1985 Grand National Update

[Big Dawg]

Hi again, Its been almost a year since i posted any updates, here is what i have done so far and few things that i have lined up.

I have done a lot of small upgrades to the 85 in the past year. After getting the exhaust all buttoned up,  I upgraded the ECU to the 87 setup, the Ignition was upgraded to 86-87, Scanmaster was installed, fuel pump hotwire kit, fuel pump upgrade to a 340lph, installed a set of rear Digi-tails lights, installed 87 GN grill and Wheels, also upgraded all of the speakers and stereo to a Pioneer DIN that fits the stock space ( found a Bluetooth plug for it on Amazon that plugs into the disc changer plug in) I also got a trunk kit off of Rockauto as well. I also mounted 3 AutoMeter gauges on a Pillar Pod ( Coolant Temp, Boost and Oil Pressure). I made a cold air intake with some leftover parts as well, installed the MAF translator and LS1 MAF.

The powermaster failed ( I knew it was going to, as it had been making some whining noises since i first fired it up). I replaced it with the power booster and MC that came with the V8 Regals. I removed the rad shroud and mechanical fan along with the stock radiator and replaced it with an aluminum 3 core radiator with dual electric fans. There is so much space in the engine bay now!

I also upgraded the Alternator to a 150amp and replaced the AC compressor and drier/accumulator and had the system upgraded to R134.

I also got my hands on a New Bison Performance Turbo (almost identical to TA33-C),  T04e 57 trim compressor wheel and t31 stage 3 turbine. I was blown away as a buddy of mine found the add on Facebook, and it was OBO...i got a really good deal.
I just ordered a 3"downpipe and a dump pipe from Gbodyparts and a Big Mouth cold air intake as well from BuickGN ( this will  be my winter project). I can finally remove my homemade ColdAir setup. Just waiting for the parts to arrive. While I am upgrading the turbo I am going to remove the stock headers and clean up some oil that has leaked over the last 37 years. I had managed to replace the drivers side valve cover gasket, but couldn't get to the passenger side unless I removed the entire top end. This will all be taken care of when I tackle the turbo, Injectors and the pipes..... also weld up a crack on the driver side header at the same time. 


Actually now looking back i have upgraded quite a bit of things in the 85....it has all been worth it. I have the car insured in BC with Collector status year round now....alot of fun.

[Big Dawg]

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[Big Dawg]

Digi-Tails in the Rear:














Some pics of the Cold Air Intake that i made up of some extra parts I laying around, my main objective was to get the filter out of the engine bay, so I relocated the charcoal canister and just cut a hole big enough to get the filter on the other side of it. Once i get the Big Mouth Cold air i will put the charcoal canister back to its original location.













Here are a few pictures of the Pioneer Stereo Scanmaster the Trunk kit:









I also upgraded the stock beefy starter to a smaller 2002 Corvette Starter:







3 Gauge Pillar Pod:



Aluminum 3 Core Radiator and Dual Electric Fans:









Ac Compressor, Drier and Alternator:








Here are some pictures of the Bison Performance Turbo:













Here is how the car looks now










I will keep you guys updated on the next set of upgrades I do, Thanks again for all your feedback and help.

[nocooler]

Looks really nice!

[Steve Wood]

Yes, it does.  A lot of work put in to get it that way!   

[Shimy87]

Very nice! 

[Big Dawg]

Looks really nice!

Thank you

[Big Dawg]

Yes, it does.  A lot of work put in to get it that way!   

Definitely, if I had my 69 442 at home, I think the GN would have divorced me by now 

[Big Dawg]

Very nice! 

Thanks

[Big Dawg]

So I bit the bullet and started the turbo upgrade this past Friday

I went ahead and removed both headers and test pipe and the up and downpipes. Unfortanetly i had to cut the downpipe in two to remove it, which i welded back together.

I welded up the cracked Drivers side header (pretty bad crack almost all the way around) and the slight stress crack on the passenger side header as well. I even went ahead and welded some small metal braces to help prevent the drivers side header from cracking again....I know not the greatest welds but I think they will hold...im new to welding. I went ahead and sprayed them Flame Proof  Flat Silver VHT header paint...says on can will handle heat up to the upwards of 2000F.

























I removed the valve covers off and cleaned them up to the point where I am deciding weather or not to paint them....I was thinking VHT Black or Flat Silver VHT that I used on the headers. The only thing is I will have to paint the intake on the engine as I am not removing it at this time. It should be pretty bare once I get the fuel rail and injectors off and the coolant lines and vaccum lines out of the way.

Do you recommend any other paint in a can that would be close the stock color??

Also I read that alot of you use the FelPro PermaDry valve cover gaskets so I ordered a set of those as well, they should be here by Wednesday..... .just a couple dabs of rtv on the 4 corners against the valve cover will be enough? And than put them on dry on the head side torqued to spec?









Also do any of you run header gaskets on your headers after they have been R&R?? I got a set Mahle header gaskets for the car. I was thinking if I spray them with some copper permatex spray and install them that should seal any leaks I may have had if I were to install them bare. I put them on my flat steel table and they seem flat (not warped) but I just don't want to take a risk.

I have fitted my new upgraded turbo to the throttle body and am just waiting for my 3" downpipe so I can install it. But I have a question, I bought the Felpro turbo gasket kit as it came with the turbo inlet o-rings, injector o-rings and throttle body to turbo gasket.  The Paper gasket to go between the turbo and throttle body assembly....sh ould I use the gasket and put some copper Rtv on both sides of gasket, or should I put a light amount of copper rtv and do without the Gasket?










Please if you guys have any suggestions please suggest as I would like to get all of this buttoned back up with no leaks or issues.

[Scoobum]

I ran header gaskets and a turbo flange gasket to make sure there were zero leaks to keep the BLM's in line. I ran the cheapass Felpro header gaskets. They were easy to change as they had a hook in each end, so when I swapped them out all I had to do was remove the inner bolts and slide the old ones out and the new ones in. I think I ran an RJC turbo flange gasket from Jason. Welding the headers and a million heating/cooling cycles will warp them into a pretzel.

[Steve Wood]

On the perma-dry valve cover gaskets, you will have to do some trimming to get them to fit in the valve cover.  Last go round, I got tired of them and went back to a more conventional gasket and just made sure I did not over torque them.  They have worked fine.

I'm not sure on the turbo/intake gasket.  I think I would use the gasket without any sealer.  I am guessing it is unlike that either surface is warped.  I have gotten tired of trying to remove old sealer when I have to redo something.

I would probably use just the plain felpro header gasket with no rtv added in your case as well.

[Big Dawg]

On the perma-dry valve cover gaskets, you will have to do some trimming to get them to fit in the valve cover.  Last go round, I got tired of them and went back to a more conventional gasket and just made sure I did not over torque them.  They have worked fine.

I'm not sure on the turbo/intake gasket.  I think I would use the gasket without any sealer.  I am guessing it is unlike that either surface is warped.  I have gotten tired of trying to remove old sealer when I have to redo something.

I would probably use just the plain felpro header gasket with no rtv added in your case as well.

Perfect the Valve cover gaskets are arriving tmrw. I will take a look at them and see of they need trimming....fi ngers crossed

I kept the gasket between the turbo and throttle body and torqued it to factory specs.

Okay thanks....I will use the gaskets I have here, if they don't seal than maybe I'll try the fel pros!

[Big Dawg]

So I spent the past couple days prepping my intake and valve covers for paint.

Took a bit of time getting the fuel rails, injectors and some shields and brackets off.

I spent almost 5-6 hours degreasing and brake cleaning all the oil and dirt from the past 30 plus years and cleaning and sanding all the old paint that was on the intake.

Here is a before and after picture of the Intake.....I am really happy with how it turned out. I will be sanding the fins in the next couple days, I think it will look really good with metal on cast aluminum contrast.  I need to find a turbo 6 emblem for the intake. I know there are repops out there but I don't feeling spending $50 us on one.

Before:



After:



I decided to wrinkle paint the valve covers black, I like the look of the Champion valve covers that the intercooled cars have.

Before I started painting the Valve Covers I decided to do a little arts and crafts project. I had seen a couple of videos on YouTube where a couple people made a DIY curing oven out of a cardboard box, aluminum foil and a heat gun...so I decided to give it a shot.

I even splurged  and put a BBQ thermostat on...all in all I think I'm into it for maybe $15.00. I had a heat gun already so I was good to go. I lined the inside of the box with two layers of foil and cut a hole on the top of the box for the heat gun.

The oven:











The oven worked amazing. Again very happy and surprised with the results!!!

Degreased and brake cleaned the valve covers, than sanded down with 200 grit and another wiped own with brake clean:





Painted the valve covers with 3 heavy coats from from all angles:



I placed the freshly painted valve covers on the aluminum foil that I had a couple of cresent wrenches to lift the covers off the aluminum foil. Once placed, i carefully put the box over top, and turned on the heat gun and patiently maintained the temps between 200F-250F for an hour.

Here is how they turned out, very happy with the results. Hopefully in a day or two I will sand the fins down as well, and paint the oil filler neck black as well.







Okay that's it for my update for today.

Thanks for your help guys.

[Steve Wood]

They did not look that good new.  You put some serious effort into that and it looks really nice!