For the gen-x car guys here (Buick GNX content)

[theJanitor]

The thing about a G-body is that everything, and I mean everything you need to make it a stoplight streetfighter or a drag strip monster is already sorted out. It's damn far from ideal out of the box, but all of the aftermarket support and solutions are there and it's just a matter of installing the parts you want to make it do what you want it to do.

You could throw the hotchkis/guldstrand/detroit speed books at it and have a pretty cool Gbody that turns in both directions. I had an 85 Cutlass, that I built a SBC/700r4 for. A street car making 400hp+ in 1990 was a pretty stout ride, at the time. It was fun to drive, and luxurious enough to take girls around in. The MonteSS and the GN (or t-type) are still two of my favorite cars.

[OlongJohnson]

I hear ya. To each her own. the car in my avatar is my '86 BMW 325 which now runs a 306 CI SBF with a TKO close ratio. She was my road race car, now is a hillclimb / autocross car. For less than a third of a GNX like this if it goes high cost, I have something that's unique, pulls 1.7 G laterally and can run in the 11s in the 1/4. Granted she's caged and spartan on the inside, but...

You have to tell us this, just when I got the idea of a free-revving 331 in an E36 with an 8.8 pumpkin out of my head. If I'm ever stuck in Salem, I'll buy you and your wife some beers.

[Medusa]

You have to tell us this, just when I got the idea of a free-revving 331 in an E36 with an 8.8 pumpkin out of my head. If I'm ever stuck in Salem, I'll buy you and your wife some beers.

Heh sounds good! I’m actually still running the e30 diff (a good diffs online unit) and have a season’s worth of racing on it. I did break one axle right at the end of last season, literally with just two runs to go, and I’m on 275/15 Hoosiers. I am careful with the throttle on launch. I figured an 8.8 or an r200 are options if need be, I just didn’t feel like the expense nor cutting on the floor for it unless necessary.

I’ve seen at least one v8 swap e36, at the Freezeout hillclimb in Emmett, Idaho last year. It’s hard not to have fun with a v8 swap light car. Mine picked up about 60 lbs and that was mostly the transmission.....the engine, with aluminum heads, is lighter than the m20....

If you do it you’ll have fun, pretty much guaranteed.

[Ed L]

I remember the Buick GNX when they were a limited edition item selling in the $30k range, but in practice sold for much more--like $40k+.

This was in 1987 and I bought a Buick Regal with the same 245 HP intercooled turbo that the regular Buick Grand National had. The GNX engine was tweaked to over 300 HP. This may seem shabby by today's standards, but at the time it was a big deal.

[Bucky]

Back in another lifetime wile I was working as a mechanic, the owner bought 2 of theses. One he used as a racer / driver. He did some a few simple mods and got the car down to low 11s 1/4 mile time. The other he covered and stored.

I remembered he paid around $45K a piece.

[JRB]

I hear ya. To each her own. the car in my avatar is my '86 BMW 325 which now runs a 306 CI SBF with a TKO close ratio. She was my road race car, now is a hillclimb / autocross car. For less than a third of a GNX like this if it goes high cost, I have something that's unique, pulls 1.7 G laterally and can run in the 11s in the 1/4. Granted she's caged and spartan on the inside, but....

Not knowing G-bodies that well, I feel like if i had to have a GNX i would probably build a clone from a clean econo version. But I'm with you - this is a cool time capsule, awesome to drool over and think back to when these ruled the streets.

A G-body isn't my first choice, believe me. I own a '95 Supra TT 6-spd hardtop (that's currently a wrecked mess) an '87 Supra turbo 5-spd hardtop, and over the years I've owned too many other older Supras, several MR2 turbos, a Celica All-Trac Turbo, NA8 Miata, S13 240sx, Mitsubishi 3000GT and an Eclipse GSX (well a Plymouth Laser RS-T AWD, but the same car) and a few other unmentionables.
Prior to my current position with the Army, I was the shop foreman of a local performance shop that did a lot of domestics. 7 lifts, two in ground dynos, overall a pretty serious operation. Lots of Hellcats, 5th gen Camaros, Vettes, Coyote Mustangs, that sort of stuff. So while a lot of things aren't my cup of tea, it's hard to be a gearhead and not give credit where it's due.

My little sister owned an E30 years and years ago before the E30 craze hit (a 91 318IS actually) and she sold it unexpectedly and I was a bit annoyed. I had a Toyota 7M-GTE making around 425-450hp (MK3 Supra it came from made 399whp 428wtq) and I wanted to stuff it in that E30. Oh well.
Yours sounds like a pretty fun build!

You have to tell us this, just when I got the idea of a free-revving 331 in an E36 with an 8.8 pumpkin out of my head. If I'm ever stuck in Salem, I'll buy you and your wife some beers.

No need for an 8.8, the M3 and 6 cyl E36 rear diffs can take a beating. Have a few local dudes with built E36's, one with a built M50 BMW I6 with a Borg Warner S369 turbo (bigass turbo) making mid-800's on E85 fuel. Even with drag radials he's only nuked one diff. The biggest issue is getting one with a limited slip already installed, most were open.
Unless you build that 331 in a Dart or R302 block, and it has a bigass forced induction setup of some kind (big turbo, big SC, go-to-the-moon levels of Nitrous) you're nowhere near the threshold of that diff. You'll nuke a lot of T5's or TKO's long before you'd need to worry about the E36 diff. So just find a suitable E36 donor and find a wrecked Foxbody and make some magic happen!

[theJanitor]

Back in another lifetime wile I was working as a mechanic, the owner bought 2 of theses. One he used as a racer / driver. He did some a few simple mods and got the car down to low 11s 1/4 mile time. The other he covered and stored.

I remembered he paid around $45K a piece.

I knew a guy with two GN's, but two GNX's!! damn, that's awesome

[Medusa]

So while a lot of things aren't my cup of tea, it's hard to be a gearhead and not give credit where it's due.

This right here. Cheers.

The ckose ratio tko is rated fit 600 lb ft so the axles are the fuse on mine. I got hundreds of runs out of reman cheapies last season, so I cannot really complain.

I still like the e30 better for size and weight. Mine is like 2466 ready to race, fully caged. We’ve had some success in the regional hillclimb scene ....queen of the hill at Maryhill and Freezeout last year. Probably can find my in-car on a YouTube search.

[RevolverRob]

$200,000 for a Buick.

A V6 turbocharged Buick.

A V6 Turbocharged Buick that you couldn't even drive anywhere, because driving it would reduce the value.

Some people have more money than sense and you're talking to a guy who would blow $25,000,000 on cars if he hit the Powerball.

But I guess for me, it's more the matter that the GNX isn't the coolest B.O.P turbo car - that'd be a '62 or '63 F-85 Jetfire Oldsmobile. That first car really set the stage for the recognition of the value of turbochargers. It obviously took another 15 years to really grow that into viable tech, but to be fair gas prices were low and carburetors were the norm for fuel delivery in the US. If more US makers had embraced mechanical injection like the Europeans did, turbos might have come into their own much faster here.

Or maybe it's that I was about 2 years old when this GNX was built, but was a much more impressionable 7 years old when the first Dodge Vipers went on sale.

Regardless, I've been spending WAY too much time on BaT lately. I may or may not be shopping for my next ride (if my wife asks, I'm definitely just looking, not shopping...). Haven't quite decided what it will be yet. I'm still leaning Porsche, but also can see myself on a Alfa GTV, of course, I have enough parts in the garage to build a couple of vintage Fords and it's hard to say no to a reasonably priced Mustang as a result.

[OlongJohnson]

No need for an 8.8, the M3 and 6 cyl E36 rear diffs can take a beating. Have a few local dudes with built E36's, one with a built M50 BMW I6 with a Borg Warner S369 turbo (bigass turbo) making mid-800's on E85 fuel. Even with drag radials he's only nuked one diff. The biggest issue is getting one with a limited slip already installed, most were open. Unless you build that 331 in a Dart or R302 block, and it has a bigass forced induction setup of some kind (big turbo, big SC, go-to-the-moon levels of Nitrous) you're nowhere near the threshold of that diff. You'll nuke a lot of T5's or TKO's long before you'd need to worry about the E36 diff. So just find a suitable E36 donor and find a wrecked Foxbody and make some magic happen!

The problem is the cost of setting it up to begin with. It's about $1800 to go from a non-LSD diff to one set up with a basic LSD. There's a Euro tax on everything past that, and about $1000 for a new ring and pinion setup if you want to change gearing. Versus a Ford discount on everything if you do the work to swap in the 8.8. What diff do you want to use? Want to try a couple different ones? With an aluminum case, you can even save weight. And if you do it right, you'll never worry about or have any troubles with any of it.

a Alfa GTV

I would love to do one of those with an Altezza motor. 8000-ish rpm and 215 hp with Toyota-warranty reliability. Also, I know where you can get a top-quality, well-engineered four-wheel big brake kit for a GTV that fits 15s.