Buick GN Turbo V6 in a C4 Corvette

[joecdm100]

This is not even close to a stock 3.8 turbo btw. It's sick either way but there is alot of work in this car. More than just boost.

[Mexside619]

that vette is lighter thanks to the V6

[bonesvette]

Did they put the open corporate 10 bolt in it too? That launch was scary to say the least! PS discard half of the comments below, while their points are valid, their #'s are off.

[drgonzo767]

Sick.

[dmackasd1]

@swiftwood Yo but the 2013/2014 Vette is gonna have an optional Turbo V6 model!!

[dmichaylow]

it doesnt matter what moter u have u can make it go like stink,theres lots of power adders, buick grand nationals are an awesome example of what a turbo can do, putting a powerfull turbo'd v6 in a vette is a smart move less weight and its all about power 2 weight and power 2 the ground ,this is an awesome vid thx,,look what happens when u turbo a huge moter check out spirro pappas or tym lynch... pretty sick

[dsm525]

That's a disgrace to Chevy!! jk lol

[turbomoore]

This is what they should've put in the vette.

[PontiacKid2]

I've seen this car in person. It is a modified GN motor with a Much larger turbo. Crazy fast!

[deezomaxima]

The Ann edition TA back in 89 had this engine as well. It was the fastest TA of it's time. Did 0-60 in under 5 seconds.

[wickedklwn1]

wicked

[tastings4life]

so many il informed thing a v8 is always better!!! so worng!

[swiftwood]

@VetteAholicZ06

A friend has a 1953 Corvette in his shop

It has the original inline 6.

[VetteAholicZ06]

@swiftwood Very nice. Those are probably so rare!

[84shortwide1]

Actully it was a stright 6 cylinder in the old vettes

[Chrisskateboarding]

no a gnx will whoop a vette any day, search buick gnx vs c4, the buick gnx won.

[CHEVYCAMARO4GEN]

Probably the Only V6 corvette in the World!

[CamaroFro]

@CHEVYCAMARO4GEN

wrong, the Corvette didnt receive a V8 until 1955 and the V6 was an option until 1957

[swiftwood]

a V6 was never offered in a Corvette.

[jonevans20]

@swiftwood no but it was offered with an inline 6 with three two barrel carburetors

[scoumis]

@swiftwood actually when vettes first started out they were inline 6's, however, i wouldnt do this but that is a bad car an somethin unique

[SCBianchi]

@swiftwood Correcto it was an inline Blue Flame Special not to be confused the the blue plate special.

[GavinSpenceR18]

@swiftwood they did have an I6 though

[normynoless]

@swiftwood Thankfully the Vette has been V8 always unless they slipped something in in the early 50s...! This car had a Buick GN drivetrain. Just a FYI, the 1987 Buick Grand National was the fastest production car of the year. The GNX was even faster and quicker! I believe that this lead to the return of the Vette from mediocracy. I'd still beyond love to have a '90 ZR1...

[corekid420]

@CamaroFro it was a strait six

[speedsalot]

@CamaroFro - A 265 cubic inch V8 was first offered as an option in '55. Standard engine was a 235 cubic inch inline-6, NOT V6, for '53-'55. NO 6 cylinder engine was offered after 1955.

[buzzboy7]

@CamaroFro And quite wrong you are only two engine configurations were ever offered in corvettes. A "blue flame" inline 6 or the V8 from 283cid up to 454cid.

[series1riv]

@CamaroFro Buick built GM's first mass produced v6 starting in 1961-the 225v6 was used until 1967 then sold to jeep I believe

[raceworld63]

how could you change a v8 for a v6!!! theres nothing better than v8 roar

[buyfarmfresheggs]

@raceworld63 except the evil turbo hiss and screaming rubber on a turbo 6 car. chevy v8's were dogs in the 80's, my friend has a 1980 corvette from california with the smogged out 305 and my 95 lesabre can outrun it. I've tried it. thing takes about 11 seconds to hit 60

[drizzetsrevenge]

That's one BADDDD Corvette.

[bop455]

People put Chevy engines in everything so what's the fuss! He kept it all GM & it ran a 9.79 talk about a sleeper! Shoot I'd love to put a Buick turbo v6 in a '53 'Vette if I could lhh! Nice swap talk about saving nose weight

[vfIskullangel]

GM should have offered this as a secondary model!.

[OMGItsWeasel]

the grand national was the best thing to come from the 80s from the US.

hopefully the donor car didnt suffer too much

[maplelaffs]

@OMGItsWeasel thats prolly a full on race motor from keith black or somewhere like that I sure hope no gn were harmed in the making of that beast

[walkerscranger]

That goes to show you if you can't beat them, inherit their power plant.

[westfabrications]

I love the sound!

[DisturbedOne0089]

Nice, that monster has a mean launch to it.

[ShotgunKelly2]

isn't a corvette engine stronger than a GN's engine?

[swiftwood]

He's running the special Indy block in it.

You can get stronger smallblocks

I'm building an LT1 out of an F-body

Special splayed caps for my Vortech blower.

[nascarnutt88]

@ShotgunKelly2 no not in the 80's and 90's. The vette motors were only 300hp compaired to the turbo v6 which made 300 in stock tune, and it weighed much less.

[4mulaBaby]

@nascarnutt88

Actually, the 80's vettes had a few different motors from 1984-1991, none of which came close to 300hp. Most pushed out around 210hp, absolute dogs. In 1992 they received the LT1, which was rated at 300hp. The GNX motors where underrated at 276HP, but put out a crazy amount of torque (around 360 ft. lbs), which is what made them fast.

[badlilstang]

@ShotgunKelly2 DId that look as strong as the original motor? lol That thing rolled out. GN's are sick. Sorry for the donor car.

[jtre86]

@ShotgunKelly2 he most likely did it to be different.

[4mulaBaby]

@ShotgunKelly2

In the late 1980's? No, it wasn't. which is in fact why they stopped producing the engine.  Most powerful/faster than corvette cars are the biggest no-no for GM.

[bronxboyXXX]

@ShotgunKelly2 Hp is a funny thing. Torque will tell you more about a cars acceleration where as Hp is kind of an indicator as to how long it will accelerate. For instance, the corvette L98 has 250hp + 345 ft-lbs of torque & the 93 LT1 has 300hp + 340 ft-lbs. In a race the L98 will pull ahead 1st but because it must shift sooner the LT1 lays down power longer and takes the lead. So an engine with 245 hp and 355 lb·ft is a tad quicker than the L98 and may even hold off a 92 LT1.

[mustanguy77]

Totally insane!!! Might need some chassis tuning or locking diff?!?!!  Wonder what happened to the Grand national doner car? Just seems more rare than a vette, sorry, not a corvette fan.

[falshami]

thats a v6? dear god (and he faints)  ok back , i can finally justify my love for the v6

[hjjfffaa]

It being a V6 means nothing in the way of power you know.

[BLACKLACDTS]

this is what gm should of did from the jump instead of killing the grand national because it was faster than the vette. gm,make a new grand national with a turbo 3.6(out of the new camaro that has 304hp without a turbo) and rear wheel drive. oh and make it a coupe!i know you like doin 4 doors

[frankvtec88]

wow that launch.....its scary!

[hellfish271]

thats sweet the launch was wild looking

[6irondriver]

Dayum, prolly would have done better with a good launch. That car weighs about 3200 pounds vs. the big Buick.

[turbomoore]

sweet!

[mengle2004]

I loved that take off. It is a lot lighter in the front than before. I wonder how it handles with the lighter engine. Closer to 50 50 than before.

[swiftwood]

They're about 51/49 from the factory

That light and engine may give you 49/51

[CorvetteMichael]

Nice ride! :p But how much do you think that V6 weight compared to a LS7 Corvette engine? Is it your vette?

[swiftwood]

Not sure, I'd have to look it up

It's not my car.

I've got an LT1 that I'm building into a 383 with a Vortech blower.

[CorvetteMichael]

aha, okey ;) Post some video when your done then :D Im driving a 1972 Corvette with the new LS7 in ;) Its a lovly engine! so much power all the way from the bottom to the end :D

[wfangnxd117]

@swiftwood Can't wait for vids!! This one of the c4 is nasty....is that a "stock" 3.8l turbo from the GN? That's a stick launch.

[glhman222]

depends if they kept the trans axle in the rear or ran a standard trans with a buick rear end therefore it would probably still be 51-49

[swiftwood]

C4's don't have transaxles

The trans is directly behind the engine.

The diff is separate and in the back.

[glhman222]

my bad c5s have transaxles

[batvette]

@mengle2004 someone correct me if I am wrong but I thought C4 has almost perfect 50/50 with the stock engine, due to sitting so far back in the chassis. (witness the protrusion of the transmission hump.

Of course less weight is always better, I imagine if you never ran a full tank of gas it wouldn't upset it much, maybe pull the spare. 170,000 miles in my 86, never got a flat anyway.

[workensmart]

Now that is the engine that should have been in the 80's C4 vettes to start off with. the vette would have had over 300 horse power and it would be lighter. but of course GM had to start the C4 vette off with a shitty 185 horse power V8 and a four speed manual LOL. But the 90's C4's are WAY better than the older C4's.

[westfabrications]

gotta love the gm 6s!! The sound is up their with the Supras!

[IRONSEAN7]

SWEET RIDE MAN,, thats something you dont see everyday,, lol a v6 vette,, i like it,

[MIketucky350]

way better than a supra.. we have pushrods!! and larger bore

[neres818]

it is sick but it does not sound right

[davoe1976]

Sweet, what a launch!!!

[Petriella13]

ok we have an 87 GN and a 40th annv. vette hmm imma switch engines hehe JK

[heavyxpress3000]

if you could find a 1989 turbo trans am you would have the best of both worlds.

[Gastualfulkan]

3.8s are awesome, lol.

[neil1jnr]

one quick vette

[letterpool]

WANT.

[nevermindthedog]

holy fuck!!! i want that

[DunneRite]

At first I thought, now why would anybody want to do that, then you see the numbers at the end of the track and go, OHHH, that is why... LOL Long live the Buick Turbo, even if it lives in a Vette... He he he

[sirhcskoorb]

Why is it that every Corvette video on youtube has some jerk reply with something about Superas?

Toyota Supers are shity cars,even Toyota thinks so or they would still be making them.

Look kids,it's just like a Mustang.

Yes you can buy a bunch of crap to make it go fast in a straight line but you can never overcome the total lack of performance in all other areas.

Give it a f#@king rest...........nobody is or will ever be impressed.

[guyver280z]

Sweet!!!

[iluvbuickgnx]

Legend has it some of the GM brass were at the dragstrip in 1986 and, after watching a certain turbo V6 G-body sedan smoke the crap out of a 1986 Corvette, they decided to axe the entire G-body platform. Somebody should have told them to make the 231T V6 a Corvette option.

[themechanic56]

you are so right the never listen though.

[redhot916spd]

I always come back to this vid and watch this car, I love it

[tuor1984]

I love seeing shit like this. Well done.

[drgonzo767]

Well, all I have to say is, Fuck Yeah.

[Greg9942]

Even though a Corvette comes with a great engine, I would think that the turbo V6 would be a good match for the car. With the car's rear suspension, the turbo would be great by making its power peak after the car gets moving.

Its hard for the IRS to live a long time with big power right off the line.

[wildbloodydragon]

It sure is fast, but why did they take out the original V8 engine? Couldn't they just upgrade that instead?

[BigMikegn]

Here is a link to another video from when we took the car to Kentuckey in 2004. Again low boost and off the foot brake on 17 inch drag radials.

[boss12]

Imagine if GN's had the handling ability of Corvettes

[USWAbrother]

bad ass!

[BigMikegn]

That's my good friends car.Yes, at buick v6 I will put some better video's up. The car can go high eights if he cranks the boost.He doesn't crank the boost at the track because he breaks half shafts like crazzy. Even custom built hardened one. He drives the car in the summer around Toronto .

[swiftwood]

They make 31 splined shafts now, if you friends interested.

Glad he kept the IRS!

[ag54981]

i couldnt really see it was it a posi rear?

[swiftwood]

Yes, it's a posi.

All C4 Corvettes came with them.

Getting it to live with all that power is the trick.

[Fubieman]

What happened the the GN? I love those cars...

[kimokanka]

Holy shit, that thing moves...NICE!!!

[sirbuick]

That dude's reaction time is off, he waited nearly 3/4's of a second before hitting the gas.

[swiftwood]

He's the only one running.

Maybe he was checking something, but your right.

[70camaro406]

Sounds like he was spooling up the turbo. That thing is brutal.

[BigMikegn]

The driver was testing that day. He holds the boost at the line and doesn't really race it. That is a old video. He never cranks the boost. The car can go high 8's but he drives it on the street and he kind of runs out of injector. He has 90 pound injector and he would have to change them 160 lbs and you lose streetability.I have a never video . look under bigmikegn.

[BIGGREENLEAF1]

I just blew the motor in my 94 and am shopping for a new motor. The GN motor had crossed my mind but I want it in much higher horsepower than the stock 245 or GNX 300hp. I wonder how much work went into that motor and if you can just bolt it up to the stock 94 auto transmission. I also wonder what kind of tires he was running. Sure appreciate any answers out there as I have to decide what engine that I want to go with in the next few days so they can order it.

[swiftwood]

I added a link to a thread on the Corvette forum about the car.

[pagehouse4]

i like that

[RoberBabro]

Where's Chris Chow's GN? It got smoked by the 3.8!

[memanmike]

Thats exactly how the new ZR1 is going to go down the track when it comes out.

[N20LT4]

The new ZR1 will be quick, but it ain't runnin' no 9's in factory trim.

[dabomb882]

a stage 2 buick is way lighter than a gen 1 small block, and handles lots of power. it's made to handle turbos. turbos aren't even a power adder anymore...they're responsible for the majority of the power!

seeing that dave mclellan called the gn a one trick pony, this is called poetic justice...a fast car that handles.

[VayLoc310]

Now that's definitely somethin' new, a Grand National turbocharged V-6 in a Corvette?, dayamm, that's crazy, I'd like to see a Grand National vs. a Corvette, Camaro, GTO, Mustang, Hemi and so on.....

[normygto]

In '86 the Grand National was the fastest production car in the USA. In '87 the Buick GNX throttled all! As a former owner of 2 Pontiac Trans Am's (79 and 97), and a 94 Corvette, and a current 06 GTO owner, I'd say the 87 Buick GNX would still whip any "production" car made... Even today. Stock ride to stock ride; The Buick may not have the torque, but there is miniscual turbo lag. It'll still run the 1/4 with the best of 'em 20 years later...

[BIGGREENLEAF1]

I agree with you to a point and I also currently own a 30,000 mile 94 Vette with a 700hp 383 in it. The Buick's were the fastest production cars of the day I also had a regular GN in 87 but they were only the fastest until that damn chip shut them down at 126mph. You did'nt dare risk the warranty back then either by trying to get to that chip in the computer. They are still great cars today and can still beat up on a lot of todays new cars. Love them GN's & GNX's

[DrBIeed]

It's not really all that new. There have been plenty of LC2 hybrid cars, including c4 corvettes, for a good 10 years now. I'v seen it all from Buick powered RX-7's, Datsun 240Z's, Foxbody's, even a geo metro.

[9secondsflat]

kind of hard to beat the sound of a blown 6. i miss my ttype...11:20's @ 120 basic bolt on..champion, te 62, dequick front mount not much...nice job in the vette

[swiftwood]

Well I've finally taken the plunge myself.

I just bought a vortec for my LT1 :)

V8 and a blower!

[bronxboyXXX]

Now put the V8 back in and stick a turbo or two on it.

[YanFU]

wow, that's a fast vette.

[bronxboyXXX]

WOW!

[TripleNyneX]

Most import racers i have met say it how it really is, if they win they beat a big bad muscle car... if they lose, so what hes in a tiny import with a small motor "of course" he was going to lose. Win win situation. The way ive heard people say it about us muscle car drivers, if we win "well no shit its designed to drag race" If we lose "ha ha slow ass american gas hog piece of shit" -.-

[normygto]

Check out the youtube video "unexpectally fast corvette". I'm sure you'll laugh as hard as I did...

[tctman9]

U guys kno how import drivers always say our engines are bigger when they lose.I'd like to see a turbo supra race your car and hear their excuse when they lose ,i'm curious what they'd come up with.

[EightYourVtec]

most import guys that are running that fast arnt your run of the mill RICER that your confusing them with. ask john shepherd what his excuse was for losing to a single turbo mustang...he dosnt have one. but at the end of the day its still running 7.70 with 2.0 liters

[disturbedproject]

damn that thing is fast great swap!

[splitplug]

Was it only spinning one tire?

[swiftwood]

Both are spinning. It's just a little hard to see.

[bop455]

I love it bout time someone cross bred a chevy!

[Kernavitch]

rofl... it's a GM motor in a GM car, not really too much cross breading going on their.

[musewolfman]

hey, lrt's hang another turbo off the other side, and see how much more we can get the rear to hitch out upon launch.

seriously, though, sweet ride.

[ztwntyn8]

hell yeah, that's the way to go. now go fight supras!

[bronxboyXXX]

stock for stock a few C4 Corvettes would spank the Supra such as the 1986-90 GM warrantied L98 Callaway twin turbo, any 1990-95 ZR-1 & 96 Lt-4.

[BIGGREENLEAF1]

A stock LT-1 Vette 92-96 as well as those other Vettes you mention will also spank the crap out of a stock supra. When my 94 Vette was still stock I did it on a regular basis, my neighbor has a newer supra. I think the supra would take out the borish L98 tuned port motor though. There is not a lot of difference between the LT-1 and LT-4 when you have driven both cars and even if the LT-1 was an automatic tranny.

[supraturboLBJ]

actually your wrong the 92 vette at best is a 14sec car and so is your 94 stock the supra's ran low to mid 13's all day so I highly doubt you beat supras daily and even in 96 the corvette was a low to mid 13sec car so really being so closely matched you can say its a drivers race......spanking the crap....that just sounds like an uneducated bias opinion.......next time talk what you know

[swiftwood]

Mine stock 95 runs low 13's, it's all a matter of getting it to hook up.

[junechris]

He doesn't know what he's talking about, 1992 lt1 6 speed manual runs0-60 in 5.0 sec, 13.6 1/4 mile. 300 hp/330 lb ft torque,

[oceanpacific7272]

i agree... awesome swap

[91c4vette]

wow my favourite car with my second favourite cars engine it's a bonus now all it needs is a sexy girl

[SimpleYetEffective]

Now theres an interesting little combo ya dont see every day....

[xalteridemx]

Best swap ever.

[swiftwood]

GM did it for the TransAm, so I don't see why not.

I know thre at least one guy who autocrosses one.

BTW It's legal in SCCA SM2

More info on this particular car:

It's a 4.1 Buick, There were only like 10 of them blocks made and GM basically gave them away to the highest bidder(or something like that) He got ahold of one and built it up, if I remember right, he has(not all the time) ran 36 psi.

[xxbulaxx]

What?

4.1 blocks are very common. A rod/piston 4.1 is a common motor to put together for GN's as well.

[swiftwood]

It's the heavy duty version of the block that the Indycar guys used

[boostedballs]

That engine should have came stock in the Vette. Better handling too, I bet.