Got a project car, 1987 Regal Limited
- Thread starter redhat
- Start date
- Status
Have seen those "Fisher Body" placards in a while.
Nice car.
Nice car.
Last edited:
Nice, thats when buick made cars that could easily be made cool. Nice body. I love G-bodies.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Beautiful Regal!! It's so clean,I'd leave it the way it is.
Yeah, it's perfect if you're say 85...
Beautiful Regal!! It's so clean,I'd leave it the way it is.
Yeah, it's perfect if you're say 85...
Originally Posted By: RazorsEdge
If it was me,I would've personally looked for a Grand National on Ebay that needed to be restored/redone.It would've been worth more when it was completed,but like I say it's your project,and I wish you all the best!....
I'd do the same thing....either a GN or a Regal T-Type...preferably in black.
If it was me,I would've personally looked for a Grand National on Ebay that needed to be restored/redone.It would've been worth more when it was completed,but like I say it's your project,and I wish you all the best!....
I'd do the same thing....either a GN or a Regal T-Type...preferably in black.
There is a lot about those G bodies to love and also to hate. I had a chance to buy one new in 87 but bought an Accord instead. I wish they still put those GM upholstered seats in cars to day and made a similar body style. They were so comfortable. A lot better in my opinion than the leather they put in today's mid-level premium cars. The split bench seats are a great, too.
I'd leave it the way it is aesthetically. But have that big engine shoehorned under the hood. Sort of a velvet hammer approach.
Put a blown 572 in it.
Originally Posted By: sciphi
I'd leave it the way it is aesthetically. But have that big engine shoehorned under the hood. Sort of a velvet hammer approach.
This. That is too nice of a car to turn into a GN clone. Work the suspension and drivetrain and leave the rest alone. It would be a true sleeper and somewhat unique.
I'd leave it the way it is aesthetically. But have that big engine shoehorned under the hood. Sort of a velvet hammer approach.
This. That is too nice of a car to turn into a GN clone. Work the suspension and drivetrain and leave the rest alone. It would be a true sleeper and somewhat unique.
Originally Posted By: MinamiKotaro
Put a blown 572 in it.
To keep it a sleeper and keep the stock hood. How about a 632 with nitrous?
Put a blown 572 in it.
To keep it a sleeper and keep the stock hood. How about a 632 with nitrous?
Originally Posted By: Trav
Nice car for a project. Have you thought about a crate LS6 engine with wiring harness and ECM, 6 spd and independent late model Camero rear.
First thing is getting the body off and gutting the interior.
The LS6 crate engines are LONG GONE.
Now, a Mast Motorsports modded LS3 (IF even those are still available!) crate powerplant would be cool, and can be made to give 600+ HP without boost.
Nice car for a project. Have you thought about a crate LS6 engine with wiring harness and ECM, 6 spd and independent late model Camero rear.
First thing is getting the body off and gutting the interior.
The LS6 crate engines are LONG GONE.
Now, a Mast Motorsports modded LS3 (IF even those are still available!) crate powerplant would be cool, and can be made to give 600+ HP without boost.
Originally Posted By: AZjeff
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Beautiful Regal!! It's so clean,I'd leave it the way it is.
Yeah, it's perfect if you're say 85...
Nah, they're all driving Avalons now.
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Beautiful Regal!! It's so clean,I'd leave it the way it is.
Yeah, it's perfect if you're say 85...
Nah, they're all driving Avalons now.
Yes, the rear suspension is already a "4 link". There are a lot of options for rear control arms for G-bodies.
I had a nearly identical car to yours when I was in college: a 1987 Buick Regal Limited. Mine was odd -- it had power locks and manual crank windows. Mine also had the 307, but it had the overdrive and the optional 3.08:1 rear axle ratio, which made it pretty spritely around town. I took out the 307 and installed an Olds 403, which is a direct drop-in. I'd consider building a stout Olds 350 (different from a Chevy 350) and dropping that in. It'll be a direct swap and everything will still work.
Mine had the vinyl top that I had planned to get rid of. I wanted to turn it into a T-Type clone. I was gonna paint mine two-tone white over silver. Alas...life got in the way and I sold it to a guy in New York State. Mine was a NC car, too. Spooky.
G-bodies respond very well to body bracing -- just like the old F-bodies. Put a strong cross brace behind your back seat, if yours doesn't already have it. You can brace the rear frame rails behind the fuel tank -- that made a world of difference in my '84 Cutlass. These cars used what they called a "perimeter frame". It looks like a true frame, but it acts like a hybrid between a body-on-frame and a unibody. As such, the body provided some of the structure of the car, and took some of the stress as well. Cracks in the B-pillar area are common with high-torque engines due to frame and body twist.
I had a nearly identical car to yours when I was in college: a 1987 Buick Regal Limited. Mine was odd -- it had power locks and manual crank windows. Mine also had the 307, but it had the overdrive and the optional 3.08:1 rear axle ratio, which made it pretty spritely around town. I took out the 307 and installed an Olds 403, which is a direct drop-in. I'd consider building a stout Olds 350 (different from a Chevy 350) and dropping that in. It'll be a direct swap and everything will still work.
Mine had the vinyl top that I had planned to get rid of. I wanted to turn it into a T-Type clone. I was gonna paint mine two-tone white over silver. Alas...life got in the way and I sold it to a guy in New York State. Mine was a NC car, too. Spooky.
G-bodies respond very well to body bracing -- just like the old F-bodies. Put a strong cross brace behind your back seat, if yours doesn't already have it. You can brace the rear frame rails behind the fuel tank -- that made a world of difference in my '84 Cutlass. These cars used what they called a "perimeter frame". It looks like a true frame, but it acts like a hybrid between a body-on-frame and a unibody. As such, the body provided some of the structure of the car, and took some of the stress as well. Cracks in the B-pillar area are common with high-torque engines due to frame and body twist.
Thanks for the bits and pieces of information.
The way it looks now, I find it ugly. All of that chrome and that vinyl top, ehhh. I will probably keep it looking the way it does for a couple years and concentrate on making it handle well and perform. Nothing better than getting dragged by a clapped out looking Regal.
Some of you mentioned on picking up a GN or T-Type and doing this. Even with a blown engine, those rollers are still bringing a pretty penny. Also, yo have to consider my location. To find a relatively clean G-body, let alone a Regal, as close as it was to me... done deal. I could care less about re-sale value. I look to make things for myself and not the prospective value at the end.
I like LS. Iron block is the way to go when wanting to pump large amounts of boost. Smaller package too when compared to a big block.
The way it looks now, I find it ugly. All of that chrome and that vinyl top, ehhh. I will probably keep it looking the way it does for a couple years and concentrate on making it handle well and perform. Nothing better than getting dragged by a clapped out looking Regal.
Some of you mentioned on picking up a GN or T-Type and doing this. Even with a blown engine, those rollers are still bringing a pretty penny. Also, yo have to consider my location. To find a relatively clean G-body, let alone a Regal, as close as it was to me... done deal. I could care less about re-sale value. I look to make things for myself and not the prospective value at the end.
I like LS. Iron block is the way to go when wanting to pump large amounts of boost. Smaller package too when compared to a big block.
Very handsome beast -- the same color combo as my '89 Olds Cutlass. That car was quick and rode very well.
Black would look great, but so would a dark metallic gray, or a charcoal, darker than the interior.
Black would look great, but so would a dark metallic gray, or a charcoal, darker than the interior.
Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
Very handsome beast -- the same color combo as my '89 Olds Cutlass. That car was quick and rode very well.
Black would look great, but so would a dark metallic gray, or a charcoal, darker than the interior.
Absolutely. Also plan to put new black carpet in it. Black leather buckets, maybe out of an Acura.
Very handsome beast -- the same color combo as my '89 Olds Cutlass. That car was quick and rode very well.
Black would look great, but so would a dark metallic gray, or a charcoal, darker than the interior.
Absolutely. Also plan to put new black carpet in it. Black leather buckets, maybe out of an Acura.
- Status
