Just checking in

[phil_long]

Good morning everybody! It's been a while since I started a thread so I decided to pull up the site and drop a couple of lines. I hope everyone is well and in wonderful health. I've been working a lot over the last 8 months and it's been paying off. I got a couple of bills out of the way to create a little spending for my Buick. Things at home have been rocky with the wife and I've learned a shit ton with this relationship with her and the Buick.     Anyway, my Easter weekend was amazing as I had a little time to spend with my car turning a couple of wrenches, went to the track "to watch" on Friday night and attended the Easter car show at Forest Park. The turnout was AMAZING as I got the opportunity to see some beautiful cars. I went with the Buick group here in Saint Louis and we had a really good time. I have more parts coming in to install on my car as well as some much needed maintenance in the very near future(within the next few weeks). I'll start a thread in the other section about that though. Have a great day guys

[Steve Wood]

Phil, I hope your rocks turn to gold....

glad to see your Buick is getting the attention it needs.  It's always fun to hang out with car guys...at least until the first couple of 12 packs go down!  Sounds like you had a good Easter!  Don't be a stranger and come back more often.

I need to remotivate myself and go out to the shop and give the leaking valve cover another whirl on my GN.  Turbobuicks make good race cars, but, I really think they really shine when you get them running right and just go cruising.  They are an odd combination of power and luxury that bring tremendous pleasure to drive.  Not many cars are like that...few that I could afford anyway. 

[Scoobum]

First to admit I'm terrible at relationships. ..prolly why I'm divorced...and the older I get the less I'm willing to bend. The biggest thing I miss about racing, is the camaraderie I had with the other racers. I did it more for that than the racing. After 15 years the only piece of advice I can give is leave the car stock and enjoy it.

[daveismissing]

Who are the Local guys Phil? Scott Keller is there I think, TB3 AAron when he shows up, others?

[wmsonta]

the only piece of advice I can give is leave the car stock and enjoy it.

X2.
Like Scoob, I have owned a 10 sec car and a 10 sec motorcycle. I am a fully recovered speed addict. Now, anyone who owns a dedicated race car is someone building a monument to their own tenacity. Brand loyalty is imagined incentive.

That being said, the guys are already calling to talk about this season. 

[Forzfed]

Welcome back, Phil.

I would do mild mods and not go crazy unless you have two cars.  It's nicer driving them than constantly repairing them.  I was watching SnowTrax's a few weeks ago, a snowmobile show and they were saying how in the old days performance and heartache went hand in hand!    Having a high strung machine I could totally relate to that!

[good2win22]

I’ll be in O’Fallon in July for work. Would love to see your car

[phil_long]

Sorry for the hiatus! I just got back from Boston. Now, where to begin....




Steve, thanks for the kind words. I've learned so much throughout this relationship, and I think the knowledge is the gold. I definitely had a phenomenal time with the local guys. There weren't too many 12 packs going down. If I'm not mistaken it was only me and a guy named Harry enjoying a couple of Coors out of the cooler. I definitely do not intend on being a stranger anymore. I'm buying parts for my car as we speak, and I plan to keep you all in the loop during this process.




Scoobum, a stock car would be unacceptable for me right now. Lol


The local guys here that were present at the car show were Larry, Harry, myself, Aaron Corn(Royal T limited), and a new guy who drove an older buick....dammi t I forgot his name. There actually has been quite the increase in members participating lately and it's been exciting to see more TR's coming out. I'll be sure to get some photos next meeting if the weather participates. We meet once a month on the second Sunday I believe.


I do not plan to go "too" far with mods. I would love if my car would be capable of a time, regardless if it hits it or not. My last major mod will be this downpipe I'm ordering, then just dialing stuff in and getting the minor things fixed. These cars are too much fun to drive, even when they have issues, and I'm finally at the point now to where I'm willing to turn my own wrench.


Hey Jason, that'd be awesome to see you if you can make it. I have to make sure that meeting is one I definitely attend.


Now, hopefully I didn't miss anyone. 

[Steve Wood]

Phil, I am glad you have met some of the guys from the area.  These cars are a lot easier to get running right if you have some experienced help around.  Be sure you check the headers and cross-over on both sides.  We know the driver's side cracks between 3 and 5 often, but, they also crack on the passenger side, often on number 2 or under the turbo.  I remember something was screwy with your fueling, I think...

I had not driven my GN in a few years because it smoked so much.  I was convinced that it was the valve guides or seals because I had no signs of serious blow by under high boost.  Last summer, I bought a set of heads from Billy Anderson along with roller rockers and valve covers.  William Avila came down from OKC to help me change them.  When he got here, I had most of it stripped down and he did the heavy lifting and put it back together.  When we pulled the old heads off and got them where we could look at them better, we saw some bits and pieces of the damper springs that had broken.  I guess those loud bangs that I heard a few times when I hit 6200 rpm had something to do with that LOL.  My old heads were ported well and I gave them to William for helping me put the new ones on.  He took them back home to his friend who did a valve job on them and rebuilt them.  He put them on the car he was building for his son.  It appeared to us that the valve guides needed some machining and that when I over-revved it, the spring was hitting and that caused the damage.  This was on a roller cam that supposedly did not have enuf lift to hit...that is my theory, anyway.

We made a big mistake, in my opinion, when we put it back together.  We should have cut the metal shield off by the hvac box because the taller valve covers are very close.  William said he never cut them and it would be no problem.  I discovered a small oil leak on that side after driving the car and wrestled getting that bolt out due to the lack of clearance and an even larger problem replacing it.  Guess what?  I turned a minor leak into a major leak and I am going to have to try it again.  I am going to see if I can get my Dremel in there and cut some clearance in the shield.  I have been thinking of getting started on that for three months now!!

At any rate, the car does not smoke, and after I installed a new converter, the car is a blast to drive even tho I am only running 15 psi of boost due to a dead alky set up.  The combination is spot on and that makes all the difference in the world.

These cars are all about the combination-especially the turbo to the converter.  You can build a a car that will run into the elevens if you have traction, get 23 mph or better with the AC on, and be comfortable as your grandmother's lap.  The T sitting in the shop is like that except the AC compressor is locked up on it.  I got 24 mph out of it going to Houston with it on cruise and the AC blasting.  My GN only got 21 due to the bigger cam, my heavy foot, and so on.

My point is that these cars are ideal for being good at all things if you don't get carried away.  They are comfortable to take a trip in, they handle good without many aftermarket parts, they are fast, and they get good mileage when all is right.  There is no magic involved, just some work to get everything fixed.

I am attaching a picture to show what happens when you wear size 12 shoes and don't shift at the appropriate time

Get out there and have some fun and tell your worthless cousin, Charles, that we miss him a little, too!

[phil_long]

Awesome write up Steve!!!


I definitely have a crack in my header on the passenger side...I believe it's the #2 if I'm not mistaken. I'm going to look into getting that welded up, and I also believe that to be the reason my O2's are so lean in 3rd. I just did a very basic upgrade to my buick, and it woke the car up in a way I couldn't imagine. I had to pull the plugs out the car, and I swapped them with some NGK UR5's after finding my car was breaking up under boost. Aaron asked, "have you swapped the plugs since installing the alky?" I'm like naw I haven't. Gapped the plugs closer, now the car runs stronger than before with no breaking up. The list goes on with the mods to come, but the future mods are more like maintenance and accessory upgrades oppose to go fast parts. I'm still in route of walking down to Texas to lend you a hand on your car Steve. Lol. I didn't figure the walk to Texas would take this long.


Charles is in the process of getting his car shipped up to where we live so he can start on it. I'll be sure to let him know that he's being summoned. He just had a new kid actually not too long ago.

[Steve Wood]

That crack will do it!

[phil_long]

I can't wait to confirm.