81-87 Regal?

[UNGN]

whats wrong with the 85 turbo motor? I thought the 3.8 sfi was what everyones crazy about?

funny.

'84-85's are for suckers who think '86/87 guys are crazy about them. Buy an '85 for the turbo motor and '86/87 guys will think you are a clueless idiot.

Swap in an LS and they'll respect your judgment. Swap in a turbo LS and they will give you respect.

NOBODY hates '84-85's more than '86/87 Turbo buick owners and many if not most 84-85 original or near new owners sold them to suckers and bought 86/87's so its not like their hatred is based on ignorance.

'85's have good parts - 8.5" rear, good steering box, good body, good 200-4R trans and were THE FASTEST G-Body UP until 1985, but compared to a '86/87 the motor is 1) terrible, 2) not easily upgradeable and 3) all of the "experts" have given up and bought '86/87's, so if you ever have a problem, even a minor one, 95% of responses will be "sell it and buy an '86/87 and 4% will be other clueless noob '85 owners asking you if you ever got an answer to your question, because theirs is broken, too. Maybe 1% of the '85 specific repair advice will be helpful.

 

[Muswagon]

Turbo LS or BBC with manual or i might as well not build anything, I am not an auto fan.

I had seen a comment on hear ripping T top cars, anything to that?

 

[UNGN]

Turbo LS or BBC with manual or i might as well not build anything, I am not an auto fan.

I had seen a comment on hear ripping T top cars, anything to that?

Hardtops are definitely more desirable if you are going to race the car, but I had a T-top GN and it was cool to cruise around in. If you live somewhere with cruising + good weather, T-tops can be enjoyable. If its too hot or you want to drag race the car, T-tops may not be your thing. They can make the car a little flexy and a little creaky, but adding the missing lower body bushings and cross brace behind the seat helps a lot. If you want to run 11's at a track, avoid them. Lots of people have run 11's and quicker with T-tops, but tracks frown on it.

T-tops can leak and can rust, so both would need to be verified before buying.

 

[Muswagon]

Would this kit get me what I need as far as pedal and mechanism? from there, hydraulic?

 

[Kennybill]

This is just my opinion. IF the body is really clean and you really want one then work your best deal, then buy it. Very clean G-bodies are getting harder to find. If you need extremely clean doors, I'm selling a set in the parts for sale. 1981/1988 Cutlass/Regal doors are the same. Good luck, Ken

 

[Riddick]

Would this kit get me what I need as far as pedal and mechanism? from there, hydraulic?

thats super expensive man and is the factory gbody pedal assembly for using with the factory fork and linkage. just get a universal clutch pedal and mount a tilton master cylinder behind it and whatever motor transmission combo you go with use a tilton hydraulic tob. That pedal assembly costs more than the tob lol kinda silly

 

[pagrunt]

You can just get the pedals & with some fabing make/adapt the rod for the master cylinder. There are adapter brackets for the master cylinder to mount on the firewall. I beleive some have use F-body units.

 

[Tom Lambert]

Welcome to the site and good luck with the Regal. These Guys will give you all the help you need. Both my sons are building regals with LS motors. UNGN, your right, 86 and 87 were almost identical. 86 had chrome on top of grill and door pull straps were different. 87 engine was reported to have higher HP but the engines was identical. I owned an 86, 87 and GNX354. I agree with installing an Ls engine, those V6's had a bad habit of driving over the crank!

 

[CaliWagon83]

I'm 100% going to do the Hellwig Frame FX upgrade on mine before the LS3 goes in.

 

[fastNYsix]

I kinda dig the 81-83 tailiights, the nose/grille however looks grandpa ish so would for sure change. I found a 85 GN front nose already, parts are easier to find than cars 😉

What is a good price for a rust free 87 roller? He is asking about 2300 USD ($3,000 Canadian). Would cost me $600 USD to trailer it here, which isn't bad

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I just sold a running 86 with carbd v6 for 1200. and it took awhile to get that much. it had a 7.5 rear and was very rusty at the rear of frame. The last regal i bought was an 85 v6 carbd. 95% rust free for 2500. So i would say it's a fair price. if it has a 8.5 rear, and is in decent shape I would definitely buy it. I Ls turbo swapped the 85, you'll need a GN fuel tank and sending unit, i went with a GN electric radiator fan also. I did the swap myself from start to finish, so if you have any questions let me know.