After I graduated HS in 92 I was looking for reliable transportation for college and my uncle worked at a car dealership. They had an 86 Buick Skyhawk T-type turbo that he wanted me to get so bad. My parents talked me into a plain jane Cavalier. I still kick myself for not getting that Skyhawk.
My pops had a 79 regal 3.8 turbo bought it brand new in 79 I used to love that car we would work on it for hours in the backyard my uncles wanted it so bad but he would never sell it until he junked it after having it for 36 years when I was 16 but he let me drive it for the very last time before we let it go I’ll never forget that rip pops thanks for all those memories
Nice ty for sharing that. This is how RU-vid is supposed to be. Bring people with similar interests together and not so much drama. Ty again for sharing 👍🇨🇦🔧
Everybody loves the Regal T-Type/Grand National, but completely forgets about every other Turbo/Supercharged performance package Buick offered from the 70’s-00’s.
@@michaeljordan6008exactly, people over romanticize about things and lie to themselves. Most cars sucked, mpg was trash, engines were underpowered, quality was garbage, but I love a good body 😂
Terrific video!. Turbo cars were such a black art in the 70's and early 80's. Few really understood them and the early draw-though designs were notoriously unreliable. It wasn't until the 1986 GN that most even took Buick performance seriously. Then the whole GN vs the world rivalry started. Good times, miss those days.
@@2steaksandwiches665bull crap. Chevrolet produced 60k plus Corvair Monza Spyders Turbos over many years. The '75 Porsche 911/930 was their first. BMW offered the 2002tii Turbo in limited number in 1973 becoming Europe's first turbo production car. Saab 98 Turbo was introduced for 1977.
@@BogattheMoon that’s true. I forgot about all those boomer cars. None of those were mass produced in large numbers other than the Corvair, but those were niche and short lived. And irrelevant. Saab 99 is still king of the first generation affordable turbos. People rmemebr Saabs fondly. The corvairs…cough.
I had an 83 t type for 24 years. 3.8 4 bbl carb. It ran good however it required lots of attention to stay running good. Tuning and carb adjustments and finding a new wastegate for the archaic air research turbo the car came with. Finding ethanol free fuel for the car was difficult. (Ethanol fuel corroded the carburetor internally) I upgraded to a 84 Grand National which I still own. I liked your video because I learned something about the Century models.
You are absolutely correct at the end there. The 86/87 Turbo Regals were the strongest because of the SFI and the addition of the intercooler. They also repositioned the turbo itself towards the front of the car so it was easier for it to pull in cooler air. This is what turned them into Porsche killers. The older Buick turbos had them tucked back towards the firewall.
We weren't worried about Porsche's back then...it was all about the big cousin in the family, the big bad Corvette is what sealed the Grand National's fate. People that owned Vettes were PISSED that "grandma's grocery getter" was stomping mud holes in their azzzzzes😂😂😂
We had a Turbo Monte Carlo in Driver's Training back in '89. The owner blew up the turbo, it was removed and converted to N/A after it was donated to the High School, with work being done by the auto shop class. It still had all it's badging and everything, just no turbo. A coworker asked me the other day if I knew they made one, and that brought this back. I think he watched this video, actually. haha
Saw a Buick Grand National in 1986. Wish I could have bought it. I seem to remember it wasn't terribly expensive either, under $20,000USD. At my age then, it probably would have cost that much a year to insure. But it sure was a great looking car, all black and chrome with the grey interior. If I had the money, and a garage, I'd try to find a G-body just for a comfy cruiser
I remember reading a "How-to" guide in a car magazine, circa 1990, on how to inspect a used turbo car for purchase. The example they used was a Riv, that's the only way I knew they existed, never saw one in the flesh back then.
I have a 1999 Buick century, 25 years old, my first car, 3.1 V6. It starts up everytime. Buick use to make solid engines. Shame that they've lost the people who cared about that.
Hate to break it to you, but the 3.1 was a Chevrolet engine. That being said, the 60 degree V6s the 3.1 were based on were and still are great engines still powering many cars and minivans to this day. I'll agree with you about Buick engines though. Buick died when the 3800 was discontinued.
Folks who commented that Oldsmobile was ranked above Buick in the GM hierarchy are confusing popularity with GM's intention for their marques. Buick was always intended to be a junior luxury brand even as badge engineering and brand overlap blurred the lines. There's a wealth of information from old-timers out there in print that will never make it onto the internet and that's a shame as a lot of the younger folks coming up with an interest in these things will only ever do their research online and it appears that what is accepted as fact of the matter will shift forever with the most accurate information lost forever in the digital age.
The timing of this video is right on for me! 1 week ago I was talking about a friend of mine who had the 79 Regal turbo coup. This was in 1982 when my buddy had that car. I couldn't remember what year it was until this video. The turbo puked in early 83, so he dumped it and got the 350 V-8 version since it had the same specs without the turbo. He said it was too expensive for him to justify replacing. The thing is, he was very easy on that car. He never beat on it. That's why he was so angry when the turbo died. He ended up installing true dual exhaust with an H pipe and glass packs. That knocked the power of the V-8 350 over top what his turbo V-6 was putting out, and he didn't have to worry about the turbo going out again. I tried to talk him into installing a turbo on his 350. He wasn't going for it.
My uncle runs a storage and moving company he also stores cars in his Warehouse, there is an 89 firebird turbo convertible with less than 10 mi on it and every single thing that came from the dealership is still in the car it's never been driven on a road. 12 or 13 years ago people actually came out from general motors to certify the car as a complete factory example that other people can use to restore that model of car back to factory specifications.
@@paulw9732 The number is zero. All GTAs were hardtops. The F-body platform at the time couldn't handle the torque of the 3.8 turbo. If OP is being honest, the car he's describing is 1 of 1.
I worked on these and loved them back in the day when I was a GM mechanic. Funny thing is, my old Enclave with the HF V-6 has 275HP. With out a hairdryer.
Good video and information When I was a teenager, I used to cut grass for an elderly couple and in their garage was a silver blue with blue interior turbo LeSabre. The car was hardly ever used and in mint condition. Later on after they passed away, their son got it and wound up using it on a daily basis and of course we all know what happened next. If you go to a car show today, you will almost never see one of these turbo, LeSabre or one of these centuries.
You did your homework. I like the fact you mentioned the beginning of the engine. I liked how you shared and explained how it got started. I also like the fact you mentioned the turborcharged Oldsmobile Jetfire from the 1960's as well. Your footage was great as well. I liked the tidbit about Oldsmobile as well with the Toronado photo. Everytime I said he did not mention this or that, it appeared on the screen. You know that 3.8 liter V6 lived on and became the 3800 V6 in 1988 after changes and upgrades. GM North America used it and Holden ( GM Australia) used it as well. They are the reason why the superchraged version got more power and upgraded and the America branches of GM benefitted. Do you realize how many GM cars used that engine over the years. There was the 3300 V6 as well based of the 3800 V6. This engine has a long history. Thank you for mentioning the Chevrolet Monte Carlo turbo 3.8 liter V6 as well. Thank you once again for another video.
A couple of years ago I came across a gentleman at a car wash while I was washing my car with an extremely rare 1984 Buick Riviera convertible Turbo. So seeing the car and me being a car enthusiast I couldn't help but speak briefly with the owner of the car and knowing that the car was extremely rare we got into a conversation about it because they only made a handful of convertibles for the Riviera beginning in the 83 model I believe and also it being a turbo extremely rare car...
I worked at Southwest Leasing & Rental in Anaheim from 1978 to 1979. We had a black 1978 Buick Regal Sport Coupe which I parked at the front lot five days a week with the giant RENT ME sign on the dash. It was a fine automobile. Stock number was 8AN002!
I was a messenger in high school / college 1983 - 1987 for Rogers & Wells lawfirm, and used to go to the GM Building on 5th Ave & 57th Street in NYC, and they had a GNX and Camaro in the lobby of the building and would always go in and stare at the GNX. One day, the security guard comes over to me, probably saw me there 10x over the last few weeks, and said “Hey, you wanna sit in it ?” Boy I hopped on that, what a great day. I passed up buying a Grand National 10 or so years ago for 12k, a car restorer had one for sale in great shape with 80k miles, I went the next day to give an offer and the guy said “you’re late to the party, it’s gone”.
I had to do an engine replacement on a newer Buick encore....such a nightmare compared to older Buicks. I miss when engine swaps were easy. There are so many easily missed plugs nowadays that it makes it a real headache if it doesnt fire up the first turn over. You'll look for hours scratching your head wondering if its a grounding issue or a plug that was looked over.
I remember walking into a Buick dealer, all confident and cocky 23 years old. " Im wanting a Grand National i told the salesman. With a smirk , he said there's a waiting list, no deals ether , 500 over list. Ended up with a Z28.
I knew a fella that had pre injected, to we4s, 89 TA, to a cyclone and typhoon. He bought a bunch for parts and would sell the ones he didn’t like to us neighborhood kids. His uncle had methanol 1/4 mile beast that would do wheelies down that track. The cyclone was the coolest, I had to follow him once and he would do at least 80 on the cloverleafs! GM turbo cars were awesome for their time! Thanks bud 🍻
I currently have a 87 Grand Nash, was a GM, Mitsubishi, Geo mechanic in the 90s Those were good times. I repaired a bunch of cars on your videos. Brings good memories I may list a few 80s 90s cars here. I have owned over 150 cars easily in my lifetime. Domestic, European and Asian. All types I currently have 87 Buick Grand National 94 Mercedes 400SE 03 Ford F150 Harley Davidson 14 Maserati Ghibl 14 Lexus Ls460 F Sport My cars change every few months as I spot a broken gem, purchase and repair it. Love cars. Great videos !
My dad bought my stepmom a brand new 1979 Buick Regal 5.0 two tone green with green velour interior from Sperling Buick LA Ca. He would always bring it in to have it serviced .. I wondered into it showroom on one occasion to find a brand new Grand National sittin on the showroom floor. Me being a teenage car nut I snatched up a few brochures! Later on came the Typhoon and Cyclone down the line. Different displacements but same idea.
Dad was “Car Crazy”, we had semi matching 1979 Buick Century Turbo Coupes, his was high optioned (console moonroof, nicer stereo) mine was the “stripper” version… both were silver, oyster interior… Hot Rod magazine did a build on one that I followed on my car… Pretty sure there were head mods from the factory in 1979 that made them flow better, one of first computer control units, knock sensors etc… I modded mine with the cat delete y-pipe install, think the 1981 introduced the “adjustable waste gate” forget now what I did at the time to raise the boost before adding that, had the carb built by Ruggles Performance, he was working over in a hanger at PDK at the time, think it was solid floats and some jetting and tweaks, also added some valve to control water to the intake plenum and some mods to a carb spacer… added the eldebrock water/alcohol injection kit and a trans shift kit. Think the weight was around 3100 lbs, since mine did not have options it seemed faster than his, car was helluva lot of fun and pretty damned quick… basically the suspension parts were “WS6” so could easily get the harder bushings, did cut one coil from the front spring as advised by Hot Rod, big mistake, did fine for a while but took the life out, had to replace… ultimately had transmission issues, skipping 2nd, sat in my drive, used sparingly for a couple years as I was going through a rough patch in job and marriage, drove up to Dad’s old home place in NC, drove back a load of furniture for him in a U-Haul after building him a barn… he ran into health issues and money got tight, cars got sold
It's a well known "secret" that the turbo 3.8 in the Grand National and T-Type is vastly underrated in advertised power. Most will say that they easily made over 300hp from the factory.
@@GreenHawkDrive It's all good. I actually learned about some cars in this video I've never heard of, so well done on that. I like the change of approach with highlighting a single model (with historical context) instead of the normal list format you normally do. Maybe a different approach to look at in the future just for something different.
Um, correction, the Pontiac turbo Trans-Am only had a production of 1500. Not a few thousand. And the different heads were 3800 fwd heads that actually flowed much better than the rwd heads. The reason they switched heads is because in the original configuration, the engine was too wide to fit between the shock towers.
This was a good segment.I went and looked at several of these cars back in the day but never bought one.No regrets except for the GMC cyclone turbo in '91.
As someone who sold Buick's from 1988 till 1995 and again from 2007 to 2011, I can tell you that Buick is (was??) a great brand. Going all the way back to 1988, Buick always did well with JD Power and (for an American brand) didn't do bad with Consumer Reports. Still today the brand does very well and ranks highly. So I woulldn't say Buick is now junk or that they have gone way down. That's just not true. Howver, the problem with Buick any more is that they have nothing to offer beyond cookie-cutter (bland and boring) SUV's. Sad. Buick needs at least one 2 door and 2 or 3 sedans NOW. And then need EV's. Due to these bad decisions by GM management, Buick has become an invisible and boring brand.
It's true the Grand National didn't appear from thin air; the air it appeared from was thick with tire smoke from a burnout🤣 Even being a gearhead and old enough to be driving long before the Century spoken of, I was unaware of many of these cars. The GN does deserve the credit for popularizing turbo-power to the 'hot rod' class of new car owners.
You've solved a long held mystery for me - I once saw what I now know to be a Grand National fishtailing out of a pub carpark near London, England! Very rare over here I imagine, it looked cool as hell
My father had a 70 Riviera with the 455 and it had those side mufflers. I still have the burn mark on leg from when I was a little boy and the muffler burned me.
That 3.8L was a tank! Even when they went metric in the late 80s (3800) it was STILL a beast even in naturally aspirated form. I had a 1988 Olds Toronado Trofeo with the Series I 3800. I easily kept up with 5.0 Mustangs lol
Just a little Buick V6 history. Back in the early 1960s, my friends father was a pattern maker and foundry and was contracted by Texaco to cast an all aluminum Buick V6 block and heads to be built for testing.
My old boss had the 1987 Grand National and it was fast. I had a 1980 Regal with the 4.3 V8 and it too was fast. I never lost a race. I wish I never sold it back in 1992.
Awsome video! If I remember correctly, Pontiac also had a 301 turbo as well, but I can't remember the years. They really don't make them like they used to.
Thank you so much for mentioning the Chevy Monte Carlo Turbo. Most people are not aware of them. My first car was used one I bought summer of 1986 (white, bench seat). I had gotten from a true little old lady that only drove it on Sundays for Church and shopping. Nice car overall, and actually pretty good in the snow. Had it for 18-24 months till I saved up for a new car and gave it to my dad. Had I known back then how rare they were, I would have kept it. Great informative video. 😀
I had a customer that owned a full size LeSabre wagon.Same full size body style as the sport coupe.. It had the turbo v6, and he swore up-n-down that it was factory original. I've known the guy for years, and he's have no reason to lie to me about it. Perhaps, maybe, his slid through the cracks at Buick and was built special order?.. Who knows.. It was a cool car.
I've seen a Century Turbo Coupe, but I'd love someone to show a sedan still exists - or even was built at all. Century Sport Coupe production was tiny in 79 (1650 and the turbo was not standard). Even less in 80 (1,100 for all coupes regardless of trim). I'd bet almost none of those 500 or so units quoted went into sedans. Initially (78 only) the 2bbl was standard, the 4bbl turbo was another $50. People absolutely hated the Aero styling - complete and total dud. Replaced for 80 with the Seville knockoff roofline which did much, much better. Back in the day Dad was shopping for a new company car. He had a price point but no model restriction. I lobbied for both the Regal Sport Coupe and the LeSabre (if it had to double as a family car - turns out it didn't). In the end a Grand Prix landed in the drive, but with a 301 4bbl, RTS and the bordello interior, so - for the late 70's - it wasn't too bad.
My dad had an 83 Riviera hunter green/ seafoam interior. He dropped a 350 rocket into it, I never knew these had a turbo option. Great informative video !
Hey Hawk, I bought an 84 T-Type new in triple denim blue. It waa a beautiful car. I drove it hard so of course I broke things. The turbo had to be replaced, the power brake booster had to be replaced 3 times, the headers twice, the back window started to leak, transmission had to be replaced, the timing chain and gears had to be replaced. I sold it after the transmission blew up. It nearly bank rupted me but I did really like the car. Great video. Cheers!
Although super charged instead of a turbo the Studebaker Lark R2 called by some the Super Lark at the same time as the Corvair and Tempest. You could also get optional disc brakes from Bendix.
I have said it before, GM slept on turbocharging!😮 If General Motors had a loud the internal rivalry between Chevrolet and Pontiac, we would have better sport cars. If they had a loud a rivalry between Buick and Cadillac, we would have had better luxury cars. Since General Motors had been messing around with turbos since the late 50s and pretty much dominated in the 80s, we should have been ahead of all manufacturers in turbocharging. Their were a couple of turbocharged quad four prototype from Oldsmobile also, from the late 80s.
Had a 1979 Buick Regal V8, I didn't know about the turbo one. That was the first car I purchased. When the first Grand National came out, it was too expensive for me to buy.
Great video. I’m currently building an ‘85 T Type from the frame up. I’m converting the hot air configuration to a front mount intercooled set up and running it on FuelTech engine management. There no almost ZERO technical support and parts support for the hot air turbo cars. The mechanics that could troubleshoot them are mostly retired.
Interesting vid, Mr. GHD!! I Am old enough to remember when the ChicagoLand/NorthWest Indiana region was Buick's # 1 market in America and 80's and 90's Buick Centuries were EveryWhere!! Even some T-Types! Unfortunately I was in elementary school when the turbo Century came out. A buddy of mine owned a Fifth Generation (1982-96) post-1989 facelift Century. Don't recall what size v6 he had. A 3.3 I think. Anyway, I swear he was Trying to run that Century into the ground. Try as he might, that car Just Would Not DIE!!!!! Last I heard, she had over 200k miles and was Still Going!!!!!
Seen the Monte Carlo turbo and wanted one so bad. A few years later I bought a 1984 T-type and over the years owned several different Buick turbo Regal. The 86-87 models made much more than the stated HP numbers. My present 87 Turbo T Limited makes close to 280 bone stock. 160 degree thermostat is the only change, rather it stays completely stock. Definitely not a fan of those notch back cars, the Seville and all.
nice Video. My folks bought a 79 Regal Sportcoupe late 78. excellent cruiser with lots of style. unfortunately we had bad luck with the turbo going bad. My Dad was religious with oil changes and tuneups so when they went bad my Dad wrote letters to GM and they must have replaced the turbo atleast 3x. Its last legs unfortunatley was due to not paying attention to the smoke bellowing out the tail pipe on a cruise night with my buddies. i was only 17 at the time. The next morn start it up and it was knocking. bearings were cooked. He said no more turbo cars.
Great video! I remember seeing some of these cars as a kid thinking how ugly they were! Now that I am older, I appreciate them more, and the ones who make videos about them! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
The early cars were 2bb or 4bb carb and a crude computer to control timing. Carbs couldn't be intercooled so boost had to be kept low. EFI really helped wake them up.
Don’t forget about the Pontiac grand prix TGP. I had one. It was a great car. 3.8 turbo, heads up display BBS style wheels. The only problem it had was the oil return line for the turbo would go bad blowing turbo seals.
I was surprised to learn that some farm tractors from the early 1900's had superchargers and turbos. Marine engineering too had them in ships and small boats in the early 20th century.
Back in the 80s, I was an enthusiastic street racer. I had a 1984 Camaro Berlinetta with a 305 and four barrel. I hated those turbo charge Buicks! You just could not beat them and acceleration.
It’s interesting. There was a big “turbo era” in the 70’s and 80’s. But, for the most part, after the 80’s you didn’t really see many turbo charged American vehicles. Not until around 15 years ago. Now, you see turbocharged American vehicles all over the place. Mostly with Ford’s ecoboost platforms. Makes me wonder what we will see in the next 10-15 years with vehicles and their power trains.
I know that in the 90s GM had a deal with Eaton that they had to use their superchargers if they were going forced induction. Thats how we ended up with all the L67 cars (GTP, Park Avenue Ultra) and the Ion Redline/Cobalt SS SC.
I commented this before….. and I’m going to comment it again. I love your videos hawk!! Thanks for all the information! I know about so many cars and their specs from being bored and doing research but you shed light to cats I never knew existed! Thanks again and still waiting on some cobalt ss/hhr ss / ionredline videos. Gm economy sport cars of the early 2000’s-2010
You implied the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon was an import car. It was not an import car, although the engine was sourced through VAG (Volkswagen Automotive Group); that engine was the Volkswagen EA827 I4 and while it did manage to move the car, it was far more effective at converting oil into sludge extremely quickly. Your confusion and misconception that it is an import is understandable, as the car was based on the design of the preeexisting Chrysler Horizon that Chrysler offered in the European market, but the version we had here was manufactured in the states and the front suspension was an improvement over made-in-Europe offering.
I remember a friend of mine telling his dad he wanted a Cutlass and his was talking about a two door Cutlass Supreme, well his dad got him a four door Cutlass Salon 🙂 But hey it was a Cutlass
I can definitely go for an old Buick. I prefer older cars to the vast majority of what is churned out now by car manufacturers, so uninspiring. The Buick’s featured in this video are great, I learnt a lot here, especially with regard to the wide variety of models with turbos. Great video as always! ❤
I believe that the Buick Reatta also received this engine and they had a bulge in the hood to make clearance for this setup. I do remember seeing some of them driving around Lansing when I lived there.
I liked the Century more than the Regal for looks (I never liked notch back windows) and always hoped to find one, especially a Turbo. I was aware of the LeSabre and Riviera turbos but never found one of those either.
