Wanted: GTZ or Z-26 Quad

[Rettax3]

Okay, so like the title says, I'm in the market for a GTZ or Z-26 Quad-4 car. I am in the North-West part of the US, and can travel a little for the right car. I can even take a Canadian model, if someone can guide me through the customs process.

Here is what the ideal candidate would be: 1990 or 1991 GTZ, black with black interior, sunroof, and W41 conversion. Oh, and since I'm fantasizing here, lets add-in a turbo, an LSD and the V-6 FDR in the transmission for better highway MPG... HA! Okay, back to reality (maybe)...

Here is the problem: I traded-off my nicely running '95 Z-26 for an Indy project a little while ago, and recently found out that my old Z had been badly damaged, through no fault of the new owner. I intended to re-acquire the car, but now I think it makes more sense to start over.

I could consider a base-model or GT, but I would prefer black or white if it is not either a GTZ or Z-26 (I have spare Z04 kits in both of those colors, and even the BRM -Black Rose Metalic, or dark purplish that was so popular on the later Z-26s- could work as some of my old car's bodywork is salvageable), unless the price reflects my eventual need to repaint the car.

Ideally, I would also prefer a sun-roof car, just because none of my other Berettas are so equipped. Black interior would be a real plus, even if it wasn't in perfect condition, but I'm honestly not too picky on that. Early or late style interior also doesn't mean too much to me, although I have a pristine late style dash (in grey) and custom gauges for the later instruments that I would like to use again.

In any case, I would strongly prefer a 5-speed car, original or conversion, I don't really care. And while I prefer a Quad-powered car at this point, I'm not willing to pay much right now, so I may be the beggar who can't be a chooser.

Basically, I'm flexible on this, but there is a guy near me with a project Z-26 for $600 that I could go for if I can't find something closer to what I want. I doubt I'll find anything better than that for the price right now, and I might even decide to wait until I can afford better, but I figured it would be worth a shot here.

I'm willing, heck, I'm EXPECTING a project-car, for the money I have to put towards this, but I really don't want a car with moderate or worse rust-problems. The rest is up for negotiation, I guess. Thanks for reading.

[MY91GT(Z)]

whats your location??? and arent you the guy that built the 3800sc multi-outlet exhaust car???
http://zanesville.craigslist.org/cto/3316227703.html

[scd88ga]

They didn't make any GTZ's/Z26's cars with factory black interior. Seems like you want a lot for a little, good luck with that.

Bring a trailer and $5 grand and you can have my 94 Quad Z26.

[pontiecast]

Bring a trailer and $5 grand and you can have my 94 Quad Z26.

That is damn tempting right there.......

[Rettax3]

whats your location??? and arent you the guy that built the 3800sc multi-outlet exhaust car???

Upper (way upper) North-West right now. Ohio is too far for me, or I'd be knocking on the door of that guy from ebay with the yellow Indy for $375 that didn't sell a week or two ago...
And yes, that is me. Still have and DD the 3800SC, I mentioned her in another thread yesterday. She's waiting for new injector O-rings, already on the way. Five mufflers underneath, and she's still too !@#$ loud!

They didn't make any GTZ's/Z26's cars with factory black interior. Seems like you want a lot for a little, good luck with that.

Bring a trailer and $5 grand and you can have my 94 Quad Z26.

I want a heck of a lot for as little as possible! Partially, I want an emotional bandage after finding out about my old Z's condition. She was a really nice car, and the painful part is that I know I could save her (again), but it just isn't worth it right now -I don't have the time OR the money, and it would be cheaper to start over, I think.

As for your car, if I had the $$, I would be there with a grin, but I had better be able to drive that car, not trailer it!

It is good to see both of you here. I really have missed the community.

[Z26_T]

Willing to come to Utah? May part with a white 90 GTZ "project car". Has a sunroof, but needs seats and paint. No real rust concerns. Not sure if I'd part with the GTZ wheels though. Was thinking about a resto job, but I bought a new Cruze instead...

[scd88ga]

As for your car, if I had the $$, I would be there with a grin, but I had better be able to drive that car, not trailer it!

It is good to see both of you here. I really have missed the community.

No trailer needed here!

I've had the car for 3 years now and have been driving it year round/daily for 2.5 years after spending the first 6 months redoing the whole thing. I've put close to 19k miles on it now, (123k currently). It's got Car Of The Month honors on two sites, including BStuff, won two trophies out of 4 car shows, and had the most votes of any car in the BNET 2012 calendar (October 12).

My Z gets around, in just the past week my car has been to Lambeau Field with the WI-GM Tuners Car Club!



And has been my parts hauler to haul it own new mint dash!


Rettax3, do you remember my swapped car I had? The 1988 Grand Am coupe with the built Series 1 Supercharged 3800? Yeah, I like to build crazy oddball stuff too!

[Rettax3]

Rettax3, do you remember my swapped car I had? The 1988 Grand Am coupe with the built Series 1 Supercharged 3800? Yeah, I like to build crazy oddball stuff too!

I remember you having had it, but I honestly can't remember seeing the car itself.
Despite his current attitude, I must admit that my main proof-of-concept was the GTZ built by 'RolinGTZ', that and the monster built by 'Fastlane02'. Initially, the 3800-II in my GTU was intended for a '92 Grand Am SE owned by a friend of mine. He wanted the 3800 in the car after seeing a similar build in the web (it could have been your car, for all I know) that he was very impressed by. In all honesty, I probably never would have bothered with the 3800 if the engine (and '92 GA) hadn't eventually been abandoned with me, but IMO it was an easy build (except for the exhaust I built) and the car has been great, so I think it was well worth it.

Willing to come to Utah? May part with a white 90 GTZ "project car". Has a sunroof, but needs seats and paint. No real rust concerns. Not sure if I'd part with the GTZ wheels though. Was thinking about a resto job, but I bought a new Cruze instead...

I would have to see pics and hear a price -the car sounds perfect for what I am looking for though. Utah is honestly a little too far away right now, but in the future (about a year, maybe?) that might be fine. I'm not in a hurry here. If I can get a replacement set of Indy or GTU rims (my original GTU wheels were stolen a few years ago while my GTU was wearing the black GTZ rims it has now, which had better winter-tread tires than my GTU wheels did), then I wouldn't really care about the GTZ wheels not being on your car. How is the engine/trans on it?

[scd88ga]

Rettax3, do you remember my swapped car I had? The 1988 Grand Am coupe with the built Series 1 Supercharged 3800? Yeah, I like to build crazy oddball stuff too!

I remember you having had it, but I honestly can't remember seeing the car itself.

It was a consistent high 12 second car when the trans was working good, (rebuilt it 3 times)... Honestly, I think the supercharged 3800 swap was pretty simple and it really didn't take too much custom work for me... I daily drove the car for 3 or 4 years.

[MY91GT(Z)]

that was a sexy looking grand am. what made you sell it did you get sick of the trannies going bad too or was the car a 5 spd??? i woulda love to have that car i bet it was a fun ride

[Rettax3]

It was a consistent high 12 second car when the trans was working good, (rebuilt it 3 times)... Honestly, I think the supercharged 3800 swap was pretty simple and it really didn't take too much custom work for me... I daily drove the car for 3 or 4 years.

That was a very clean GA, with a very clean 3800. I am honestly surprised that your engine sits so far to the passenger-side: the Series I L67 (like yours) was shorter than the Series II L67 (like mine) by ~1.25" -the Series II uses an independent serpentine belt to drive the supercharger, which pushes the crankshaft pulley out that much more, and obviously requires more frame-rail clearance for the second belt to run past it. My transmission still mounts within the stock location (albeit as far to the left as the brackets allow me to go), and I still have room to remove both serpentine belts past the pulleys/brackets/etc.

Yeah, I agree with you, my 3800 could only have been easier to install if someone else had done it for me. In all seriousness, it was a TON easier (and quicker) than the 3.4 swap I did on my '90 turbo car, and that one was already a turbo LG5 3.1 to begin with! But it is also a 1990, so it needed a custom engine-mount for the front of the 3400 block, I talked myself into running a huge FMIC that required me to invent a different headlight setup, and I also went with the 3400's PCM to run the engine (yes, it still needs to be tuned to handle the turbo properly, and no, I won't be going Megasquirt -too pricey for my cheapness ) and it uses a MAF that I had to locate in the bay. The new Garrett T-4 I dropped in is externally waste-gated and only oil-cooled, so I installed an oil pre-cooler for it with an oil screener as well. I also wasn't content running stock exhaust manifolds, and had to build my own 1.5" primary block-hugging "balanced" (not equal-length tuned, though) headers, and wanted to retain the car's "original" turbo location, and also wanted to update the exhaust to 2.5" mandrel, from the 2-2.25" it was running with the LG5. So, I really stacked the deck against this swap from being easy. I used it to tow the GTU when that one's clutch went out on me (it disintegrated while towing the '90 turbo, was not worn-out, and gave no notice)

The GTU's 3800 II SC clutch -OEM for the 3800 II N/A Fourth-gen Camaro, not up for the task of cross-country towing.

earlier this year, and I would say that it pulls every bit as hard as the 3800 SC does -and my 3800 isn't stock, either. I really need to write a build-thread on that '90 turbo...