-T Limiteds which is included in the 20,441 total Limiteds that year. Of that total 20,441 built 792 received the grey leather pillow seats and 338 received the tan leather pillow seats. I was never able to get the break down any further than that to mesh with the Turbo-T production. So if you have a Turbo-T Limited with tan leather or sage cloth, chances are slim you will see another one now that 23 plus years has passed.
It would have been nice if Buick had run a different series of VIN numbers for the Turbo Regals it would have made everything easier to compute, like GMC did with the Syclone.
tis it for this post to digest.
kirbanperformance.com
denniskirban@yahoo.com
More tomorrow......still anyone 51 and down or 98 or more? Also the gas hood shock question is still unanswered.
)
