IHADAV8.com - Turbo Buick Tech, and Nonsense
General => New Member Introductions and Welcomes! => Topic started by: deathraider6996 on October 28 2013, 03:23:36 AM
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Hello ihadav8! I'm Clinton and I'm supersix's son since he's been busy with his build I thought I would bring yall up to date and my future ideas on my(well sort of) 87 T. Lets see..well its supersixs car for now lol and ill take ownership around April 2015, hopefully earlier ;) It has t-tops with shot weatherstrippi ng that's definitely going to need to be the first thing taken care of when I'm down there next, very mild rust issues, needs paint but I don't really care about that. Interior is red and pretty shot but I like to think it has character lol. Current upgrades already done fuel pump hotwire kit, adjustable fuel pressure reg., 3" downpipe, full exhaust inunknown type, remote? Fuel pressure gauge that tucks nicely under windshield wiper :) painted valve covers and I'm forgetting something(s) I'm sure they will be addressed ;) so the reason I have to wait until the car is "legally" mine is my dad and I made a deal that if I did 4 or 3(as I remember it) years in the air force he will give the car to me at the end of that time. Sounds like a great deal to me especially since this is my dream car. I'm currently stationed in Tucson az, so I don't really get to see my car or better yet my family very much. So as the upgrades come they will take a while especially since my dad has his own gn project to worry about. Ok so that's enough of that crap heres the fun part or at least it is to me...THE FUTURE UPGRADES! Alright so my dad informed me that before anything(mechanical wise) we need to change the valve springs and I'm guessing were probably going to go with comp 980s. Next I believe were going to put in 60# injectors. Then a te-44 turbo if I'm correct. We have a torque converter were also going to drop in once we send the transmission off for a rebuild. And the later on upgrades are meth,rjc pp, boost controller, upeer and lower nodded c/a, and rear shocks. I get stationed in Japan in April so ill be able to save a good chunk of change so I can be young and dumb and throw it all at my car when I get back(just kidding dad). Well I'm sure that I forgot some stuff but ill be sure to keep you all up to date. I'm always looking for ideas, I want a high 11 car. Any input is appreciated. :)
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Time sure does fly. Good luck with the car and thanks for your service. High 11's should be easy with your plans. :powersix:
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It will run well when it finally hits the road! The wait will be worth it :)
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Are 11s accesible with a te-44? Probably not before meth?
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Are 11s accesible with a te-44? Probably not before meth?
How hard do you plan to launch it?
Tires, more specifically sticky tires?
There are much more modern turbos than that, unless you already own that one. What about a higher stall torque converter?
Engine making good compression? Healthy?
High 11s shouldn't be a problem.
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Engine is pretty healthy I'd imagine. From driving around it seems healthy. Im planning on probably Nitto street drags or m/t street drags. We already have that turbo. We also have a higher stall torque converter but I don't know the specs off the top of my head. I was just curious if the te-44 was capable. I'm not worried if it isn't. 11s are just a goal and goals work out better when not rushed. I'd be thrilled with a low 12 saying how I've never raced at a dragstrip before.
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Some more info:
It has t-tops with shot weatherstrippi ng that's definitely going to need to be the first thing taken care of when I'm down there next, very mild rust issues,
I wouldn't bet these will end up being "minor", the bottom of the A pillars is rotten - It will be a PITA to get the rust repaired correctly.
Current upgrades already done fuel pump hotwire kit, adjustable fuel pressure reg., 3" downpipe, full exhaust inunknown type, remote? Fuel pressure gauge that tucks nicely under windshield wiper :) painted valve covers and I'm forgetting something(s)
JYP Hotwire Kit (Mark Martone)
JYP FP regulator (Mark Martone)
It has a generic 3" DP, and a Hooker 2.5" Cat back exhaust.
36lb injectors
Stock Turbo
Stock IC
Since I have the spare parts - when we finally put in a well built transmission, it will get a PT51 and Vigilante 10" converter I have from my spare motor. It will also get the 60lb injectors from that motor then too.
Yes - He gets the car after 4 years of continuous service, or until I get sick of storing it, and he has somewhere to store it.
FOUR years. FOUR. :068:
Alright so my dad informed me that before anything(mechanical wise) we need to change the valve springs and I'm guessing were probably going to go with comp 980s. Next I believe were going to put in 60# injectors. Then a te-44 turbo if I'm correct. We have a torque converter were also going to drop in once we send the transmission off for a rebuild. And the later on upgrades are meth,rjc pp, boost controller, upeer and lower nodded c/a, and rear shocks. I get stationed in Japan in April so ill be able to save a good chunk of change so I can be young and dumb and throw it all at my car when I get back(just kidding dad). Well I'm sure that I forgot some stuff but ill be sure to keep you all up to date. I'm always looking for ideas, I want a high 11 car. Any input is appreciated. :)
First thing is to fix the short circuit that keeps the interior lights on, the repair the T-Tops, rust and weather stripping. THEN get into the mechanics, starting with a perfect-as-possible tune. After all that (and other boring body repairs) we can start fiddling with Alky, etc.
The car already has an RJC Power plate and boost controller.
I love how he takes the car out when here on leave, and swears he's not doing burnouts. All I need to do is look at the rear tires. :P.
Trashing the already shitty transmission. :)
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Engine is pretty healthy I'd imagine. From driving around it seems healthy. Im planning on probably Nitto street drags or m/t street drags. We already have that turbo. We also have a higher stall torque converter but I don't know the specs off the top of my head. I was just curious if the te-44 was capable. I'm not worried if it isn't. 11s are just a goal and goals work out better when not rushed. I'd be thrilled with a low 12 saying how I've never raced at a dragstrip before.
It has been done running on race gas with a 44, but alky is what it takes for most of us these days-that and some traction :)
The Nittos will last much longer on the street and be much safer as compared to the M"T's. I would still go very slowly/easily if caught in the rain because there is not much tread on them.
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throw that damn PT51 away or sell it to another mullet
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throw that damn PT51 away or sell it to another mullet
Meh - it was free (kinda) and matched to the expensive converter I have too.
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given the history of the 51, I would not even store one in my shop
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Welp guys I was just thrashed on my knowledge of my own car LOL just goes to show that I'm still learning :/ you live, you learn. I'm always looking forward to working on the car, whether it body/luxury as I like to call it and the mechanics/fun part ;)
I never said I didn't do burnouts ;) I say I don't street race :) I definitely enjoy sneezing at other cars :)
I don't know why I thought it was a te-44
Four years, got it ;) its not like I have a choice in the matter I'm going to be military whether I like it or not lol
For tires Steve are you refrencing the Nitto nt555r? And is 275/60-15 a good size?
And I'm curious about rear shocks. Suggestions? Thanks Steve and thanks DAD! LOL
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I prefer the 275/60-15 because it has a bit more sidewall and a longer footprint which, together, makes it bite better. Length of patch is more important than width when it comes to bite. And, yes, the 555R. Now, if you are going to leave them on full time, being almost 28" tall instead of 26" tall like stock, they do make the speedometer read about 8% slow. You can fix this by going to a 27 tooth gear on the tranny driven gear which is a three minute swap
On the turbo, the 51 had a short life and was replaced. This was because they had a habit of melting the exhaust wheel which was followed by the fins either curling up or flying off locking things up and chucking metal into the engine at times when the compressor came to an immediate stop. Don't be a penny wise and a pound foolish by gambling this one won't do it. Almost free is not always free
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I know someone that can do some welding and repair that rust spot!
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Alright Steve thanks a lot great info. Any thoughts on rear shocks. I'm afraid I don't have a decision in the turbo choice. What's the lifespan of the pt51 before shit hits the fan? The motor its coming off of has apparently only 10000 miles on it? Or 15000 idk lol
I will need to fix my speedometer, I forgot what was wrong but it doesn't give a accurate number. It sortve waves and what's in the middle is the correct speed. Good to know on the 27 tooth
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Top speed-where is the guy located?
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think what the lifespan of the engine is if some small debris makes it into the engine if the turbo freezes up when it is spinning 75,000 rpm
The speedometer cable needs greasing at a minimum. Hopefully there will not be any frayed strands in it.
With regard to shocks, it depends on what you want. If you want good handling, Bilsteins are the choice albeit an expensive one. Lifetime warranty and they never seem to change in ride characteristic . KYB is a much cheaper alternative and is the Japanese attempt to copy the Bilstein but they don't come close to comparing. My experience is that they work okay on the strip as well.
QA1 makes some single adjusting shocks that can be softened up in one direction and I have seen some that worked pretty well for both street and drag.
Monroe and other such cheap shocks wear out very quickly and cheap is their only quality. They are okay on the strip, I guess...but they suck on the street and get worse each month but if you are determined to be as cheap as possible and don't care about good handling or controlled ride, then hey, they are cheap. You get what you pay for.
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Top speed-where is the guy located?
He's referring to the guy that burned up Clay's car while welding on it...
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Ah...good ole boy Brian. Yeah I like my car and would prefer not to burn it to the ground. Thanks anyways lol
I was thinking bilsteins. I'm also very big into off roading so 60 dollars a shock is prypu small especially with a warranty.
I did a little resaerch, well attempted to, about the pt51 and very mixed opinions even though I value yours higher. Someone said that the problems with these turbos in the latter years were fixed. your opinion/facts?
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I am sure that every one did not fail but a far greater number of 51/52's failed than any other. I was not aware that they ever admitted fault. Heck, they never admitted fault with the budget roller cams so why would they admit fault on a turbo? They just quit selling them because no one would buy them.
Was yours built after the so called fix?
I would not touch one no matter how cheap it was. I believe in learning from those that went before, but, then I am old and I had plenty of time to learn from history and try not to repeat it. Good luck with it~ :)
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I'm not sure if the source of my info is even correct. I guess all I can do is hope that nothing goes wrong, as it is the only option as of now. Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it!
Oh one more question, if you don't mind, how can I tell if I need to replace the stock rear control arms. Or with what I'm putting in the car would stock be fine? If I was to upgrade I was thinking umi non adjustable. What are the gains/needs for adjustable.
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the only facts are with those of us that were around at the time that knew those with problems. TB.com wiped out the facts as they were posted because one does not speak badly of a paying vendor's products in that venue. Probably a few comments on tbs but it was never that well inhabited.
There is very little benefit in replacing the lowers and probably none in replacing the uppers. The lower arms are under compression during launch so they could, in theory, bend if the traction was good enuf and the car was making plenty of power. I suspect the benefit would come more from replacing the factory bushings with new ones and, at that time, one could box the open side for added rigidity. the factory bushings are 26-27 years old and probably should have been replaced about 17 years ago. Poly bushing don't provide much compliance and this could hurt the handling a bit because the control arms do not have a common center that they rotate about so if there is much suspension movement, they can cause a bind. In normal practice, there is probably not much to be lost. Paul posted his thoughts on the matter and believes that side to side movement is more restricted than front to rear. Bushing on the uppers would suffice.
Control arms are one of those things that everyone says you should replace but you never see anyone do an honest before and after on. Kinda like downpipes on twelve second cars...
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Alright so I will replace the upper control bushings. I should either weld the stock lowers to box them or should I just buy boxed new ones. If I don't buy new ill also replace the lower bushings. Would you think poly would be better for launching or just all around better to go with another option. TIA
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If I was to buy new lowers, would tubular or boxed be the best option.
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I think rubber is better, but, then, I don't believe what I read in ads. :)
There is no difference, practically, between round and square. Most I see are square or rectangular these days. Pretty sure that any aftermarket will be poly bushings