Obscure Cars?

[Young Gun]

Currently I'm building a 70 nova with my father...but thats his car...and with that said, I want my own to wrench on...I dont have big bucks to spend on a chevell, camaro, mustang or anything in those ranks, and im not much of a G body fan either, with all that laid down Im coming to yall for some ideas. I want to come up with a somewhat obscure car that isnt too expensive since it isnt mainstream really. I would like something that is pre 1970 and I want to make it into a pro touring/ g-machine, I cant decide which yet... preferably i would like it to be a front engine, rear wheel drive car... Anybody got any ideas?

-YG-

[MonzaRacer]

Well do you want big car or little car, fast car or one that can turn a corner and cruise?
also are you tied to not cross breeding the driveline?
A very sweet bigger car that with proper parts can be made to turn a corner is the late 60s full size Pontiac.
I have a 69 Ventura (same as a Catalina) it a Pontiac.
There are mid 60s galaxies, I have budy with a 1963 Ford 300 2 dr. Its in very good shape and could be a very cool cruiser. You could also look at mid 60s Impallas, or even the X body clones(Nove lookalaikes) from the late 70s.
big thing is getting a carthat has some fan base so you can get parts or atleast cross bread parts like an older A body from Olds, Buick, Pontiac.
Another one I have only seen one of is the 79-up B bodies, swap in warmed over LT power from Impallas and the better springs nad wheels and have a neat older corner burner.
Oh and dont be afrain d to dare to be different.
I have a 77 Monza and theaftermarket for them suck a$$. So I get to make,kix and match parts for it.
Good lUck

[Steve Chryssos]

Four door Nova from the mid seventies.

[Norm Peterson]

For something smaller and definitely different, 1964-ish Dodge Dart. If "front engine" is somewhat negotiable, Corvair.


Norm

[hectore3]

Go with a pre 1975 Olds Cutlass or Buick Skylarks or Specials. All of them are A-body cars so all the common suspension and other goodies bolt right up. So many people are passing these gems up for the all to common GTO's and Chevelles.

[sunkistcamaro]

I first started to read your thread and I was really confused. I thought you were the other Young Gun on this site. I had to go to the members list to see that I wasn't loosing my mind :hammer: .
As for your car choice I think it would be really cool to have a pro-touring pinto. It would be like a go-cart! Im sure you can put any engine in that you want.
Just a idea.
http://www.kcrscca.org/arch00/images/bb_41.jpg

[dannyho]

the mid to late 60's A bodies, including cudas aren't too expensive, and there have been some people on this board who've come up with some really nice designs of them. and then you get to be part of the mopar club:seizure:

[bobbaganoosh]

I'd go for a '64-'69 Rambler American. I've always thought those things were neat little cars, and they are usually pretty cheap because they were kind of an econobox of the day. They were available with v-8's so one could be swapped in if it was a 6 cyl car. Radrambler has one on here, I like his car alot. I'd like to get one but I'm afraid if I came home with another car I'd find myself divorced.:slap:

[MonzaRacer]

Offthe walland hard to get good parts for:

[MonzaRacer]

The yellow one had a problem with a blown tire and a tree. The blue one is gonna be a pro touring car I hope soon.Still working on drive line options for the new (blue ) car.
working on a bolt in 4 link rear suspension and air ride so it can turn with the best of them and ride good.
All on a budget,,,A VERY small budget.

[Tony_SS]

67 Skylark

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2007/07/georges67gssidebridge-1.jpg

[Young Gun]

i would love a 67 skylark...i havent been able to find one without any real rust for under 9k...yet i was looking around today...i found a 1967 austin healy sprite for about 3600...it runs, no rust and only needs minor body work...after initially poo pooing the idea, i realized that the shelby cobra came from a similar idea...it was developed from the AC Ace Sport...niether the Austin Healy or the AC Ace, sport big big muscle engines...soo If possible im thinking of dropping a SBC into an Austin Healy, putting a narrowed 9" rear inthe back and sticking a powerglide in...I need to do a bit more research, but do yall think it could work?

[KWIKND]

Healy's are cool and very light, aluminum and all.

Dan

[Norm Peterson]

Sorry, but the Sprites are all steel. Not that there's a lot of it - you can have only so much in 80" wheelbase, 48-ish track, and ~1400 lbs curb.

I'd best describe the Sprite (and it's MG Midget twin in later years) as being one size smaller than the MGB, which is more of a Sunbeam Tiger/AC Ace/Shelby Cobra size chassis.

Somewhere I still have a couple of magazine articles where somebody shoehorned a SB Ford or Chevy into a Sprite, and I've considered doing something similar more than once. Any way you slice it, it's going to be a bit nose-heavy, so I'd look to either the SBF, an LS?, or all-aluminum 60° V6 of around 3.5 liters as alternatives. The 60° engine would more than likely involve less footbox "massaging", and would be the lightest of the bunch. Even a Honda S2000 powertrain (remember, that would be in a car of half the S2K's weight).

The early Sprites have also had Mazda rotaries swapped in, and one of the top E-Mod SCCA autocross cars had a 2-rotor in it. Then the guy got serious (read 3-rotor). Last I heard, it either was for sale or had been sold.


Norm

[68Formula]

How about a 60's Falcon. I think they are still pretty cheap and share suspensions with the early Mustangs.

[Pro-touring towncar]

How about a 60's Falcon. I think they are still pretty cheap and share suspensions with the early Mustangs.

Haven't one of those been done before. How about the 64 Fairlane (t-bolt type)

Tim

[KWIKND]

Sorry, but the Sprites are all steel.
Norm

Can't say as I have ever seen a Sprite. I am more familiar with the MK's
My brother has one with a C3 SBC and trans. It really needs a mini tub and some more rubber under it if you know what I mean.

Dan

[jasonsnova]

early 70's vega....looks like a mini camaro! sbc fit...but would be bad a$$ with a lsx motor!

[SimplyKC]

A Sprite, as seen here:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

Is not going to have the room for a V8 conversion. A more common platform might be something like a 3000 as seen in this article:

http://www.britishv8.org/Other/JimBoles.htm

There are fiberglass kit cars of these....so, in my book, they aren't really that unique.

And a Powerglide doesn't seem to keep the spirit of those cars alive. While I love my V8s, I'd rather have a turbo 4 cylinder and a 5-speed in a small car like that.

Here's a sSprite with an S2000 conversion:

http://www.britishv8.org/Other/VTEC-Sprite.htm

It seems something like this would be a good starting point for a project:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Nova-1966-CHevY-Nova-283-similar-to-67-66-Nice-Car_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6172QQihZ012QQitemZ 220123089668QQrdZ1

I expect to see those cars really going up in value soon. I know you aren't thinking about re-sell at a later date at the moment, but the more "odd" your choice in a platform, the less desirable it will be to the next guy, which may help fund the next car you want. I encourage you to not get "too weird" in choosing a car to PT....like a Rambler or a Nash or somthing.

[MonzaRacer]

Actually if I had my druthers, in a smallish car how about a hot rodded Quad 4/Twin Cam from GM and a turbo maybe? the 2.3 DOHC HO was 190 hp stock and would rev to 7200rpm in a heartbeat.
My buddy had 88 Beretta GT 5 speed and it would flat scream!.
Team it up with a built 700R4 with Corvette internals. A turbo would make some insane power.
Local fella has a 2.3 190hp HO with a small turbo intercooler and its putting 741 to the rear wheels.
Its in an 84 Fiero.
His second is a former Northstar powered unit that ate head gaskets at 170 mph (previous owner was racing and ran from cops till engine blew) so it already had beefed up Caddy transaxle and this guy did some cross breeding of 2.4 Twin Cam and Quad 4 parts nad stroked oit and has a nearly 3 liter 4 cyl making over 1400 hp to the wheels!.
Insane I tell ya!!!!!!

[showa]

The Pinto has some racing heritage in the Trans-Am....
http://www.bsedan.com/

If open to Foreign cars, look at Opel GT...

[WhiteG240]

How about a late 2nd Gen F-Body. You can still pick them up fairly cheap, and the aftermarket is starting to grow. Not to mention the resale value is also increasing...

[DarkBuddha]

If you want something more unusual in the scene, I agree with looking for something european. Not that you'll find one anywhere, but I'm eventually planning to do up my father's German Ford OSI:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif (http://img15.imageshack.us/my.php?image=osi28rg.jpg)


Or consider an old Alfa Giulietta or Giulia, or maybe an old Porsche 356 or 912.

http://www.classicargarage.com/common/pictures/history/alfa-romeo/giulietta-sprint.jpg http://users.skynet.be/alfaromeo/pics/alfagiuliaGTAtipo10502A-65.jpg

Or, and I've thought about this a lot lately... find a cool kit car to redo and do it right. Something like these:

http://members.cox.net/rarevair/gt43.gif


This one is actually for sale... but pricey at $19.5K

http://images.traderonline.com/img//img/10/plcnad/5432554/89108850_1.jpg

[Johnny Blaze]

This would be cool!

http://www.wyomingclassiccars.com/InventoryDetail.aspx?WBVehicleID=590#

[79_GBody]

early 70's vega....looks like a mini camaro! sbc fit...but would be bad a$$ with a lsx motor!

http://www.ls1vega.com/images/71_GT/index.html

Not mines just thought about it when you said it...and there's actually quite a few on the net.

[Tom Welch]

Lincoln MkVIII, Datsun 510 sedan, BMW 320 with LSX conversion, S-10 Blazer with LSX conversion, or the ultimate Pro-touring car, the Saab Sonnet, LMAO on this one. The others would be cool.

[showa]

Do the Sonnet with a big bad snowmobile 2 stroke...LOL

[Restomod]

Wyatt is the GT40 looking car a VW based car called a Valykrie or something?? They are tiny............

[vanzuuk1]

Any cop car from the dirty harry era, whip antennae and all. Drilled dog dish hupcaps and a bench seat. Killer 440 mopar or 429 ford.

[Rick Dorion]

Or the Men In Black car.

[DarkBuddha]

Wyatt is the GT40 looking car a VW based car called a Valykrie or something?? They are tiny............
Apparently there were a few of the GT40 looking dealies back in the late '60 and early '70s. The one above is a Fiberfab Avenger with a Corvair motor. I got the pic from here: http://members.cox.net/rarevair/gt40.htm .

I know they're small, but I was just using it as an example. I also found a couple of those Hardcastle and McCormick Montages around too, which could be a super cheap version of a supercar.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[king67rsss]

Healy's are cool and very light, aluminum and all.

Dan

What model/year is that Healy? It's very cool

[jlmccuan]

I wanted the same thing, a neat car that you don't see around every corner, but still good parts availability and room for "creative" engineering. Here's what I came up with.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2007/07/AvantiSignature-1.jpg

Stock engine is Corvette 327. Body parts from 62-early 80's fit, plus it's all glass - so make your own. Thousands of frames and suspension parts since nearly all Studes use the same parts from Lark to Hawk. Large stock of NOS parts still available from several vendors.

Musclecar pricing has forgotten these cars and they are around cheap.

[70 LS1]

Currently I'm building a 70 nova with my father...but thats his car...and with that said, I want my own to wrench on...I dont have big bucks to spend on a chevell, camaro, mustang or anything in those ranks, and im not much of a G body fan either, with all that laid down Im coming to yall for some ideas. I want to come up with a somewhat obscure car that isnt too expensive since it isnt mainstream really. I would like something that is pre 1970 and I want to make it into a pro touring/ g-machine, I cant decide which yet... preferably i would like it to be a front engine, rear wheel drive car... Anybody got any ideas?

-YG-

Obscure cars are usually cheaper to start with, but parts are a nightmare to find. They just don't have the aftermarket support of the more mainstream cars and will end up costing you more when finished.

[68Formula]

Which is why it's good to use an "obscure" car that shares parts with very "common" cars. Just make sure the hard to find parts are in good condition.

[69Pony]

Early 70's Lemans.... That would be my pick for a cool < 20k car. I have a bud who has a 72 convertible, red/white top, 350, asking 16K but you could get it for around 13K. Very nice driver - no rust.....

[High Plains Mopars]

Which is why it's good to use an "obscure" car that shares parts with very "common" cars. Just make srue the hard to find parts are in good condition.

This approach will save you a lot of heartache. Things like a Couger that uses Mustang parts, G body chevies that can adapt A body parts, or FJ and M body mopars which can adapt more common A and B body components.

My f body Dodge Aspen is often the sole obscure car at mopar meets I've attended for the last decade. Parts are easy to find and cheap when you find them.

[Thrillrr]

What about one of these? Sorry it's so dusty, pulled it out of the other garage where it's been sitting for 20 years. It's a Nash Metropolitan with a 400 buick in it.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2007/07/P120104-1.jpg

[MonzaRacer]

I know where there is a Nash and I have a 69 Ventura(like a Catalina/Bonneville).My buddy doesnt seem to want to build it soI need to get it back in running shape before it rots away.
A freind is building a Geo Metro LSI into a rear wheel drive bomb with a Quad 4 turboed, just heard about it, with a 89 up Tbird 8.8 IRS.
I still have a 75 Monza Factory V8 with engine long gone, been wanting to try a Quad 4 turbo in it after moding an s10 frame to go under it.
I want to try a leaf sprung, tube axle gasser style Monza maybe.
Uhm got lotsa ideas but no cash/shop.

[ProTouring442]

Which is why it's good to use an "obscure" car that shares parts with very "common" cars. Just make sure the hard to find parts are in good condition.

Although I didn't do it to have a cheaper car, this is why I chose my ASC/McLaren. It's different enough that I constantly get asked, "what is it?" yet it's really just a Mustang, and so parts are easy to get and cheap to boot!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

[[email protected]]

this would be a cool car to roll in. 69 continental non-markIII it's in black primer right now BTW

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2007/07/IM001158-1.jpg