by "JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
Published 06/06/2017 at 21:11
by "JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
Published 06/06/2017 at 21:11
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STARS: 3
I won this Regal for $250 at my first insurance auction, and then ended up getting a bit bamboozled by the friend who bid for me with a $900 price tag (after a grand total cost of $369). But oh well, it sounds better when I remember being in the moment and getting it for $250. Unfortunately, that grill is a lie- the car is just a 1999 Regal GS (sans X ) Gran Touring Suspension with SLP headers and perhaps some other goodies. It ran like a bat out of hell on the ~100 mile journey home and hopefully will stand up to a bit more once the deferred maintenance is attended to. The front rotors (cross-drilled, slotted, likely cheap junk) are warped and it might need an alignment, but this will more than do for replacing a Thunderturd living up to its name more every day. How did I end up owning so much uninspiring junk in such a short period of time? Nonetheless, supercharger whine makes up for the rest. I am pretty clueless about W-bodies. Have some terrible photos.
By the way- a clean, running and driving S60 with a Spaceball shifter went for $350. I regret to inform you that I did not bid.
Now what to do with an fairly trashed MN12 Thunderbird with two working forward gears that happens to be a reliable city car?
"E90M3" (e90m3)
06/06/2017 at 21:14, STARS: 1
My dad had a 2002 Regal GS, it was a piece of shit. That car always had something wrong with it. I swear right around time for it’s annual emission test, a CEL would appear on the dash.
"mazda616" (mazda616)
06/06/2017 at 21:17, STARS: 0
The L67 is super cheap to mod. Some of those and the Grand Prix GTPs can be made super quick for hardly any money.
"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
06/06/2017 at 21:17, STARS: 0
I want a lifted TT coupe turbo
"Nibby" (nibby68)
06/06/2017 at 21:17, STARS: 1
paging Jake
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:18, STARS: 0
First thing I did when I came within spitting range of an OBDII scanner? Clear a CEL! Thankfully, it has stayed away. I am not totally sure what to do with this car as I could have gotten my T-Bird AOD rebuilt, rust repaired, and alignment done with what I will lose. Or, better yet, I could just thoroughly freshen up my original C4 and relive the good old days. Instead I will be embarking on a new POS adventure with more advanced shit.
"E90M3" (e90m3)
06/06/2017 at 21:22, STARS: 0
I’d clear the code and then it’d come back eventually. I swear it also ate coolant. In keeping with my dad’s tradition of giving me the most unreliable car, it was mine two summers. It was eventually traded in with about 110k on the clock with a transmission on its last legs.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:22, STARS: 0
And water is wet.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:24, STARS: 1
Yeah, this transmission shifts a bit hard... AAAH what have I done? It seemed like a good deal when I was under the impression that it was a $369 throw-away.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
06/06/2017 at 21:25, STARS: 0
Cool find!
When you get a minute, take a look at the valve covers and make sure they’re not leaking. My brother’s ’98 GS caught fire after oil leaked onto the exhaust manifolds.
"jminer" (jminer)
06/06/2017 at 21:28, STARS: 0
Yeah, auction fees can sneak right the hell up on you. Bought a $1200 parts car on Copart once and it cost me $2100...
"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
06/06/2017 at 21:28, STARS: 0
but I want it with Allroad style adjustable suspension, only with the difference that it will function.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:29, STARS: 0
Thanks! I’m still not so keen on the idea of the car burning. They seemed to be weeping a bit and I will pay closer attention. Hope it was not too serious.
"E92M3" (E46M3)
06/06/2017 at 21:29, STARS: 0
Wait what? You’re friend bid $250, after fees it was $369, but he charged you $900 for it?
"itschrome" (itschrome)
06/06/2017 at 21:30, STARS: 0
Damn! Thats a sweet ride at a sweeter price. I’d slap my mother for a deal that good!
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 0
I hope the transmission will hold up to let me experiment with some mods. I’d love to squeeze a more power out of the L67 down the road.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:35, STARS: 0
Thank you! And I’d slap mine to not have to pay the other cars’ towing, money orders for other cars, the kickback to dealer license guy, and official auctioneer fees on top of that deal, haha. But really, I am pretty happy with this one. I’ve managed to be on the wrong end of bad deals enough times before.
"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
06/06/2017 at 21:39, STARS: 0
Shoulda bought that blue Malibu SS.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:40, STARS: 2
Yes, a bit unexpected. He’s an older business owner and we help each other out pretty often, so I did not foresee paying for other cars’ towing and an accompanying money order. The kickback to the dealer-licensed guy, fine, but I would not have paid for that stomach-churning Chinese buffet for five if I had realized that I was just a quick $500!
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:42, STARS: 1
Non-running section, I am afraid. Believe me, I would not have hesitated on the MR-2 after skipping out on the 6-speed S60!
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:44, STARS: 0
That would be amazing. Instead of an powerful econobox masquerading as a sports car, you have an offroader in svelte sheetmetal.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
06/06/2017 at 21:45, STARS: 1
It happened while at the shop for a wheel bearing that was too seized for me to do the wrenching. The place was crowded, and they were shuffling cars around... next thing you know, they saw smoke pouring out from under the hood. They put it out quickly, but not before it destroyed the plastic engine cover and half the spark wires. Oh, and the boost valve, too...
They had some spare wires on hand, which made the car driveable again, but the MPGs were horrible. My brother brought it to me so that I could replace the valve cover gaskets, and we soon found a boost valve at a local salvage yard, which restored the MPGs. So yeah, it could’ve been a LOT worse haha.
"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
06/06/2017 at 21:47, STARS: 0
I didn;t even have snow tires on the Allroad and it killed it in the snow. I’m sure the TT would be a ton of fun. I love the curves of the original gen
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 21:49, STARS: 0
It is a fantastic design. I would love to drive something like an Allroad in the snow.
"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
06/06/2017 at 21:53, STARS: 0
I think I like it better than my WRX. Its really too bad it was such a piece of shit. I guess that’s what 180k miles and 13 years will do. The former owner definitely did not take care of it. It was a truely fantastic car. The WRX is fast and fun, but the Allroad was interesting. It had all sorts of unique design features. It was interesting. It’s also twice the cost of a WRX. I dont like the new ones, without the air ride, they are just fancy Outbacks.
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
06/06/2017 at 21:57, STARS: 0
The answer is obvious - manual swap.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 22:04, STARS: 0
That sucks, but I guess another 30 seconds could have had more serious implications. Is that car still on the road?
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 22:06, STARS: 1
For once it’s a good thing that the car is not worth the effort! Although there were a several manual-equipped W-body cars, perhaps a G6 6sp would work.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/06/2017 at 22:12, STARS: 0
Wow, that is quite a lot more than the bid. I really would not mind swinging $400, but the unofficial fees are what got me!
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
06/06/2017 at 22:22, STARS: 0
No idea. He sold it a few years ago, mainly because of how rusty the car was getting.
BTW, when I replaced those VC gaskets, it became clear that the bolts had not been properly (or evenly!) torqued at the factory. Some time later, I read something about there being a recall, but I didn’t pay much attention to it since the work was already done. You might want to look into that...
"jminer" (jminer)
06/06/2017 at 22:45, STARS: 0
Yeah, there was a sellers fee, a bidders fee, an internet bidding fee, a percent sale price fee, a tow fee and probably one or two more I’m forgetting. It even cost me $200 a year plus a $500 (refundable) deposit to bid on anything over a grand. I’ve since returned to craigslist for my sketchy purchases...
I understand police/city auctions are better. They don’t make money off the fees since the entire vehicle price ends up being theirs.
"Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
06/06/2017 at 23:05, STARS: 0
You used to be able to buy a different pulley and belt set for the supercharger that actually made for pretty nice gains. I only ever installed one on an engine that was out of the car, so I can’t say how hard it is to install while in the car.
"E92M3" (E46M3)
06/06/2017 at 23:45, STARS: 0
Your
"gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
06/07/2017 at 00:12, STARS: 1
Nothing wrong with a $250 daily.
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/picking-up-a-new-daily-on-monday-1794775006
Yours looks nicer than mine. Although mine was actually $250. Canadian. So like, US$180. Not whatever yours ended up costing. ($396? 900?)
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/07/2017 at 17:39, STARS: 0
I guess I lot of these cars are done in by rust. Factories seem to struggle with torque specs quite a bit. On a semi-related note, did you find that transmission (or any other 4T65E-HD) to shift hard? I don’t know whether mine has a problem, a shift kit, or is just behaving normally.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
06/07/2017 at 17:49, STARS: 0
I didn’t drive his car enough to really get a good sense of the transmission’s shifting habits. I did drive it once, but I think it was just for a short spin after doing the brakes or something. I seem to recall there being a “PERF SHIFT” button...? Did you try playing around with that at all?
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/07/2017 at 21:44, STARS: 0
Your $250 DD is doing it the right way in terms of the car and minimal damage to your wallet. Hopefully this one won’t be too hard to flip if need be.
"gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
06/07/2017 at 22:09, STARS: 0
I’ll have to add up receipts but I’m sure I’m over $500 in parts so far though. But I’ve driven it 1500 miles so far. Only big problems are the broken off driver’s door striker, and whatever’s causing it to trigger both O2 sensor codes and go into limp mode any time I spent more than a couple seconds at WOT. I bet that’s going to be fun...
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
06/07/2017 at 22:20, STARS: 1
I didn’t try it because the trans fluid was a bit low, but it is now topped off and I can see if it is actually jerkier. It’s funny to see that feature in a 4 speed slushbox. Brakes are on the list after fluids. Thanks for the tips!
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
01/05/2018 at 21:57, STARS: 0
That regal is awesome
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
01/05/2018 at 22:15, STARS: 0
Thank you! I thought of the Murdersofa when I was buying it, though this is more of a loveseat I suppose. At any rate, I enjoy it despite the ATF stain it leaves on the ground every night. How’s the XJ-S coming along?
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
01/05/2018 at 22:18, STARS: 0
I’m sure that regal is far faster than the Murdersofa ever was. I dig the color, too. I bet it cleans up pretty nice.
The XJ-s is alright. Been daily driving it. My fuel economy went from 6-8MPG to 10MPG city since the engine rebuild and will go up from there when I swap the TH350 for a 700R4 or similar, hopefully this spring. Until then I’m working on the front end suspension, some wiring, refurbing the seats (Just found some leather SUV seats in the trash, gonna use them for foam and leather and such), and the driveshaft needs rebuilt.
Hopefully this summer the floor pan will get welded in and I’ll get some Vortec heads on it and make real power instead of the ~240 crank I’m making now.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
01/05/2018 at 23:49, STARS: 1
It’s certainly no slouch, especially once it’s moving. I try to take it easy because the 4T65 has probably seen better days (and I have subjected it to my fair share of negligence at first), but sometimes I can’t help but to open it up and hear the supercharger wail. The P.O. hooked up a switch to the coolant temp sensor to disable it—presumably to enrich the fuel mixture and advance timing—but it has started cutting out at WOT. I’d like to install the fuel filter I bought long ago to see if that would have an impact, but the lines are so rusty I can’t get the old one off! Shamefully, I have not properly detailed the Buick even once. I adopted some bad exterior care habits when I owned the T-Bird that could not benefit from any. It has its share of scratches and dings along with a small patch of rust where the roof meets the windshield, but the paint does really catch the light nicely when it’s clean.
The improvement in fuel economy is impressive and overdrive would definitely help! And a refurbished seat for free or almost free would be very cool, though I would have no clue where to even begin. As for the suspension, do you plan on any upgrades? Vortec heads should really help that SBC breathe better. Did you go to a hotter cam with the rebuild? Wiring sounds a bit imposing, but I can’t claim to have any Lucas experience beyond passing by the old parts stock at my old job. The car seems to be coming along nicely, it’s exciting to see.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
01/06/2018 at 00:02, STARS: 0
Overdrive would be fantastic. It spins about 3k on the highway. The suspension is going to remain stock, I just have some slop in the front end and broken power steering at the moment that i need to figure out. I found out when I took the engine apart that it has 9.5:1 compression forged pistons and a Comp Cams 207h or something to that effect. A slightly neutered equivalent of an LT4 hot cam.
I believe those regals were one of the lighter cars to come with the series II supercharged, and definitely more attractive (conventionally) than their Grand Prix brethren. My favorite L67 car, however is this top-swapped LeSabre on Mustang wheels.
dat color.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
01/06/2018 at 00:44, STARS: 0
That is fantastic looking! I once had the chance to buy similar SN197 wheels very cheaply but did not have a car that would fit them at the time... maybe they could would have worked for the Regal. I wonder if GM could have sold SC’d LeSabres, but it will always be as unknown as the take rate of a manual GTP. By the way, what ever happened to the Murdersofa?
It’s cool that the engine was somewhat built from the start and it should pair well with some higher-flowing heads. My L98 has some mystery hotter cam, but it doesn’t matter too much given the poor flow of the heads and intake manifold. It will be interesting to feel the difference after freshening up the suspension. Has your PS worked in the past?
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
01/06/2018 at 10:49, STARS: 1
Yeah it worked before but in the engine swap we smashed a one-off fitting and I have yet to find a place that can make me a new one.
Mustang wheels will work on a LeSabre. The bolt pattern differs by like 3mm. Nothing substantial. Vortec heads should get me up to about 360hp at the crank. Right now the heads are an enormous restriction on the engine.
The murdersofa sits at my dad’s, rife with electrical issues. Kind of a bummer.
"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty)
01/12/2018 at 00:56, STARS: 0
Sorry for the late reply and sorry to hear about the sidelining! Good news on the PS system being otherwise sound, though. 360hp would feel tremendous I am sure, should be a different level of fun with that much! I wanted to put those Mustang wheels on the T-Bird but a fair bit of work was required to make it happen.