1986 Buick T Type - Forgotten Stage

[JoeThaMan]

1986 Buick T Type - Forgotten Stage
While those looking to make a serious bid as top dog in the Turbo Buick community scour the earth for the last of the Stage II blocks, some have been finding out they can make a splash of their own with a Stage I. Ervin R. Turner Jr. (or Junior, as his friends call him) chose this particular powerplant for his '86 T-type, taking advantage of its added strength and clamping capacity. Its forgotten nature made the Stage I block an appropriate accomplice for Turner's bench seat, column shift-equipped Rosewood T-type.
To prove his t is not your grandmother's regal, Junior had Cotton's performance in Agawam, Massachusetts, outfit the Buick with the fresh Stage I motor and turbo setup. Cotton's builder, RPE, machined the block to Jack Cotton's specs, going .020 over bore before balancing a 3.40-inch stroke eagle-forged crank with a rotating assembly that consists of Oliver rods and diamond-forged pistons. The short-block was secured by a girdle and a custom RJC oil pan, that is fed by a Duttweiler external oil pump. Junior had Crane Cams grind up a custom-spec billet hydraulic roller for the motor with 222/216 degrees of duration and .542/.532-inch lift on a 112 lobe separation angle. Champion racing GN1 aluminum race-ported heads were the natural choice for the Stage I motor to take advantage of the extra head bolts, drop a few pounds off the nose, and increase flow with the help of 1.94 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves. T&D 1.65-ratio rockers and Manley hardened pushrods enact those big valves, reducing deflection with up to 26 pounds of boost from a four-bolt Turbonetics GT-K 76. Compression is kept near stock at 8.5:1, though Cotton's newest 4.5-inch-thick Stage ii air-to-air intercooler sits just behind the grille to stave away detonation. The turbo uses TA performance stainless steel headers to spool, followed by Cotton's custom 4-inch downpipe and a 2.75-inch custom dual exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers that exit in the stock location behind the 8.5-inch 10-bolt.
A Champion GN1 upper and lower intake was port-matched to the heads, eliminating any restriction using an Accufab 70mm throttle body at its opening. Delphi 96 pound injectors are supplied by Cotton's custom fuel lines and an Aeromotive pro-Series fuel pump, a setup that accommodates up to 1,400 hp. despite its stout components, a few bugs still need to be worked out of the fuel system-thankfully, Junior's FAST XFI box's data-logging feature has been very helpful in isolating the problem.
Once Cotton has finished tuning the t for C16, Junior hopes to also establish an 18-psi street tune to run on a mix of pump gas and methanol. "I want to drive it on the street as much as humanly possible. that's why I kept the A/C and all the creature comforts. I'm about to put in some big subwoofers and speakers, too." the interior is kept completely intact to that end, keeping the Gbody at an unflattering 3,750 pounds thanks to the stock wheels, body, and eight-point rollcage. all-season Firestones up front and Mickey Thompson drag radials in the rear have proven a good combo for street driving in Georgia when the weather is favorable.
The transmission situation is still being sorted out as Junior seems hellbent on keeping his PTS-built 200-4R for streetability, and he plans to soon add an electronic trans brake to help get the hefty streetcar off the line. Moser 30-spline axles, 3.42 gear, and an Eaton posi will be crucial to prevent any drivetrain carnage. An HRpartsNstuff heavy-duty rear sway bar, Metco adjustable upper control arms, and Wolfe Racecraft adjustable lower control arms assault the MTS with fury. Qa1 rear shocks and double adjustable coilovers allow some suspension tunability. as with many Buicks of this caliber, the stock rear springs were kept, but the front sway bar was not. Cotton's performance also fabricated a set of tubular upper and lower front control arms for weight savings.
Despite Cotton's help, it seems Junior's Buford is fighting a losing battle with obesity. With a TH400, bigger turbo, gutted interior, race seat, lightweight wheels, fiberglass hood, and bumpers-he wouldn't be too far behind the Stage IIs ... but then again, what fun would that be on the street? 'Tis better to have a quick car with all the amenities that you could spend hours driving throughout the week than an 8-second car you spend less than a minute driving at the strip, right?
DATA FILE
1986 Buick T-Type OWNER: Ervin R. Turner, Jr. BLOCK: Buick Stage I V-6, 235 cid COMPRESSION RATIO: 8.5:1 HEADS: Champion aluminum, 1.94 intake, 1.60 exhaust valves CAM: Crane, hydraulic roller, 222/216 duration at .050, .542/.532-inch lift, 112 LSA PUSHRODS: Manley ROCKER ARMS: T&D 1.65 ratio PISTONS: Diamond-forged RINGS: Diamond CRANKSHAFT: Eagle-forged RODS: Oliver-forged THROTTLE BODY: Accufab 70mm FUEL INJECTORS: Delphi 96 lb/hr FUEL PUMP: Aeromotive Pro-Series IGNITION: Stock coil on plug, MSD wires ENGINE MANAGEMENT: FAST XFI tuned by Cotton’s Performance TURBO: Turbonetics GT-K 76 BOOST: 26 psi INTERCOOLER: Cotton’s Performance air-to-air WASTEGATE: Turbonetics NewGen EXHAUST SYSTEM: TA Performance turbo headers, Cotton’s 4-inch downpipe, 2.75-inch true duals with Magnaflow mufflers TRANSMISSION: 200-4R built by PTS TORQUE CONVERTER: Art Carr 3,800-stall DRIVESHAFT: stock FRONT SUSPENSION: Cotton’s tubular control arms, QA1 coilovers, no sway bar REAR SUSPENSION: Metco upper control arms, Wolfe Racecraft lower control arms, HRpartsNstuff sway bar, QA1 shocks, stock springs REAREND: 8.5-inch 10-bolt, 3.42 gear, Eaton posi, Moser 30-spline axles BRAKES: stock WHEELS: stock FRONT TIRES: Firestone 225/65/15 REAR TIRES: MT Drag Radials 275/60/15 FUEL OCTANE: 116 RACE WEIGHT: 3,750 lbs BEST ET/MPH: N/A BEST 60-FT TIME: N/A CURRENT MILEAGE: 61,000

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