Greetings Turbo Regal Inner Circle Members - 12-22-10
CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE -
Our office will be closed this Thursday and Friday, December 23rd and 24th so we can enjoy Christmas with our families.
We will NOT be sending out an Inner Circle next week (December 29th). The next Inner Circle will go out on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011.
PHOTO 1 - I put on a Santa face for an Ornament Making Party for our granddaughter and her friends on the 12th. The photo on the left shows me and Eileen as we send our Christmas greetings out to our Buick friends.
GRAND NATIONAL - GRAND PANDA -
In a recent Inner Circle (12-08-2010), we listed four Grand National Grand Pandas we had for sale. These have all been sold. This cute Panda bear wears a black shirt with the words "Grand National" and "B-B-B-Bad to the Bone." It was created many years ago by my wife, Eileen and first appeared back in our 1989 catalog. Back then it sold for $15.95. We last offered it in our 2001 Turbo Buick catalog for $17.95 each. The ones we recently sold were from Poston's. It's hard to believe that was 9 years ago. People bought them and used to display them in their car at car shows or gave them to their kids.
PHOTO 1 - The photo on the right shows one of these original Grand National Pandas and one of our original Grand News 1989 catalogs and the page showing the Grand Panda.
GUESS HOW MANY M & Ms - CHRISTMAS CONTEST -
We have our 3 winners for our Christmas M & Ms Guessing Contest. Actual count of M & Ms in the jar was 958.
1st Place was Juan Rodriguez from Illinois with a guess of 945. He has been a customer of ours for about 19 years. He owns 2 Turbo Regals.
Taking 2nd Place was Don Stout from Pennsylvania with a guess of 912. Don says his wife helped him as originally he picked lower numbers!
Taking 3rd Place was Al Zangenberg from sunny Florida with a guess of 899. Al's late brother actually worked at M & Ms in Hackettstown, NJ for 30 years!
Most of the guesses this time were pretty close to the actual count.
If you recall, the winner of our recent Thanksgiving M & Ms Guessing Contest was Bill Furst who hit the count exactly. Even though he was not eligible for this Christmas contest, just for kicks he submitted 3 guesses. The man is super lucky - one of his guesses was 950 - only 8 short of the actual count - he would have taken first place again! Uncanny to say the least! Maybe he should be playing the lottery!
We appreciate all the Christmas wishes we have received by email and nice comments we got concerning our M & Ms contests. It's something we have done for several years. It's a great way to give everyone an equal chance at winning a contest.
BRAND NEW GNX STILL IN DEALERSHIP - ARTICLE ON THE GNX - BOSTON HERALD -
We heard from Mike Frayler, one of our Inner Circle members, over the weekend. He sent us a link to an article about the GNX entitled, "Classic Buick teases collectors from showroom floor" that appeared in the Boston Herald paper on Friday, December 17th, 2010. Check it out. Here's the link:
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/automotive/view/20101217classic_buick_teases_collectors_from_showroom_floor/srvc=home&position=also
This article appeared in several newspapers around the country.
We appreciate all of you that sent us the information to share with our readers.
FOLLOW UP TO CUSTER'S LAST STAND SONG -
Al Zangenberg, says the novelty song I was thinking of was called "Mr. Custer" by Larry Verne. It reached number #1 on the charts back in 1960 selling one million copies.
MORE ON MR. GOODWRENCH -
PHOTO 2 - When I was down at Brian Weaver's operation (GBodyparts.com) in the center of Bethel, North Carolina, there was this huge deserted Chevrolet dealership. I thought it was a sign of the times seeing the huge Mr. Goodwrench banner above the one garage bay door. At GBody's place I found some old stickers/decals that obviously came from a GM dealership promoting Mr. Goodwrench (pictured in the inset photo).
BREAKING NEWS - A 2010 CORVETTE ZR1 FOR SALE -
This would look good in your garage!
2010 Corvette ZR 1 blue - The ultimate Corvette with under 300 actual miles - priced to sell at $96 grand. The owner has health issues.
If you are interested, email me personally - [email protected] - and I will forward your name and phone number to Greg, who is handling the sale. Car is located in New Jersey. GM list on these cars is around $120 grand.
AVAILABLE AGAIN - THE FAN DELAY RELAY SENSOR -
We last show this the original GM 1986-1987 Turbo Regal Fan Delay Relay available in limited quantities back in 2007. At that time we were selling them for $75 each.
This is the largest of the 3 relays located on the 1986-1987 Turbo Regal inner driver's fender. We recently came across a source that has made them available to us again. Apparently this fan delay relay was used in another application, so this part is now available again. This reproduction is better than the GM original because it has mounted the internals in the top section of the housing so moisture no longer collects on the electronics and cause corrosion and eventually failures.
PHOTO 3 - Shows both a used original fan delay relay and a new reproduction with the housing removed. You can clearly see the difference in the location of the electronics and how moisture has ruined the original fan delay relay. Because both fan delay relays are identical in size, if you want to keep your car looking original, you can carefully remove the original housing cover and install it on the new reproduction unit, so the original numbers on the housing look correct.
The new reproduction ones do not have any protective grease on the terminals to ward off moisture, so we have included a small packet of dielectric grease with each one. Because of its location on the inner fender, even basic washing your car can cause moisture to seep into the fan delay relay, since it is not a sealed relay.
Here is something I never knew until I was at Richard's the other week. I have seen it numerous times and just assumed it was some sort of paint overspray when, in fact, it is from rain and sun over a long period of time. This is something you can easily verify on your 1986-1987 Turbo Regal.
PHOTO 4 - Shows the top of an original 1986-1987 Turbo Regal fan delay relay. Note how the top of the housing has a faded section across the top. You may also see the same fading on your cruise control unit located on the same driver's inner fender. This is caused by rain and sun over a period of time making this discoloration on the fan delay relay and the cruise control.
Part #7310 - 1986-1987 Turbo Regal - Reproduction Fan Delay Relay and Pack of Dielectric Grease $84.95.
NOTE - This part may not be on our website as of yet. To order now simply call our office.
A BIT OF IRONY -
Like many of you I follow pro football and it was sad to see Brett Favre's record streak end at #297. No one would have ever guessed that it would have ended in Detroit. The ironic part is another famous ballplayer (baseball) streak also ended in Detroit with 2,130 games. None other than Lou Gehrig's streak.
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT -
For the second year in a row China's auto sales surpass the U.S. total. It was not even close. China sold more than 16 million new vehicles while the U.S. sold only about 10.4 million. From a Buick standpoint, in China more Buicks are sold than the U.S.
TRY THIS ON CHRISTMAS DAY -
If you have a youngster or a grandchild, check out the toys they receive on Christmas. Separate them into two groups - Those that say on the package "Made in China" and those that say "Made in the USA." Chances are the number Made in the USA will be very, very low if any compared to those Made in China.
WE NOW HAVE PRICES ON OUR BUSHINGS/CUSHIONS KITS -
PART #7304 - 1978-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Reproduction Radiator Core Support Bushings/Cushions (4) Kit. This would be for position #1. Kit has enough for both sides - $37.95
PART #7305 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Reproduction Body Mount Bushings/Cushions (22) Kit - $249.95
PART #7306 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Aftermarket 4-Piece Lower Body Bushings/Cushions (4) Kit - $29.95
PART #7307 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Aftermarket 6-Piece Lower Body Bushings/Cushions (6) Kit - $39.95
PART #7308 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Body Mount Frame Repair Steel Washer - $6
PART #7309 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Body Mount Frame Repair Steel (2) Washers $10 / pair
NOTE - These Bushings/Cushions kits and washer may not be on the website for a few days.
You can call our office to place your order (215-766-1611 x 0), or order through the website next week.
NOTE ABOUT PHOTOS ON THE WEBSITE -
We have heard from a couple people that have viewed the photos on the website. Because these have to 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]
ALWAYS IN A BUYING POSITION WORKS -
Got any turbo parts you are not using? Why not cash them in for parts you need with a Letter of Credit. 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.
CALENDER OF EVENTS -
The 2011 events will be posted at the beginning of next year.
If you are involved in a Turbo Buick related event, send us complete information and include a website or promotional flyer. We would be happy to list the event on our website and in our Inner Circles emailed newsletter.
EBAY LISTINGS -
If you would like to see any of the Kirban Performance Products items listed on eBay, here is a link to our store and auctions -
http://stores.ebay.com/Kirban-Performance-Products-Inc_W0QQssPageNameZl2QQtZ km
ABOUT OUR EMAILS -
Any inquiries concerning used parts, you must email me direct - [email protected] - 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 not remember who requested the item.
IN CLOSING -
Remember, we will NOT be sending out an Inner Circle next week (December 29th). The next Inner Circle will go out on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011.
Hard to believe another year is winding down.
From our family at Kirban Performance Products - Dennis, Eileen, Carrie, Darrell, Pete, Christina, Cindy, and John - Wishing the Best to you and your family and a Merry Christmas! Remember the reason for the season.
CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE -
Our office will be closed this Thursday and Friday, December 23rd and 24th so we can enjoy Christmas with our families.
We will NOT be sending out an Inner Circle next week (December 29th). The next Inner Circle will go out on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011.
PHOTO 1 - I put on a Santa face for an Ornament Making Party for our granddaughter and her friends on the 12th. The photo on the left shows me and Eileen as we send our Christmas greetings out to our Buick friends.
GRAND NATIONAL - GRAND PANDA -
In a recent Inner Circle (12-08-2010), we listed four Grand National Grand Pandas we had for sale. These have all been sold. This cute Panda bear wears a black shirt with the words "Grand National" and "B-B-B-Bad to the Bone." It was created many years ago by my wife, Eileen and first appeared back in our 1989 catalog. Back then it sold for $15.95. We last offered it in our 2001 Turbo Buick catalog for $17.95 each. The ones we recently sold were from Poston's. It's hard to believe that was 9 years ago. People bought them and used to display them in their car at car shows or gave them to their kids.
PHOTO 1 - The photo on the right shows one of these original Grand National Pandas and one of our original Grand News 1989 catalogs and the page showing the Grand Panda.
GUESS HOW MANY M & Ms - CHRISTMAS CONTEST -
We have our 3 winners for our Christmas M & Ms Guessing Contest. Actual count of M & Ms in the jar was 958.
1st Place was Juan Rodriguez from Illinois with a guess of 945. He has been a customer of ours for about 19 years. He owns 2 Turbo Regals.
Taking 2nd Place was Don Stout from Pennsylvania with a guess of 912. Don says his wife helped him as originally he picked lower numbers!
Taking 3rd Place was Al Zangenberg from sunny Florida with a guess of 899. Al's late brother actually worked at M & Ms in Hackettstown, NJ for 30 years!
Most of the guesses this time were pretty close to the actual count.
If you recall, the winner of our recent Thanksgiving M & Ms Guessing Contest was Bill Furst who hit the count exactly. Even though he was not eligible for this Christmas contest, just for kicks he submitted 3 guesses. The man is super lucky - one of his guesses was 950 - only 8 short of the actual count - he would have taken first place again! Uncanny to say the least! Maybe he should be playing the lottery!
We appreciate all the Christmas wishes we have received by email and nice comments we got concerning our M & Ms contests. It's something we have done for several years. It's a great way to give everyone an equal chance at winning a contest.
BRAND NEW GNX STILL IN DEALERSHIP - ARTICLE ON THE GNX - BOSTON HERALD -
We heard from Mike Frayler, one of our Inner Circle members, over the weekend. He sent us a link to an article about the GNX entitled, "Classic Buick teases collectors from showroom floor" that appeared in the Boston Herald paper on Friday, December 17th, 2010. Check it out. Here's the link:
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/automotive/view/20101217classic_buick_teases_collectors_from_showroom_floor/srvc=home&position=also
This article appeared in several newspapers around the country.
We appreciate all of you that sent us the information to share with our readers.
FOLLOW UP TO CUSTER'S LAST STAND SONG -
Al Zangenberg, says the novelty song I was thinking of was called "Mr. Custer" by Larry Verne. It reached number #1 on the charts back in 1960 selling one million copies.
MORE ON MR. GOODWRENCH -
PHOTO 2 - When I was down at Brian Weaver's operation (GBodyparts.com) in the center of Bethel, North Carolina, there was this huge deserted Chevrolet dealership. I thought it was a sign of the times seeing the huge Mr. Goodwrench banner above the one garage bay door. At GBody's place I found some old stickers/decals that obviously came from a GM dealership promoting Mr. Goodwrench (pictured in the inset photo).
BREAKING NEWS - A 2010 CORVETTE ZR1 FOR SALE -
This would look good in your garage!
2010 Corvette ZR 1 blue - The ultimate Corvette with under 300 actual miles - priced to sell at $96 grand. The owner has health issues.
If you are interested, email me personally - [email protected] - and I will forward your name and phone number to Greg, who is handling the sale. Car is located in New Jersey. GM list on these cars is around $120 grand.
AVAILABLE AGAIN - THE FAN DELAY RELAY SENSOR -
We last show this the original GM 1986-1987 Turbo Regal Fan Delay Relay available in limited quantities back in 2007. At that time we were selling them for $75 each.
This is the largest of the 3 relays located on the 1986-1987 Turbo Regal inner driver's fender. We recently came across a source that has made them available to us again. Apparently this fan delay relay was used in another application, so this part is now available again. This reproduction is better than the GM original because it has mounted the internals in the top section of the housing so moisture no longer collects on the electronics and cause corrosion and eventually failures.
PHOTO 3 - Shows both a used original fan delay relay and a new reproduction with the housing removed. You can clearly see the difference in the location of the electronics and how moisture has ruined the original fan delay relay. Because both fan delay relays are identical in size, if you want to keep your car looking original, you can carefully remove the original housing cover and install it on the new reproduction unit, so the original numbers on the housing look correct.
The new reproduction ones do not have any protective grease on the terminals to ward off moisture, so we have included a small packet of dielectric grease with each one. Because of its location on the inner fender, even basic washing your car can cause moisture to seep into the fan delay relay, since it is not a sealed relay.
Here is something I never knew until I was at Richard's the other week. I have seen it numerous times and just assumed it was some sort of paint overspray when, in fact, it is from rain and sun over a long period of time. This is something you can easily verify on your 1986-1987 Turbo Regal.
PHOTO 4 - Shows the top of an original 1986-1987 Turbo Regal fan delay relay. Note how the top of the housing has a faded section across the top. You may also see the same fading on your cruise control unit located on the same driver's inner fender. This is caused by rain and sun over a period of time making this discoloration on the fan delay relay and the cruise control.
Part #7310 - 1986-1987 Turbo Regal - Reproduction Fan Delay Relay and Pack of Dielectric Grease $84.95.
NOTE - This part may not be on our website as of yet. To order now simply call our office.
A BIT OF IRONY -
Like many of you I follow pro football and it was sad to see Brett Favre's record streak end at #297. No one would have ever guessed that it would have ended in Detroit. The ironic part is another famous ballplayer (baseball) streak also ended in Detroit with 2,130 games. None other than Lou Gehrig's streak.
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT -
For the second year in a row China's auto sales surpass the U.S. total. It was not even close. China sold more than 16 million new vehicles while the U.S. sold only about 10.4 million. From a Buick standpoint, in China more Buicks are sold than the U.S.
TRY THIS ON CHRISTMAS DAY -
If you have a youngster or a grandchild, check out the toys they receive on Christmas. Separate them into two groups - Those that say on the package "Made in China" and those that say "Made in the USA." Chances are the number Made in the USA will be very, very low if any compared to those Made in China.
WE NOW HAVE PRICES ON OUR BUSHINGS/CUSHIONS KITS -
PART #7304 - 1978-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Reproduction Radiator Core Support Bushings/Cushions (4) Kit. This would be for position #1. Kit has enough for both sides - $37.95
PART #7305 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Reproduction Body Mount Bushings/Cushions (22) Kit - $249.95
PART #7306 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Aftermarket 4-Piece Lower Body Bushings/Cushions (4) Kit - $29.95
PART #7307 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Aftermarket 6-Piece Lower Body Bushings/Cushions (6) Kit - $39.95
PART #7308 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Body Mount Frame Repair Steel Washer - $6
PART #7309 - 1982-1987 Buick Regal (All Models) - Body Mount Frame Repair Steel (2) Washers $10 / pair
NOTE - These Bushings/Cushions kits and washer may not be on the website for a few days.
You can call our office to place your order (215-766-1611 x 0), or order through the website next week.
NOTE ABOUT PHOTOS ON THE WEBSITE -
We have heard from a couple people that have viewed the photos on the website. Because these have to 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]
ALWAYS IN A BUYING POSITION WORKS -
Got any turbo parts you are not using? Why not cash them in for parts you need with a Letter of Credit. 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.
CALENDER OF EVENTS -
The 2011 events will be posted at the beginning of next year.
If you are involved in a Turbo Buick related event, send us complete information and include a website or promotional flyer. We would be happy to list the event on our website and in our Inner Circles emailed newsletter.
EBAY LISTINGS -
If you would like to see any of the Kirban Performance Products items listed on eBay, here is a link to our store and auctions -
http://stores.ebay.com/Kirban-Performance-Products-Inc_W0QQssPageNameZl2QQtZ km
ABOUT OUR EMAILS -
Any inquiries concerning used parts, you must email me direct - [email protected] - 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 not remember who requested the item.
IN CLOSING -
Remember, we will NOT be sending out an Inner Circle next week (December 29th). The next Inner Circle will go out on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011.
Hard to believe another year is winding down.
From our family at Kirban Performance Products - Dennis, Eileen, Carrie, Darrell, Pete, Christina, Cindy, and John - Wishing the Best to you and your family and a Merry Christmas! Remember the reason for the season.