Building a dream

how expensive are wrecked MX-5's where you live? i can get a perfect doner around here for maybe $800-1200 rememeber other than motor tranny, IRS (something you don't get with a sierra build) pedals and the guage cluster you don't use much out of the doner

I haven't got any good resource for getting a price quote on a wrecked MX-5, but the cheapest working one I can find is 45 000 sek (~7000 usd) so I don't think a wreck will be that cheap. Maybe 10 000 - 15 000 sek compared to 2 000 - 3 000 sek for a Sierra.

That depends on what your donor is. If it has a narrow track for example, you could use the steering rack. There are lots of potential bits to be robbed off of a donor by a creative builder. I wouldn't go with a Sierra unless you were instant at following a recipe and were quite happy to have a big fat Pinto engine in the front. Still a knackered Sierra can be had for pretty much nothing... so why not?

I like the whole "one kit, one donor" idea, and a Zetec conversion shouldn't be too hard.
 
Well guys, I got a new beater, and I have a new dream :D.

Here she is, in all her "grandpa car" glory:
IMG_1649.jpg


A 1978 Ford Fairmont. What's so glorious about a $600 Fairmont? Well, it's a Fox-Body car. As in, '79-'04 Mustang and half the shit Ford built in the '80s platform. With a 302cid V8 and a C4 automatic. Parts grow on trees for this thing. And the baby blue/rusty hue sedan has all the makings of an epic sleeper. I've already got shorty headers, a Holley 670cfm carb and an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake for it (cost me $350 total). A decent cam, coil and a 8.8in limited-slip stang rear end and I'll be in business.

IMG_1654.jpg

So it could use a little cleaning up ...

I'm going to look into what it would take to stick a 4 or 5 speed manual into this car, and I know there's a lot I can do with the suspension. Can you imagine seeing this thing flying around the road course at Heartland Park? That's my dream today.
 
I love sleepers. I can imagine the faces of the people when they lose to grandpa's car.
 
Well guys, I got a new beater, and I have a new dream :D.

Here she is, in all her "grandpa car" glory:
IMG_1649.jpg


A 1978 Ford Fairmont. What's so glorious about a $600 Fairmont? Well, it's a Fox-Body car. As in, '79-'04 Mustang and half the shit Ford built in the '80s platform. With a 302cid V8 and a C4 automatic. Parts grow on trees for this thing. And the baby blue/rusty hue sedan has all the makings of an epic sleeper. I've already got shorty headers, a Holley 670cfm carb and an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake for it (cost me $350 total). A decent cam, coil and a 8.8in limited-slip stang rear end and I'll be in business.

IMG_1654.jpg

So it could use a little cleaning up ...

I'm going to look into what it would take to stick a 4 or 5 speed manual into this car, and I know there's a lot I can do with the suspension. Can you imagine seeing this thing flying around the road course at Heartland Park? That's my dream today.

That is amazing... I would so do that.
 
So it could use a little cleaning up ...

you talking exterior-wise or just the internals? because if you want sleeper, rusted, old, matte finished paint is the best.

you've probably seen this right?
ssb-44.jpg

Nova%20latest01.jpg


1250hp coming out of a 402c.i. twin Rotrex supercharged LS2.
 
you talking exterior-wise or just the internals? because if you want sleeper, rusted, old, matte finished paint is the best.

you've probably seen this right?
ssb-44.jpg

Nova%20latest01.jpg


1250hp coming out of a 402c.i. twin Rotrex supercharged LS2.

also dual fuel systems for high and low boost
 
base 2001-present Toyota Tacoma single cab (can't find big enough picture of 2001-2004 Tacoma):
800px-05-07_Toyota_Tacoma_regcab.jpg


-rear end, 6-speed, and TRD suspension ripped from the TRD Supra 3000GT
-3UZ-FE 4.3L V8
-Kenne Bell 2.6 twin screw
-Baer Claw GT-Plus twin piston calipers with 14" rotors
-slightly wider front and rear fenders made out of carbon fiber
-functional reproduction carbon fiber X-Runner hood
-carbon fiber tailgate
-rear roll-pan with a relocation of license plate up to the center of tailgate (no, not cock-eyed like a mini-trucker would do) and dual cutouts
-dual HKS Hi-Power exhaust
 
New one, a DAF 66 Coupe.
http://img526.imageshack.**/img526/3963/66m13004qk7.jpg
I always liked the look of these cars, It was based on a Michelotti design (Daf 55) with a modernised front and rear. The car gained notoriety in rallies in the 1970s, mainly because of the CVT transmission. Too bad the top model only had a 57ps 1300cc engine with DAF Variomatic CVT transmission, seriously hampering performance. I intend to fix that :)
Because it's a relatively small car, a smallblock would be a relatively tight squeeze, so a bike engine is another good choice, also because of their relatively compact gearboxes (the standard CVT in these cars was also pretty compact). Diff and suspension will get a thorough overhaul to cope with the increase in performance, of course. Outside shouls look pretty much like the car in the photograph above, although the bootlid could use a matte black plastic bootlid spoiler, like the ones that were commonplace in the 1970s. Fenders need a bit of widening to accomodate a wider track and tires. Interior gets a rollcage and 2 semi-racing seats fitted with 4-point racing harnesses.
 
Because it's a relatively small car, a smallblock would be a relatively tight squeeze, so a bike engine is another good choice, also because of their relatively compact gearboxes (the standard CVT in these cars was also pretty compact).

You wouldn't be keeping the CVT? :(
 
You wouldn't be keeping the CVT? :(

Neh, those old CVTs ate a lot of power, and i don't think it'll be able to handle the output of a bike engine. Not to mention how hard it is to mate a bike engine to a car transmission. It's better to mount them with the transmission.
 
1965 ford mustang.
4 litre straight six from ford falcon XR6 turbo.
Engine built to handle 1000+hp.
Garrett GT42R turbo.
Ford C4 gearbox.
Ford nine inch diff.
RRS suspension including 3 link rear end.
Standard interior with auto meter guages replacing the standard gauges and simspson race harnesses.
Badges and chrome strips removed cleaning up the look of the car.
Pretty much a 9 second street car.
 
Neh, those old CVTs ate a lot of power, and i don't think it'll be able to handle the output of a bike engine. Not to mention how hard it is to mate a bike engine to a car transmission. It's better to mount them with the transmission.

All true, but it seems a shame to ditch possibly the cars main defining feature.
 
I'd like to build a modern tribute to the GNX. Take a new Cadillac CTS and give it a whole new body, like Saleen did with GTO's for the Transformers movie. It's hard to describe what it would look like... I'd need someone to sketch it out for me. But it basically would be muscular yet sleek coupe with some cues from the 87 GNX.

Here is a concept picture somone else came up with. It's not what I would do, but it gives you an idea.

https://pic.armedcats.net/2008/02/06/gnxconcept8w.jpg

I'd keep the new 3.6 LTT V6 and outfit it with twin turbos and whatever other improvemnts would be needed to make atleast 400hp with 450 being the goal.
 
you talking exterior-wise or just the internals? because if you want sleeper, rusted, old, matte finished paint is the best.

you've probably seen this right?
...delicious Nova pics...

1250hp coming out of a 402c.i. twin Rotrex supercharged LS2.
I remember that as "SuperNova", one of the Car Craft editors toys. Didn't follow it after Hot Rod got a hold of it though. Heh, Car Craft probably stuck 7-8 different engines it. When they bought it, it was a 6 cylinder, Powerglide, 10 bolt car. They promptly stuck some balls-to-the-wall small block in it, and killed the powerglide with just one or two 1/4 mile passes :lol:. IIRC, they had a carb'd, turbocharged big block in there later. Doesn't look like that was fast enough for the, "budget, what budget?" Hot Rod guys though haha.

Anywho, I like the patina of the car well enough (and I've gotten tired of spray painting cars flat black). There's a little bit of rust starting in the rockers, and I'm a little wary of what's behind those chrome strips, but it's nothing a little filler, fiberglass and a touch of primer can't fix. I won't do the whole car though.

The car itself has just under 80k miles on it; it really was a grandpa's car. I'm not too ambitious in my quest for power, so the factory short block won't be touched. It's got to be a daily driver, and right about 350hp should be more than enough. I'm more interested in what I can do to make this thing turn, and what my transmission options are anyway.
 
1965 ford mustang.
4 litre straight six from ford falcon XR6 turbo.
.

OH that reminds me of yet another one I wanted to do...

impala.jpg


1996 Chevy Impala SS
4.2 liter straight six from Trailblazer (with VVT on exhaust as well as intake cams). Rebuilt with Total seal top rings, Forged rods and 8:1 pistons, built to run a vacuum/drysump pump. Custom ITB manifold with integrated water 2 air intercoolers. Cylinder heads heavily reworked to handle as much compression as possible on 89 octane (I want a dead solid reliable 91 octane running motor).
Twin GT28RS Turbos, or something slightly bigger, though 600hp is plenty for me in a street cruiser.
GM's New 6 speed Auto

Front and rear suspension would likely be adapted from the Corvette, converted to coil-overs and built to be comfortable with as good as handling as one could expect from a 2 ton brick. Other option might be to adapt Cadillac CTS/STS suspension.

Brakes, anyone got the part numbers for the ZR-1 units yet? :D

HEAVILY reworked interior, both in design and quality, no idea what I'd do exactly. It would be simple, yet comfortable I know that much.
 
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I'd like to build an Impala as well. I'd do the same with Corvette suspension, only I'd opt for a supercharged LS2 and 6 speed auto under the hood. Maybe dress it up like a cop car and sacre the living fuck out people.
 
My dream:

1. Build this car.

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2. Add a grille guard off a Crown Vic. Jack up the rear suspension, put off-road tires on it (or most likely keep the white-lettered ones on there). Swap the auto out for a 4-speed with Hurst pistol grip, natch. Tint the windows pitch black, strap a pair of KC Daylighters to the grille. Why? Because I freakin' can, that's why. Read this site again for inspiration.

3. Wait for the apocalypse to come.

4. Profit. Hope that I won't be mistaken for an angsty goth kid; you know, the type that has an unhealthy obsession with hearses and grave markings.
 
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My dream:

1. Build this car.

b4ea_3.JPG


...

3. Wait for the apocalypse to come.

4. Profit. Hope that I won't be mistaken for an angsty goth kid; you know, the type that has an unhealthy obsession with hearses and grave markings.

Time? Is it already that... time again?
EP2car1.jpg
 
FoxBody or SN95 Mustang inspired by Troy Trepanier's 1932 Quadraduce Ford Roadster.
Troy%20Trepanier3970371818_quadraduce2.jpg


what Troy did is use the GMC SyTy AWD system and mated it to a 650hp SBC.

i'm too half awake to think of anything else right now. i'll get back to you about this when i wake up fully.
 
ok, here we go.....

FoxBody or SN95 Mustang (preferably LX body style with the FoxBody):
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-GMC SyTy transfer case complete with lightweight driveshafts
-Nelson Racing Engines 572 with 680hp mated to a 6L80
 
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