Let me be the first to apologize for not posting in the introductions section, but I figure this could serve as that purpose as well.
My name is Spaze and I'm an addicted to gas, rubber, and speed. I've owned subaru's, corvettes, bmw's, mustangs, and driven just about anything I could get my hands on. When I was looking for my next project I wanted something that the great state of California couldn't hassle me for building, and I had a hankering for a classic... So I did something stupid and bought this!
My, ever so understanding, wife spent the day with me and drove our car 4+ hours to pick it up and follow me home. About half way home after we stopped for lunch she pulled into a gas station with me and came out with a cold bottle of water and some ear plugs. It was 95 degrees out and we were about to sit in traffic on the way home.... With no A/C, a leaking exhaust, and being loud as hell this was a welcome gift.
So over the next 6 months the car sat in my garage, and in that time we finally got all our stuff and moved into the house/garage. I picked at it in that time, removing parts, and noticing the car was mainly held together by self tapping screws, was originally a manual (I found a clutch pedal under the carpet) had probably been in at least two accidents and was assembled from 2-3 donor cars over the years.
About a month ago i finally got serious and removed the drivetrain
Once that was done I called best of show coachworks and asked them if they had any availability. Sure enough they did! So the last month, I finished stripping the chassis (mostly) and last weekend I built a dolly because yesterday, the nicest tow operator I've ever met took her from my garage to BOS.
I wish I could tell you guys I have 10% the fabrication skills I see on here. But sadly, I don't. I have never really learned to weld and if I want something to look good, I better pay someone else to do it. Which is why I'm excited the car is being worked on by the guys at BOS. I know I'll get back a quality product. What I am good at, is bolting things together (eg following instructions), I'm not terrible at wiring and I can drive fast
.
But the "plan" is something like this
Drivetrain:
Cheaper 5.3 LS motor (Hp goals of 350-420hp, nothing crazy)
T56 or 8hp70 (the 8hp's are cheap, but getting the downblip is still a mystery)
10 bolt with LSD, c-clip eliminators
Suspension:
Speedtech (Extreme subrame and torque arm if I can afford both)
Interior:
I'm still mulling over full cage. These cars are death traps, and I guess I'd rather be forced to wear a helmet than die from being T-boned by a house cat.
Race seats, 5-6 point harnesses, digital dash of some sort.
Exterior:
Full fiberglass - hood, fenders, doors, trunk, everything. But no cage would mean I keep the heavy steel doors
I'd love flared fenders like Hobaugh’s car... but odds are that'll be a little outside my budget. they are also something I could do later if I wanted.
Goal:
sub 3500lbs wet, reasonably fast, reliable fun car and something that the state of cali cant say or do anything about.
Reality will be this:
I'll spend money getting the chassis done, then I'll drag my feet doing everything else 1/2 assed only to send it back to the BOS to finish it in 5 years