Turbo Reatta RWD engine

Turbocharged Buick Reatta RWD engine.

$3000 including turbocharger, OBO.

Not much detail for $3000. First there were no FWD Reattas made except for one engineering car Buick built in 1989.

Is it a fresh build? Out of a RWD Reatta? What about the rest of the car? Is it a 3800 or 3.8 engine? The valve cover hold downs say 3.8

Barney,

It's sitting in a warehouse I purchased that has a lot of one-off engines in it and stuff that looks developmental. It's not a fresh build and the tag on it reads RWD Reatta. You would know better than me if it's a 3800 or not. There are no cars in the facility - just lots of engines and parts.

If you want I'll get you more information on it like block castings and such as well as a photo of the turbocharger.

Wow - if this is the real deal this could epic! The Return of the Turbo/ RWD Reatta.

Who will build it? A Journalist?

Actually it was built and this could be the motor that was in it... Turbo Charged Rear Wheel Drive Reatta

More about it here: Musclecar Review - July 1989

Could this be the same engine:

jdcl,

Where were you a year ago when I changed out an engine to get rid of a knock?

Where are you now??:confused:

John F.

Actually it was built and this could be the motor that was in it... Turbo Charged Rear Wheel Drive Reatta

More about it here: Musclecar Review - July 1989

Could this be the same engine:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]250691[/ATTACH]

Yea, I knew that, so I posted The RETURN of the Turbo/

John F.,

I was and still am in Troy, Michigan. You guys seem to know a lot about this stuff - I have a similar engine with the same style valve covers whose intake has a circle on it which reads 6 cyl power. Any idea what that is?

And one more engine to identify - has an Eaton supercharger on it that has XEA on the P/N. I will post pictures of these tomorrow in this thread.

Edited June 1, 2014 by jdcl (see edit history)

How many engines and parts are in this warehouse? I am not too old but I know the company that has built these motors and have seen pictures! I thought they would have been long gone! The 3800 with the eaton supercharger is a pre-Series 1 Supercharged 3800 motor, the experimental motor prior to 1991 when the Series 1 Supercharged finally came out. I have only seen one stock picture of it before and imagined how period correct it would be in the Reatta or Lesabre T-Type. I am staying in the Troy area next weekend for Motor Muster and Eyes on Design car shows in Detroit. I would love to take a look at these if at all possible and hopefully share the bit of knowledge I know. Any other motors there too would be interesting to see. The company built experimental turbo motors for Dodge, GM in Troy and later did Subaru concepts. The company still operates but when I messaged them for RWD Reatta info they did not reply. They would have built the RWD Regal and Turbo Wagon we saw in the Autoweek video as well.

The motor on the left is easily identifiable as the last motor in your pictures. The motor to the right appears to be a twin turbo Tuned Port 5.7L v8 the company also built. Maybe that has turned up in your warehouse as well?

Unless i'm looking at it wrong, this motor isn't THE motor from the prototype, the oil fill on the prototype appears to be on the passenger side, where as the one in the picture here would be on the drivers side, I suppose switching he valve covers would be easy, but why would that be done.

The first motor is the RWD motor and proper, matches the stock photos. Second picture you are looking at I believe may be the set up for the 3.8L Turbo 6 in the FWD Turbo Reatta prototype. Not where the intake is located and throttle body out the passenger side of the motor, otherwise would be the rear in the RWD application. The Turbo RWD prototype has the intake from front of motor into plenum.

What I was pointing out was the picture in the original post does not match up the pictue posted by ronnie becuase the oil fill is not on the same side

So for the FWD Turbo 3.8L engine, would they have started with a '86/'87 (i.e., pre-LN3) FWD block? If so, are Grand National parts basically 'bolt-on' with that block?

The motor on the left is easily identifiable as the last motor in your pictures. The motor to the right appears to be a twin turbo Tuned Port 5.7L v8 the company also built. Maybe that has turned up in your warehouse as well?

hndblt88,

I don't have any complete TT TPI 5.7L V8s, but I do have 6 sets of counter-rotating shaft twin-turbochargers made by Mitsubishi that have a calibrated MAFM with them. I have heard they were for a TT LT1 but I don't have any evidence to back that claim up. Where did you get the photo of the engine and can you shed any light on this?

Here are some more photos of the SC Buick engine.

Is this engine for sale?

How many clams?

John F.

$1200 + shipping/crating.

OK, thanks.

Sounds like a very good deal.

John F.

This thing has to go as soon as possible.

As such I will nix the packaging and crating charges if this sells by 5:00 PM EST, July 1st.

OK, thanks.

Sounds like a very good deal.

John F.

Buy it Machiner!! - Im close enough Id like to come and see this sucker@ : )

It's very tempting indeed but, I suffer from No-flo-dough disease.

John F.

Wonder what happened after 5:00pm ??

If this were to become available in say, November, I might could be persuaded.

But hey, guess what, my birthday is in November... What a great gift idea! (hint, hint)

John F.

Wonder what happened after 5:00pm ??

He started charging shipping/crating again or someone bought it and got free shipping/crating.

Nothing happened and the crating is still free. I know the Reatta owners aren't are cheap as the Turbo Dodge guys.

... I know the Reatta owners aren't are cheap as the Turbo Dodge guys.

What kind of comment is that supposed to be from someone who has come here with the sole purpose for trying to sell us something? Is it supposed to make us Reatta owners feel guilty for wanting to get the best deal possible?

You may see those engines you have as something that is one of a kind and special... and they may be. I don't know. From my point of view you are selling a pig-in-a-poke that comes with no warranty and no guarantee that it is the real deal.

If you would do a little reading in the main Reatta forums you would see that right now it is a buyers market and not a sellers market when it comes to Reattas. There is no shortage of Reattas, Reatta engines or most any other part. You should make your sales pitch accordingly.

What kind of comment is that supposed to be from someone who has come here with the sole purpose for trying to sell us something? Is it supposed to make us Reatta owners feel guilty for wanting to get the best deal possible?

You may see those engines you have as something that is one of a kind and special... and they may be. I don't know. From my point of view you are selling a pig-in-a-poke that comes with no warranty and no guarantee that it is the real deal.

If you would do a little reading in the main Reatta forums you would see that right now it is a buyers market and not a sellers market when it comes to Reattas. There is no shortage of Reattas, Reatta engines or most any other part. You should make your sales pitch accordingly.

That's not what I meant and I'm sorry if it came off that way. My point is that it is a one of a kind and even though I am unable to "prove on paper" it is what it looks like, for the price it's still a steal.

Put together all the information posted from other members on this thread and it's pretty convincing that it is the S/C pre-Series 1 motor.

That's not what I meant and I'm sorry if it came off that way. My point is that it is a one of a kind and even though I am unable to "prove on paper" it is what it looks like, for the price it's still a steal.

Put together all the information posted from other members on this thread and it's pretty convincing that it is the S/C pre-Series 1 motor.

No problem. I've replied to your private message.

Can't speak for anyone else here but personally I'd love to have this engine and I wouldn't be too put out to afford it but there's no way I could bring this pride and joy home without the immediate and ever persistent threat of divorce. Lots of people like me need to keep thrifty to keep the peace. Yet at even $300 (which is what I paid for a complete s/c series 1 with transmission) I doubt all the prototypical scarcity of any engine would matter. There's another guy with a prototype Reatta body who was posting it here for sale but I think he had no takers either. And I don't think I was the only person with ideas of mating these but I kinda want to stay married. Ronnie, what can I say but your a swell guy. Thanks for everything you do.

...Ronnie, what can I say but your a swell guy. Thanks for everything you do.

Thank you for your kind words.

right now it is a buyers market and not a sellers market when it comes to Reattas. There is no shortage of Reattas, Reatta engines or most any other part.

this. yep.

Still i would like to see someone get this engine and rebuild the Turbo, that would just be very cool.

Did anyone ever end up buying this engine? 

I wonder if he still has the Reatta engine. The first pictures are of a Grand National engine. Valve cover hold downs are completly different on the normal Buick engine and the heads are Not interchangeable.

No flow advantage for the GN head even if they fit. I believe the heads from the predecessor to the LN3, (LC3 or LG3?), one of the first fwd 3.8’s were used on the ‘89 Turbo Trans Am because they are slightly more compact on the exhaust side. The 3800 series of engines are even different in the amount of fore and aft offset between cylinder banks to get the cylinders centered on the crank throws making them somewhat longer overall