01-19-2022 Inner Circle

Greetings Turbo Regal Inner Circle Members 01-19-2022 -



TIME IS RUNNING OUT GUESSING CORRECT HAMMERED PRICE ON LAST GN BUILT -

Time to submit your one guess expires tomorrow Thursday January 20th midnite eastern time. This contest by far has produced the most results. I am amazed that some guesses pass the one million dollar mark! Whatever the hammered price is it will surely set a record paid for a G Body Grand National. I would strongly suggest you contact whatever insurance agent you got and make sure you are properly covered. Take time to read that small print on your copy of the policy. Values are going to skyrocket after this car hits the big number.

As many of you know we announced a few weeks ago that we would hold a contest involving what the hammered price would be on what notably will be the highest price paid for an original 1987 Grand National. In Photo 1 below we show the group of prizes the winner will receive. There is little doubt this Grand National will set the high bar for a price paid for a Grand National. I tip my hat to Bob Colvin for seeing the potential way in advance back in 1987 and how he was able to pull this transaction off. Must have caught Buick off guard as Buick also let GNX 547 slip through their fingers.

If you think about it on the surface it would appear that someone at Buick might have dropped the ball to having allowed not only the last GNX slipping out to a Buick dealership and ended up getting sold to a private party and then around the same time make the same mistake where the last Grand National being produced ended up being sold to a Buick dealer. I believe Buick does own GNX 500. Someone must own GNX number 200 which was the original game plan to make 200 then the number increased to 500. Again just a few random thoughts about how these two historic cars have ended up. On the other hand, too bad there's no way to document the very first VIN for the model year 1987 Turbo Regal. Someone today could possibly own the very first 1987 Turbo Regal or Grand National. It might even have the 1986 black pull straps on the inside door panels if someone on the assembly line was not paying attention.

Here are the rules: The contest is open to any customer of ours except those that are connected to the Turbo Regal business. You get one guess and one guess only. That guess must be emailed to me [email protected] Your single one guess must be submitted before midnite Thursday January 20th 12 midnite eastern time. The winner will be announced in the following Wednesday weekly Inner Circle after the actual auction. In case of a tie which is possible, the earliest email will be declared the winner. Here is a thought along similar lines Dodge has I believed announced the Hellcat model Challenger will be ceasing production at some point. Try and make Dodge a deal to purchase it and if you are young enough it would make a worthy investment in years to come. That car has all the necessary ingredients, it is popular, packs plenty of performance, and has always been a car that collectors want.

BARRETT JACKSON AUCTION UPDATE ON LAST GRAND NATIONAL BUILT -

Earlier this week I talked to Bob Colvin. The high end auction cars go through the Saturday. He expects his car to go through late Saturday afternoon. The number of his car is #1347. Interestingly enough near his car number sits GNX with a mere 80 miles on it. I do not know the number GNX it is. I did send Bob one of my books and signed it and wrote a short note to the new owner of the last Grand National built. Be interesting to see which fetches the most money. He actually pursued Buick that summer to purchase the last Grand National. It paid off! The reason a Grand National emblem is affixed to the header panel was something they did on the assembly line to signify the car as being the last one. Even though with all the signatures under the hood that kind of removes all doubt of the historic importance of this particular Grand National.



PHOTO 1 - We show a photo of the brand new bare 3.8 turbo Regal heads. Note both original boxes in the photo. The other three photos show one of the brand new GM 16 by 8 mesh black TA wheels. The wheels still have the tag and sticker on it. Another photo shows the boxes and the last photo shows a close up of the GM part number on one of the four boxes.

PHOTO 2 - The photo to the left shows a very unusual GNX poster from years ago. It measures 2 feet by 18 inches. Quite rare today. The photo to the right shows a used digital dash.

PHOTO 3 - The photo to the left shows a powermaster brake reservoir cap and gasket, a grey and black brake switch and both rubber hoses for the powermaster brake unit. The photo to the right shows a powermaster brake reservoir and gasket, a brushed aluminum metal Turbo-T license plate, 15 original Grand National lug nuts and a NOS GM spare tire washer. These parts can be found in the Rare Parts section for sale.

PHOTO 4 - The photo to the left shows 4 original VR GNX rear tires that are used. The photo to the right shows 3 used 1986-1987 upper plenums. These can be seen in the Rare Parts section as they are for sale.



I APOLOGIZE, BUT I HAVE TO RAISE THE BASE SHIPPING COSTS ON THE RARE PARTS -

Effective with this issue the minimum for free shipping is your total order of Rare Parts must total $85 otherwise you must add $20 to the cost. Prices just keep rising. I was lucky to come up with all these parts from various long time customers on such a regular basis. UPS issued an 8% increase. Not sure about Fed Ex. We use UPS. Other day I paid an all time high for premium fuel, $4.89 per gallon. Jason in Canada says it is almost $6 US equilent in his part of Canada. I imagine in parts of California it is probably over $5 a gallon.



ANOTHER CLEVER WAY COMPANIES PLAY TRICKS IN PRICING AND CLAIMS -

The other day my wife, Eileen, wanted me to pick up several boxes of those little white sponges that are used for cleaning. I never realized they actually offer two visions. Both boxes look the same yet one box says “2X STRONGER WITH DURAFOAM” The other box says 4X STRONGER WITH DURAFOAM”. I don’t know about you but when it comes to cleaning common sense would tell you to always go for the strongest one. Why would you even consider one that is not the strongest. Can you imagine a company that makes polish for your car? They offer one that gives a semi satin look and another one for a few bucks more gives a mirror finish look.



BOUGHT ANOTHER LOAD OF PARTS FROM A CUSTOMER IN FLORIDA -

Not a huge load but some nice goodies that appear in this week’s Inner Circle. He got his car in 2007. It is a 1987 Grand National T-Top example. Has a mere 22,000 miles on it. He contacted me first about the parts. We reached an agreement quickly. He will be selling his car soon. I am fairly certain he will be using me to market the car for him once we decide on a price. He has all the manuals and the window sticker. Carfax is clean. Car has tinted windows, power windows, power trunk release, posi, theft system, concert sound system, power locks, rear defogger, vanity mirror, tilt, am/fm with cassette to name most of the options/features. Originally sold in Indiana. He actually found the original owner who, like any other original owner, deeply regrets parting with his car! If you want to be the first to see pictures and a price email me [email protected] Remember 22,000 miles is on the low side for a 37 year old car. JJ Best has worked on a number of deals for me over the years. Car is a good investment; the track record speaks for itself.



WIDE VARIETY OF USED TRIM, BODY, BUMPERS, MOLDINGS - PICK UP ONLY

We recently acquired several plastic bins packed with used 1984-1987 Turbo Regal interior plastic trim parts. Almost every imaginable plastic interior part including ECM covers, T-Top moldings, seat trim, a-pillar moldings in various colors, including door panel armrests, and pull straps. I also have a wide variety of used black outside trim molding around the windshield and back glass and some used exterior Limited stainless moldings etc. We also have some exterior parts, core support, Turbo Regal hood, powder coated transmission mount, driveshaft, complete tilt steering column, 4 of the 1984-1985 Grand National wheels to name some of the bigger items we have. We will not ship. You must come to our location to buy them. We may ship the wheels.



SYCLONE WITH 9,500 MILES FOR SALE -

This vehicle is still available from my long time personal friend who lives near Nashville, TN. I sold a few of his Turbo Regals recently. He is seeking $39 grand. Email me and I can provide you with his personal email.



SHOW CAR EVENTS FOR 2022 -

The dates have recently been announced for the 41st annual GS Nationals. The dates are May 11th thru the 14th 2022. Beech Bend Raceway, in Bowling Green, KY. Facebook BuickGS Nationals. Instagram BuickGSNationals



TIPS AND IDEAS YOU HAVE TRIED -

If you have an idea or tip or a product idea, send it to my email [email protected]



IMPORTANT - INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SHIPPING ADDRESS –

If you are returning any cores for a Letter of Credit or cores that we charged you for, it is important that you send them to the address below. Please make sure you put a note in the box with your information.

KIRBAN PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
529 HAYCOCK RUN ROAD
KINTNERSVILLE, PA 18930

For all other returns such as a part you purchased that is incorrect or defective you must call Christina and get a RA number. She will determine if it goes to our main warehouse in Kintnersville, PA or our distribution center.


CORES NEEDED - URGENT REQUEST –

Here is the information on our credits for cores.

STEERING WHEEL CORES. Currently we need good 1986-1987 Turbo Regal steering cores. They must be straight and not have rusted spokes. We will issue a Letter of Credit of $100 for each acceptable core. You must email me [email protected] a photo first to make sure the steering wheel is acceptable.

POWERMASTER BRAKE UNITS. Currently, we are accepting powermaster brake units. We give a $150 Letter of Credit for each acceptable core. Or, we will pay $125 cash for each powermaster core. To avoid having your core not accepted, you MUST first email me a photo of the core you plan to send in - [email protected] - We will NOT accept any cores that have severe rust issues or have been disassembled. Core must have the brake switch and brake bowl reservoir. Too many of the cores we have been getting are in such terrible shape they are worthless to us.

TURBO CORES must be the 1986-1987 Turbo Regal stock turbo. They must be complete. We will issue you a $175 Letter of Credit for each acceptable core. We need cores now. Or we will pay $150 cash for each complete stock turbo core.

BRAKE PEDALS we issue a letter of credit for $50 for each powermaster brake pedal or we will pay $40 cash for each pedal.

MASS AIR FLOW SENSORS must be the 1986-1987 Turbo Regal sensors. They can not be cracked or broken. Each acceptable unit is worth a letter of credit of $40 each. We need cores now!

If you ship to us, the post office is the cheapest method. Pack the item(s) with a note with your name, address and phone number.

UPS or MAIL - Ship to Address –
KIRBAN PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
529 HAYCOCK RUN ROAD
KINTNERSVILLE, PA 18930


CLASSIFIED ADS -

We accept Classified Ads in our weekly Inner Circle emails. Over the years several customers have asked about placing an ad in our weekly Inner Circle.

Here are the options and the costs.

Ads can be from any individual or company. It needs to be automotive related, meaning it does not need to be specifically Turbo Regal related. It can be for something for sale or something wanted.

Maximum number of words is 125 words, which is about 7 to 9 lines of copy. No photos. You can list a website. We recommend you state your name, phone number or email, a price, and your location in your ad.

The cost for an ad for 2 consecutive weeks is $25. The cost for 4 consecutive weeks is $40. You save $10 with the 4-week plan. No changes can be made to your existing running ad. You can only run one ad at any given time. We will have a code system at the end of your ad, so we will know what week number your ad is to run 2 or 4 weeks.

It can be an ad for something for sale or an ad for something you are looking for.
We have never missed a single week since we started the Inner Circle email format in 2009. It’s something I enjoy doing and I just always seem to have enough material to write about.

Our weekly Inner Circle now reaches over 3,500 members every Wednesday direct to their inbox. The Inner Circle also appears every Wednesday on our website with the related photos. Your ad would be visible to both groups of readers. So, the exposure to your ad is well over 3,500 potential buyers.

Ads submitted by the previous Sunday would appear the following Wednesday in the weekly Inner Circle. Ads and payment (paypal) must be submitted by email to - [email protected]



NOTE - IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO SEE THE BUICK RARE PARTS SECTION -

If you are not able to see the Buick Rare Parts section at the end of this Inner Circle, it is because you are not an actual Inner Circle member, but instead are reading this on the website. You must subscribe to see the Rare Parts section each week. It would go directly to your inbox every Wednesday at 3 pm eastern time. It is FREE, probably one reason why nobody complains about what I write about. To subscribe simply email – [email protected] - to get our free weekly Wednesday Inner Circle email. This allows everyone to have the same opportunity on the parts we list each week.



EMAILS TO KIRBAN PERFORMANCE -

NOTE - If you email us and do NOT get a timely reply, be sure to check your “SPAM” folder. Some emails do not go through.

If you need to email us, use - [email protected]



TECH CALLS -

If you need technical information, it’s best to email - [email protected] - rather than call us. We will do our best to answer any technical questions within 24 hours. Please remember I have very little knowledge of the mechanical workings of the engine.



NEW PRODUCTS FROM US –

ELECTRIC 2 ½ STAINLESS DUMP PIPE WITH HARNESS -

See Part #7975 for photo and more detailed information on this stainless electric dump pipe.


1986-1987 TURBO REGAL HYPERTECH PROM -

If you have a fairly stock 1986-1987 Turbo Regal here is one easy and simple way to improve performance and torque. Hypertech is one of the very first companies to make a Prom for the Turbo Regals. The introductory price good for the month of January is $174.95. The part number is #7973. See our website for picture and more details.


BAD TO THE BONE LEATHER KEY CHAIN -

Using the same quote and font style we now have a leather key chain. The price is $14.95 and the part number is #7974. See our website for pictures.


1984-1987 TURBO REGAL GM BRAND NEW BLACK WIPER BLADES.-

These are available once again. These are brand new GM in the wrapper. See part number #7800 on our website for photos and details.


1986-1987 BUICK TURBO REGAL REPRODUCTION ENGINE OIL DIPSTICK HANDLE, REPRODUCTION TURBO REGAL TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK HANDLE & REPRODUCTION BUICK TURBO REGAL OIL CAP

Part # 7970, 7971, and 7972 for pictures and order details. All 3 of them are currently in stock.



“BAD TO THE BONE” EMBROIDERED BEANIE BLACK KNIT HAT

This black Beanie knit hat has the quote "Bad To The Bone" embroidered on it in the same design as our decal, part #7968.

Each black hat is embroidered in red, gray and black. The embroidery work is some of the best I have ever seen. It almost looks like it was printed on the material.

A prime example of poor embroidery work can be found on the Power Six logo on the Grand National bucket seat headrest. The embroidery on this hat is much sharper.

An excellent winter hat. Also makes a great gift.

7967 - “BAD TO THE BONE” Embroidered Beanie Black Knit Hat - $21.95

CLICK HERE - For the link to this hat on our website.



“BAD TO THE BONE” DECAL

This “BAD TO THE BONE”decal is similar to the one we sold years ago.

The script wording is red and black with a black shadow. The line between the words in the grey area is black. The design is diecut with a self-adhesive backing. Each decal measures about 5-1/2" x 1-3/4”.

It is designed to fit in the area on the back window, just under the third brake light on the outside of the glass. It can also be used in other areas, on a tool box, or a car show display board.

7968 - “BAD TO THE BONE” Decal - $4

CLICK HERE - For the link to this decal on our website.



“BLACK AIR” BLACK T-SHIRT

We now carry “BLACK AIR” black T-shirts for the many Turbo Regal enthusiasts out there.

Wording is silk screened in white with a Turbo Buick outline and the words, “WHAT’S WITH ALL THE BLACK CARS?” on the front. The back features the Turbo-6 logo and the words, “BLACK AIR - THE BUICK GRAND NATIONAL DOCUMENTARY.”

T-shirts are Gilden brand high-quality 100% cotton.

We stock the 4 most popular sizes - MEDIUM, LARGE, X-LARGE, and XX-LARGE.

This T-shirt makes a great statement at a car show, and T-shirts also make a great gift for that Turbo enthusiast or for your mechanic.

Here are the 4 options for these T-shirts.

7969-M - “BLACK AIR” BLACK T-shirt - size MEDIUM - $28.95
7969-L - “BLACK AIR” BLACK T-shirt - size LARGE - $28.95
7969-XL - “BLACK AIR” BLACK T-shirt - size X-LARGE - $28.95
7969-XXL - “BLACK AIR” BLACK T-shirt - size XX-LARGE - $28.95

CLICK HERE - For the link to these T-shirts on our website.



REPRODUCTION "3.8 SFI TURBO" HOOD EMBLEMS

These reproduction 3.8 SFI Turbo emblems “Made in the USA” and are an exact reproduction with the black edge. These are made from the same mold that we had them made from over 10 years ago.

Emblems are made exactly like the original in chrome plastic with the black edging with a self-adhesive backing. These are 100% correct for all 1984-1987 Turbo Regal hoods.

They are packaged as a pair and measure approximately 10" by 5/8”.

We also offer a special price if you buy two sets, part #7067.

Because the emblems are plastic, it is easy to accidentally break the “3” off the left end of the emblem when washing or drying your car. It’s a good idea to keep a spare set in case a piece breaks off.

To my knowledge we have the only reproduction emblems that are “Made in the USA.”

NOTE - The trunk 3.8 SFI emblem is part #7510 and does not have the black edge.

Another excellent replacement for any exterior restoration.

Here are the 2 options for these emblems.

6556 - 1984-1987 Buick Turbo Regal - Reproduction “3.8 SFI TURBO” Hood Emblems (2) - $49.95

7966 - TWO PAIRS - 1984-1987 Buick Turbo Regal - Reproduction “3.8 SFI TURBO” Hood Emblems (4) - $89.95 (Save $9.95)

CLICK HERE - For the link to these emblems.



ALWAYS LOOKING FOR IDEAS -

If you have any product ideas that would fit our Turbo Buick market that you would like to see available, email me direct - [email protected]



ALWAYS IN A BUYING POSITION FOR TURBO REGAL PARTS -

Got any Turbo Buick parts you are not using? Why not cash them in for parts you need with a Letter of Credit. We also may buy your new or used parts. Simply email me a list - [email protected]

Also, we are still buying dead or partially dead 1984-1987 Turbo Regals under $4,000 that are within 250 to 350 miles of our location.



NOTE - ABOUT LINKS IN THE INNER CIRCLE -

We have heard from a couple people that have had problems with the links in our Inner Circle.

When we check the links, they work fine. However, if you are not able to be directed to the exact website page or internet site, you can "copy" and "paste" the link into the URL in your browser (such as Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, etc.) If it doesn't link in one browser, it may work in another.

Most people having problems are using Internet Explorer. If you are having issues with links, try another browser to see if it works.

You may need to "UPDATE" your browser to be used if you are using the current version.



NOTE ABOUT PHOTOS ON THE WEBSITE -

We have heard from a couple people that have viewed the photos on the website. Because these must be low-resolution photos to work on the Inner Circle segments on the website, any photos of text don't appear clear when enlarged. This is a problem when you are trying to see numbers, such as those on the VIN labels or pages from Options booklet. Also, because of photo reproduction and computer screen variations, the colors may not be true to the actual product or photo.

If you would like to have us email you any photo at the higher resolution for viewing, just email us and we will email them to you. Be sure to be specific on which pictures you want to see - Reference Inner Circle date and photo number 1, 2, 3 or 4 - [email protected]



ABOUT OUR EMAILS -

Any inquiries concerning used parts, you must email me directly - [email protected] - and I will answer you. However, if I fail to answer you within 24 hours, please email us again.
Since expanding into used parts, I get a lot of emails and sometimes I may forget your request or may not remember who requested the item.




IN CLOSING -

Remember, the weekly Inner Circle always goes out at 3 pm eastern time so subscribers all have the same equal chance on the Rare Parts. All our parts generally are priced to sell and priced below what others offer. Also our used items are exactly as described. Emails are acknowledged in the order we receive them regardless of when I respond as I am not always by a computer and I only use a flip phone. It's best to email as soon as possible with your request(s) as many of our items sell within the first hour! Do NOT call the office on the listed Rare Parts as you could lose out by someone beating you with an email. Remember if the total of what you purchase on the Rare Parts falls short of $75 we will charge $15 extra for shipping.

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