I am starting a new project and thought I would share for those that may also be interested in my twisted plan. I am an avid musclecar fan and have had a 69 Camaro, 70 Chevelle, and two different 70 Camaros (still have one of them), along with a lot of late model muscle as well. I also have an interest in some Rat Rods...when done right. "Right" for me is modern suspension,wheels/tires, brakes, and driveline - in a Rat Rod shell. All of my previous cars were setup this way with a modern flair on a timeless body style. What makes this build so ambitious is that I want to combine a lot of features into one build, more than I ever have before. Kind of like a semi-Rat Rod/Classic/Pro Touring car with focus on streetability and handling. What makes this so ambitious? The must haves. Key elements I want to implement in this build are: turbo LS power, manual trans, rear IRS, and 345's out back.
While most of my previous cars were muscle cars/Pro Touring style, I have always loved how a 53/54 Bel Air looks layed out. This is usually done with some kind of linked rear end and either a Mustang II based front IRS or a grafted GM front subframe, combined with air bags. This combo rides nice and is the simplest way to update the suspension....but I want it to really handle too. Like a late model. I want people to point at the big, curvy 50's era car hauling ass around a road course or Autocross and putting down impressive numbers. And I don't plan to spend a ton of money to do it. In fact, I am hoping to do it with mostly stuff I have lying around my shop. Stuff I have collected over the years because it was a "good deal" or was leftover from a previous project.
So before I even started to look for a car I put a basic plan together. There are things that absolutely must happen to satisfy my "wants" and then things that I can hopefully make work. Everything else will have to be figured out along the way.
Here are things I already have in my "inventory" that I hope to use in this build:
· An aluminum L92 6.2L truck motor. I had this in a late model truck I built. It already has a Comp custom turbo grind cam, valve springs, and timing set. The motor had overheated and just needs gone through to make sure it is still in good shape. This motor made 420 to the rear wheels through the trucks' 4L65E trans NA. Hoping for an easy 550-600 with the turbo and manual trans.
· A 68mm T4 Turbonetics turbo. This may be too small ultimately but I am more interested in keeping good throttle response with the turbo than with peak horsepower. If it does end up being too small I can swap it later but it will get things going in the meantime. I also have a large Precision wastegate that I can use.
· A Speartech intercooler. Not sure if this will work but it's worth a shot.
· A built T56 6-speed manual from a 4th Gen Camaro with a Spec dual disc clutch.
· A complete front and rear C5 suspension with brakes. These were originally planned for my 70 Camaro but now I want to make them work in this car, if possible. I have literally had these for 15 years...
· Front and rear C6 Z06 calipers and rotors
· A brand new Viper differential. A race team was selling these for $250 each on Ebay about 8 years ago and I picked up two of them.
· A set of Viking coil-overs and a set of QA1 coil-overs. I think both are 4.25" stroke.
· A 4" PST aluminum driveshaft with billet yoke and 1350 series joints. I had this made for my late model truck about 6 years ago and never used it. I think I can just have it shortened and it will work fine.
· I also have a lot of little things that can be used. Things that add up and slow a project down. I hope to make use of a lot of the following if possible just because I have them already: A Summit aluminum rear battery box, lots of 3" stainless mandrels and straight tubing for the exhaust, a whole box of Ebay aluminum 2.5" and 3" mandrel bends for intercooler plumbing, black braided line and various fittings, lots of various polyurethane bushings for making motor mounts, etc.
So.... LS turbo power, manual trans, IFS and IRS, big brakes, big tires....big car. Should be a lot of fun.
I found a car on Craigslist after searching for about 3 months. It was down in South Florida (I live in the TampaBay area) and from the pictures and phone conversations it seemed to be just what I was looking for - a complete car with all the trim and interior, minus a motor and trans. Unfortunately it was more than I was wanting to spend though so I had to get creative. I had a 2007 Silverado that was worth about $6500 according to KBB.com and the guy wanted $8000 for the car. Hesitantly I offered him a title swap and he agreed.
I can't complain about the car. The bumpers, grille, trim, interior, glass, etc. are all in perfect shape and everything works. This is a 64 year old car so the rockers and lower quarters are in rough shape but the floorpan is completely solid. The paint is decent but there is lots of bondo in the lower half of the car. It's a perfect 20 footer.
^The ad on Craigslist:
^Me leaving with my truck to trade the guy:
^Not a very good start to this project. This happened coming back with the car.....the rear straps broke about 5 miles from home, letting the car roll forward and fall off the trailer, destroying the trailer jack and my truck bumper. Oh well, this sucked but I guess it could have been much worse. The car survived without any damage and fortunately no damage to my tailgate either. On with the project...[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE]