The factory plastic bumper fillers are the bane of any G-body Regal's existence. We'd bet a case of Tastykakes that there isn't a single 1978-1987 Buick Regal with a full set of intact OEM bumper fillers that isn't sitting in a museum somewhere. Between UV light, heat, cold, and the occasional bumper tap – these things never had a chance of survival. The good news is that the folks at GBodyParts.com have a full line of reproduction ABS plastic to fit nearly every variation from the early '78-79 to the '86-87 Grand National. The G-body specialist also offers patch panels to help salvage the sheet metal and just about every piece of metal or plastic that bolts to the body. However, the highly coveted GNX fender flares will really set your Buick apart. GBodyParts.com offers these reproduction fiberglass pieces to take your GN or Regal from clean to mean. Brand-new molds come with all hardware included and have a black gelcoat finish, ready for sanding and painting just like the GN bumper fillers.
Speaking of sanding and painting, since blending paint on a 30-year-old car can be tricky at best, often the best time to add these components is when plotting a repaint. That's exactly what the plan was on the 1983 Buick Regal T-type you see here. The students at the Burlington County Institute of Technology in Medford, NJ have been building this project, aka "G Machine," for competition in the Ultimate Street Car Association. If this car has a shot at ever being chosen for the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational, it's going to need to look fairly respectable. The new bumper fillers, GNX fender flares, and a couple coats of fresh paint were in order. Eastwood supplied Canyon Dusk Copper Metallic, as a fairly close match to GM's Atomic Orange and Sunset Orange Metallic. This two-part topcoat system is DIY-friendly and made of an acrylic urethane that is highly resistant to UV light, chemicals, and chips. Activator and catalyst are included, and we also elected to pick up Eastwood's urethane clear coat and epoxy primer.
If you desire that wide-body look on your '80s Regal with a fat set of tires, then follow along as the crew at BCIT puts the G Machine through a time warp. Like a magic wand, over 200,000 miles of salt-covered roads and years of lawn ornament status will be wiped away. And in the process, we'll be squeezing in a set of 275 front and 315 rear tires without notching the frame rails.
1 This 1983 Buick Regal T-type came with the turbo hood and more rust than metal. It had over 200,000 miles on it before it was parked on grass in Pennsylvania.
2 The rear was surprisingly much worse than the front. Virtually none of the plastic bumper fillers were left, and multiple patch panels would be needed for the metal.
3 The crew of students at BCIT went ahead and replaced the plastic bumper fillers with new pieces from GBodyParts.com, who also sent us an '84-87 style header panel and head light bezels. The bumper fillers are model/year specific and currently only available for the '84-87 ($147), which is why we had to convert to the newer style. But by the end of the summer (2015), the '81-83 version will be available.
4 The rear pieces were bolted in as well, and you'll notice these are pretty much the same among most Regal models (unlike the front-end). These ABS plastic fillers cost $231 and come with a lifetime guarantee not to sag. Fiberglass versions are available for Grand Nationals.
5 Here you can get a sense for just how pervasive the rust was on this high-mile body.
6 Next came the arduous task of sanding down the body and smoothing out the metal. Alex Hamilton is one of the students that put in a ton of hours trying to make this old girl silky smooth.
7-8 Did I mention this is virtually a racecar?
9 The biggest advantage of running GNX fender flares is that you can run a pretty wide tire without notching the frame rail. In this shot the 315mm tire is right against the frame rail. The front tire is even more of an issue, and we planned on running 275s!
10 All sanded down, smoothed out and taped up, the G Machine is ready for primer. We went with Eastwood's gray Epoxy Primer that was an easy 1:1 mix with the catalyst. It worked well on both the plastic and metal pieces.
11-12 A few days later it was ready to be sanded. This is right where the welting (basically double-sided tape) will attach the GNX fender flares. On the inside of the wheelwell, screws attach it as well.
13-15 The jams were shot first with Eastwood's Canyon Dusk Copper Metallic, a 2-component acrylic urethane. This is a single-stage paint, however, we did elect to spray some clear as well. You'll also notice that the color was sprayed prior to installing the fender flares and how much the tires stick out without them.
16 These reproduction GNX fender flares cost $275 and will fit any '81-87 Regal, GN, or T-type as well as GNX. GBodyParts.com custom makes these fiberglass fender flares from a brand-new mold, and comes with a black gelcoat finish ready for sanding and painting. The welting and hardware is included.
17-19 Eastwood's Urethane Clear 2:1 was chosen to keep the G Machine glossy. This UV-resistant European resin based formulation is not available for sale or use in California unfortunately (unlike the color), however, other products are available.
20-21 The fender flares were painted after installation to keep the finish uniform across the body. Here you can see the screws that attach them on the inner lip of the fender. Some trimming was also required on the front to clear the huge tires at full lock.
22-24 Straight out of the paint booth it is a world of difference. And with the flares on, you can see how the front tire is nearly flush with custom wheels (18x9.5 with 3.5-inches of backspacing). Meanwhile the stock rear wheel/tire is miles from the lip. Given how flimsy the frame is on G-bodies, this is a much better alternative than notching the frame rail – especially if you plan on road racing.
