Lateral-g project car on a budget.

[ottatyme]

Originally Posted by JayR

Since this is a budget, I'd keep it on the frame and since the emphasis around here is on turning and stopping, I'd start pricing bolt-on suspension upgrades and maybe a junkyard brake swap from late F-body or Corvette. Then some bolt-ons for the motor like i mentioned before, carb/intake/headers/exhaust
Maybe check the classifieds here and at "the other site" for any A-body stuff as well as Olds forums for motor stuff.
Doing one mod at a time and following it through would keep it affordable and from being torn apart for months at a time and make it interesting to follow along with. You could also test-drive and evaluate each modification.

Since it's a Cutlass S, how about S Curves for a name?

Excellent points, Jason.
I'd also begin with suspension, but add replacing the body mounts with something good and stiff to help isolate the suspension. It may be extremely beneficial to make the most of junkyard swaps, as there are a ton of great factory parts waiting to be exploited. I think that a mix of great factory performance items with complimentary aftermarket stuff will make this project EXTREMELY interesting, and generate some creatiuve thought.

Attacking the project one system at a time will be a great service to anyone new to building a project, and the tech info generated alone will be invaluable. How about turning this into a "budget build book"? Hell, we publish the final build in pdf format and.... ok, a little ahead of myself here, but you can't deny the value of such documentation!

Having a background in project management automatically makes me think "schedule, schedule, schedule", and a detailed look at the disassembly and organization of this project will help all of the rookie builders... as well as creating a pre-made list of items that can be sold/bartered to further fund the project.

"S Curves" is a killer name, too.