# Buick GN



## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

I saw posted somewhere someone was talking about the Buick GNs. I thought I'd share some pics of my cars.
--FCB


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

And here's 3 more....


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Need I even say it....:thumbsup:


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Nice, Do you have Lime Green body that is painted Black? Just wandering how many painted bodies they did? They are very poor paint quality and now badging, or markings on the hood, at least the 3 or so that I have seen.

Boosted


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

These were all factory colors. There's a black with no badges and a black with badges. If this doesn't answer your question let me know. --fcb


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Look at the black no badges car really closely for traces of another color, especially inside the body, near the bumpers etc, I bet it is the factory painted version. Like I said mine was lime green under the black. Just curious.

Boosted


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

I didnt realize thqt either. I'll check my stash later now.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

They were just replicating what Buick did.


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

Mine was panted.


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Cool GN's FCB...I thought they were all painted??? Guess I need to look closer...RM


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

I have a black GN, badged etc that is molded in color.

Boosted


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

I thought they were all painted. I'll have to look through my cars now. Cool! Something to do over the holidays!

-Paul


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

It's always something... RM


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

Question for the GN experts out there.... Is the back bumper supposed to be chrome or black on the 1:1 black GN?


Thanks,
Old Blue


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

It depended on car color, Black GN's for the most part were Black bumpered, All the T-types I have seen were Chrome, I have seen some pictures of late 85's, early 86 GN's with both front and rear chrome bumpers, but I have never seen one in person to verify the car came that way. Silver/Gray GN's generally had Chrome bumpers, I have seen some gray cars with black bumpers as well but they were owner added. 

Boosted


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Hmmm... Molded in black??? I'm gonna have to make a mental note of that one...hehehehe..


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

WOW will the real Joe skylark please standup, please standup!!! 
I though Joe would start this tread?HAHA


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Ok, the 1:1 GN's all came blacked out. Meaning black trim and bumpers.

The T-Type had chrome bumpers. But there was a model called W4 that was a T-Type with unchromed trim. Meaning there can be a black T-Type that came with blacked out trim and bumpers. Thus the special edition W4 T-Type. Very collectable model.

All GN's and GNX's had blacked out trim and bumpers. Standard T-Type had chrome trim. The W4 T-Type looks like a GN on the outside but came without the black and gray two toned interior. The W4 came with a solid gray interior.

Hope this helps.


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

My bad, its a WE 4.


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

THEY DON`T CALL HIM SKYLARK 65 for noting ,sounds like joe pesce wife in my cousin vinny.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Joe65SkylarkGS said:


> Ok, the 1:1 GN's all came blacked out. Meaning black trim and bumpers.
> 
> The T-Type had chrome bumpers. But there was a model called W4 that was a T-Type with unchromed trim. Meaning there can be a black T-Type that came with blacked out trim and bumpers. Thus the special edition W4 T-Type. Very collectable model.
> 
> ...


You see, and if you look close around some of those black bumpers, you can find traces of lime green.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

NTxSlotCars said:


> You see, and if you look close around some of those black bumpers, you can find traces of lime green.


That is too funny, However the JL GN's have a color matched front & chrome rear bumper so that's a whole other discussion

Boosted


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Ok, I got something for all you guys. I have to get a picture but I just picked up 2 Two tone GN's that are black with badging, sounds ok right, no they have 2 different color roof's!!! One gold one silver and they definitly look to be factory done cause they have the same exact paint patterns on the roof line. Kinda a little swish to em.

Stand by for pics. Hold on guys. :wave:

Really throwin the monkey wrench in here lol!!!


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

I knew it....


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

NTxSlotCars said:


> I knew it....


I just threw up in my mouth a little!!!!:drunk:

Don't do that!!!!!


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

I could fix that, the car that is, some people just have no class

Boosted


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## shocker36 (Jul 5, 2008)

That person should be pimped slapped


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

shocker36 said:


> That person should be pimped slapped


With a big platform show!!! Red velvet of coarse!!!


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

I could help with that as well

Joe Post some pics of the new multi-color GN's

Boosted


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Will do boosted. I have to go out now but ill get pics up.


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## TGM2054 (May 14, 2011)

NICE CAR...........just not in that color.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Oh what's the big fuss? I thought it was pretty conservative next to this...










_Could this be the next AW Buick?_


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

AAAAUGH my eyes... where's the brain bleach? what has been seen cannot be unseen...

--rick


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## TGM2054 (May 14, 2011)

_Could this be the next AW Buick?_[/QUOTE]

:lol::lol::lol::lol: That put the Carffitii series to shame....... I think :tongue:


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

How could someone do that to a car????  RM


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Don't give AW any ideas Rich!!! JEEEZ!!! :lol:


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

I guess you could call it flower power?


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Maybe a grocery getter????


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Ok, that one is pretty cool.

--rick


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Dump the wire wheels & I don't mind the wagon, Especially if its got the turbo on it.

Boosted


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Thats GN Camino has been around for a while. Clean job he did. Dash and interior too.


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Ok here are the 2 new GN's I just got. They were definitly out of the clam shells before cause there's only one wire holding each in place, but they do have the Grand National on the packages.

Let the fighting begin!!!!















































Now what!?!?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Way back in the day, a buddy's girlfriend had a Regal in which she seized the engine (a Pontiac 301). I was in the process of tearing the nose off of a 75 Trans Am to dig out the VIN# hidden inside the blower motor housing. (CT DOT required 2 matching VIN#'s to pass inspection, and the door jamb tag was gone. Needless to say, I never got the TA through inspection. We pulled that 400 out of the TA and slid it into her Buick. For those who don't know, Pontiac engines are all "mid block". A 301 is the same external size ( barring varying head height) as a 455. The only modification we had to do was grind a bit off the corner of the driver's side exhaust manifold so it would clear the shift indicator linkage. Her car went from a dog to a rocket in 48 hours.. :lol:

I like that wagon!! How cool would it look with a 400 with a shaker hood scoop??? Dang!!


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Awright,another crazy,i built the same thing,lol.

Had a 78 Gran Prix with the 301,when it seized the oil pump and self destructed,my uncle had a wrecked 69 Gran Prix with an HO 400 in it,dropped a little 270 crane cam into it,and it bolted right in,even the starter fit,but the 301 starter was light duty and didn't last long.The 200 tranny didn't last long either,but it had better low gears in it then the Turbo 350 i replaced it with,and i ended up getting the rad re-done,as the stock 301 rad wouldn't keep the 400 cool in traffic
With factory 2.29 gears in it,it wasn't a real great tire spinner,but man it was good for over 90 mph in second,lol.
It'd outrun stock Gran Nationals of the day, mid 80's,and would hold 4500 in high gear ,up hill or downhill,gotta love Pontiacs torque.
The wife used to drive it back and forth on the freeway at better then 70 mph and the car would pull down well 20 miles to the gallon with the horrible gears,so that's why it never got anything deeper,lol.
Car was an oldball car,it was a 78 SJ model with power sunroof,buckets/console,guage package,but no power windows/no AC nothing,basically an oddball stripper car.
No AC made it real easy to drop the 400 in.
Had a bother-in-law with the same style car,and he put a 455 in it,but the 455 needed AC box clearancing and differant brackets,but his was a tire spinner as he had 3.08's in his,and more cubes


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Joe what color are the insides of the muti-colored GN's, I like the Black/Silver, not sure on the other one, but definitely a cool find. Front ends also have more paint detail on them than most I have seen.

Boosted


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

gold should be matched with dark brown, not black!


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

They don't build them like they used to...










... the windshield isn't even cracked.


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

what are you trying to do make a grown man cry? What if Joe Skylark sees that pic?


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

plymouth71 said:


> what are you trying to do make a grown man cry? What if joe skylark sees that pic?


omg!!!!!!!!! Nooooooooooo


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## TGM2054 (May 14, 2011)

Here Joe, it's all good now.http://


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

TGM2054 said:


> Here Joe, it's all good now.http://



Yea man!! GMHTP covers a lot of our events. I'm in 3 different Buick Clubs and the NorthEast GN/GS club might be the one featured there.

Also a member of Buick Performance Group and GS Club of America

Mine may be there!!! Who can tell the differences!!! Sea of Black!!


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

In that accident shot, you notice the wet ground right? That was a huge reason why so many wound up wrapped around poles. If you've never driven a Turbo GN, it's like this, you touch the throttle and the car goes but not realizing how sneaky the boost comes on, all of a sudeden your pinned in the seat!! Not if the ground is wet, then it's usually way too late to save it cause the a$$ would come right out from under you. ALL GN's came with Posi too. Thus adding to the problem.

Here in NY, in 88 a young couple were getting married and walking out of a church and 2 clowns were street racing crashed and killed the poor bride. So for a lot of years the cops were calling the GN a Bride Killer. I got mine in 93 and still was told the story.

Many many GN's went to an early grave due to people not knowing how to drive them.

Some people who aren't Buick fans, or whatever, may say, come on a Buick?? But yes in 87 it was faster than the Corvettes, a freak of nature if you will. Look at any drivers seat in any GN and guarenteed it's bent back at least 3 to 5 inches from the passengers seat. These cars really pin you in the seat, period.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

One of my friends dad bought one new as a toy, He was an engineer for GM, My friends car had some major problems so his dad let him drive the GN until he could get it fixed. He just ask him to be careful with the car as it was brand new. Well needless to say, my friend soon learned how fast it was and how it would just melt the tires, He really enjoyed doing long smokey burnouts. In a little less than a month he completely balded a set of rear tires, he put the car back in the garage and covered it up and said nothing to his dad about the tires. His dad found out how bad they were when he drove the car home in the rain one day and almost sideswiped a truck in the opposite lane as he turned a corner and the rear stepped out at like 20 mph. Needless to say he was quit pissed.
They just dont make cars like the GN anymore, what a sleeper.

Boosted


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

*If thats a sleeper...*

*If thats a sleeper, this is a Nightmare!

*









This is a local car, #278 of 547. It has an ASC McLaren installed Sunroof which could make it a 1 of 3 cars with this option. 

As a finale in 1987, Buick would truly save the best for last by building the ultimate performance coupe, the Buick GNX. With a list price of $29,900, the GNX was priced $10,995 higher than the already potent GN model. Originally slated for a limited run of only 500 cars, the coupes were built by Buick and turned over to ASC/McLaren for several modifications. Heavy-duty rear suspension included a longitudinal ladder bar to control torque and a panhard rod for increased cornering ability.

Up front, inner fenders were made of a lightweight composite material and the front outer fenders carried functional vents to allow heat to escape from the engine compartment. Fender flares were installed on all four corners to accommodate the special 16-inch by 8-inch GNX road wheels, all wrapped with high-speed-rated radial tires.

All of this was enough to get any performance enthusiast salivating, but Buick and ASC/McLaren would deliver the ultimate one-two punch with what came under the hood of the GNX. The 3.8 V6 came with a Garrett T-3 turbocharger employing a lightweight ceramic impeller, allowing the turbo to spin faster with reduced turbo lag. Whenever you compress air it gets hot and, to combat that, there was a Garrett air-to-air heat exchanger to allow the intake charge to remain cool. This and a few other minor tweaks allowed the V6 to produce an advertised 360 lb/ft of torque at 3,000 r.p.m. and 276 horsepower at 4,400 r.p.m. Backing up the V6 was a custom torque converter leading to a Turbo 200-4R four-speed automatic transmission that was reprogrammed for firmer shifts. The GNX had a power-to-weight ratio that delivered consistently low 13-second quarter-mile elapsed times at more than 100 miles per hour with zero to 60 times achieved in a scant 4.7 seconds. Plugging those values into a calculator will quickly tell you the GNX horsepower figures were deliberately underrated, so as not to upstage the GM flagship Corvette.

The interior was all classic Buick. Black and grey velour bucket seats cradled the occupants along with a full load of creature comforts like power steering, power disc brakes, power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, AM/FM stereo and cruise control. For the driver, there was a full no-nonsense Stewart-Warner analog gauge package that included an 8,000 r.p.m. tachometer, 160 m.p.h. speedometer and turbo boost gauge.

Loaded with options and power-packed, the GNX was a sell-out. In fact, what was supposed to be only a run of 500 turned into 547 of the GNX cars being built. Why the odd number? There were 547 Buick dealers that demanded General Motors have at least one car available per dealership and GM complied. So who bought them? While first in line were people like actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Burt Reynolds, sports star Reggie Jackson and even hotel magnate Bill Marriott were eager buyers.

To further ensure these cars would stand out from all others, a special plaque with the production number was mounted on the dashboard above the glove box and owners wishing to purchase additional parts or replacements for the cars had to supply the car's production number with the order.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

I spent alot of time street racing a 10 sec big block 68 Z-28 as a kid in the 80's,i wouldn't say the GN was ever a sleeper:thumbsup:.
There was to much promotion of the car to ever fall under the sleeper catagory
Every hotrod mag of the time was bragging them up:wave:


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

Yeah, I love the look of a nice black Grand National. Too bad I already sealed up your pkg Joe... Just before I finished this one off. Yep thats the one you sent me. More pics in an upcoming visit to Plymouth 71's Custom Paint & Body shop


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

That is very nice, Is that dipped in Future polish? Wheels are killer!

Boosted


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

Yep. Thanks those are AFX wheels treated with "The Detailer"


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

How does that Rolling Stones song go again . . . ? Oh yeah, 

"I see a Buick and I want to *PAINT IT BLACK* . . . "


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

I know Keith Kirban a little bit. He is the man for all things Buick GN's; he doesn't buy them up like he used to but he's still a great source for stuff. Also a distributor for ZDDP.

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

plymouth71 said:


> Yeah, I love the look of a nice black Grand National. Too bad I already sealed up your pkg Joe... Just before I finished this one off. Yep thats the one you sent me. More pics in an upcoming visit to Plymouth 71's Custom Paint & Body shop


bad-ass


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

plymouth71 said:


> Yeah, I love the look of a nice black Grand National. Too bad I already sealed up your pkg Joe... Just before I finished this one off. Yep thats the one you sent me. More pics in an upcoming visit to Plymouth 71's Custom Paint & Body shop


Uh, If that's the Christmas X Change car, go ahead and send it, I'd wait a week or two for that one!!! Them GM guys working in your shop know how to make em look good, jus sayn'...RM


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## TGM2054 (May 14, 2011)

That thing is just gorgeous! Now I have to find a GN body for a project! ( As if I didn't have enough projects going on)


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Uh, If that's the Christmas X Change car, go ahead and send it, I'd wait a week or two for that one!!! Them GM guys working in your shop know how to make em look good, jus sayn'...RM


Wait til you see them work on Mopars!

LoL Thank you for the compliments guys! Sorry to disapoint, but this is not the Christmas Car. I don't think I'm sending one this year.


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## onefastmustang (Dec 3, 2011)

Just a few of mine in my collection, which they had the stance like plymouth71 grand national stance .


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

Thanks man Kudos received and appreciated!:thumbsup:


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