Buick Grand National Intro & Overview

My name is Tom and I love all types of cars, especially turbocharged ones. I also enjoy wrenching and racing, so let's see what we can get into today in the Turbo Garage. I was 12 years old when I saw my first 1987 Buick Grand National in person. It was parked in the showroom of our small town Buick Pontiac GMC dealer. By this age I was a full-blown car fanatic and had memorized practically everything performance related from my monthly car magazines. I knew I was looking at something special back then and I immediately fell in love. As I looked it over, it was menacing. All black, front to back. This car was pretty wild in 1987 as most cars at that time were slathered in chrome trim, vinyl tops, and bad hubcaps. But not this one. It was sleek and sinister. Swimming in the expanses of deep black paint were bright emblems on the fenders and trunk that read Grand National and 3.8 SFI Turbo on either side of the hood bulge. Those emblems were just a little hint to what was going on. This wasn't a trim package, it was the total package. Even at a young age, I loved the mix of muscle car and high-tech that the Grand National offered. I was drawn to it mainly because it was so much different from everything else and befuddled many traditional car guys. A V6 that outgunned V8s? It must have been some kind of black magic. And while not everyone understood why a V6 made this much power back then, all that mattered was this. It could burn rubber like crazy. The star of the show was the Buick 3.8 liter turbocharged and intercooled V6 which pumped out 245 horsepower and 355 pound-feet of torque. These numbers bested the 1987 Corvette's 5.7 liter V8 by 5 horsepower and 10 pound-feet and matched its mid 14 second quarter mile performance, although some magazines had Grand Nationals running high 13s. The Corvette engineers must have hated that back then. But that's only half the story. Like most turbocharged cars, it was over-engineered and could easily make 100 additional horsepower or even more with straightforward bolt-ons. Amazing. You may have gathered that this car left a bit of an impression on me. So much so that in the spring of 2011, I found a 1987 Grand National of my own. I wasn't looking for a museum piece, but I did want a clean rust-free car that I could restore over time. I found exactly that and my family and I have enjoyed cruising around in it ever since. You never know when or where you'll find car guy inspiration. Those rare moments that make you want to drop everything and get to work on that project that you've been putting off for so long. For me, inspiration struck when I saw the movie trailer for Black Air, the Buick Grand National documentary. I loved watching this movie so much that I sent the filmmaker a message asking him if I could include a little preview of it to share with you. Here it is. Worlds overhead drop like bricks to the earth Shaking the ground, my feet and my worth But where we find brokenness, we certainly find grace And grace leads us onward to seed with the saints Oh, grace leads us onward to seed with the saints Invite her and come on down Where cracks and dries to the bone Come claim us as your own So when we fall, we will rise From our graves, we will rise From a world that is breaking like stones, awakening will rise After watching that trailer and then the movie, I couldn't wait to get working on making some improvements to my Grand National. But before we get to that, let's take a closer look at the car. Starting on the outside, the low stance comes from a set of 2-inch drop spindles in the front with KYB shocks and lowering springs all around. The lower ride height really complements the car and improves handling as well. Also, the 16x8 American Racing GNX style wheels just look like they belong on the car. The previous owner threw in the factory wheels too, but I prefer these. Another thing you can't miss on the outside are the dark tinted windows. I have mixed feelings about these. I like the look, but it makes the interior really dark inside, especially if you're wearing sunglasses. Almost immediately after I got the car, I promptly ripped the whole front end off. Why? Well, since this car spent most of its life in Florida, the body and undercarriage are in good shape, but the paint is showing its age. The most noticeable was the front end and mirrors, which had the notorious love bug damage. In case you haven't heard of the love bug, they're a huge nuisance. Basically, they enjoy mating, as seen here, near the interstate in large groups, who doesn't really, which leads to millions of them splattering onto your car. What a way to go, eh? If left on there for more than an hour or two, they're extremely difficult to remove. If left on your car for a day or more, their bodies become acidic and result in pits and etches in paint and chrome. Just look at what they did here. But after a quick trip to a local body shop, they looked great and made a big improvement in the front end of the car. This will look good until the whole car gets a complete paint job someday. The interior is almost completely stock and in excellent condition. The first thing you notice about the design are all the straight lines and rectangles everywhere you look. It's so different from the flowing lines of today's interiors. You know, riding around in this car brings back loads of memories for me, as my family had a few different 80s GM vehicles, and they all used the same switches and stuff. When I push the power window switch or grab the door handle, it makes me feel like a kid again. The heating and air controls are very familiar in a 1987 kind of way too, and they still let out that trademark GM sound when you switch off the AC. I love the Turbo 6 logos all over the place. In fact, I have one tattooed on my chest. Check it out. Also, I just can't get enough of the 85 mile per hour speedometer and big bold 55 on there. And check out the digital tach and boost gauge. Not terribly useful, but pretty high-tech looking in 87, I'm sure. What's fun about this car are the little custom touches everywhere, like this badge right where the driver can see it every time they turn the key. Yeah, man. T-tops. T-tops, man. T-tops. There are a few performance goodies in here, the first being an A-pillar boost gauge. Also, we've got a popular tool for Grand National owners, and it's called The Scan Master. This magical box plugs into the diagnostic port and gives you a look at various readings from the ECU. It's really handy, but quite a step back from the data logging tools that I've been using with my Mitsubishis all these years. Lastly, there is a small alcohol injection controller box hiding under there. I love alcohol injection, and the Grand National camp was among the first to adopt this modification way back in the late 80s. Let's take a look at the giant trunk these cars have. Oh, hey, yeah. That's my trunk cat. Sorry, little guy. I didn't realize you were using the box. I said I'm sorry. Geez. Now here's the good stuff. This car had a nice list of tasteful modifications that the previous owner installed, like a tile blow-off valve, 3-inch downpipe, aftermarket exhaust system, LS1 mass airflow sensor conversion, old-school Kenbell ram-air intake system, and larger injectors. But it didn't take me long to put my own spin on these modifications. After doing a thorough detail of the engine bay, I changed the air filter setup to something a bit simpler, heat-wrapped the downpipe, painted and reinstalled the factory turbo heat shield, welded up a 3-inch off-road pipe, added a boost controller, new stiffer motor mounts, and a few other odds and ends and maintenance items. You can see photos and a write-up of this on my Grand National website. Oh, and last but not least, here's how it sounds. So back to the inspiration I got from the movie Black Air. Here's our plan to make a nice improvement on both the street and strip for the Grand National. First, we're going to give it a complete inspection up on the lift. Next, we'll make a few modifications to add power by maximizing what good stuff we already have. Then, we'll try to improve our transmission combo for better response and off-the-line performance. Lastly, we'll address a few creature comforts to make the car more enjoyable to drive since it's such a great cruiser. So that's my 1987 Buick Grand National. An interesting piece of automotive history that captivates many still to this day. In the upcoming episodes, we'll get to work on this American classic and see if we can improve on it too. Thanks for watching. I've got some really fun stuff planned for the upcoming videos this spring and summer, so be sure to look out for those. Also, thanks to all my new subscribers. I really do appreciate your support. And be sure to check out Black Air in the Buick Grand National documentary. I love this movie and I know you will too. If you'd like to see more fun stuff and get inside news of things that are going on here in the Turbo Garage, check out my Facebook page at the address below. So with that said, thanks again folks. See you next time.