🔧 BUILD Quarter Life Crisis. It's a thing. v.GN

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Your highest dreams will not come true overnight, and even if they do your life will never be perfect. It took me way too long to realize that, but this car was the expensive lesson I needed to get me there. Let me explain.

I've been a Buick fanatic nearly my whole life. Being the owner of a show quality intercooled Grand National race car was a life goal of mine. After being fed up with an overly ambitious restoration project that wasn't even Buick bodied nor powered I dropped everything and gave up. The project got parted out, and I started shopping for something better. I couldn't afford a good Buick yet, so I looked for something I could fix up and flip. Meet Nacho!

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I had always had a little thing for El Caminos and I picked this beauty was only $3800. It ran like complete garbage, but it was completely rust-free! I thought that fixing the obvious vacuum leak would make this an easy $5000 car.

I brought it home and immediately removed the carb. Some goof put a spread-bore to square-bore adapter between the stock intake and quadra-jet.

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Score! I didn't want to fall in love with it, so I started taking it to cruise nights with a for sale sign in it. I even tried to road trip it home to Lisle, but I didn't make it far.

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I was about to stop for gas when I noticed white smoke rolling out behind me. I knew I was not going to make it, so I turned around. I knew it was officially game over when I heard a loud pop and saw a big splash hit the windshield. Only I would blow a head gasket and pop the radiator hose on a stock low output 305. :rolleyes: A tow truck got me the rest of the way home.

I wasn't taking a lot of pictures of my work back then, but here's a little taste of my first major start to finish engine repair!

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I had always wondered why the car ran so consistently rough and painfully slow, but I figured that was just the 305 life. As it turned out, this POS had terribly mismatched heads! One side was stock, and the other side had some kind of large chamber 350 head with a 305 gasket. The fact that it ran without blowing the head gasket for as long as it did was a miracle, but I was not happy about blowing the flip.

After scoring some very cheap ebay reman. heads, painting a few parts, and slamming it all together I got serious about selling. Within a couple days, I sold it to a very motivated buyer for $5100. After the purchase, tires, engine repairs, plates, and insurance, I made $200. Those were not the profits I wanted, but a profit nonetheless. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned.

Once again, I was without a project and still without a Buick. Depression resumed. I started my search for the "perfect" 30 year old car. Not wanting another basket case, but also not wanting to get hosed, I turned to the family friend who got me into Buicks in the first place. He helped me find "the one". Here I am in 2016 about to drive a Grand National and call it my own for the first time in my life.

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...Now the real story begins.

v6buicks

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Seach for Melling Engine Oil Pump Trust Plate Kit P-20I

The high volume kit is not recommended.
Just looked that up. I can't find many great descriptions though. Can you help me understand what it does? Is it just to give the gears a steel surface to ride on instead of the aluminum filter adapter? Are there any other benefits? Either way, at $30 it seems like cheap and easy insurance for the filter adapter.
 

Mr_Roboto

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Just looked that up. I can't find many great descriptions though. Can you help me understand what it does? Is it just to give the gears a steel surface to ride on instead of the aluminum filter adapter? Are there any other benefits? Either way, at $30 it seems like cheap and easy insurance for the filter adapter.
That's pretty well it.
 
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v6buicks

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I'm gonna add that to the shopping list. Might as well.

I got a bunch of gaskets and the Cloyes HD timing set today. Thanks daturbosix daturbosix for the recommendation. I didn't even notice that stock was nylon until after I bought the new kit! :oops: I'm glad I didn't buy a stock replacement.
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I also feel like a bit of a dork for never taking pictures of my new turbo, so here they are.
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Here's stock for visual comparison.
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and stock again
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I'm not sure why the new turbine wheel looks so goofy. The original TA49 wheel looked like it was just an enlarged stocker, but I trust that boost lab knows what they're doing. The compressor housing is probably not staying polished, but I'm not 100% on anything yet.

I also stuck my header flanges on the belt sander at work. As you can tell by the abrupt line between 3 and 5, the flange is still pretty warped.
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The belt was worn down to nothing by the time I go here, so I called it quits. Belt sander is another thing that would get a lot of use at my house. I think the Remflex gaskets will be able to take care of it at this point, but I also really want to clean these up before shooting them with paint. I'm going to buy a blast cabinet and go to town on all sorts of stuff.

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Mr_Roboto

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I was gonna say something about the timing set, but didn't.

I wouldn't be surprised if the wheel is a more modern variant of some kind. Those sort of things have evolved a lot over the years honestly. If you can see it do a visual on the #3 exhaust lobe while you're in there, that's the one that liked to puke on these. May even be worth putting it on the base circle then pulling the lifter if the lobe isn't readily visible.

If you want another "while you're at it" valve springs aren't a bad deal either tbh. Supposedly these engines pick up considerable HP from even a mild stockish replacement spring.
 

v6buicks

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I was gonna say something about the timing set, but didn't.

I wouldn't be surprised if the wheel is a more modern variant of some kind. Those sort of things have evolved a lot over the years honestly. If you can see it do a visual on the #3 exhaust lobe while you're in there, that's the one that liked to puke on these. May even be worth putting it on the base circle then pulling the lifter if the lobe isn't readily visible.

If you want another "while you're at it" valve springs aren't a bad deal either tbh. Supposedly these engines pick up considerable HP from even a mild stockish replacement spring.
I'll do my best to check. It's hard to see anything with the strong enclosed lifter valley.

Valve springs have been on my list since I bought the car, so it's for sure getting done now. I bought a nice on-head spring compressor already. I think I have the springs picked out, but I'm going to have Full Throttle advise me on those along with all my fuel system stuff. I plan to spend a lot of money there when their Black Friday sales start.
 

v6buicks

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Do any Buick people have recommendations for replacement rocker buttons? It sounds like people have had issues with the part store versions. I see TA sells them. I assume that's a safe bet. I feel weird calling to order $11 worth of stuff though. I'll probably go ahead and buy their pump priming tool instead of making one, their pump thrust plate, and timing chain tensioner so I don't feel like a cheap ass. lol

I also forgot to add pictures of my timing cover post cleaning. It's looking great! Not much paint left.
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I used a surface prep pad on my die grinder to remove the nastiest paper gasket I have ever seen. It was definitely original and my razor blade wouldn't cut into it at all. Hopefully the prep pad wasn't too damaging.
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I haven't figured out how the old rope seal retainer is supposed to come out yet, but I haven't given it a good look either. I have a modern rubber seal with the spring to replace all that.
 
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b4black

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Just looked that up. I can't find many great descriptions though. Can you help me understand what it does? Is it just to give the gears a steel surface to ride on instead of the aluminum filter adapter? Are there any other benefits? Either way, at $30 it seems like cheap and easy insurance for the filter adapter.
It provides a new surface for the gears and it is flatter the aluminum pump cover. I had a friend I trust go over a couple of front covers for me and he recommended the steel plate even with a new pump cover.

And this:
 
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v6buicks

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Mr I've got 90 psi in my series 2 over here worried about oil pressure. If it gets under 5 the lifters will let you know ?
lol This is the reason I own the Camaro in the first place. IDGAF about Camaros, and 3800s are cheap. I can have fun with it, tear it apart, and break shit without feeling bad about anything. I'm not necessarily building it shittily. In fact, almost everything I've done on the Camaro is turning out way too nice for it's intended purpose. :ROFLMAO: I was supposed to be hot rodding the GN when I first bought it, but I came to my senses really early on. I had never finished a big car project before. Tearing into a vehicle that would financially cripple me for the following years whether I bought any parts for it or not was a terrible idea. When my first necessary repairs came about, they were absurdly expensive (for a GM car) to remedy, and I found myself performing them without much grace. Realizing that I was not a great owner for this car was actually pretty depressing considering how badly I wanted a good one. The previous owner knew how to do less than I did, but the car (miraculously) ran a lot better when I first got it, and the paint was a lot nicer. He had a lot of things done professionally which is something I've normally had way too much pride and not enough money to allow.

That's when the Buick got pushed aside for a while. The Camaro is just a lab rat. I already knew how to do basic mechanics pretty shoddily by the time I was done with college, but I didn't REALLY know how to fix anything nicely until about when the Camaro got tuned. I still have a lot to learn, and some day I'll probably look back on THIS project wishing I had done some things differently. However, it will turn out much better than if a 24 year old me was holding the wrenches. I hope I can harness my skills learned from the 3800 project and apply my newfound patience to this one. I have to admit that I'm still nervous as hell and sick to my stomach over it. I didn't actually think this time would come, and the sight of the engine being this far apart has yet to sink in.

Don't get me wrong. It's exciting to finally be playing with my dream car, but I'm not half-assing or taking chances with anything. My pride is very much on the line with this one, and I have a lot of Buick sins to make-up for.
 

v6buicks

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Not a real update, but I bought a basic E85 chip, Racetronix 450lph pump kit with a bigger return line, tune saver, HD hotwire because mine is is apparently too small, and Comp 980 valve springs. I guess it's official that the alky system is leaving the car, and full time E85 is on its way in.

I'll miss the little progressive LED telling me when I'm reaching high boost levels, but that's about it. I considered going with an SD2 or ECUGN for maffless and flex fuel capabilities, but that's going to wait since I'll have a hard enough time getting this thing on the road before spring as it is.

I'm still putting that dang blast cabinet together, so the car is kinda on hold until I can start cleaning parts.
 

v6buicks

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I would have waited to post until I had something more significant to talk about, but I noticed something kinda strange in my pictures. We'll get to that in a bit.

While cleaning the garage, I decided I was tired of lookin at that nylon timing gear.
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So I removed it and put the new Cloyes Set on.
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I dumped some oil on it, torqued it to spec and left happy. This is clearly a much stronger and modernized design, but this picture is making me think that I wasn't paying enough attention. Is the chain even seated properly in the cam gear? It looks like it's not fully meshed and ready to jump time. Will this wear in?
 

v6buicks

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I determined that the timing set is fine. The picture is playing goofy illusions.

I also made some very satisfying progress last night. Have you ever had something so janky and trashy on your car that you just can't overlook how bad it is? For me and the GN, this was the alky system. Not only was it certainly installed like garbage, but I'm pretty convinced that the system itself was never designed to be attached to a car. :cautious: There are no mounting provisions for anything, not enough electrical connectors, the premade harnesses are about 3ft too long, and a brain box that just has nothing nice going for it. I'm honestly shocked that there are still turbo Buick folks defending this system like it's the greatest thing God has ever given us. Now that it's gone, I can actually look at my car with truly loving eyes again. I think this is the last damning piece brought to us by the previous owner's amazing DIY skills and a younger v6buick's naĂŻve "repairs".

I don't have any before pictures, but the splice into the map sensor was just a wire wrapped around the other in electrical tape. Nice. Here it is de-spliced, cut, soldered, shrunk, and ready for new tape. It looks like OE goodness again.
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Ew.
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This shriveled anaconda is so terrible.
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This explains why my low fuel light never came on when I ran the alky tank dry.
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More ew while removing the progressive LED from the pillar pod. It's the only part I'll miss. Maybe I should keep it and just hook it up to the MAP sensor. :LOL:
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By the way, what a mess this was! The pillar pod is held in with friggen nylock nuts on the back which means the whole pillar trim has to come out to service the boost gauge. That would be fine too if the hole where the tube and wires poke through was big enough to allow movement! I hated myself the first time I had to tear it apart, and I hated myself this time. No more.
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The trim is already ruined as soon as you put a gauge on it. Might as well make the hole as big as you need it!
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With a couple self tappers the the gauge is still secure and easily removed for next time.

Man, I'm kind a mad at myself for not taking more pictures. I really learned a lot of little shit in this effort like how to properly remove the headliner retainers for correct pillar trim removal and fixing scratched plastic trim due to NOT knowing how to properly remove the headliner retainers. I didn't even take a picture of the final results. I think I was too jacked up on sugar because my performance at work would have suggested a night full of napping instead of downing a Rockstar and working on the car for five hours with hands shaking like an alcoholic in withdrawl the entire time. :LOL: Anyway, this was really a good bonding moment for me and the car. I know for a fact that I will be here soon to replace the gauge pod or the entire a-pillar trim, so I'm glad it will be a lot easier next time. I haven't decided for sure my plan of action there. I don't necessarily like pillar pods. They're very F&F/Need4Speed in my opinion, but I can't deny that it's the best spot to put vital numbers in your face. I'm not thrilled with having self tappers holding the junk in either though. The holes are getting pretty weak. Maybe I can riv nut the pillar trim? That would be pretty decent. I've considered getting virgin trim too and moving the boost gauge, but again, I want to be able to see it.

Moving on. Removing the "Power Injection" bulb. :( That's another cool detail I'll kind of miss. For those wondering, the warning bulb overlay came from the factory with this slot. I think it was the 84-85 cars that were supposed to get a factory meth injection system, but Buick cancelled it at the last minute. All that remained was the bulb slot. Of course, the aftermarket kit came with the least elegant solution for reinstalling a bulb though.
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WTF :ROFLMAO: I mean, it works. Good luck to whoever wants to change that bulb though.
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I also don't know what this LED is about. Perhaps the system just adds a second bulb to the "Low Fuel" holder instead of just tying into the existing one? I wouldn't put it past them at this point. Regardless, it's gone.
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Even though I wasn't done, I had to take a picture of the alky system being 100% removed. It already looks so much better!
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Who would've thought that the kick panels don't actually sag on their own and that they bounce right back when you remove 5lbs from the top?! :rolleyes: This really put things into perspective for me. Somebody actually took the time to design, produce, powder coat, and sell a bunch of these heavy support braces because "all the kick panels do this". I'm no longer convinced that they do. It's just that most of them have had a bunch of alky junk piled on them for decades. Mine is still a bit warped, so I put my brace back on. Maybe it will re-warp back into shape over time.
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It is very unlike me to remove a very quirky factory option from any car, but I couldn't look at the coiled up oil-caked extension cord anymore. This car has a K05 block heater! Why? Well, it was a WI daily driver for the first few years of its life.
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Yeah, I have a lot of cleaning to do. ? I think I'm going to leave the element in because it's not leaking. The cord just pops off. I might remove the starter for deep cleaning and painting though. Gross.

Somehow it took me until this point to notice something in the valley that didn't belong. It's pretty obvious and you can actually see it chilling in a few other previously posted pictures.
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At first I was freaking the fuck out because I didn't know what it was. Then I remembered that the huge turbo drain pipe exits in the valley. The turbo seems to have chucked it's guts right out the poop hole. I'm going to try flushing the pan with a couple gallons of cheap oil right down the valley. I'll look for a magnetic drain plug too.
 

Mr_Roboto

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Holy shit if I didn't know any better that's a chunk of turbo bearing.

Great movement, I wish I was moving this well. I'm trying to figure out this axle setup and man it's a pain in the dick! Feel flat out stuck right now. You're obviously not. :)

If you wanted to do something low key with the housing maybe bead blast the outside? Just a random thought.
 
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v6buicks

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Holy shit if I didn't know any better that's a chunk of turbo bearing.

Great movement, I wish I was moving this well. I'm trying to figure out this axle setup and man it's a pain in the dick! Feel flat out stuck right now. You're obviously not. :)

If you wanted to do something low key with the housing maybe bead blast the outside? Just a random thought.
I'm about positive that's it judging by wear and size. The ID of this part matches the shaft perfectly. :oops: She let go hard.

Thanks! I've been trying to ration my work out so that I don't lose focus or have long periods of nothing while replenishing funds or waiting for parts. I'm hoping after all the Christmas shopping I can give TA a call and make the last big order of stuff. Speaking of which, I have an order of some pretty looking aluminum fittings on their way from Racetronix. I'm looking forward to not seeing the nasty rusty steel stuff anymore.

That's exactly what I'm going to do! The work load for my new blast cabinet is piling up fast!
 

v6buicks

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It's ferrous, but it's 100% turbo parts. The valve train looks perfectly fine, and everything about the shrapnel is too small to wrap around a valve stem.

That LG3 cover swap sounds like a nifty conversion though! I had to do some googling, but it looks like it uses the same cam sensor. Would the LC2 balancer fit on there? Water pump? Finding that cover seems to be a challenge though. I can't even find a picture.
 

Mr_Roboto

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LG3s were neat ass engines. The timing cover will absolutely bolt up to the block and the passages looked the same. I owned one at a point, and compared it fairly extensively to a 3.8 hot air engine's parts. Most of the stuff would interchange, you'd need a different flex plate but the cranks would switch blocks and they even used 2 dot rods.

Finding one now? Good luck 99.99% of those hit the crusher probably 20ish years ago or more.
 

v6buicks

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LG3s were neat ass engines. The timing cover will absolutely bolt up to the block and the passages looked the same. I owned one at a point, and compared it fairly extensively to a 3.8 hot air engine's parts. Most of the stuff would interchange, you'd need a different flex plate but the cranks would switch blocks and they even used 2 dot rods.

Finding one now? Good luck 99.99% of those hit the crusher probably 20ish years ago or more.
Do you know if the FWD crank snouts are any different? I'm really liking this idea.

L27 seems like a stretch. I had one and I can imagine it bolting up, but remember it looking closer to the Series 2 cover with the magnet style cam sensor and stuff.
 

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