I have my Grand National for over 20 years and still puts a smile on my face every time I look at it. Don’t care how much they selling for at auction I’ll pass mine down to my son.
Well, how did it go? Did you end up taking the car? How is it running? I have the motor and tranny out of mine right now and doing some serious serious serious upgrades. We just got hit with 8 inches of snow here in Boston today. Alost a week after the first day of spring. At least I couldn't drive it right now anyway. Best of luck.
Well said man and the Mustang vs. GN races of the late 80s and early 90s were just so much fun to watch. I love Mustangs too and appreciate what made both cars unique then and now.
my late friend who was struck in the face with a beer bottle from a passerby in a car, (that's not how he died),came into some money when they caught the guy,(insurance pay out). bought a 1987 Buick Grand National. he took me for a ride, (it had about 1,200 miles on it at the time) and he was like,"check this out"... he gunned it,and the torque was so much I was pushed back in the passenger seat with each gear change of the automatic transmission. I remember scarily thinking " I hope you know what your doing". that thing was a rocket. they say at the time they were even quicker than the Corvette. I believe it. R.I.P. Billy.
Thanks Tom you're a great inspiration you've got a family, a few cars, a house with a big garage and a TH-cam channel how do you do it? Keeping passion alive in today's high stress high demand society is the definition of a hero
Please what ever you do keep the car, being from Canada (not a lot of Buick GN), you can't imagine how jealous I am! Its a beautiful piece of automotive history.
Thank you Jafro and I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it! I hope all is going well and I always love watching and learning from the excellent work that you do. See ya!
Thank you for showing me the appeal of older american cars, it was so hard for me to understand the appeal of vehicles such as this. Tom you are the best!!!!
Im an import guy, but damn I wouldnt mind owning one of these. I pulled up to a gnx in a parking lot in my skyline the other day. The owner and I talked for 15 minutes about each others cars. The gnx is such a cool car, I hope I own one some day. Great vid!
My dad has one! Its been in our family since 1987 when my grandfather purchased it brand new from Bob Peck Chevrolet in Arlington! It only has 32k original miles on it! I instantly fell in love with it the first time I rode in it in 1992! Awesome vehicle!
tom buddy,ive watched you video build up of your buick number of times,many congrats building it up of gm`s last call of a sedan of super hot horse power,its on my bucket list to watch a buick gn or gnx to go racing down the track,just the sound of the turbo winding up then gets blasted off like out of a cannon,thats so unreal putting away late 60`s 70`s muscle cars with small block engines
I finally got a new computer so that I can watch all these kool videos now! I've picked up a few turbo cars over the last couple years and look forward to watching your videos for help I may need. Thanks Tom!
Spoken to the owners of Tial, and have been using their products for over 10 years. Can't go wrong. Insane R&D $ and hours. I can't wait for the next video mirage!!
Thanks for the suggestion, I looked into the motor anchor but installed the HR Parts N Stuff motor mounts back in June '12. I am also aware that a mass airflow car won't run if one of the post-maf tubes pops off. I have followed Grand Nationals with a passion since I was a kid and realize their great performance, even in stock form.
This is the first time I've seen one of your videos, as a fan of turbos and an auto enthusiast (and fan of the GNX) as well, this is right down my alley! Cheers on the info blurb at the front of the video and on to more technical work later on, count me in as a fan!
Hey Tom! I think everyone would agree when I say you deserve to have alot more followers. The quality of your videos is outstanding in every way. Keep up the good work!
OMG!!! I sold my Grand National about three years ago;(... If I would've watched your video back then I probably wouldn't of sold it.. I bought it brand new at Century Buick in Kalamazoo Mi in 1987. It only had 61,000 miles on it and it had never been wrecked. I miss it so bad..
I remember seeing a GN for the first time at the street races in Dallas about 15 years ago or so. It had minimal mods done to it (Diesel tractor turbo new injectors and new exhaust) and the amazing thing was that it was taking on the crotch rockets and leaving them behind. Awesome first experience with the car and a new found respect for the car brand that only old people drove at the time.
Tom's Turbo Garage oh yeah definitely! been there, done that... when i was 17 i got a beautiful Pontiac 1989 Firebird Formula (the z28 Firebird basically with the famous Chevy 350 which i still think is if not the best one of the best engines ever built above 302ci yet still a small block) and i bought it for $2600 as there were "some engine problems" - turns out, because i was young and stupid and didn't know a WHOLE heck of a lot about cars compared to what i now know, i figured it shouldn't be a big problem to find and fix these issues. after all, i drove it home just fine and then tried to see what the problems were myself in a REALLY adolescent testosterone-driven way.... i got her up over 110mph and blew the upper bypass hose LOL... this caused a malfunction and turns out the guy who sold it to me had been less than forthcoming about the problems the car suffered from - for example, the shocks and struts were shot to hell which i hardly even cared about but that cost me about $450 to fix and then we went on to the engine. we rebuilt it from the bottom up and the block was NOT cracked thankfully as they are just about bulletproof! it took about ten weeks as i worked on it with a few of my buddies who were really good with mechanics and one of my friend's father who was at the time a mechanic and only retired about a year ago thinking about it.... when we had the block machined they literally found so much black gunk in it from the oil not being changed often enough and just all out abuse on that poor engine, and you should have seen the wiring harness LOL!! having the engine out of the vehicle and the 700R4 tranny which was unfortunately a bit messed up in its own right... however, my friend's dad (let's just call him Dan and his son, my friend, Danny Jr) happened to have a T5 Pro 5-speed tranny that was recently rebuilt as he had put a T6 tranny in Danny's 1992 Chevy Camaro which was HEAVILY modified but at that time still was using the Throttle Body Injection system as it was a 305 RS not a 350 z28. naturally, i had the Tuned Port Injection system which was still in great shape and is much better than the TBI. putting that transmission in, we had one of Dan Sr's friends who modifies ECUs and general electronic systems for vehicles especially GM vehicles to get me a whole new computer that he customized to work with the 350 and T5 Pro transmission. the rear end was still good to go with 3:73 gears (it ran like a scalded dog) and after all the work we did we had it tested on a dyno and saw with the few modifications we had made - better Heads, some great headers leading to fantastic true dual exhaust, heavier injectors, great spark plugs, completely new and aftermarket air intake system and some serious modifications having been done to the lower end as well and of course an aftermarket fuel pump and completely new fuel tank and fuel system in general not to mention all the work done to the T5 Pro transmission and the few changes to the rear end - we got over 370hp and over 400 foot pounds of torque which was amazing, by far the fastest car i had ever been in and it ate 5.0 mustangs for lunch. i overall spend $6,000 or so including the new air condition (condenser compressor etc) and custom stereo system with some really nice used speakers and as i was really into bodybuilding and of course was a testosterone filled adolescent i added in some nice amps and subs for my music ;-). sorry for the really long story, but it was a wonderful experience especially the learning process as we went along and what felt even better about it was the fact that i paid for it out of my own pocket as i had held a job at the same place since i was only 14 years old and was working overtime to pay for everything we put in.... the body of the vehicle was great with the exception of the front end - it looked as though the previous owner had stupidly hit a pole at low speeds or something not enough to mess up the axle (unless he had it changed out or something) but he did a complete and utter SHIT job basically using plaster of paris to lay over the cracked area LOL!!! so we found a nice little front end off a different Firebird in a junkyard (which i always found was my favorite place to look for stock parts and even some fantastic aftermarket stuff) and painted it Ivory - the same color as my beautiful car which we also eventually put an aftermarket Trans-Am body kit on it. it didn't have any markings except on the rear which simply had the Firebird logo on it and "Pontiac" written so it was a bit of a 'sleeper' ;) not really though as you could hear those true duals and that engine just grumbling at the stop light or wherever i might be lol... i was living in my own apartment during this time and in order to not wake my neighbors i would attempt to coast into the parking lot and park LOL.... i would have had that car until the present day i loved it SO much if it hadn't been for this young lady i was dating... she decided one day during a fight after i picked her up from school to throw the passenger side door open and it was taken almost completely off luckily not harming the driver of the truck who hit it but it tore off a good portion of my front quarter panel etc and i wound up fixing it just to sell it a year later when i joined the Army. i didn't know how great i had it back then.... it was a real muscle car and i adored it.... does anyone else have a story like this?
Thank you for the support and I'm glad you enjoy the videos! I will definitely have more videos of the Grand National in the future, just not much going on at the moment, other than driving it from time to time. Enjoy your GN too!
Awesome Matt. i used to have an 87 way back then, Sold it with a broken heart. I still to this day miss that car and wish i never did sell it. You have inspired me to start my search for a decent Resto project and get back the kid in me. Thanks for this video and i will be checking in with you from time to time. Nice job on the video too!
funny. my old next door neighbor had a monte carlo of the same body and my other neighbor down the street had a grand national. it was actually in crazy good condition when i think about it. i kept thinking "man, that black monte carlo down the street is so much better than the white one next door. its also turboed!!!!" before i knew the difference lol
When I was younger I didn't fully appreciate these cars because they had the V6. Now that I'm older I finally realize how cool these cars are and how the V6 was so perfect. You can have a turbo 454 making 1,200 hp but if you're just spinning tires you aren't going anywhere. The Grand National was the perfect combination of heavy but not too heavy and just the right amount of torque to stick and take off like a rocket.
I agree and have a soft spot for the Monte Carlo SS too. When I was in high school, there was a guy with one that he hopped up that was one of the badder cars in town. Good times!
Good to see another car guy that doesn't choose either/or import vs domestic! I saw a yellow NA miata in there carrying body parts, lol!! I also enjoy the small, nimble, manual-tranny import cars (such as my 1st gen MR2) at the same time loving the rumbling, torquey, powerful american muscle cars--- and the grand national falls right in between in many ways: being a turbocharged 6-cylinder muscle car with EFI-- so it's not quite a small or big block V8 with carbs, yet it's not quite a 4-cylinder import with a turbo... Maybe that's one of the reasons why I love the turbo buicks so much. Also, like you, my family had a '84 Regal when I was 10 that just left an impression on me and enjoyed your comment about those familiar GM touches that brings back memories of childhood... If all goes well, I will probably be picking up an '87 sunroof GN in the next few weeks...! :)
Just picked up my first "Muscle Car" two weeks ago. 87 T Type. Ive watched this series twice. THis will be my third. Getting ready to give her a spring cleaning
Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I wondered this when I first got the car, but after examining the wheels and the center caps, both have ARE part numbers on them. The wheel is called an ARE 192. That said, the Enkeis are called the Enkei 92 (like yours), and I can't tell a difference. Both 16x7, same wheel face, same center cap and the model number is practically the same too.
Thanks again man! I love Tial products too. Out of all the car parts I've bought over the last 20 years or so, I've been most impressed by their stuff. As I've said before, I'd buy a Tial toilet plunger if they sold one!
Your a very skilled individual , and your video is very inspiring to all of us guys who used to drive these nice cars . I have always been fond of Buicks ever since my old 1966 Wild cat with a 425 cube motor was rolling down the streets ,but I was much younger then and now I wish Buick would bring back some of their former glory .Their cars are still nice but unspectacular . I was checking the new Regal , it's just missing something that I can't put my finger on . Nice work anyway .
Yes, very much! It went to a great home though. I do plan to get another Miata someday. I really love the NC LS3 swap that Flyin Miata just completed. The NCs are getting affordable too.
Hahah love the t-tops. Had them in my Trans-Ams and the ac controls and lights really take me back. I miss all that stuff...especially T-tops. I dont miss that square inside but it reminds me of the great days.
just got an ‘87 GN on July 4th for free from my grandpa so i can fix up for his “last drive”. already dropped the tank, cleaned it out, new pump, fuel filter, oil change, coolant change, plug & wire change, and all new vacuum lines. putting fuel injectors and coolant hoses in tomorrow and hoping for the first start in over 7 years, and hoping it’s first proper idle in over 20 years.
Thanks for the inspiration Tom! I own an all original 1987 Buick Century custom with low miles right off the showroom floor! I plan keeping it all original though it's a cruiser!!
The Grand National is a legend! Such a beautiful piece of automotive history, I envy you. Ill always remember thinking the same thing about the interior when I owned my 88 Trans Am GTA. The interiors back then were extremely utilitarian compared to today's gadget filled dashboards. But you know what? They worked! Nobody cared about the dash, the roar of the engine and the awesome 80s body styling was all that mattered! lol
I really enjoy your videos. Your segments on your 1G have me determined to drag my 2g GSX back out of the garage. Wishing I still lived in TN, so I could come down and meet you at the drag strip.
Great video and great commentary. There's something about these Buick's, that set's them apart form anything else out there. Awesome car's. You never see them here in the UK..Bummer.!
Thanks for posting this video! On my page is a short clip of my dad's turbo Buick; we're supposed to be getting the engine back within the next couple of months so it's going to be pretty exciting. I look forward to seeing more of your posts!
Thank you and it's a small world out there! I don't have much awareness of the LeSabre T-Type, but it is front wheel drive and the engine is pretty much the same V6 that was in the other GM FWD cars of the time. If you really love it, check to see what others are selling for to make sure the price is right. For that money there are lots of nice cars you could get!
Although i am a motorcycle guy, i can't overlook this wonderful car, just the way i like an american car, low and "mean". The way they built that car in the past, is with great positive inspiration and a real rebels way, great!!!!!!!!!!!
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I have my Grand National for over 20 years and still puts a smile on my face every time I look at it. Don’t care how much they selling for at auction I’ll pass mine down to my son.
I'm picking up a 87 gn tomorrow morning! It's a 10 hour drive and I can't sleep in so excited
Wow congratulations! have fun :)
Good for you sir; I hope you have many years of enjoyment and I hope you only make it all better.
Well, how did it go? Did you end up taking the car? How is it running? I have the motor and tranny out of mine right now and doing some serious serious serious upgrades. We just got hit with 8 inches of snow here in Boston today. Alost a week after the first day of spring. At least I couldn't drive it right now anyway. Best of luck.
Awesome Buddy !! It's going to be a long night!!
Did you get it?
As a Terminator owner, mad respect for any Grand National, beautiful car for its era and even nowadays.
Well said man and the Mustang vs. GN races of the late 80s and early 90s were just so much fun to watch. I love Mustangs too and appreciate what made both cars unique then and now.
You should feature an SVO! @@TomsTurboGarage
@@TomsTurboGarage Tom, I'm looking at getting an 87 GN. Thanks to your videos I'm really excited. I'd like to pick your brain. Could you pm me.
I still love the looks of that car.
my late friend who was struck in the face with a beer bottle from a passerby in a car, (that's not how he died),came into some money when they caught the guy,(insurance pay out). bought a 1987 Buick Grand National. he took me for a ride, (it had about 1,200 miles on it at the time) and he was like,"check this out"... he gunned it,and the torque was so much I was pushed back in the passenger seat with each gear change of the automatic transmission. I remember scarily thinking " I hope you know what your doing". that thing was a rocket. they say at the time they were even quicker than the Corvette. I believe it. R.I.P. Billy.
geez your family must be crack heads if that's how you think
So your dead buddy came back to life and drove you around in a 88 GN...huh
@@pissoff234 No. He died in 2014.
I never mentioned WHEN he died.
🤔
@@thomasjay1145 why is that?
@@pissoff234 P S. I made a typo. It was an 87'
Thanks for checking it out! Mine is a long-term project too, I just couldn't resist tinkering with it after watching Black Air.
friend of mine had one in high school, 1988 or so.. I remember the sound it made when the turbo wound up. Super fast accel.. I loved that car.
Thanks for sharing that Eric, they definitely leave a lasting impression!
Very professional production.
Thank you!
David Topchiev u want somethin
go get it
Thanks Tom you're a great inspiration you've got a family, a few cars, a house with a big garage and a TH-cam channel how do you do it? Keeping passion alive in today's high stress high demand society is the definition of a hero
Lickbag.
Thanks for sharing this! My son has always loved this car too, Grand National was one of his first words.
Please what ever you do keep the car, being from Canada (not a lot of Buick GN), you can't imagine how jealous I am! Its a beautiful piece of automotive history.
Thank you and will do!
Thank you Jafro and I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it! I hope all is going well and I always love watching and learning from the excellent work that you do. See ya!
"My name is Tom" has a name tag that says Matt.
exactly what I thought
Thank you for showing me the appeal of older american cars, it was so hard for me to understand the appeal of vehicles such as this. Tom you are the best!!!!
Im an import guy, but damn I wouldnt mind owning one of these. I pulled up to a gnx in a parking lot in my skyline the other day. The owner and I talked for 15 minutes about each others cars. The gnx is such a cool car, I hope I own one some day. Great vid!
Wow, what an awesome series! I was reminded of these awesome cars yesterday when I saw one at a local swap meet show & fell in love with it!
My dad had an 87 and it was a monster. I loved going for rides as a kid. One of my favorite cars of all time
Such a beauty and it brings back so many memories...thanks
Thanks Ricardo, glad you enjoyed it!
My dream car!! But sadly, almost impossible to find in Europe.. :(
QUBE9000 hey I'm from America and can pick one up for 15,000
QUBE9000 have one shipped there
and do a steering column change.
ruste
I love how close to a V8 it sounds but still being a V6. The best sounding V6 for sure and one of the best cars ever
Very cool to hear that it stayed in your family! Enjoy it!
My dad has one! Its been in our family since 1987 when my grandfather purchased it brand new from Bob Peck Chevrolet in Arlington! It only has 32k original miles on it! I instantly fell in love with it the first time I rode in it in 1992! Awesome vehicle!
Thank you for the kind words and support Carter! I appreciate it very much.
Oh yeah! They cleaned up at the street races way back in the day. The GN vs. Mustang rivalry was very fun to watch back then too.
Haha, thanks for the kind support man! I wish I had more time to make videos, I love putting them out there for y'all.
Thanks man, no need to be jealous. They are fun cars that are actually attainable from a collector/enthusiast standpoint.
Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Best of luck to you and your Dad on your project too. See ya!
Thanks Zachary! I appreciate the support my friend!
Great to hear and you're very welcome! Thank you for the support and enjoy the cars!
You're welcome and thank you for the kind words! Best of luck to you and your search!
I loved this video & my 87 t-toped GN!!!!!!
In 86 I had a Monte SS , that thing blew by me at a light , amazing Buick
tom buddy,ive watched you video build up of your buick number of times,many congrats building it up of gm`s last call of a sedan of super hot horse power,its on my bucket list to watch a buick gn or gnx to go racing down the track,just the sound of the turbo winding up then gets blasted off like out of a cannon,thats so unreal putting away late 60`s 70`s muscle cars with small block engines
Thank you for the very kind words Nate! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
I finally got a new computer so that I can watch all these kool videos now! I've picked up a few turbo cars over the last couple years and look forward to watching your videos for help I may need. Thanks Tom!
This channel rocks. Bummer I'm discovering it years later.
Thank you and welcome!
Me too
You're welcome and I'm glad you enjoyed it! I like the Tial, it does it's job well!
Great video. Answered most of my questions and was very entertaining. Keep up the great work, Tom!
Spoken to the owners of Tial, and have been using their products for over 10 years. Can't go wrong. Insane R&D $ and hours. I can't wait for the next video mirage!!
I need to buy an '87 Grand National now.
I just need the $30K to buy one.
This guy Tom is very easy to listen to. The 1987 GN is one of my all time favorite cars.
Easy subscription.
Thank you for the support!
Thanks for the suggestion, I looked into the motor anchor but installed the HR Parts N Stuff motor mounts back in June '12. I am also aware that a mass airflow car won't run if one of the post-maf tubes pops off. I have followed Grand Nationals with a passion since I was a kid and realize their great performance, even in stock form.
This is the first time I've seen one of your videos, as a fan of turbos and an auto enthusiast (and fan of the GNX) as well, this is right down my alley! Cheers on the info blurb at the front of the video and on to more technical work later on, count me in as a fan!
Thank you for the very kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Hey Tom! I think everyone would agree when I say you deserve to have alot more followers. The quality of your videos is outstanding in every way. Keep up the good work!
OMG!!! I sold my Grand National about three years ago;(... If I would've watched your video back then I probably wouldn't of sold it..
I bought it brand new at Century Buick in Kalamazoo Mi in 1987. It only had 61,000 miles on it and it had never been wrecked. I miss it so bad..
I remember seeing a GN for the first time at the street races in Dallas about 15 years ago or so. It had minimal mods done to it (Diesel tractor turbo new injectors and new exhaust) and the amazing thing was that it was taking on the crotch rockets and leaving them behind. Awesome first experience with the car and a new found respect for the car brand that only old people drove at the time.
These Grand National's are awesome. I recently had the opportunity to film one up close in Chatsworth GA. I uploaded that video today.
I had this exact car back in 2001 when I was 18. Young and stupid, didnt appreciate what I had at the time. Nice to see one of these again.
Jamie Gunn Oh man, we've all been there Jamie! There's a couple cars from my youth that I'd like to have back for sure.
Tom's Turbo Garage
oh yeah definitely! been there, done that... when i was 17 i got a beautiful Pontiac 1989 Firebird Formula (the z28 Firebird basically with the famous Chevy 350 which i still think is if not the best one of the best engines ever built above 302ci yet still a small block) and i bought it for $2600 as there were "some engine problems" - turns out, because i was young and stupid and didn't know a WHOLE heck of a lot about cars compared to what i now know, i figured it shouldn't be a big problem to find and fix these issues. after all, i drove it home just fine and then tried to see what the problems were myself in a REALLY adolescent testosterone-driven way.... i got her up over 110mph and blew the upper bypass hose LOL...
this caused a malfunction and turns out the guy who sold it to me had been less than forthcoming about the problems the car suffered from - for example, the shocks and struts were shot to hell which i hardly even cared about but that cost me about $450 to fix and then we went on to the engine. we rebuilt it from the bottom up and the block was NOT cracked thankfully as they are just about bulletproof! it took about ten weeks as i worked on it with a few of my buddies who were really good with mechanics and one of my friend's father who was at the time a mechanic and only retired about a year ago thinking about it.... when we had the block machined they literally found so much black gunk in it from the oil not being changed often enough and just all out abuse on that poor engine, and you should have seen the wiring harness LOL!!
having the engine out of the vehicle and the 700R4 tranny which was unfortunately a bit messed up in its own right... however, my friend's dad (let's just call him Dan and his son, my friend, Danny Jr) happened to have a T5 Pro 5-speed tranny that was recently rebuilt as he had put a T6 tranny in Danny's 1992 Chevy Camaro which was HEAVILY modified but at that time still was using the Throttle Body Injection system as it was a 305 RS not a 350 z28. naturally, i had the Tuned Port Injection system which was still in great shape and is much better than the TBI. putting that transmission in, we had one of Dan Sr's friends who modifies ECUs and general electronic systems for vehicles especially GM vehicles to get me a whole new computer that he customized to work with the 350 and T5 Pro transmission. the rear end was still good to go with 3:73 gears (it ran like a scalded dog) and after all the work we did we had it tested on a dyno and saw with the few modifications we had made - better Heads, some great headers leading to fantastic true dual exhaust, heavier injectors, great spark plugs, completely new and aftermarket air intake system and some serious modifications having been done to the lower end as well and of course an aftermarket fuel pump and completely new fuel tank and fuel system in general not to mention all the work done to the T5 Pro transmission and the few changes to the rear end - we got over 370hp and over 400 foot pounds of torque which was amazing, by far the fastest car i had ever been in and it ate 5.0 mustangs for lunch. i overall spend $6,000 or so including the new air condition (condenser compressor etc) and custom stereo system with some really nice used speakers and as i was really into bodybuilding and of course was a testosterone filled adolescent i added in some nice amps and subs for my music ;-).
sorry for the really long story, but it was a wonderful experience especially the learning process as we went along and what felt even better about it was the fact that i paid for it out of my own pocket as i had held a job at the same place since i was only 14 years old and was working overtime to pay for everything we put in.... the body of the vehicle was great with the exception of the front end - it looked as though the previous owner had stupidly hit a pole at low speeds or something not enough to mess up the axle (unless he had it changed out or something) but he did a complete and utter SHIT job basically using plaster of paris to lay over the cracked area LOL!!! so we found a nice little front end off a different Firebird in a junkyard (which i always found was my favorite place to look for stock parts and even some fantastic aftermarket stuff) and painted it Ivory - the same color as my beautiful car which we also eventually put an aftermarket Trans-Am body kit on it. it didn't have any markings except on the rear which simply had the Firebird logo on it and "Pontiac" written so it was a bit of a 'sleeper' ;) not really though as you could hear those true duals and that engine just grumbling at the stop light or wherever i might be lol... i was living in my own apartment during this time and in order to not wake my neighbors i would attempt to coast into the parking lot and park LOL....
i would have had that car until the present day i loved it SO much if it hadn't been for this young lady i was dating... she decided one day during a fight after i picked her up from school to throw the passenger side door open and it was taken almost completely off luckily not harming the driver of the truck who hit it but it tore off a good portion of my front quarter panel etc and i wound up fixing it just to sell it a year later when i joined the Army. i didn't know how great i had it back then.... it was a real muscle car and i adored it....
does anyone else have a story like this?
@@mihaeltomasovic wind bag
Tom, as an 87 GN owner, please give us some more Grand National video's. Especially working on, and tuning the car. Thanks!
Thank you for the support and I'm glad you enjoy the videos! I will definitely have more videos of the Grand National in the future, just not much going on at the moment, other than driving it from time to time. Enjoy your GN too!
Awesome Matt. i used to have an 87 way back then, Sold it with a broken heart. I still to this day miss that car and wish i never did sell it. You have inspired me to start my search for a decent Resto project and get back the kid in me. Thanks for this video and i will be checking in with you from time to time. Nice job on the video too!
funny. my old next door neighbor had a monte carlo of the same body and my other neighbor down the street had a grand national. it was actually in crazy good condition when i think about it. i kept thinking "man, that black monte carlo down the street is so much better than the white one next door. its also turboed!!!!" before i knew the difference lol
Haha, great story and a common misconception about these cars that appeared very similar, but were surprisingly different in many ways!
When I was younger I didn't fully appreciate these cars because they had the V6. Now that I'm older I finally realize how cool these cars are and how the V6 was so perfect. You can have a turbo 454 making 1,200 hp but if you're just spinning tires you aren't going anywhere. The Grand National was the perfect combination of heavy but not too heavy and just the right amount of torque to stick and take off like a rocket.
Thank you David and good luck with your GN! Lots more good stuff coming, I've been filming lots of cool stuff. See ya!
I know the feeling. Grand National are still awesome to this day. Nice car!
Well said! The GTA interior was definitely cut from the same cloth and I liked it too!
I like those too. I saw a VERY clean all original one recently that looked awesome.
I agree and have a soft spot for the Monte Carlo SS too. When I was in high school, there was a guy with one that he hopped up that was one of the badder cars in town. Good times!
Thanks and congrats on finding your GN! Best of luck and have fun with it!
Thanks Justin! Good luck with your car, the G Body Parts downpipe is a nice piece.
Loved my 87. Ordered it & waited 6 long months.....miss that whine & rumble !
Good to see another car guy that doesn't choose either/or import vs domestic! I saw a yellow NA miata in there carrying body parts, lol!! I also enjoy the small, nimble, manual-tranny import cars (such as my 1st gen MR2) at the same time loving the rumbling, torquey, powerful american muscle cars--- and the grand national falls right in between in many ways: being a turbocharged 6-cylinder muscle car with EFI-- so it's not quite a small or big block V8 with carbs, yet it's not quite a 4-cylinder import with a turbo... Maybe that's one of the reasons why I love the turbo buicks so much. Also, like you, my family had a '84 Regal when I was 10 that just left an impression on me and enjoyed your comment about those familiar GM touches that brings back memories of childhood...
If all goes well, I will probably be picking up an '87 sunroof GN in the next few weeks...! :)
Thank you for the kind words, I appreciate it very much!
Thank you and I hope to visit there someday!
Dude you're chilling with the T-Tops love the look inside
Glad you enjoyed it!
tom,dont forget it beat out 2 lambo models in the 0-60...now thats very impressive
Just picked up my first "Muscle Car" two weeks ago. 87 T Type. Ive watched this series twice. THis will be my third. Getting ready to give her a spring cleaning
Congrats on the new car!! Thank you for watching and enjoy it! Please send me some pics on Facebook if you get a chance. See ya.
Glad to hear from you Tom! As always love your videos.
Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I wondered this when I first got the car, but after examining the wheels and the center caps, both have ARE part numbers on them. The wheel is called an ARE 192.
That said, the Enkeis are called the Enkei 92 (like yours), and I can't tell a difference. Both 16x7, same wheel face, same center cap and the model number is practically the same too.
Thanks again man! I love Tial products too. Out of all the car parts I've bought over the last 20 years or so, I've been most impressed by their stuff. As I've said before, I'd buy a Tial toilet plunger if they sold one!
Your a very skilled individual , and your video is very inspiring to all of us guys who used to drive these nice cars .
I have always been fond of Buicks ever since my old 1966 Wild cat with a 425 cube motor was rolling down the streets ,but I was much younger then and now I wish Buick would bring back some of their former glory .Their cars are still nice but unspectacular .
I was checking the new Regal , it's just missing something that I can't put my finger on .
Nice work anyway .
Thank you! I would like to dyno it in the near future once I get a few more things done. Good luck to you and enjoy your GN!
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it!
Yes, very much! It went to a great home though. I do plan to get another Miata someday. I really love the NC LS3 swap that Flyin Miata just completed. The NCs are getting affordable too.
Thank you for the suggestion, I really like that channel! Have a good one!
Hahah love the t-tops. Had them in my Trans-Ams and the ac controls and lights really take me back. I miss all that stuff...especially T-tops. I dont miss that square inside but it reminds me of the great days.
just got an ‘87 GN on July 4th for free from my grandpa so i can fix up for his “last drive”. already dropped the tank, cleaned it out, new pump, fuel filter, oil change, coolant change, plug & wire change, and all new vacuum lines. putting fuel injectors and coolant hoses in tomorrow and hoping for the first start in over 7 years, and hoping it’s first proper idle in over 20 years.
Thanks for the inspiration Tom! I own an all original 1987 Buick Century custom with low miles right off the showroom floor! I plan keeping it all original though it's a cruiser!!
You're welcome sir, I'm glad that I could help! Good luck to you and enjoy your Century!
Great vid glad I found it I'm 47 and getting my first GN 87 bone stock with 24 k on it
Thank you! I agree and best of luck in your quest.
The Grand National is a legend!
Such a beautiful piece of automotive history, I envy you.
Ill always remember thinking the same thing about the interior when I owned my 88 Trans Am GTA. The interiors back then were extremely utilitarian compared to today's gadget filled dashboards. But you know what? They worked! Nobody cared about the dash, the roar of the engine and the awesome 80s body styling was all that mattered! lol
Thanks and good luck with your project!
I really enjoy your videos. Your segments on your 1G have me determined to drag my 2g GSX back out of the garage. Wishing I still lived in TN, so I could come down and meet you at the drag strip.
Thanks man, glad you liked it!
Great video and great commentary. There's something about these Buick's, that set's them apart form anything else out there. Awesome car's. You never see them here in the UK..Bummer.!
Hi David, yes it has lowering spindles in the front and lowering springs in the rear. I have the specifics on my website.
Thanks for posting this video! On my page is a short clip of my dad's turbo Buick; we're supposed to be getting the engine back within the next couple of months so it's going to be pretty exciting. I look forward to seeing more of your posts!
Thanks man! I live in Knoxville, TN.
Love your GN videos 👍🏼
Thank you sir, lots more fun stuff to come!
Thank you and it's a small world out there! I don't have much awareness of the LeSabre T-Type, but it is front wheel drive and the engine is pretty much the same V6 that was in the other GM FWD cars of the time. If you really love it, check to see what others are selling for to make sure the price is right. For that money there are lots of nice cars you could get!
Thank you sir, I appreciate that! I was doing some filming this weekend actually!
Great vid. Your car reminds me of my dad's 87' 442 Olds. These car's where almost the same except the Olds had a N/A V8.
Nicce car, nice video, Tkank you and hello from Czech republic ! ;-)
Thank you Tomas and tell everyone over there I said hi!
I was 19 when this car came out, and loved it along with the Hurst Olds at the time.
Thanks man! I've been casually looking- there are so many beaters out there.
Yes and I never take it for granted, as I previously lived in a state where tint was basically illegal.
Thank you and congrats on your find, it sounds like a great car with an excellent mod list! Best of luck to you and enjoy your GN!
Although i am a motorcycle guy, i can't overlook this wonderful car, just the way i like an american car, low and "mean". The way they built that car in the past, is with great positive inspiration and a real rebels way, great!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks man!
Thanks for this nice movie. This is the most beautiful coupe ever built in the US.
You're welcome sir, glad you enjoyed it!
You're welcome and I appreciate the support! I'll be sure to cover all of the upcoming mods in detail too. See ya!