MY next project car! hopefully

[BOOSTonHanD]

Just a thought but im thinking of picking up a 89- 94 240sx coupe (s13) and im thinking of swapping a GRAND national engine. I like the body of a grand national but to expensive for whats out there. Im trying to build something some what inexpensive, So I was thinking of a 240 light, rear wheel, and they look clean and the grand national engine becasue I could pick one up for pretty cheap and its turbo. I think it wont be hard to do but I think it will moslty be just for that wow factor. MY buddy aslo has a 6.0 vortec that I was thinking but I like the grand national idea more. just a thought. has anyone seen one before. ive searched some and have really only came across ls1 and small blocks but never a grand national. please give me your input. and like I said its just an idea. probably turn it into a drag car.

[BOOSTonHanD]

this is what I would want the 240 to look like some what!

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/typeralph/vehicals/e9_3.jpg

and here is a GNX
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/typeralph/vehicals/1987BUICKGNXCOUPE.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/typeralph/vehicals/53217634_pr.jpg

and here is one of our freinds with his high 7 sec GN. This thing is crazy!!!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/typeralph/vehicals/chow.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/typeralph/vehicals/chows.jpg

dyno video
http://www.bgnra.org/Chris_Chow_Dyno_Burn.htm
and a mid 8 pass
http://www.bgnra.org/chris_chow_sacramento.htm

[ZK]

Anything that big will make the front of the car too heavy and ruin the balance of the S13 chasis. Even the guys doing the Skyline RB motor swaps unbalance the car. The best motor is still the SR20DET which it came with in Japan. The KA24DE stock motor is also not too bad although underpowered. Also be prepared to spend a crap load of money.

I easily blew 20K building and restoring my 240SX to like new condition + countless days and nights of headaches with all the problems associated with a project car. Project cars are only fun if you got the money and time to put into it. But damn, I loved that car and it was a blast to drive.
http://www.rspec.org/ryoohki/240sxpics/240sideview.jpg

[DaveLC2]

Just a thought but im thinking of picking up a 89- 94 240sx coupe (s13) and im thinking of swapping a GNX motor (4.8 or 4.3 I forget turbo engine) . I like the body of a grand national but to expensive for whats out there. Im trying to build something inexpensive, So I was thinking of a 240 light, rear wheel, and they look clean and the GNX motor becasue I could pick one up for pretty cheap and its turbo. I think it wont be hard to do but I think it will moslty be just for that wow factor. MY buddy aslo has a 6.0 vortec that I was thinking but I like the GNX idea more. just a thought. has anyone seen one before. ive searched some and have really only came across ls1 and small blocks but never a grand national. please give me your input. and like I said its just an idea. probably turn it into a drag car.

Another Turbo Buick fan :shock: Right on 8) Chris Chow's WE-4 is totally crazy and he's a nut for running that is his stock style rear suspension set up. I've seen him run at Sac when he was running low 9's with his current set up. The car looked like a total hand full. Here's my current domestic project car.

http://tinypic.com/ogxh5v.jpg

http://tinypic.com/qnjrzt.jpg

http://tinypic.com/r76smd.jpg

Here's what the motor looked like when it was still in my donor car (86 Buick Regal T-type) before it was pulled out.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/560000-560999/560870_34_full.jpg


LC2 3.8 Litre block after being torn down.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/560000-560999/560870_35_full.jpg

LC2 3.8 Litre block after it was built by my friend and I.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/560000-560999/560870_31_full.jpg

Dave

[MarkSAE]

With all the custom fabrication that will have to go into a project like this, it will not be "inexpensive".

[BOOSTonHanD]

sorry for bringing it up but I think I seen your car for sale on craigslist not to long ago. I remember you selling it and i guess the guy who had it sold it otr at least tried to sell it.

The cool thing is I have alot of friends that have shops. Where we can work on it and even store it for when I dont have the time. But like i said its just a thought. And the whole comment on throwing off the balance is not totaly correct because the LS1 engine is not to far off from the KA engine in terms of weight and im almost certain the GNX motor is lighter, Ive read it on a few forums. So its nothing some good old suspensions work couldnt correct. I hope! but trying to fit the GNX engine in the 240 might be the problem. And im not to anal on the looks of the 240 so I wont spend to much so I think. but thanks for your input.

[DaveLC2]

There were only 547 GNX's produced in 1987. ASC McLaren took 547 Buick Grand National's and converted them into GNX's. The heads were apparently cleaned up, it's fitted with a ceramic wheeled turbo for quicker spool up, a more effecient intercooler, external trans cooler, special chip program, modified valve body with increased line pressure for quicker shifts and a sweet Steward Warner gauge cluster in the dash plus light weight wheels and a trick rear suspension. Those are most of the differences that I can remember off of the top of my head. It would be very hard to find a complete GNX drivetrain since there only 547 ever produced. Between GN's and T-type's there were over 30,000 LC2's made for 86 & 87. You can find a complete drivetrain for around $1,500 on craigslist or some of the Turbo Buick forums.

Dave

[BOOSTonHanD]

Just a thought but im thinking of picking up a 89- 94 240sx coupe (s13) and im thinking of swapping a GNX motor (4.8 or 4.3 I forget turbo engine) . I like the body of a grand national but to expensive for whats out there. Im trying to build something inexpensive, So I was thinking of a 240 light, rear wheel, and they look clean and the GNX motor becasue I could pick one up for pretty cheap and its turbo. I think it wont be hard to do but I think it will moslty be just for that wow factor. MY buddy aslo has a 6.0 vortec that I was thinking but I like the GNX idea more. just a thought. has anyone seen one before. ive searched some and have really only came across ls1 and small blocks but never a grand national. please give me your input. and like I said its just an idea. probably turn it into a drag car.

Another Turbo Buick fan :shock: Right on 8) Chris Chow's WE-4 is totally crazy and he's a nut for running that is his stock style rear suspension set up. I've seen him run at Sac when he was running low 9's with his current set up. The car looked like a total hand full. Here's my current domestic project car.

http://tinypic.com/ogxh5v.jpg

http://tinypic.com/qnjrzt.jpg

http://tinypic.com/r76smd.jpg

Here's what the motor looked like when it was still in my donor car (86 Buick Regal T-type) before it was pulled out.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/560000-560999/560870_34_full.jpg


LC2 3.8 Litre block after being torn down.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/560000-560999/560870_35_full.jpg

LC2 3.8 Litre block after it was built by my friend and I.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/560000-560999/560870_31_full.jpg

Dave

cool project! is that a elco your putting it in? you first picture of the doner car looked hella clean. and for chris his car is crazy, do you know if he sold his I think 10 sec buick. I know he was keeping his daily but he has another one that we took to arizona but he brought it back and I havent heard what he is doing with it? yeah their bad ass cars and its crazy how when they hear T-type or GN people kind of trip out. keep up the good work and keep me posted on the progress.

[BOOSTonHanD]

Sorry for my usage of the GNX and grand national ive ment grand national and when I said 4.3 or 4.8 I was thinking cyclone and typhoon (I know same engine) so sorry once again for my minimal knowledge of the vehical, Im trying. my buddies throw so much damn info at me that I get lost.

[DaveLC2]

Are you talking about the 2-tone one that was stolen and recovered (thanks to Lojack) within a day or two? I think that car put down 457hp at the wheels at a dyno day a couple of yrs ago but I believe it's been modified further since. Here's what my car "Used" to look like before some thugs stole it It was recovered 2 months and 4,300 miles later in East Oakland totaled with massive rear damage


http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/8/web/560000-560999/560870_17_full.jpg

Dave

[DaveLC2]

Sorry for my usage of the GNX and grand national ive ment grand national and when I said 4.3 or 4.8 I was thinking cyclone and typhoon (I know same engine) so sorry once again for my minimal knowledge of the vehical, Im trying. my buddies throw so much damn info at me that I get lost.

No worries. The Turbo Buick's have a 3.8 Litre engine with a distributorless ignition system and the Syclone/Typhoons have a 4.3 Liter V6 with a Distributar in the rear I believe. GM was going to use the 3.8 in it and the original prototype actually has a GN motor in it. The Sy/Ty's also have a liquid intercooler set up which heat soaks very fast.

Dave

[BOOSTonHanD]

oh shit sorry I knew that the syclone and grand national engine were different but i was stating that the syclone and typhoon were the same. By any chance did you purchase this from a dude named mike? It looks clean and I remember this dude Mike Aceves selling one almost exact to some guy for like 5 or 5700 some where around there. I thought T-types were also liquid cooled? maybe a certain year or model I forgot what I heard about that. yeah my old time friend of the family also has two typhoons that are pretty clean. His name is Danny Miller and I think he has two white ones and one he uses as his daily. pretty clean all wheel drive 4.3 turbo mid size suv. and damn that sucks when you have something so clean and some one thinks they could just come by and take it. Its cool that you atleast got it back. sucks it was crashed.

[DaveLC2]

oh shit sorry I knew that the syclone and grand national engine were different but i was stating that the syclone and typhoon were the same. By any chance did you purchase this from a dude named mike? It looks clean and I remember this dude Mike Aceves selling one almost exact to some guy for like 5 or 5700 some where around there. I thought T-types were also liquid cooled? maybe a certain year or model I forgot what I heard about that. yeah my old time friend of the family also has two typhoons that are pretty clean. His name is Danny Miller and I think he has two white ones and one he uses as his daily. pretty clean all wheel drive 4.3 turbo mid size suv. and damn that sucks when you have something so clean and some one thinks they could just come by and take it. Its cool that you atleast got it back. sucks it was crashed.

The Turbo Buicks have smallish air to air intercoolers. ATR sold a liquid intercooler for Turbo Buicks but they were very expensive. I bought my T-type from a couple in Gilroy named Rick and Shannon for $6,000 back in '99 with 80,000 miles on it. I've always loved the Syclones and Typhoon's. They look like a pain to work on and they are really high theft like Turbo Buicks. I purchased the El Camino for a mere $975 at a Salvation Army :lol:

Dave