1981 Buick Regal - sasmith350

1981 regal with a 84 t-type front clip....2000 model chevy 5.3/t-56 with a ford 9" holding 4.11 gears and a posi makes it move.

list of mods...

motor is still efi with the stock ecm
12" disc brake swap font and rear
biondo lineloc and summit racing proportioning valve
comp engineering roll bar
polyeurethane body mounts
gta wheels with 255/50r16 falken tires on all corners
hand fabbed cold air intake
custom fabbed side exit exhaust with stock catalytic converters and thrush muffers
vdo gauges in a custom dash
hurst billet plus shifter
helwig 1.3" front sway bar
moser 31 spline axles/stock posi w/raybestos clutches
f-41 suspension/bracing

more stuff i've probably forgot...i'll add to it as i remember

and now the story behind it...

got tired of the carbed sbc getting only 5 mpg, had already been thru 9 motor swaps(originally a non-turbo 6, then an Olds 350 to a 403, back to a NA6, pontiac 350, 5 different sbc's), breaking the stock 7.5 three times, burning up who knows how many th350's....decided to build a car i could afford to drive, and not have to fix every time i raced it...wanted to build a GN/T-Type clone, but couldn't find a turbo 6 cheap enough, read a ton of articles on the LS1/6 engines and decided to try to find one of those....settled on a 5.3 since it's a ton cheaper and easier to find. i snagged a t-56 from a  buddy who runs a wrecking yard, got a second job at a parts store to get a discount and access to parts books to do the necessary conversion...took 2 years to tear down the car, fix the rust damage(i love/hate t-top cars) and wire the 3 factory harnesses together(2000 truck, 84-t-type, 81 regal) and fabricate the needed mount/brackets and whatnot....i applied the paint at a friends garage since mine is attached to the house. a lot of people find it hard to believe the custom stripes are rattle canned on under the clearcoat.


as for reliability, the car has been trailered home 4 times now....bad fuel pump the first time(gotta flush the tank with a new pump), wiring issues a couple months later, desplined a stock 28 spline ford axle showing off(was down for 6 months), and broke the stock pinion drag racing at KCIR back in march 2008(best run so far is a 15.5 @ 88mph...breaking the pinion at half track or so, but hey, i got 31 mpg on the way to the track due to the t-56)....hopefully this won't be a continuing trend.