Tips for the New Turbo Regal Owner

by Patrick Rubio (RUQWKNF)

Start by reading about your car .  Turbo Regal website is the best place to start.  They also have some very good go-fast recipes.
http://www.gnttype.org/
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/recipes/recipepage.html
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/techpage.html
And here's the vendors list page.
http://www.gnttype.org/vendors/index.html
Location of sensors for 86/87 LC2 engine page.
http://www.gnttype.org/maint/sensors.html
Now guide lines for racing your new Turbo Regal when the time comes.
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/sunday.html
Here's the basics.
* Plan your work, work your plan.
Meaning: Set your goals of what you want the car to run, and stick to it.
* Try to only spend once, if at all possible.
Meaning: Some parts will have to be upgraded, IE: bought twice as your combo grows, but, on the big items, (turbo, Intercooler, Torque converter, heads, etc) try to only spend once.
* Have patience and soak up as much information you can about what makes the car tick. Also, don't be afraid of the systems and electronics of the LC2.
Self explanatory.
* Treat the car with respect, and talk nicely to it.
Even on those bad car days, a little TLC given, & the car will reward you. These cars have a heart and soul to them.
* Always Go Fast with Class.

* Don't skimp ($) on the small stuff.
You get what you pay for.
* Be prepared to start treatment for your new disease. "GoFastitis"
We have a lot of On-call Drs on this site who are ready willing and able to help with this ailment.
* It is in your best interest to get the Mrs. thoroughly involved with your new Turbo Regal.
Let her drive it, once it's right, and she will want one for herself.
These should be good for starters. Here is my list of "Must have parts" for any 86/87 Turbo Buick. These are just my O2's worth, and are not necessarily on the cheep side.

- Scanmaster II from Modern Musclecar.
- Walbro 340 fuel pump with Hot wire kit.
- Adjustable Fuel Pressure Reg with FP gauge.
- Fuel Filter
- OEM A/C 1-wire O2 sensor
- New plugs A/C 43's or Autolite #23's
- New plug wires Magnacore 10mm w/ die-electric grease.
- 160* T-stat and Billet aluminum T-stat neck.
- 8" or 9" K&N filter (remove factory air filter canister, and bolt the K&N directly to the MAF sensor.
- Chrome or Black MAF pipe with matching Blue hoses.
- Heavy Duty Blue Silicone Turbo/Intercooler/Inlet pipe hoses. 3 each
- Heavy duty T-bolt clamps. 6 each
- Bypass coolant lines to T-body.
- Pass side valve cover breather with block off plug for Inlet bell.
- Drivers side valve cover breather with billet neck.
- Have the Drivers side header crack repaired by a reputable shop. Trust me, it's cracked.
- Engine tie down.
- Remove the trash screen in the I/C shroud.
- Flush and clean the I/C thoroughly with O2 sensor safe cleaner and flush with water, let air dry or blow it out.
- Computer chip from one of the reputable vendors. Might have to try a couple to get best results.
- Test pipe or gut cat, (if can do)
- 6qts Valvoline (IMHO the best on the market) 10w30 with PF52 filter filled 3/4 full before installing it.
- Flush radiator and run RMI-25 additive & anti Freeze mix.
- At a minimum a good high quality FI cleaner. Techtron works as do others.
- Transmission cooler, put inline with factory cooler.
- Rear end fluid with posi additive.
- Adjustable waste gate
- New Boost hoses and Gray Y, from turbo to wategate and w/g solenoid on the pass side valve cover.

These are the first things that I tell every new owner to do to their newly acquired Turbo Buick. Some are more important than others. The Scanmaster is a self contained scan tool (size of a radar small detector, mounts anywhere, and installs in 5 minutes) that monitors vital info from the ECM. This info can be used to tune the car for maximum and Safe hp for pump gas. It comes with good instructions and is very user friendly. Worth it's weight in gold. The Stock fuel pump was barely adequate from the factory, and the pump's filter sock (if original) suffers from collapse. Which will restrict fuel flow. The 340 and new design sock will take you to high 10's with other bolt-ons. The factory fuel pump's wiring harness is too small, and upgrading to a Hot wire kit will supply the pump with the proper voltages it needs. The adjustable regulator is also high on the priorities list due to being able to tune the car for your given environment and gas octane. Same for fp gauge. The Tech pages has the Spring Cleaning guide, I recommend all new owners do this even if the car is mint. It gets you acquainted with the car, Hands on exp if you will. The 160 T-stat is a no brainer, and the Billet neck is a must, especially if signs of rust are on the factory mild steel neck. (Small details) Plugs gapped at a tight .035 with Die-electric grease are a must, some like the AC 43's, I prefer the Autolite #23's on every car that I've ever played/worked on. Climate will determine which range is best. Magnacore 10mm wires have become the Community standard with us. Very hard to beat. Always let the car cool before shut down, this gives the oil temp time to stabilize, and helps prevent oil from Coking on the turbo bearings/shaft. Same goes for start up, let it warm up first before making a blast. Also, when doing an oil change, it's best to disconnect the Orange ECM wire (Behind battery) and spin the motor over a few times to help aid oil dispersion. The turbo/IC hoses are no biggie, just have patience when installing them on the inlet pipe, a dab of WD-30 really speeds up the R&R. MAF pipe is not that high on the list, unless of course your factory MAF hose has holes in it. It is best you remove it to inspect for said holes. If $$ is of concern, you can get by, by wrapping it with Black electrical tape. K&N is a must, some vendors take the time to cut out the hole for the MAT sensor (Hint to vendors), but, if not, no sweat, take a X-acto knife and cut the hole about 1-2" from the outlet's edge, same size as MAT sensor's threaded portion. Now push the MAT into it, installing the K&N onto the MAF sensor and rotating the K&N so that the MAT harness reaches the sensor. For added clearances, when you remove the OEM Air filter canister, the bracket that holds the canister has 2 13mm headed bolts that hold it to the frame rail, take it out, leaving one bolt, now, move/relocate the Fuel vapor canister down to the frame rail, and use the existing hole and 13mm bolt to secure it. It's a perfect location for it, and won't hurt a thing. Also, the K&N will have more room. Replace the Fuel filter, even if the previous owner did so recently. (Small details again.) Located on the Drivers side in front of the rear tire, inside the frame rail. Use eye protection and double wrench method. Use caution when re-installing it, don't strip the threads, or over torque it, and make sure the arrow on the filter points toward the motor. If the car has high miles, it is best to gut the cat, or replace with a test pipe. Over time, the stock cat will clog and rob hp. Factory boost levels varied from 12-15psi, every car is different. With the fuel system taken car of, and a Scanmaster, you should be able to tune for 15-17psi, with fuel octane, weather conditions, and chip being the main determining factors. The secret to low E.T.'s with these cars is traction off the line with as much boost as the tires will allow, and tuning for no detonation. Speaking of detonation, the norm for a properly tuned stocker is 3-5*, usually between the shifts. The stock D5 converter puts enough strain on the system to cause this knock, this is what our findings are. All of the vendors have these cars down to a tee these days, and you should have great success with anyone of them, when it comes to chips.
When installing the hoses and breathers, now is the time to inspect the turbo for signs of wear and tear. Look for signs of FOD (Foreign Object Damage) to the impeller blades, chips, dings, bent blades are all signs of FOD damage. Also, check the shaft for end play or excessive movement, just a tad is normal, but, if the blades look like they have come into contact with the housing, then the bearings are toast. Another thing to consider down the road with miles/age is the timing chain. These cars came with Nylon Cam gear, and will crack and eventually break. Some have had great luck with them and lots of miles. (Over 100k) so don't fret, just remember this when the time comes. One more item is the stock valve springs. They are shot at the 60k range. Still another is the stock fuel injectors. I tell everyone to R&R them at the 50k mile mark. There are a lot of different ones out there, and selection will depend on your goals. Most popular are the Bosch Blue Top 36# injectors (Good to high 11's), and the Tomco "009" 42.5# injectors (Good to 11.00's).
Sorry for so long, but, please bear with me. The next line items to address have to do with the exhaust.
The exhaust system will be one of the best felt bolt -ons at this level. The Community leaders are your Terry Houston Down pipe and the Hooker dual exhaust. The THDP as it's called will take you into the 10's, and is available in SS. The Hooker exhaust is the Best "Bang for the Buck" exhaust on the market, and also includes a test pipe. So, if money is an issue, the Hooker exhaust would be first vs the THDP. Not only do you R&R the OEM 2 1/4" exhaust with true mandrel bent 2.5" exhaust, but, you also get a test pipe. The THDP replaces the restrictive stock cast iron 90* elbow and teeny tiny 2 1/4" dp, with a smooth bend 3" dp with integral w/g swing arm/puck. Aftermarket headers are not needed. Stock headers that have been welded and ported will go 10's. The header factor comes into play if the stockers are beyond repair. The Adjustable actuator will allow you to tailor your boost levels to your desire. Remember, no more than 17psi on pump, go as high as you can tune for with pure race gas.
If you ever see more than 7* of sustained knock on the Scanmaster, IMMEDIATELY get out of it. Sorry to shout. Detonation is what hurts these motors. At this point you have the fuel system, and exhaust system taken care of. Leave the 3.42's in the rear, you can run 10's with them. With Race gas, and some sticky tires, you should be able to tune for some really easy mid 12's in the 103-107 range. Low 13's on pump gas and street tires as well, trick being the launch. This alone would be the cure for most, but, in the Turbo Buick world, you get a Serious case of GFI, or GoFastitis. To reach 11's, you're only a turbo, injectors, & I/C upgrade away. Some have done it w/o one or all, but, those 3 are what really make the combo work. Combo & tuning are the keys to success with these cars. Once again, sorry for so long, and congrats on the new Turbo Regal. You have a long and enjoyable future ahead of you. You have also come to the right place for help and advice, as well as general bench racing. Hope this helps, and let us know if we can be of any assistance.

Patrick Rubio

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