I appreciate all of the mechanics that post videos of doing whatever job they're doing. I'm no certified mechanic but I can turn a few wrenches cause my dad and I worked on our cars ever since I was about 12. I can usually do most jobs that are moreless maintenance issues, alternators, starters, coolant, etc.. and even CV axles, u joints and brakes also. Also I like to watch a video of the job I'm doing on whatever car it is because it never hurts and the video may teach me a better way to do something whatever it is and might show how to get to a bolt or maybe if ya remove something simple it may make it a whole lot easier if it's out of the way and not that hard to remove so worth doingm
Thank you very much for saving this Grand National. I can't hardly believe that someone would send that car to a salvage yard like they did, even with the issues it has. It'd be very cool if you could find a GMC Syclone or Typhoon to go with to it.
U can't belive because it didn't happen. These cars dont go to the boneyard plain and simple. It makes a better story for the channel to suck people in.any car guy that goes to the wrecking yards can easily call bull$hit in that part of the story but I will still watch videos because it's pretty good content. Bottom line DONT BELIVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET.
Nothing screams more fun and modification than the GM G-Body cars. I had a 1987 Turbo-T and a 1986 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. The Buick was *Rusting like no tomorrow* due to neglect by the prior owner. So I started cutting panels out to replace them with SOLID panels (in place of the Swiss cheese floor boards and holy qtr panels) so I gave up on redoing the body. So I removed the engine, trans, rear end got a new fuel tank for a Turbo-T dropped a high pressure pump in wedged it into the Monte while I waited for the engine to be completed by the machine shop, rebuilt the rear diff (maintained factory gear ratio), installed a shift kit and medium stall torque converter and ordered a custom interior wire harness from Painless and Casper's provided a new engine harness. This project took me 18 months from start to finish (driving the car down the street for the 1st time). I installed a new TA-49 turbo and a complete catalog of new parts from the timing gears to the exhaust. I LOVED that mutant car, even though it started to warp my T-Top roof from the insane amount of torque. So I then installed a crap ton of body braces so I wouldn't increase the T-Top wind/water leaks that were NOTORIOUS in these cars (I don't care about leaks because the T-Tops have a real sexy look!!). First time at the track it ran 11.01 sec. @ 110.6 mph. Power at the wheels was 397 hp @ 5,900 RPM and 497 ft-lbs at ~ 3,000 rpm. I then SADLY had to sell her to the shop who did the wiring for me due to getting...... -Marriage- Married -and- with CHILDREN!! So here is a hint for the car guys out there -------- If you want to keep messing with cars - DO NOT GET MARRIED UNTIL YOU ARE HAPPY WITH YOUR PROJECT! The car will never talk back, will never ask for something more than you give it, will not blame you for the hot water heater failing and will NEVER say NO to YOUR NEEDS!!! :D Stay Single STAY Tinkering STAY IN THE GARAGE!! :D :D
Hey man awesome stories! Thanks for taking the time to type this all out. Love to hear about the history of others cars. I am married and have been for 12 years. My wife is cool with what I do. No kids tho! Thanks for watching!
I was thinking about this at lunch today, you said cylinder 5 was showing low compression. I swore when you working on these motors that cylinder 1 was on the left front of the motor as you are looking at the engine. When you did the test that looked more like it was cylinder 1 to me. That is based off the fact I have worked on an infinity of these 3.8 engines from the LN3, to the 3800 Series III motor and L76 (if I remember correctly) and L32 models. I think no matter what you should tear that motor apart and give it some love! I wished I was in your position with that car, I have always wanted one and never seem to get my hands on one! I personally look forward to your progress!
Look up the firing order. You are correct that cylinder 1 is on the front left but this is the back left. Glad you are looking forward to the progress. I will get another video out soon. Thanks for watching.
I am the original owner of a 38000 miles 1987 Gran National bought new Oct 1986 no T-Roofs, some bolt ons, almost sold it to buy a new at the time a 2000 corvette, but i just couldn't sign the papers to do the deal, Best decision you just don't see these cars around that much!!!
Welcome back. I remember Hot Rod Magazine did a write-up on all the cars that were turned in for that government program Cash for Clunkers. I remember reading that there was one grand national on that list. That was heartbreaking. But unfortunately that's not the only one ever be scrapped, I'm glad you're saving at least one more
Drop a tea spoon of oil in that dead cylinder and see if the number comes up. Then you definitely need to do a leak down test on all the cylinders. You either have a broken ring, valves not seating correctly, or a leaking head gasket. Either way it’s best to do a full rebuild. Do it right and never worry about it again. I mean it’s a Grand National. Any cold air turbo Regal is worth fixing up in my book. Especially if it’s only mechanical and not rotted body. So just do a rebuild. My advice
Classic G-Body Garage hey man I got kind of a long story for you. Please take the time to read my story and possibly you can steer me in the right direction. I actually copied this from my post on turbo Buick. And added a little to it. Everything I write I swear is the truth and I’m not just pitching you a story to get my hands on a RPO sticker. Hi, I know I’m new here but I’m not new to turbo Buick’s. I’m the original owner of an 87 WE4 and I also need a replacement rpo trunk sticker. I literally have every single document from the day I got my car to present day. I have the original (not a copy) window sticker which clearly states WE4 option on it. Broadcast sheet that lists the vin number, blackout code as well as the body Id number on it, and the vin stamped into the drivers side of the body under the door sill as well as the engine and transmission numbers all match the vin number on my title and window sticker. I also have the bill of sale, pre delivery inspection, warranty statement,right time to buy a car document, welcome letter from Buick, every single receipt from every single oil change from the dealer as well as the turbo needing to be replaced under warranty, every receipt for every set of tires, even the Delco radio station by state guide book from 1987 and all the recall letters,bottom line I still have everything made on paper from this WE4 regal EXCEPT THAT RPO STICKER 😔. Now I know a lot of people clone these cars and are looking for fake rpo sticker to pretend their car is a Grand National. And I can respect Kirbin not wanting to hand duplicate stickers out without proper documentation proving that your car in deed is genuine but they are only selling you a reproduction sticker if you can provide a photograph of your old sticker. Now if I actually had the sticker then I wouldn’t be looking to buy a replacement one. But I’m not about that. This was literally my first car and is very special to me because my mom lent me the cash to buy and let me pay her off every month without interest back when I was 17. I still have the original title that says new And the window sticker is coded WE4. I was a very angry and disrespectful son because my dad died when I was 9 so I was hanging out with the drug dealing crowd even tho I actually had a regular job in waldbaums supermarket I was actually saving up for a cheap 81 regal I was gunna spray paint Black and pretend it was a GN. But I was only 17 and was stupid.I got into one too many fights and was transferred to Automotive High School in Greenpoint Brooklyn Nyc. Over an hour travel time to school everyday. I was ready to drop out which was exactly what they wanted me to do. My mom offered to lend me the money to buy the Grand National that I always wanted and let me pay her back in monthly payments as long as I finished my last year of school and upgraded the company I keep. That was a no brainer. So after visiting almost every dealer in nyc and Long Island we were told to forget about any possibility of buying a new 87 GN. They kept trying to sell me a totally different Buick. I wanted no part of it. So I went to school and left our number Incase one comes up they would call us. On February 22 1987 we got a call from Garden Buick saying it’s not a Grand National but we should really see it I took one look at it and made it mine. The dealer explained how it’s faster then a Grand National and was a special WE4 rare model. So the next day we took it home. Now the cool thing was that my mom didn’t want to be listed as a lien holder or a co buyer. She gave me the loan on my word alone the dealer said she would have to be listed as a co buyer because i wasn’t 18 yet. But they attended to title it to me only. But they told us not to be surprised if they kick it back. But I was lucky because I share the exact same name as my dad who passed. So my name has been on the title and paperwork since 1987. I lucked out. This car literally saved my life. Or at least it saved my future and brought my relationship with my mom very close till her untimely passing from a heart attack in 1997 at the age of 56. Because even tho is was a loan from mommy I treated it like a real car loan and her monthly payments were made before I paid my rent. That really grew me up giving me desire to go to college and evaded up a nyc firefighter for 22 years till I retired to Florida. But when she left us I had to stop driving it. It wasn’t the same anymore it was too painful to even look at. In 1998 when my sister bought a house I stored it in her garage till 2weeks ago when she sold her house I had it shipped to me in Florida and I’m fixing it up to show car quality so that RPO sticker would really do my car justice I rear ended back in 89 and the body shop replaced the trunk lid with some lame aftermarket crap. I didn’t understand about RPO codes till about a year ago. The car has been garaged for the past 20 years. I just started putting some money into it. New gas tank, walbro 255 pump, new bumper fillers, so far I cleaned out the fuel lines and threw away (recycled) the old fuel tank. The undercarriage is clean. I just didn’t feel like cleaning out 20 year old fuel. And I started cleaning out the injectors while I wait for the tank and pump to be shipped. I was able to start the car with a spray of brake cleaner in the TB for a second. Anyway ,But I would really like to purchase a re production copy of my original trunk RPO sticker. I also have the build and broadcast sheets and I know every single code that belongs there. I have no desire to sell this car. Ever. It’s all I have left from my mom. But I would like to restore it to car show condition. So I do plan to drop some money into this. If anyone can help I’m willing to pay good money for this. And I’m not asking for anything illegal. My car is a genuine WE4. I know because i wanted a WE2 but all 27 thousand were sold out and all they had was a WE4 that a buyer backed out of. Thanks and have a blessed day
Never dead, I still comment all the time but it has been very difficult to find time to make videos lately. I plan to post much more. Stay tuned and thanks for watching.
After you did the quadrajet rebuild video, you could retire and you wouldn't hear any complaints from me. It is a national treasure and belongs in the Smithsonian.
Great to see you again Brian. Was afraid you were ditching making TH-cam videos for good, although I saw you have been commenting here and there on some other videos. Looking forward to the next video as always!
Great video. Any updates on this car? It appears to be 10 months old and the newest video in your library (unless I’m searching wrong). Excellent explanations on the process....
NO. Don't lube the cylinder before doing your compression test. You'll mask ring sealing problems. Compression tests are done dry. IF you have a problem then do it wet, to see if rings are a problem. If the readings don't improve, you then are starting to look at the top end and have to go to a leak down check.
You are correct. I did not spray any oil and this was an error in my editing. Leak down test will happen in the next video and I will make this statement more clear. Thanks again and thanks for watching.
Love when you post I’m a big gbody fan my dad has his 78 cutlass supreme brougham and I have my 85 Monte ss, hope you start posting more content more often
I’m really looking forward to the second video to this series.....any idea of when? This has got to be one of the best, no BS, to the point video I’ve seen. Great job explaining and walking thru your processes. Awesome work!
These turbo 3.8 back then were famous for blowing head gaskets. Im a big fan of 80's cars. My dad and I sold used cars a lot and could never get G bodies cheap enough to make a profit on. These always went for above and beyond asking price 20 to 25 years ago.
Please help!!! I have a 1988 Monte Carlo SS. I have been cleaning it up and it’s my daily driver. Upon my Disassemble of various things to clean and put back together I Removed the window wipers arms to clean up and paint and the very thin piece of metal trim that they rest on . where can I find that ? what is that piece of trim called on the bottom of the Windshield ?Can you reply with a link on where to purchase this piece of trim ? Thanks!!
Tip as well,always keep an extra module and coil with you...we have several. of these and every one has an extra in it.and everyone will have an idea whats wrong. Head gaskets are a definate issue as are grounds.if you need help or ideas I'd be glad to help.most us turbo buick guys are a good bunch.
I purchased an 86 Monte Carlo for 800.00 a few years back. The guy purchased it for his son who then parked it in the back yard and stripped the interior out of it. Then could never get it running again. It sat for 2 years before I was able to talk him into buying it. I took along a new battery and fresh gas. After 10 mins I was driving it home. After getting it hole and going through it, it became my daily driver for a year or so. And it was not factory stock. It was fast as hell. I've never regretted selling a car as much as I did this one.
When doing a compression test, you should also put the accelerator to the floor, completely opening up the throttle body. This also tells the ECM to go into "flood clearing" mode, where no fuel is sent to the engine. If the snorkel is off, or the throttle body is removed, you won't need to do this.
Glad to see that you're working on the car one thing you want to do when changing the oil is add a zinc additive because that car is running a flat tappet cam stock from the factory I would rule out a head gasket for two reasons one the coolant in the car look good and your oil was not contaminated so rule out a head gasket on the cylinder being down pressure that could be the either bad valve spring having or you could have a ring issue .another thing you want to check is the timing gear set on that car because if it's a stock timing gear believe it or not they used a nylon gear setup on that timing chain so definitely want to replace that I'm a huge fan of these cars I've been working on them for years I've owned a couple and people in the Buick Community are very helpful with their knowledge because we likes to see these cars on the road running and not crushed. If you have any questions feel free to message me
Awesome information! Much appreciated. So many great people watching this video and willing to help out. Others have said the valve springs as these had issues with them. Yeah I am also ruling out the head gasket because the oil looked good. Will find out soon as I plan to pull the valve cover this week and I am filming the next video in this series. Thanks for watching.
195/75/14 & 205/75/14 are the two stock tire sizes that came on an 80 Cutlass with rally wheels. I've been looking for raised lettered tires for those sizes but there's nothing available from BF Goodrich or Goodyear and not much from other companies. Do you know of a nice white raised lettered tire that you recommend for an 80 Cutlass? Is there another size that can replace the two standard sizes that you know of?
I am going to update is much as I can as time allows. Please follow my on Instagram(link in description) because I post all sorts of updates there. Thanks for watching.
I love your videos, I have a g body, an 87 SSMonte Carlo Aerocoupe. It won’t help your test much but holding the throttle wide open during a compression test is the norm. I’m not sure you can still do that with newer drive by wire cars.
I am redoing the compression test in the next video along with a wet test. This will all be performed with the throttle open because it will let the air in better and yes it is the norm but you also do that to deactivate the injectors. In this case I had unplugged the fuel pump. New video out in about a week or sooner. Thanks for watching!
Could you do a G-body buyers guide....common rust areas, what’s considered an easy fix, and what’s considered a red flag to run from the sale? I will soon be shopping for a grand national, and while I THINK I know my way around one, since I had one in high school......it’s been 17+ years since I’ve crawled around one
Run it for a few miles and recheck compression, I’ve had motors that sat for years have sticky rings or a valve that didn’t fully seat due to varnish on stem that even out with some run time
Leak down gauge on #5.I have an old compression gauge hose that I put an air hose fitting on for valve spring changes .It would work for that .Then you can hear the air leaking.
Hello... I have an 86 cutlass supreme and on the bumper cover there’s many chips. Most of them in the round about parts and creases. How do I go about evening it out to be able to start painting? If you could help, it would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
You need to sand them all smooth or use a light glazing filler then filler primer, sand between coats until they are all filled., paint and clear coat.
Classic g body I own a 78 Buick Regal sport coupe. I’m having problems finding replacement rails for the frame. Should I just get a new frame or look for another project?
Depends how bad the rest of the car is. If the frame is bad then chances are the rest of the car is too. You need to evaluate what you have and how much time and money you will spend to make it right vs what else is still out there. These cars are not rare.
Hilarious enough, I actually took a break from working on my 87 Monte to get out of the heat, and saw these videos recommended to me. Nice find, and hope its something not too bad for cyl. 5
Hey I have a 84 mc do you have any ideas to get ac to blow harder all vacuum lines work perfect doors open and close changed blower motor & relay jus sealed bottom defrost door was thinking bout putting bigger blower motor but that’s only an idea thanks
Could be a wiped out cam lobe seen that on a bunch of turbo Buick’s have the issue due to valve spring issues and the cam/lifter design that’s why a roller cam are the some of the best upgrades to a 3.8 motor
By chance have you ever heard of a Mary Kay edition Buick regal ? I just bought one supposedly they were all v6 with red interior and with the 3.8. theyre all painted pink but mine is faded to whitish pink color lol was a barn find sitting in a lean too with shit piled around it for 11 years squirrels have chewed everything
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Hey I have a gbody with a Rochester carburetor on a 350 olds in park its rough at idle and when at acceleration it has a slight miss at time like it starving for air or maybe gas
Classic G-Body Garage hey how are you. I seen your video and i love it. I am a former Grand National Owner (best American Car ever Build). Well i know exactly the issue that the GN is having, The problem is the Coil. The Grand National Coil is divided in 2 parts. And the top one is the one the is burned out. One of the connectors on the coil of the spark plug wire is gone. Please let me know if this helps. Thanks for the video
So I have two G body cars !! That I have been restoring and I am having hard time finding plastics clips for the cars !! I have 1978 Buick Lesabre Custom coupe and a 1978 Buick Electra Limited coupe !! So where can I find replica parts for these cars ?
Im upgrading my fuel system. I have machanical and switching to the GN in tank electric fuel pump. So im starting from scratch. I bought the hot wire harness that plugs to the sending unit. Im stuck wondering where the three wire pin connection left over from the harness. Does it go hooked up to the oil pressure switch and to a dummy light? Please help anyone I've been stuck for a month now.
So my had has a 86 Buick Regal and I want to learn how to work on it. Is there any way you can do videos more often because they are very educational. At least one or 2 vids a week or something? Thanks
Godlike car pull the motor and rebuild it, ive got a 69 Buick GS 400 and it will be with me til the day i get buried in it. Grand nationals are amazing cars and very sexy body styling.
One of my biggest regrets was letting my TR go. #5 down could be a couple of different things, but I don't think it is valve springs (Comp 980's+ 1.025 shim kit + the nylon buttons if you are keeping the stock cam). None of my friends or I have melted a piston or broken a ring land, but if somebody junked this car they were probably putting whatever gas in it without a Scanmaster to tell them it's getting bad. RJC made a 'Powerplate' that goes under the doghouse for this reason. If they ran it without ZDDP additive on junk fuel, it could be a wiped lobe & stuck valve, but considering you didn't find any metal in the oil? Borrow a scope off of a friend to check the top of the piston and cylinder, or (eek) even re-torque the head bolts and run another compression test. The 109 LC2's and 8445's can take a lot of abuse, but without knowing the history of ownership or reading the plugs (were they AC Delco R43-TS' btw?), it could be a couple of things. I'm hoping it just got carbon'd up enough to make a ring stick, but the rear cylinders usually go lean first (like a cheaply boosted LS). I hope it is something simple, and thank you for saving this glorious giggle machine. This is just my Occam's Razor opinion on diagnostics, and opinions vary before I get any 'throwdowns'. That BRF 200-4R is very simple to rebuild, so if you have issues with it? Dive right in. It seemed curious to me that it looked like it was recently serviced, so if you get the chance, pull the inspection cover and see if the converter has "D5" stamped on it in multiple places. Sorry to ramble, but I was going off of memory and now I really want to get my Buick back.
2:47 - ** ferrous particles ** = magnetic. The results from a lab study on the oil sample would determine the status on all other metals whether those used in bearings, bushings, cam shafts, rings, etc.
Check out the other videos on this one. Please follow classicgbodygarage on Instagram for the latest on my projects. So much more on this car. More videos to follow.
I appreciate all of the mechanics that post videos of doing whatever job they're doing. I'm no certified mechanic but I can turn a few wrenches cause my dad and I worked on our cars ever since I was about 12. I can usually do most jobs that are moreless maintenance issues, alternators, starters, coolant, etc.. and even CV axles, u joints and brakes also. Also I like to watch a video of the job I'm doing on whatever car it is because it never hurts and the video may teach me a better way to do something whatever it is and might show how to get to a bolt or maybe if ya remove something simple it may make it a whole lot easier if it's out of the way and not that hard to remove so worth doingm
Thank you very much for saving this Grand National. I can't hardly believe that someone would send that car to a salvage yard like they did, even with the issues it has.
It'd be very cool if you could find a GMC Syclone or Typhoon to go with to it.
brian5o agreed. Probably s family member died and that cars was a POS to the owners children or family. Lots of people have no idea what they have
U can't belive because it didn't happen. These cars dont go to the boneyard plain and simple. It makes a better story for the channel to suck people in.any car guy that goes to the wrecking yards can easily call bull$hit in that part of the story but I will still watch videos because it's pretty good content. Bottom line DONT BELIVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET.
Nothing screams more fun and modification than the GM G-Body cars. I had a 1987 Turbo-T and a 1986 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. The Buick was *Rusting like no tomorrow* due to neglect by the prior owner. So I started cutting panels out to replace them with SOLID panels (in place of the Swiss cheese floor boards and holy qtr panels) so I gave up on redoing the body. So I removed the engine, trans, rear end got a new fuel tank for a Turbo-T dropped a high pressure pump in wedged it into the Monte while I waited for the engine to be completed by the machine shop, rebuilt the rear diff (maintained factory gear ratio), installed a shift kit and medium stall torque converter and ordered a custom interior wire harness from Painless and Casper's provided a new engine harness. This project took me 18 months from start to finish (driving the car down the street for the 1st time). I installed a new TA-49 turbo and a complete catalog of new parts from the timing gears to the exhaust. I LOVED that mutant car, even though it started to warp my T-Top roof from the insane amount of torque. So I then installed a crap ton of body braces so I wouldn't increase the T-Top wind/water leaks that were NOTORIOUS in these cars (I don't care about leaks because the T-Tops have a real sexy look!!). First time at the track it ran 11.01 sec. @ 110.6 mph. Power at the wheels was 397 hp @ 5,900 RPM and 497 ft-lbs at ~ 3,000 rpm. I then SADLY had to sell her to the shop who did the wiring for me due to getting...... -Marriage- Married -and- with CHILDREN!! So here is a hint for the car guys out there -------- If you want to keep messing with cars - DO NOT GET MARRIED UNTIL YOU ARE HAPPY WITH YOUR PROJECT! The car will never talk back, will never ask for something more than you give it, will not blame you for the hot water heater failing and will NEVER say NO to YOUR NEEDS!!! :D Stay Single STAY Tinkering STAY IN THE GARAGE!! :D :D
Hey man awesome stories! Thanks for taking the time to type this all out. Love to hear about the history of others cars. I am married and have been for 12 years. My wife is cool with what I do. No kids tho! Thanks for watching!
More! We want more Scrap National videos!
You will get more Scrap National! A lot sooner than later.
I was thinking about this at lunch today, you said cylinder 5 was showing low compression. I swore when you working on these motors that cylinder 1 was on the left front of the motor as you are looking at the engine. When you did the test that looked more like it was cylinder 1 to me. That is based off the fact I have worked on an infinity of these 3.8 engines from the LN3, to the 3800 Series III motor and L76 (if I remember correctly) and L32 models. I think no matter what you should tear that motor apart and give it some love! I wished I was in your position with that car, I have always wanted one and never seem to get my hands on one! I personally look forward to your progress!
Look up the firing order. You are correct that cylinder 1 is on the front left but this is the back left. Glad you are looking forward to the progress. I will get another video out soon. Thanks for watching.
You sir are doing the Lord's work indeed! I love that car!
Thanks for watching!
GLAD YOU ARE BACK. I was going thru withdrawals on not seeing new videos. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK BRIAN!!!
Thanks for watching!
I am the original owner of a 38000 miles 1987 Gran National bought new Oct 1986 no T-Roofs, some bolt ons, almost sold it to buy a new at the time a 2000 corvette, but i just couldn't sign the papers to do the deal, Best decision you just don't see these cars around that much!!!
Don C Nunez I have a 2004 corvette ,wanna trade?? Lol,i know the answer,but i tried!!!
Naw i don't think so but i have a corvette lite 2016 Cadillac CTS-V 640hp, would love to swap engines to my GN that motor is a beast!!
Good to see the car being saved.
Love the simple break down of recovery steps.
Welcome back. I remember Hot Rod Magazine did a write-up on all the cars that were turned in for that government program Cash for Clunkers. I remember reading that there was one grand national on that list. That was heartbreaking.
But unfortunately that's not the only one ever be scrapped, I'm glad you're saving at least one more
Drop a tea spoon of oil in that dead cylinder and see if the number comes up. Then you definitely need to do a leak down test on all the cylinders. You either have a broken ring, valves not seating correctly, or a leaking head gasket. Either way it’s best to do a full rebuild. Do it right and never worry about it again. I mean it’s a Grand National. Any cold air turbo Regal is worth fixing up in my book. Especially if it’s only mechanical and not rotted body. So just do a rebuild. My advice
I honestly hope I don't need to tear into this one. We will find out in the next video.
Classic G-Body Garage hey man I got kind of a long story for you. Please take the time to read my story and possibly you can steer me in the right direction.
I actually copied this from my post on turbo Buick. And added a little to it. Everything I write I swear is the truth and I’m not just pitching you a story to get my hands on a RPO sticker.
Hi, I know I’m new here but I’m not new to turbo Buick’s. I’m the original owner of an 87 WE4 and I also need a replacement rpo trunk sticker. I literally have every single document from the day I got my car to present day. I have the original (not a copy) window sticker which clearly states WE4 option on it. Broadcast sheet that lists the vin number, blackout code as well as the body Id number on it, and the vin stamped into the drivers side of the body under the door sill as well as the engine and transmission numbers all match the vin number on my title and window sticker. I also have the bill of sale, pre delivery inspection, warranty statement,right time to buy a car document, welcome letter from Buick, every single receipt from every single oil change from the dealer as well as the turbo needing to be replaced under warranty, every receipt for every set of tires, even the Delco radio station by state guide book from 1987 and all the recall letters,bottom line I still have everything made on paper from this WE4 regal EXCEPT THAT RPO STICKER 😔.
Now I know a lot of people clone these cars and are looking for fake rpo sticker to pretend their car is a Grand National. And I can respect Kirbin not wanting to hand duplicate stickers out without proper documentation proving that your car in deed is genuine but they are only selling you a reproduction sticker if you can provide a photograph of your old sticker. Now if I actually had the sticker then I wouldn’t be looking to buy a replacement one. But I’m not about that. This was literally my first car and is very special to me because my mom lent me the cash to buy and let me pay her off every month without interest back when I was 17. I still have the original title that says new And the window sticker is coded WE4. I was a very angry and disrespectful son because my dad died when I was 9 so I was hanging out with the drug dealing crowd even tho I actually had a regular job in waldbaums supermarket I was actually saving up for a cheap 81 regal I was gunna spray paint Black and pretend it was a GN. But I was only 17 and was stupid.I got into one too many fights and was transferred to Automotive High School in Greenpoint Brooklyn Nyc. Over an hour travel time to school everyday. I was ready to drop out which was exactly what they wanted me to do. My mom offered to lend me the money to buy the Grand National that I always wanted and let me pay her back in monthly payments as long as I finished my last year of school and upgraded the company I keep. That was a no brainer. So after visiting almost every dealer in nyc and Long Island we were told to forget about any possibility of buying a new 87 GN. They kept trying to sell me a totally different Buick. I wanted no part of it. So I went to school and left our number Incase one comes up they would call us. On February 22 1987 we got a call from Garden Buick saying it’s not a Grand National but we should really see it I took one look at it and made it mine. The dealer explained how it’s faster then a Grand National and was a special WE4 rare model. So the next day we took it home. Now the cool thing was that my mom didn’t want to be listed as a lien holder or a co buyer. She gave me the loan on my word alone the dealer said she would have to be listed as a co buyer because i wasn’t 18 yet. But they attended to title it to me only. But they told us not to be surprised if they kick it back. But I was lucky because I share the exact same name as my dad who passed. So my name has been on the title and paperwork since 1987. I lucked out. This car literally saved my life. Or at least it saved my future and brought my relationship with my mom very close till her untimely passing from a heart attack in 1997 at the age of 56. Because even tho is was a loan from mommy I treated it like a real car loan and her monthly payments were made before I paid my rent. That really grew me up giving me desire to go to college and evaded up a nyc firefighter for 22 years till I retired to Florida. But when she left us I had to stop driving it. It wasn’t the same anymore it was too painful to even look at. In 1998 when my sister bought a house I stored it in her garage till 2weeks ago when she sold her house I had it shipped to me in Florida and I’m fixing it up to show car quality so that RPO sticker would really do my car justice
I rear ended back in 89 and the body shop replaced the trunk lid with some lame aftermarket crap. I didn’t understand about RPO codes till about a year ago.
The car has been garaged for the past 20 years. I just started putting some money into it. New gas tank, walbro 255 pump, new bumper fillers, so far I cleaned out the fuel lines and threw away (recycled) the old fuel tank. The undercarriage is clean. I just didn’t feel like cleaning out 20 year old fuel. And I started cleaning out the injectors while I wait for the tank and pump to be shipped. I was able to start the car with a spray of brake cleaner in the TB for a second.
Anyway ,But I would really like to purchase a re production copy of my original trunk RPO sticker. I also have the build and broadcast sheets and I know every single code that belongs there. I have no desire to sell this car. Ever. It’s all I have left from my mom. But I would like to restore it to car show condition. So I do plan to drop some money into this.
If anyone can help I’m willing to pay good money for this. And I’m not asking for anything illegal. My car is a genuine WE4. I know because i wanted a WE2 but all 27 thousand were sold out and all they had was a WE4 that a buyer backed out of.
Thanks and have a blessed day
Any G Body with a V-8 or FI 4.3 from the factory is worth it too IMHO. The G-bodies with non turbo 3.8's can be the donor/parts cars!
I read it all but not sure how I can help you out. I do'n't have access to create an RPO sticker.
Classic G-Body Garage I hear ya man. Thanks anyway. Keep us updated on the build.
Best channel on TH-cam hands down!
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
Glad to see a new video. Especially with the Grand National.
Glad the channel isn't dead
Never dead, I still comment all the time but it has been very difficult to find time to make videos lately. I plan to post much more. Stay tuned and thanks for watching.
After you did the quadrajet rebuild video, you could retire and you wouldn't hear any complaints from me. It is a national treasure and belongs in the Smithsonian.
Great to see you again Brian. Was afraid you were ditching making TH-cam videos for good, although I saw you have been commenting here and there on some other videos. Looking forward to the next video as always!
Just been crazy busy. I plan to post much more. Thanks for watching.
So glad you're back.
Thanks for watching!
Great video. Love that you are working on a Buick. The best looking g body in my opinion.
Nice! Finally a new vid! Looking forward to a full series on the scrap national!!
The series is alive and well! Thanks for watching!
Good to see you putting out videos again, Brian. Can't wait to see what's going on inside that #5 cylinder.
Thanks for watching and for your loyalty.
Great video. Any updates on this car? It appears to be 10 months old and the newest video in your library (unless I’m searching wrong). Excellent explanations on the process....
Been filming for the next couple updates.
Happy to see your back at it . Making video. Love them G-Body’s
Thanks for watching!
I always wanted a Grand National, thanks for saving an 80s performance icon from the scrap heap. They are very hard to find, period.
Thanks for watching!
I came here just to say WE NEED MORE ROADMASTER WAGON VIDEOS!!! That poor thing is just begging to be worked on!
agree
Great video! Very good information. Watched alot of old start videos and really wanted to reach out and knock some sense into those people!
Can't wait to see the GN when you finish it.
Great find...hope you get it fix and keep it...its very rare to see a GN on the road these days...
Will get fixed up for sure. What Pull A Part does with it after I am done is up to them but you all will find out! Thanks for watching.
Great video as always. Glad to see you saving this grand national. Can't wait for more.
Thanks for watching!
NO. Don't lube the cylinder before doing your compression test. You'll mask ring sealing problems. Compression tests are done dry.
IF you have a problem then do it wet, to see if rings are a problem. If the readings don't improve, you then are starting to look at the top end and have to go to a leak down check.
You are correct. I did not spray any oil and this was an error in my editing. Leak down test will happen in the next video and I will make this statement more clear. Thanks again and thanks for watching.
Right on Kid. Knew A guy who had all model years plus S typhoon. Great what you’re doing
Love when you post I’m a big gbody fan my dad has his 78 cutlass supreme brougham and I have my 85 Monte ss, hope you start posting more content more often
Thanks for watching!
I’m really looking forward to the second video to this series.....any idea of when? This has got to be one of the best, no BS, to the point video I’ve seen. Great job explaining and walking thru your processes. Awesome work!
Thanks man that means alot. I am working on it and should be out soon.
These turbo 3.8 back then were famous for blowing head gaskets. Im a big fan of 80's cars. My dad and I sold used cars a lot and could never get G bodies cheap enough to make a profit on. These always went for above and beyond asking price 20 to 25 years ago.
Great deal on that grand national, keep up the good job !
Thanks for watching!
Please help!!! I have a 1988 Monte Carlo SS. I have been cleaning it up and it’s my daily driver. Upon my Disassemble of various things to clean and put back together I Removed the window wipers arms to clean up and paint and the very thin piece of metal trim that they rest on . where can I find that ? what is that piece of trim called on the bottom of the Windshield ?Can you reply with a link on where to purchase this piece of trim ? Thanks!!
You can't buy that part new. Please join the Classic Gbody Garage Facebook group and ask people on there as many sell parts. Thanks for watching!
I have been waiting for more on this Grand National. Hope all is well, enjoy your videos 👍
More coming soon. thanks for checking back!
Thumbs up, like how clear and to the point you were in this video, it held my attention all the way threw
Thanks. It took a while to plan the video out. Glad you like it.
Looking forward to this series of videos for sure. I have always wanted a GN and one day will have one.
Just swapped a 350 into my 79 cutlass 4 speed. Love your channel keep it up
Nice! Another 4 speed! Thanks for watching.
Tip as well,always keep an extra module and coil with you...we have several.
of these and every one has an extra in it.and everyone will have an idea whats wrong. Head gaskets are a definate issue as are grounds.if you need help or ideas I'd be glad to help.most us turbo buick guys are a good bunch.
Hell yeah, I might hit you up for some advice. Thanks for watching.
Great visual on the old vs new gas.
Great video keep pumping them out.
I purchased an 86 Monte Carlo for 800.00 a few years back. The guy purchased it for his son who then parked it in the back yard and stripped the interior out of it. Then could never get it running again. It sat for 2 years before I was able to talk him into buying it. I took along a new battery and fresh gas. After 10 mins I was driving it home. After getting it hole and going through it, it became my daily driver for a year or so. And it was not factory stock. It was fast as hell. I've never regretted selling a car as much as I did this one.
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing. You need to get yourself another one.
@@ClassicGBodyGarage damn sure do
When doing a compression test, you should also put the accelerator to the floor, completely opening up the throttle body. This also tells the ECM to go into "flood clearing" mode, where no fuel is sent to the engine. If the snorkel is off, or the throttle body is removed, you won't need to do this.
Excellent tip!
Glad to see that you're working on the car one thing you want to do when changing the oil is add a zinc additive because that car is running a flat tappet cam stock from the factory I would rule out a head gasket for two reasons one the coolant in the car look good and your oil was not contaminated so rule out a head gasket on the cylinder being down pressure that could be the either bad valve spring having or you could have a ring issue .another thing you want to check is the timing gear set on that car because if it's a stock timing gear believe it or not they used a nylon gear setup on that timing chain so definitely want to replace that I'm a huge fan of these cars I've been working on them for years I've owned a couple and people in the Buick Community are very helpful with their knowledge because we likes to see these cars on the road running and not crushed. If you have any questions feel free to message me
Awesome information! Much appreciated. So many great people watching this video and willing to help out. Others have said the valve springs as these had issues with them. Yeah I am also ruling out the head gasket because the oil looked good. Will find out soon as I plan to pull the valve cover this week and I am filming the next video in this series. Thanks for watching.
What’s a good web site to get performance parts from as I’m from Australia and getting parts for these engines over here is almost impossible
Go through Summit Racing.
What are the limiting factors (in terms of making power)of the GN turbo v6?
size of the turbo, trans needs to be built, exhaust needs to be upgraded along with injectors, fuel pump.
Where are you located? I would like to get my first Gbody from you
Northern Ohio
Classic GBody Garage ok
Well done! Looks like this GN is in good hands. Hope you can save her and get her back out on the street where she belongs.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for making down to earth content that is actually informative!
195/75/14 & 205/75/14 are the two stock tire sizes that came on an 80 Cutlass with rally wheels. I've been looking for raised lettered tires for those sizes but there's nothing available from BF Goodrich or Goodyear and not much from other companies. Do you know of a nice white raised lettered tire that you recommend for an 80 Cutlass? Is there another size that can replace the two standard sizes that you know of?
Will this be a weekly updated project?
I am going to update is much as I can as time allows. Please follow my on Instagram(link in description) because I post all sorts of updates there. Thanks for watching.
I hope it's not too serious with the engine. Awsome job you are doing with this car and What a find I hope you can save her!!
Thanks for watching!
I love your videos, I have a g body, an 87 SSMonte Carlo Aerocoupe. It won’t help your test much but holding the throttle wide open during a compression test is the norm. I’m not sure you can still do that with newer drive by wire cars.
I am redoing the compression test in the next video along with a wet test. This will all be performed with the throttle open because it will let the air in better and yes it is the norm but you also do that to deactivate the injectors. In this case I had unplugged the fuel pump. New video out in about a week or sooner. Thanks for watching!
Nice project....
Very informative . Ive been learning as i watch thank you
Thank you for watching. Love to hear this!
Love the grand national and I'm about to get a project for me and my boys it's a 82 Oldsmobile cuttlas to go with my 82 nighty night
Sorry it's a nighty eight
Could you do a G-body buyers guide....common rust areas, what’s considered an easy fix, and what’s considered a red flag to run from the sale? I will soon be shopping for a grand national, and while I THINK I know my way around one, since I had one in high school......it’s been 17+ years since I’ve crawled around one
Yeah that is defiantly a planned video! Thanks again.
love your knowledge. Thanks ..........I love the Grand National and more videos please. Keep them coming.
I love it that you watching my video! Thanks!
Run it for a few miles and recheck compression, I’ve had motors that sat for years have sticky rings or a valve that didn’t fully seat due to varnish on stem that even out with some run time
Brian where have you been! In the future could you do a video on how to adjust all 3 adjustments for the windows on these G bodies?
I can do a window adjustment video. Thanks for watching!
Sure wish we could get more than 1 video every 1 to 2 months. I actually forgot this channel even existed
Yep my fault. Been so busy here. Hope to get something up soon.
Leak down gauge on #5.I have an old compression gauge hose that I put an air hose fitting on for valve spring changes .It would work for that .Then you can hear the air leaking.
Yep this will be done on the next video. Thanks for watching!
Good information here. Great job in production.
Thank you.
Where can I find a motor and transmission in running condition?
Facebook market place, ebay, craigslist, Facebook Gbody or Turbo Buick groups, forums etc.
Thanks for this. Learned something new!
That means my video was a success! Thanks for watching.
That’s my dream car! great video👍
Hello... I have an 86 cutlass supreme and on the bumper cover there’s many chips. Most of them in the round about parts and creases. How do I go about evening it out to be able to start painting? If you could help, it would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
You need to sand them all smooth or use a light glazing filler then filler primer, sand between coats until they are all filled., paint and clear coat.
Can’t wait till the next one ! 💯👍🏼 keep posting 🙏🏼🙌🏻
Thanks for watching!
Awesome Video! Looking Foward to the next one. Thanks for sharing.
Classic g body I own a 78 Buick Regal sport coupe. I’m having problems finding replacement rails for the frame. Should I just get a new frame or look for another project?
Depends how bad the rest of the car is. If the frame is bad then chances are the rest of the car is too. You need to evaluate what you have and how much time and money you will spend to make it right vs what else is still out there. These cars are not rare.
have 1988 Monte Carlo SS stay in California any recommend Auto repairs shops
My 231 blows 150psi each, cam is advanced 4 degrees, might be why. I think it blew less before advancing the cam.
Hilarious enough, I actually took a break from working on my 87 Monte to get out of the heat, and saw these videos recommended to me. Nice find, and hope its something not too bad for cyl. 5
Thanks for watching Jeff! I actually want an 87 or 88 MCSS T-top all original low mile. Will have one some day.
Thanks for watching!
Awesome video and thanks for keeping us posted on this project. Love the fine detail that you go into. Such good information and learned allot.
You should keep this one just because. Great video
Thanks for watching! More to come.
Someone didn't know what they had sitting out there in the weeds!
Great find!
will love to see the cause of the problem! thumbs up
Hey I have a 84 mc do you have any ideas to get ac to blow harder all vacuum lines work perfect doors open and close changed blower motor & relay jus sealed bottom defrost door was thinking bout putting bigger blower motor but that’s only an idea thanks
Make sure it's blowing on ALL SPEEDS a common issue with Gbody. High doesn't work.
More more more!!!
haha! Glad you are loving the series.
Could be a wiped out cam lobe seen that on a bunch of turbo Buick’s have the issue due to valve spring issues and the cam/lifter design that’s why a roller cam are the some of the best upgrades to a 3.8 motor
Working on the next video now and we will all find out soon! Thanks for watching!
Put an ounce of oil in cylinder #5 and run the compression test again. It will let you know if the problem is a valve guide seal or the piston rings.
Yeah I did that and it brought the compression up a bit, rings
By chance have you ever heard of a Mary Kay edition Buick regal ? I just bought one supposedly they were all v6 with red interior and with the 3.8. theyre all painted pink but mine is faded to whitish pink color lol was a barn find sitting in a lean too with shit piled around it for 11 years squirrels have chewed everything
Yes I have especially the Cadillacs. They were all done aftermarekt and not from factory.
Oooooo. Nice! Beautiful car.
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Hey I have a gbody with a Rochester carburetor on a 350 olds in park its rough at idle and when at acceleration it has a slight miss at time like it starving for air or maybe gas
Classic G-Body Garage
Go info and very easy to understand ...
Subscribed.
BLAZE IT
Classic G-Body Garage can u help me with the carb situation?
Classic G-Body Garage, great video. I enjoyed watching. Maybe it's just a carbon deposit on the valve seat. You might be able to stake the valve.
Classic G-Body Garage hey how are you. I seen your video and i love it. I am a former Grand National Owner (best American Car ever Build). Well i know exactly the issue that the GN is having, The problem is the Coil. The Grand National Coil is divided in 2 parts. And the top one is the one the is burned out. One of the connectors on the coil of the spark plug wire is gone. Please let me know if this helps. Thanks for the video
Great vid! I’m very interested in this one...
Thanks for the info on automotive do it yourself repair work. And what is a good way to find scrap Nationals for sale
If you are looking for a GN please join the Classic Gbody Garage FaceBook group. Link is up above. Thanks for watching.
Where are the videos at???
They will be coming, Thanks for checking back.
Finally! glad to see a new video 👍
Can't wait to see what's the problem.
So I have two G body cars !! That I have been restoring and I am having hard time finding plastics clips for the cars !! I have 1978 Buick Lesabre Custom coupe and a 1978 Buick Electra Limited coupe !! So where can I find replica parts for these cars ?
Nice cars but they are not Gbodys. Try ebay for the clips or an automotive clip supplier. Thanks for watching!
Why are the headlight bezels silver in the junkyard photos??
The car was painted before I got it. Watch the first video of the car.
Im upgrading my fuel system. I have machanical and switching to the GN in tank electric fuel pump. So im starting from scratch. I bought the hot wire harness that plugs to the sending unit. Im stuck wondering where the three wire pin connection left over from the harness. Does it go hooked up to the oil pressure switch and to a dummy light? Please help anyone I've been stuck for a month now.
This is my first video of yours definitely going to subscribe
Thank you and Thanks for watching!
So my had has a 86 Buick Regal and I want to learn how to work on it. Is there any way you can do videos more often because they are very educational. At least one or 2 vids a week or something? Thanks
I am going to post as often as I can. Thanks for watching!
Godlike car pull the motor and rebuild it, ive got a 69 Buick GS 400 and it will be with me til the day i get buried in it. Grand nationals are amazing cars and very sexy body styling.
where did you get that hairpeice and what do you use to stick it on your head???
Found it in the back of the Scrap National and stuck it on with RTV!
Bent push rod maybe? Or valve adjustment. Hope piston is good still would suck if it broke a ring or something.
One of my biggest regrets was letting my TR go. #5 down could be a couple of different things, but I don't think it is valve springs (Comp 980's+ 1.025 shim kit + the nylon buttons if you are keeping the stock cam). None of my friends or I have melted a piston or broken a ring land, but if somebody junked this car they were probably putting whatever gas in it without a Scanmaster to tell them it's getting bad. RJC made a 'Powerplate' that goes under the doghouse for this reason. If they ran it without ZDDP additive on junk fuel, it could be a wiped lobe & stuck valve, but considering you didn't find any metal in the oil? Borrow a scope off of a friend to check the top of the piston and cylinder, or (eek) even re-torque the head bolts and run another compression test. The 109 LC2's and 8445's can take a lot of abuse, but without knowing the history of ownership or reading the plugs (were they AC Delco R43-TS' btw?), it could be a couple of things. I'm hoping it just got carbon'd up enough to make a ring stick, but the rear cylinders usually go lean first (like a cheaply boosted LS). I hope it is something simple, and thank you for saving this glorious giggle machine. This is just my Occam's Razor opinion on diagnostics, and opinions vary before I get any 'throwdowns'. That BRF 200-4R is very simple to rebuild, so if you have issues with it? Dive right in. It seemed curious to me that it looked like it was recently serviced, so if you get the chance, pull the inspection cover and see if the converter has "D5" stamped on it in multiple places. Sorry to ramble, but I was going off of memory and now I really want to get my Buick back.
Great info! Thanks for taking the time and Thanks for watching!
Hey bro when deleting the ac & heater core . Is it best to use pipe thread plug fittings or a short hose going back into the other pipe in the engine
Brass plug the intake and you will need to find a rubber cap for the water pump side with a clamp.
2:47 - ** ferrous particles ** = magnetic. The results from a lab study on the oil sample would determine the status on all other metals whether those used in bearings, bushings, cam shafts, rings, etc.
Yeah that was just an example, not from the oil in this car.
Adding oil to the cylinders before the compression test will seal the rings and hide the worn rings.
Check out the other videos on this one. Please follow classicgbodygarage on Instagram for the latest on my projects. So much more on this car. More videos to follow.