My dads got a Buick T-Type(Grand National) and I really love the engine in it. I was thinkin of eventually buying one that is in bad condition, then stripping the engine and putting it into a Fiero.
Has anyone ever done this or know of anyone who has done this?
I'd like to see pics or anything or anyone who put the 3.8L Turbo into a Fiero. Or even if someone has just put a turbo in a Fiero. I hear a lot about the Supercharged Fieros, but never a Turbo Fiero.
???????
------------------ '86 Fiero 2M4 with lots of extras.
theres quite a few 3.8 GN turbo engines in them. I think Archie has a kit to install them. I think I also read that 89 Fiero was going to have that engine as a factory option in the GTs.
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07:44 PM
AusFiero Member
Posts: 11513 From: Dapto NSW Australia Registered: Feb 2001
That is what I am planning to do eventually. I bought 2 turbos for $200 off a Toyota Soarer 4.0 ltr engine and am going to play around with putting them on a 3.8 ltr Holden engine in a Fiero. I figure 300 + horsepower shouldn't be hard to achieve.
Originally posted by hugh: That may be turbocharged,but it is not a GN engine!
Are you talking about the one listed in the tread above, or the one on Ebay? The one on Ebay is NOT a Grand National engine. The one in the Fiero looks to be a correct GN engine.
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10:33 AM
banditbalz Member
Posts: 2070 From: Barrie Ontario Canada Registered: May 2000
Originally posted by furious_fiero: Oh ok...obviously I never seen that other post about them. But ya, does anyone know what they can do in the 1/4 mile?
I have a friend with an 87 Grand National. If I remember correctly, the engine is rated at 240bhp. Was even faster than the Corvette in '87. They were intercooled from '87 and up.
I raced him at the dragstrip and he was pulling 13.6 on a basically stock motor. That's very respectable considering the massive weight of these cars. On the way to the track (we both were running stock size street tires) we pulled up side by side at a light. I figured I would get the holeshot on him. All I seen were his breaklights from the get go...
I believe there is a forum member here with Grand National?
------------------ Silver 86 GT no truck, no trailer, no spray!
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10:46 AM
PFF
System Bot
furious_fiero Member
Posts: 3028 From: Surrey,BC,CANADA Registered: Mar 2002
QUOTE:I have a friend with an 87 Grand National. If I remember correctly, the engine is rated at 240bhp. Was even faster than the Corvette in '87. They were intercooled from '87 and up
Actually they were rated at 245hp and they were intercooled from '86-'87...they stopped making them in '87, so there was no "up" from '87.
------------------ '86 Fiero 2M4 with lots of extras.
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03:18 PM
furious_fiero Member
Posts: 3028 From: Surrey,BC,CANADA Registered: Mar 2002
Originally posted by hugh: The one on Ebay is not a GN engine.The one in the Fiero appears to be from an 86/87 GN.
OK... I'm a Fiero guy. Never really got into the GN thing. How is it that you can tell the difference? And what does that mean to the person buying it. Just out of curiosity... (I'm an info junkie I guess )
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07:06 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
Well, I had an '87 GN, and the engine in the Fiero "looks" the same. The one on eBay has a carb and distributor. GN's all had fuel injection and DIS. The turbo and intake plenum on the one in the Fiero look identical to the one in my old GN, except chrome.
The difference is horsepower. The 87 GN was underrated at 245HP. The carbed engines were probably rated less than 200. Only the 86-87 GN's had the turbo, SFI injection, AND intercooler. 84-85 had the same basic engine, but without the intercooler.
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07:25 PM
hugh Member
Posts: 5563 From: Clementon,NJ,USA Registered: Jun 2000
With what I've run at the track a few years ago and what the car weighs.Mine computes to between 428 and 441 horsepower.Shipping weight plus mine is about 3700lbs and I ran 115mph@12.2.
------------------ #1112 Question my ability,question my intelligence,never question my integrity!
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10:30 PM
Apr 3rd, 2002
furious_fiero Member
Posts: 3028 From: Surrey,BC,CANADA Registered: Mar 2002
i am currently in the middle of building my 3800 turbo fiero 87 gt.
have a series I supercharged block with an intake manifold from a naturally aspirated motor. (use supercharged block sinceit ha low compression) we are mouting a KKK t3/t3 hyrbid turbo to it, its for a Porsche upgrade originally but now will be used gor GM power!
should give me 350 HO and 400 Ft-bs torque once all tuned, but again these are estimates. as for 1/4 mile, it should be mid 12's at least!
------------------ Sir, step outta da car please...SIR, STEP OUTTA DA CAR!
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01:07 PM
Formula88 Member
Posts: 53788 From: Raleigh NC Registered: Jan 2001
Originally posted by furious_fiero: so you ran 12.2, and its completely stock?????
Well, my GN ran about low to mid 12's (stopwatch, not on a track) with nothing more than a Kenne-Bell Hi-Lo Pro Chip and 160* thermostat. No other changes. Stock exhaust and OEM tires.
People say chips don't do much, well that depends on the car. On the GN, the chip controlls the boost pressure, so a simple chip swap had me go from a stock of 13psi in 1st and 2nd and 9psi in 3rd and 4th to 19psi in 1st and 2nd, and 15psi in 3rd and 4th! Yeah, it made a difference.
On the GN engines, temperature is all important. A rule of thumb I heard from Kenne Bell when I had my GN was for every 1*F you drop the intake temp below 70*F, you get 1HP. So if you have 245HP at 70*, you have 275HP at 40*F. I believe it too. The car fell on it's face in the summertime after sitting in traffic. It was only as fast as a new Vette. But on a cold, winter night, it was about 9*F outside. I timed it from about a 5mph roll to 60mph in 3.6 seconds! Yeah, it was a stopwatch, so give or take, and the 5mph roll was because you couldn't get traction on the cold asphalt. Still even if you allow a full second for error, that's still amazing.
I miss that car. I bought it new in October, 1987. I had also considered a brand new 88 Fiero GT and a 88 Formula 350 Firebird. I went with the GN because it was faster. In retrospect, it was an awesome car, but at the time I wasn't thrilled with it because it didn't have that "Pontiac" feel. Still had Buick suspension, albeit great Buick suspension, but you get the idea. That and I missed the sound of a V8 (previous car was a 72 Trans Am 455HO). What I wouldn't give to have either of those cars back today.
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04:49 PM
Apr 4th, 2002
furious_fiero Member
Posts: 3028 From: Surrey,BC,CANADA Registered: Mar 2002