GN "clone" starting car.. kinda.

[Miles B]

Hi

I live in Australia, and own a bunch of 50s and 60s cars. I'm coming back to the US in a few months for vacation and am thinking about picking up a Regal to bring back. I like the GN of course, but I want to put a spare BBC I have in the car and just make something that has the GN look. Figure I might as well pick up a cheap car as I'll just dump the drivetrain. Can you guys let me know what model I should be looking for and what trim I'll need to buy? I gather the bumpers, headlight surrounds and grill are different. Can the old stuff be stripped and painted and match the GN look if I get a chrome car? From what I can see, the body panels all seem to be the same on the plain Regals except the hood. Is that right or are the fenders and quarters flared more on the turbo cars?

Thanks!

 

[MrSony]

Everything is the same. Try to nab an 84-87 hard top car (non vinyl top car) as the little filler panel between the rear windshield is different and the window trim around the rear window is specific to vinyl cars as well as the 1/4 windows, they stick out a bit father to accommodate the vinyl. Also try and nab a car that's an auto on the floor so it'd be easy to slap a B&M shifter in there and not have to source a different column and gauge cluster. Other than that you should be golden. Also, welcome to the site! GBodyparts.com sells all the GN blackout trim and bumpers if you want to truly make a GN clone, or just strip and paint your metal parts like you said. The only g body that had fender flares was the GNX, so you're good there. The 81-83 Regals have a different header panel and grille than the 84-87s do and different tail lights, all one flat peice instead of having the trim piece running through the middle horizontally. Plus the gauge clusters are different. Starting in '84 they look like a GN cluster. Until 1987 the 84-86 grille looked like mine (see profile picture) and had the word BUICK at the top.

 

[81Regal]

The GN started in 82 though most people remember the 84 to 87 style. A regal limited would work, you will have to remove the trim along the bottom and vinyl top if it has one. Some of the interior design is different also.
For many people just blacking out the trim on the exterior would be close enough for them to confuse the Regal and the GN/GNX.
The hood is different on the turbo models, only the GNX had fender flares after it was modified into a GNX. The chrome can be stripped off the chrome bumpers and painted or get a pair of fiberglass aftermarket bumpers.

 

[UNGN]

With a BBC, you need to be careful about Intake manifold/Air cleaner selection or you will need an aftermarket raised hood, anyway.

The taller single plane manifolds with a free flowing aircleaner will need a raised hood (raised higher than the factory Turbo hood).

 

[85442/86buick]

also for the GN look the little 3 piece spoiler that mounts to tail edge of the trunk lid.

 

[Miles B]

Awesome, thanks guys. Yes, I plan an aftermarket hood for sure.

 

[L67ss]

Be kewl if you turbo's the BBC

 

[Miles B]

No can do. It's an 11:1 489 so it should do quite well anyway.

 

[pontiacgp]

My daughter lives in Australia and she says they are real strict when it comes to modifying cars. She says my car wouldn't be allowed on your roads and I have looked up a few rules about modifying a car in Australia. How do you get around the rules?

 

[Miles B]

How do you get around the rules?

You kinda can't. Doing it the right way requires testing and certification which is very tough to pass, and very expensive. You just keep it as subtle as you can, and hope the cops don't decide to screw with you. Putting a NA BBC in a regal, they wouldn't know it's a big block or that it shouldn't be there. Blowers and turbos on V8s they get you if they see them and don't like you.