BUICK never built a
Roadmaster Gran Sport...
So I did.
This is my "Dare to be Different" project...
Just like the Gran Sports of the '60's & '70's...
This car is "Fast With Class!"
Modified LT1 w/ Ram Air & all the "go fast goodies"...
Leather Interior, Floor Shifter, Power Everything...
Full Gauges & Custom 200 MPH Speedometer...
O-Z Racing 18" Wheels & 285 40 18 Pirelli's...
Eibachs, Bilsteins, Energy Suspension, you get the idea...
What'cha wanna do: Car Show? Race? Road Trip?
The RoadMonster is ready for ANYTHING!
Dwayne Vance Art:
The Dwayne Vance Sketch is an award from the "Texaco Car of the Decades" contest.
(See pg 13)
Everything has been modified or upgraded
Everything
Top to bottom. Front to back.
I've always been a Buick, Olds,
Pontiac, & Chevy fan.
I grew up driving full size
rear wheel drive GM cars...
When Chevrolet reintroduced
the Impala SS in 1994,
I thought GM nailed it.
The LT1, leather interior,
center console, 17" wheels, etc...
Do you remember the Darth Vader ads?
These ads were great!
What I have done is to build
what I think the
Buick Motorsports Division
"might have built"
if they were to build a
Gran Sport Roadmaster
back in 1994 when GM
reintroduced the Impala SS.
I tried to keep the Gran Sport Theme
true to the great
Gran Sports of the '60's & '70's.
There are a lot of custom parts,
and a lot of modifications,
all of which were available
in the mid-nineties.
I hope you enjoy looking at my project.
She was fun to build.
She's a blast to drive too!
Modifications:
Engine
LT1 5.7 Liter Generation II Reverse-Flow-Cooling V8
RAISS Ram Air Intake System w/ Air Force 2 Deflector
Ceramic Coated Corvette Short Ram Dual Intake Pipe
Dual K&N Filters w/ Outerwears Pre-filters
52mm BBK Throttle Body
F-Body 3.5" GM MAF w/ Granatelli Composite MAF Housing
Meziere Electric Water Pump w/ Red Powdercoated Body
Samco Sport Red Silicone Coolant Hoses
Scorpion 1.6 Ratio Aluminum Full Roller Rocker Arms
GMPP LS2 / LS6 Yellow Beehive Valve Springs
MSD OptiSpark Cap & Rotor
Hypertech 53,000 Volt Coil
Taylor ThunderVolt 8.2mm Spark Plug Wires
Chrome "Tuff Stuff" Alternator
Optima Battery w/ Cutom "Buick-Logo" Billet Holder
Autometer Fuel Pressure Gauge
Six Speed F-Body EGR & Solenoid
PCM Programming by Bryan Herter @ pcmforless.com
LT4 Composite Valve Covers w/ Chrome Hardware
Red Corvette "Smoothie" Fuel Rail Covers by Kewlauto
Delco Corvette High Torque Starter
Exhaust
Clear Image Automotive Tri-Y
-Ceramic Coated Headers
Random Technologies 2.5" High Flow Cats
Hooker Super Comp 2.5" Cat Back Exhaust
Hooker Aerochamber Mufflers
Summit Racing H-Pipe
Polished Stainless Steel Exhaust Tips
Transmission
Performance Built 4L60E
Edge Racing 3000 Stall Torque Converter
Bowtie Overdrives Tubular Trans Cross Member
-In Red Powdercoat
Hughes Finned Aluminum Trans Pan
TransGo Shift Kit
Suspension
Energy Suspension Poly-Graphite Bushings
-replace all rubber bushings
Eibach "Impala SS" Lowering Springs
Red Powdercoated Impala SS Swaybars
Bilstein Shock Absorbers
UMI Performance Red Powdercoated
-Upper & Lower Rear Control Arms
Moog Problem Solver Parts
-replace all other wear items.
Driveline
Metco Red Powdercoated Driveshaft Safety Loop
Eaton Posi Carrier
3.73 Gears w/ GM ABS Reluctor
Interior
200 MPH Speedometer / Custom White Gauge Cluster
Original Mint Gray Leather Interior
Modified Driver's Seat for Center Console Conversion
Center Console / Floor Shifter Conversion
Column Shift Handle Deleted
Dash Gear Indicator now functions w/ Floor Shifter
Custom Gray Leather Shifter Boot
MBA Billet Aluminum Pedals
Stock Stereo Modified w/ MP3 Jack & CD Changer
A-Pillar Gauge Pod w/ Autometer Arctic White Gauges
"Gran Sport" Embroidered Floor Mats
Headrest GS Logos by SLP
Miscellaneous Gran Sport & LT1 Emblems
Exterior
Original Dark Jadestone Metallic Paint
New Grille with the word BUICK deleted
Flat Buick Tri-Shield Hood Ornament
LT1 Emblems by Car Motorsports
Custom "Ram Air" Badges Painted by Brodude
1990's Buick Regal "Gran Sport" Emblems
ROADMONSTER Trunk Insignia
Front License Plate Bracket Delete
Pin-Striping by Spider-Man, Mackie, Brodude, & Monk
Brakes
Stainless Steel Brake Co. (SSBC) "Force 10" Calipers
BAER Brakes Decelarotors Rotors
Goodridge G-Stop Braided Stainless Brake Lines
Wheels & Tires
Vintage 1990's O-Z Racing Nova ST 18" x 8.5" Wheels
Pirelli Assimetrico 285 40 18 Tires all around
Custom Billet Aluminum
Seat Belt Anchor Covers w/ Engraved Buick Logos
Accelerator, Brake, & Parking Brake Pedals
Turn Signal / Cruise Control Lever Cover
Steering Wheel Tilt Lever
Door Pulls / Handles
Hazard Button
Radio Knobs
Coat Hooks
Hood Strut Covers
Fire Extinguisher Bracket
Hood Strut Support Brackets
Buick Tri-Shield Optima Battery Holder
Buick Tri-Shield PCM (Computer) Holder
Coolant Cap w/ Engraved Buick Tri-Shield Logo
Power Steering Cap w/ Engraved Buick Tri-Shield Logo
Windshield Washer Reservoir Cap w/ Engraved Buick Logo
Latest Modifications!
Samco Sport Red Silicone Coolant Hoses
Pinstriping on Fire Extinguisher
Custom 200 MPH Speedometer
Billet Turn Signal Lever Cover
Modified Sail Panel Emblems
New "RAM AIR" Decal for Ram Air System
Buick Motorsports Hood Liner Decal
Billet PCM Bracket w/ Buick Logo
(made to match my Optima Battery Holder below)
(see page 8 for vendor info)
See page 9 for more mods.
Future Plans:
I am hard at work & sweating the details!
See page 14
Stop by and see what monstrous
modifications I have planned!
NEW!!!
My very own website:
LINK to roadmonster.org
The site is up & running.
That said,
I have a lot of work to do...
Current & Past modifications:
See page 9
I never intended to build
a show quality RoadMonster...
But that's what I built...
The project got carried away...
...Has that ever happened to you?
The RoadMonster has
been invited to the prestigious
February 13th & 14th 2010
It's gonna be a GREAT time!
(See page 21 for details)
Awards & Trophies
-Invitation to: "The 4th Annual Salem Roadster Show" February 13 & 14, 2010
-"1st Place Nicest 90's & Up" Stop & Smell the Roadsters Show September 13, 2009
-"Second Place: 1980-2009" 99W Car Show. McMinnville, OR August 8, 2009
-"Top 20 Award" Northwest All Chevy / GM Car Show July 12, 2009
-"Best Full Size Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile" All GM Car Show July 12, 2009
-"Best 1990's" "Cruise-In 4 Life" Car Show & Tractor Pull July 11, 2009
-"Best Engine" 4th Annual Knights of Columbus Car Show June 6, 2009
-"1990's Decade Winner" Texaco Car of the Decades October 3, 2008
-"2nd Place Nicest 90's & Up" Stop & Smell the Roadsters Show September 7,2008
-"3rd Place 1965-2008 Modified" Buick COA NW Regionals August 17, 2008
-"Best Engine" Day in the Park Tom Newton Car Show. Dallas, OR July 27, 2008
-"1st Place: 1980-2008" 99W Car Show McMinnville, OR Aug 9, 2008
-"Best Full Size Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile" All GM Car Show July 13, 2008
-"Dare to be Different" Les Schwab "Best of the NW" Car Show July 12, 2008
-"Best of 1980-2008" Dallas Cruisers Traffic Jam Car Show June 21, 2008
-"Showoff of the Week" CarDomain January 7, 2008
-"1st Place 1988-2007" Buick Club of America Meet Car Show August 19, 2007
-"Best of 1980-2007" Dallas Cruisers Traffic Jam Car Show May 19, 2007
-"Dare to be Different" Parr Lumber's 4th Annual Car Show August 5, 2006
(See pages 16-21 for more show pics)
2008 Texaco Car of the Decades
1990's Decade Winner
(See pg 10 for Texaco Contest Info.)
Jack likes Roadmasters too!
See page 10 for History.
Here are 24 pages
with over 3000 photos
documenting the modifications and restoration
required to build the RoadMonster.
I have included car show / cruise-in pics too.
I hope you enjoy my CarDomain page!
"Special Thanks" to:
My daughter Sam who made the
"Buick Tri-Shield On-Fire" Logos.
She also helps me with the car show
display set up and tear down,
& provides artistic advice on modifications.
Also to my son Rob who helped me
build the car & also does most of
the pre and post-show detailing.
Thanks to my friend Angel for letting
me bounce ideas off of him,
& for giving me excellent advice
& technical assistance!
Thanks Kevin my friend, for providing
feedback & and for sharing your unique
perspective on all things automotive!
Thanks to my friend Kenny for
giving me prompt feedback & advice
on all of the work done to this car!
Thanks to my friend Cesar for all of
the beautiful embroidery work!
Thanks to my friend Nes for all the excellent
art work, photoshop, and Vexel images!
Thanks to my brother in law Scott for
convincing me to show the car.
Thanks to John Coyle at CarDomain for
blogging on the RoadMonster.
Not once, but twice!
Finally, thanks to my wife Christine,
who allows me to spend time & money
on this project, even when both are tight.
She also provides advice on modifications on the car,
and keeps tabs on the CarDomain page for me.
Thank you all very much!
Many thanks to all of you who
have visited my CarDomain page!
The RoadMonster's ride page has
had well over 250,000 hits
since it's creation back
in November '04!
page 1....................Introduction You Are Here
page 2....................Gran Sport Theme
page 3....................Interior & Trunk
page 4....................Under The Hood
page 5....................Transmission
page 6....................Wheels, Tires & Suspension
page 7....................Headers & Exhaust
page 8....................Recommended Vendors
page 9....................Modifications
page 10..................History
page 11..................Restoration & Help
page 12..................Part Numbers
page 13..................Art & 1:25 Scale Model
page 14..................Future Plans
page 15..................200 MPH Speedometer
page 16..................Shows 2006
page 17..................Shows 2007
page 18..................Shows 2008
page 19..................Shows 2009
page 20..................4th Annual Salem Roadster Show
page 21..................Upcoming Shows 2010
page 22..................Attended Shows 2010
page 23..................roadmonster.org
page 24..................page under construction
