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

General Information

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!

14.jpg
12.jpg


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.

1589747357462.png


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.

Blown head gasket.png


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!

Head swap.jpg


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.

Closed the deal 2016.jpg



...Now the real story begins.

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
no idea. they were in the car when i took possession of it in april. but at that point there was only 1500 miles on the build. probably 2500 miles on them *IF* they were new when dude put them in prior to me owning it.
Nice. I'll let you know when I'm ready to buy. Hopefully you'll find your 120s by then!
 

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
It's not often I have any sort of update while the car sits in storage, but I bought some freshly cleaned 60s and a chip.
1607648137355.png


1607648243721.png


The Buick dicks think I'm an idiot, but I don't think Eric at turbo tweak would even bother making a chip for 60s and E85 if the two didn't work together. Is it ideal since the injectors will be essentially maxxed out? No, but will they work on an almost completely stock car? Yes. Besides, I got the combo pretty cheap. I look forward to ditching that last century alky control setup in favor of a cleaned up engine bay.

What I'm not too sure about is whether or not my fuel pump is up to the task. It too is on the small side. (Racetronix 255) I have an Accufab regulator which is good, but the stock lines and little single pumper may not have the guts to provide adequate flow. This is all according to a few guys who I think are misjudging my goals though. For some reason most characters in the GN community assume that every car is a track whore which lives it's entire life WOT if it's not in the garage. I'm not scared to give it a try though. After all, my priorities have changed pretty drastically.

I'm really tired of maintaining two cars over thirty years old, a twenty year old shitbox with double the original power, and a ten year-old 185k mile European daily driver. Meanwhile, I'm not entirely happy with any of them due to the lack of attention I'm able to direct toward a single car at one time. It's time to thin the heard. With all these options, it may seem silly to aim straight for the jugular by axing my dream car. I have to admit though. The GN is more of a massive pain in my ass than it is fun to own. I don't really like driving it, it's expensive, and there's very little I can do to change any of this. As of right now, I'd like to restore the engine a little closer to stock. I'll sell some of the higher priced items, replace them with stock, install a new exhaust, repair the headers, fix a couple leaks, put nice tires an the stock wheels, and see if I'm satisfied. If I still hate it, the car should at least be worth more than I paid.

It's sad to think that I would rather put a transmission into a Camaro and buy a new truck than have my Grand National, but that's what we've come to. I'd rather have a couple nice cars than have a bunch of garbage with no time to fix any of it. I'm burnt out.
 

Mr_Roboto

Doing the jobs nobody wants to
TCG Premium
Feb 4, 2012
25,640
30,504
Nashotah, Wisconsin (AKA not Illinois)
55gph*6.25lb/gal=343.5lb/hr at 13.5V
47gph*6.25lb/gal=293.75lb/hr at 12V

6*60lb/hr=360lb/hr at 100% DC
360*.8=288lb/hr at 80% DC

Do you know what pump you have? That's a GSS342 and a 307 looks pretty similar output wise. I'd be looking at spending the $125ish for an Aeromotive 340 especially with a stock fuel system or another pump regardless. That assumes a VERY good fuel system and not stock lines like you have. Looking at this chart those numbers may even be generous tbh. As much of a pain in the ass as dropping the tank is I'd rather do that than pay for an engine swap. If you don't have a hotwire you need one as well. Even if it's home made.

real_street_fuel_pump_flow_lph_2.jpg


6 injectors with 43.5PSI base, turbo and 100% DC is 59lb/hr at 450hp according to FIC and 415hp at 90% with HP at the crank. Assuming you have a stone stock engine and it made 165ish HP NA (probably not totally unrealistic considering the FWD version made 165HP in an Electra with a roller cam.) You'd be doing at the edge with 60s e.g. over 90% DC. Any sort of mods that bumped engine VE would make it suspect in my mind that you'd have enough fuel for this e.g if you have head or cam work you're probably going to over run the fueling.
 

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
55gph*6.25lb/gal=343.5lb/hr at 13.5V
47gph*6.25lb/gal=293.75lb/hr at 12V

6*60lb/hr=360lb/hr at 100% DC
360*.8=288lb/hr at 80% DC

Do you know what pump you have? That's a GSS342 and a 307 looks pretty similar output wise. I'd be looking at spending the $125ish for an Aeromotive 340 especially with a stock fuel system or another pump regardless. That assumes a VERY good fuel system and not stock lines like you have. Looking at this chart those numbers may even be generous tbh. As much of a pain in the ass as dropping the tank is I'd rather do that than pay for an engine swap. If you don't have a hotwire you need one as well. Even if it's home made.

real_street_fuel_pump_flow_lph_2.jpg
Good info. Thanks!

The pump is a Racetronix 255 which I'm not sure what that is equivalent to. It has a nice hot wire too. I'm cool with dropping the tank. It needs to be repainted anyway. I admit I'm trying to skirt around spending money, but I'll do what's needed to make it run nice. It just seems like I should update the lines and sender if I'm going to go ahead with pump upgrade (+500). At that point, it'll be ready for whatever though.
 

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
“Never meet your idols”. It works the same for vehicles lol.

I know what it’s like to be burnt out on constantly fixing shit. Fixing daily drivers taking up all the time and energy and leaving none to go around for the toys. Ironically, those are the same toys we bought to enjoy our time working on stuff. Vicious circle.

Wait it out, it comes in waves where you hate everything and want it out of sight and then find out how to love it again. And finding out you love it again and it’s gone is a tough pill to swallow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: v6buicks

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
Bit more than that
Bigger turbo and stuff right? I actually visited your build thread to get some ideas. I don't know how much it matters, but I'm dead serious about removing the Precision SLIC and all the 3" stuff and going back down to the stock 2.5". If it's iffy, I'll sell it. I was just hoping to do it without spending a ton. Did you upgrade lines?
 

daturbosix

HNIC @ GoodFellas Garage
TCG Sponsor
Mar 2, 2008
16,367
15,194
Aurora
Real Name
Jeff
my car is a flat top piston, 11:1-ish, stage II with iron champion heads/ported intake.

stock fuel lines, stock rails, stock hanger in the tank, just with a 340 pump.
the nice think about e85 is that you dont need an extensive intercooler setup. all i have on the white t is Duttweiler neck on a stock intercooler.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jon01 and v6buicks

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
“Never meet your idols”. It works the same for vehicles lol.

I know what it’s like to be burnt out on constantly fixing shit. Fixing daily drivers taking up all the time and energy and leaving none to go around for the toys. Ironically, those are the same toys we bought to enjoy our time working on stuff. Vicious circle.

Wait it out, it comes in waves where you hate everything and want it out of sight and then find out how to love it again. And finding out you love it again and it’s gone is a tough pill to swallow.
I hear that. My attitude toward the car changed the last couple times I pulled it out of storage. It's also a vicious cycle, but it always comes down to this same idea. I love the Camaro. It's staying. I like the 240. I just wish we didn't rely on it to get people to work. The GN has really been for one event a year plus something to drive when the Camaro is down. ? It's really sad to think about given how much nicer and cooler the GN is over those.

With that in mind, if I truly get more enjoyment out of a rusty V6 Camaro than I do in a minty GN, then it's probably time to let it go. Even the idea of pulling out the alky system I've hated since day 1 runs through my head like chore and waste of a day rather than an improvement to fleet. Like you said, I'll wait it out. I might get excited again once I get the opportunity to drive it.
 

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
my car is a flat top piston, 11:1-ish, stage II with iron champion heads/ported intake.

stock fuel lines, stock rails, stock hanger in the tank, just with a 340 pump.
the nice think about e85 is that you dont need an extensive intercooler setup. all i have on the white t is Duttweiler neck on a stock intercooler.
Holy shit. I need to go through your thread again. Lol. That sounds awesome. Did you ever get your 120s?
 

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
Having fun shit and no reliable daily is tough.

When I was trying to cut costs I sold my new F-350 and kept my 7.3. Problem is, 7.3 has never seen salt so I park it in the winters, which turned into buying yet another usable work truck for winter months. I currently have four vehicles that get parked for the winter, two of them are currently rollers... I’m at the point of just listing everything for sale except my Olds and starting fresh.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jon01 and v6buicks

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
Have your fun, enjoy hobbies but never let it get to the point where instead of owning stuff, your stuff owns you. That’s how I felt after accumulating what I have over the past 2-3 years.
I wish I could "like" that comment twice.

It absolutely owns me right now. Its a bit messed up that I'm even slightly glad that Indiana is shutting down for COVID. I no longer need an excuse to spend the whole day in the garage doing stuff I don't want to do. ?

I'm sooo looking forward to kicking the 240 out onto the road, bringing the Camaro inside, and parking it. I'm not doing the valve spring upgrade. I'm not pulling the trans. Its going to sit, and so am I. Probably in my PJs under a blanket watching YouTube with a 6 pack. Lol it's gonna be great.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jon01

daturbosix

HNIC @ GoodFellas Garage
TCG Sponsor
Mar 2, 2008
16,367
15,194
Aurora
Real Name
Jeff
Holy shit. I need to go through your thread again. Lol. That sounds awesome. Did you ever get your 120s?
i trtied being sneaky and not post much details about the combo at first.
now i kinda dont care. but its really not anything special, lol

nah, didnt get the 120s yet. got busy with work and being short handed.
 

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
I wish I could like that twice.

It absolutely owns me right now. Its a bit messed up that I'm even slightly glad that Indiana is shutting down for COVID. I no longer need an excuse to spend the whole day in the garage doing stuff I don't want to do. ?

I'm sooo looking forward to kicking the 240 out onto the road, bringing the Camaro inside, and parking it. I'm not doing the valve spring upgrade. I'm not pulling the trans. Its going to sit, and so am I. Probably in my PJs under a blanket watching YouTube with a 6 pack. Lol it's gonna be great.

Sometimes you need a break lol. I’ve been going full speed ahead while we still had dry, mild weather. I still have brakes to do on a plow truck I’ll need tomorrow, control arms/ball joints on my one truck, panhard bar on the other...

My rock auto orders have been equating to modest car payments lately lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jon01 and v6buicks

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
Home again. I'm starting to hate side post batteries all over again. Twice in two months I've had difficulty getting GM cars started because of connections. Oh well. We got it.
1617574955855.png


1617574969129.png


1617574436414.png


1617575014669.png


1617575080972.png


1617575169181.png


One of my original bumper fillers is getting really grungy. Otherwise, she's as much of a peach now as when I put her away. AC hasn't leaked out, the alky pump is actually doing it's job well, and I don't really feel motivated to do anything to a car that acts so good. I do have a pretty bad exhaust leak on the passenger side header, but that's definitely a winter project.
 

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
I just went through and re-read my thread. My own mood swings with this car are giving me whiplash. All that E85 talk over the winter went down the shitter. First of all, I don't want the added maintenance of E85 on a car that doesn't get raced or even beat on all that much. Second of all, I really don't need this car to be fast. On the other hand, driving the car home yesterday with mostly knock-free hoonage was making me second guess my opinions on that the alky system. Damn, is it fun to watch the the boost gauge peg while the progressive alky control LED and "Power Injection" lights come on. It's like the the hype of "Danger to manifold!" without the stupid inaccuracies. ?

I think the system still has to go though. It's expensive to fill that tank, there's no good place to put a coolant reservoir, and I'm coming due for needing a pump again soon. I'd rather sell it, get a 93 only chip, and start putting the stock components back in. I'll keep the bigger injectors in and probably keep the boost at 16 psi, but timing will have to be dialed back a bunch. I'll talk to Eric at Turbo Tweak to see if he recommends the 42# injectors I have in there or the 60s I have on the shelf. I'm betting that 42s will be just fine for what I'm doing.
 

v6buicks

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Oct 22, 2018
6,258
15,450
Franklin, IN
Real Name
Jon
E85 is way less involved than Alky. What added maintenance are you talking about? I never did any to mine.
With E85 or the Alky?

I guess it's not maintenance when it comes to E85, but the inconsistencies and my lack of hardware knowledge. I'm dealing with fuel differences in the Camaro and it throws my tune off because I don't have a flex sensor. It drives me nuts to the point where I'm willing to convert the car over to megasquirt just for that sensor. Given how rarely the GN is driven, it would probably not bother me as much; however, I couldn't get any useful replies on turbobuick in terms of hardware. Everyone insisted that I would need a bigger pump, line upgrades, and 80# injectors which is at least partially a load of shit. lol I know I can get away with 60s if the engine and turbo are stock. I just don't know about the pump. It doesn't seem like anybody makes a pump bigger than mine with stock fuel line connections. I'm not willing to spend the coin or put forth the effort of upgrading the lines. If you have some insight on this, I'm running a Racetronix 255. Mr_Roboto gave some nice info about flow a few posts back, but I had no idea how to use it. lol

As for alky, mine is always leaking, evaporating, and just overall being a POS. I almost got rid of it when I trashed my last pump, but decided to try to fix it and make it a little better instead. I made it a little nicer, but it will always be ugly and clunky in my opinion. I'd rather be slower, simpler, and not constantly fearing the day that the wiring either burns the car down or the module falls out of the kick panel and blocks my brake pedal. The second one has happened once already.
 

b4black

before black
Jun 6, 2008
1,331
542
Oswego
No maintenance with the E85 (I ran this on the 3800SC).

ECM can handle a good amount of variation in ethanol quantity. It only varies from 70-83 and that's winter to summer. Summer is always 83 from what I have seen. Tune for mid 70s % and LTFT handles it from there, this applies to the 3800. For the 3.8, I believe BLM is the ECM's adjustment.

Measure fuel pressure at WOT, if it doesn't drop off, you have enough pump and big enough lines. Keep duty cycle for the injectors below 80% for the 3800. Watch WOT AFR - it maintains where you want it, then you have enough injector. Tune for zero knock and WOT a little rich for a safety cushion.

Hot wire for the pump is always a good idea.
 

Thread Info