Looking For Budget Project Car Ideas

[The Stickman]

Being a rookie with an unfinished car, take it easy on me.

How about an S-10? You can do a V-8 conversion for the price of a motor and about $800 in parts and some labor. If you could overcome some of the extreme front weight bias, brace the frame and use a decent overdrive trans. it could be fun. Lots of those trucks for dirt cheap and easy to work on in a normal garage (no lift and regular hand tools and a welder). Single 3" exhaust, 350HP and some suspension goodies (that are plentiful as well) and you could have a fun budget ride. A short bed with a truckarm suspension in the rear would be quick and dirty.

I actually built an S-10 for AutoX and road racing. Only thing is I kept the V-6. While it didn't have the power other cars had I could eat them up in the braking zones and cornering. was actually quite simple build. But I wouldn't call it cheap because I boght the truck new and then did this to it. But now they can be had cheap and built easy.

[CRCRFT78]

Hey Liz what about your 510?

[CRCRFT78]

If you try and do anything serious with the engine you may not be able to smog the thing

I have to agree and disagree with True. This issue needs to be addressed. All of the smog vehicles are the next affordable cars/projects. Yes it can be costly to make these vehicles compliant with regulations but someone has to step up. How are we supposed to continue this hobby if we don't advance to the next level? SMOG & CARB regulations will only get stricter as time goes on and in order to preserve these vehicles we need to comply with them. The technology is there so how about some info on making them compliant.

G-bodies are just a few of the cars that can easily be modified, along with 2nd/3rd gen F-bodies, B-bodies and so on. What good is swapping an LSX/6 speed combo in them if the government is just going to force us to tear them apart because they don't comply with government standards.

Where would some of the cars/projects we see on these websites be if the government enforced smog laws on all of them?

Sorry for the rant I just hate to see this being ignored.

[andrewb70]

There have been numerous guys that have successfully been able to get 2nd and 3rd gen RX7s with LS1 swaps to pass smog in California. As I understand it, the rule is that the engine has to be stock and must retain all emissions that were standard for the year of the engine. The engine must also be from a newer car than the chassis.

A stock LS3 in a lightweight 79 Monte Carlo would be great. It would be totally smog legal as long as it had stock exhaust manifolds and catalytic converters.

Andrew

[Steve1968LS2]

I have to agree and disagree with True. This issue needs to be addressed. All of the smog vehicles are the next affordable cars/projects. Yes it can be costly to make these vehicles compliant with regulations but someone has to step up. How are we supposed to continue this hobby if we don't advance to the next level? SMOG & CARB regulations will only get stricter as time goes on and in order to preserve these vehicles we need to comply with them. The technology is there so how about some info on making them compliant.

G-bodies are just a few of the cars that can easily be modified, along with 2nd/3rd gen F-bodies, B-bodies and so on. What good is swapping an LSX/6 speed combo in them if the government is just going to force us to tear them apart because they don't comply with government standards.

Where would some of the cars/projects we see on these websites be if the government enforced smog laws on all of them?

Sorry for the rant I just hate to see this being ignored.

Yea, but the truth is that there are LOTS of affordable pre '76 cars out there to build.

But more stories on doing "smog legal" engines or swaps would be cool. Like how to drop in an LS engine and make it through CA's referee process.

[Steve1968LS2]

Gawd, I love to stir emotions and make people think! lol

I still think they missed your overall point that it costs the same to fix up a unpopular car as it does to fix up a popular car...

[brownz]

I vote Corvair. but that later 60"s those are sweet. but they arnt the cheapest car out if you get a nice one but not many ppl do them.

[Zee]

I love the Vair idea but I'm thinking it should feature primarily bolt ons from your advertisers rather than a lot of custom work from one shop. My first vote is a thirdgen with a tubular K frame, air ride or coil overs, TKO and maybe an LSX. C5/6 brakes and a 4th gen rear end could be added on a budget. Second choice would be a nasty BBC or carb'd LSX disco nova. I remember a lowered yellow one with a six-pack hood painted flat black would terrorize my old hood. It had black wheels on it before they were cool. I believe the chassis is the same as the 2nd gen F-body so C5/6 brakes, tubular control arms and swaybars are reasonable and redily available but that may be too close to a Laguna.......unless that is the point.

[Hartz]

Regardless of the vehicle chosen, I'd recommend a clear budget and goal. A lot of magazine project cars are interesting, but I sort of wonder what the point is. If you do a Fiero - make it out perform a Lotus Elise for half the price of a nice used one. Do a Chevette and make it out perform a new Mini Cooper S. Do a Malibu and have it out perform an M3. I don't know. But make it tangible and real. Include not only quarter mile and handling stats, but include MPG and aesthetics and reliability.

An odd ball car CAN cost as much as a popular car to build, but it doesn't have to. Don't buy a crate LS3 and a set of 18 inch billet wheels and put them on an Olds Omega. That's silly. Be creative.

[The Stickman]

I still think they missed your overall point that it costs the same to fix up a unpopular car as it does to fix up a popular car...

With the exception that the popular car costs more to buy initially. Camaro's, Nova's Mustang's or whatever cost more to buy than say a Maverick, Fiero, Gremlin or whatever you want. And in the end that should be taken itno account. Now as far as the emmisions go alot of what we do is suspension related so there is no reason why the stock engine can't be retained and modified within the law.

[CRCRFT78]

There have been numerous guys that have successfully been able to get 2nd and 3rd gen RX7s with LS1 swaps to pass smog in California. As I understand it, the rule is that the engine has to be stock and must retain all emissions that were standard for the year of the engine. The engine must also be from a newer car than the chassis.

Yes you can pass smog and still do a swap. My 78 with the LT1 passes and has a stock LT1 with cats, O2 sensors and stock manifolds but there is more to it than that. If I had to go to a referee I would be screwed.

the truth is that there are LOTS of affordable pre '76 cars out there to build.

That is correct but what type of "budget build" are we talking about? Pre 76 cars don't require smog which in turn would have no affect on your budget. Anything after that would require the vehicle to be compliant with the law. Which in turn affects your budget. Just don't present a build without covering all aspects of it. Don't smog a car with a stock v6, drop in a juiced 455 afterwards and present it as done. Magazines have done this. Go through the complete process for the vehicle chosen so those readers that want to attempt such a build have some indication of what they're getting themselves into. Again sorry for the rant.

[PT Sportwagon]

I tend to agree with what others have been saying about popularity of the car vs cash outlay. On thing is how many of us have gotten more for there cars then they put into it?

Ideas I have thought of:

Any of the Fox body cars: fairmont, zepher, mid size LTD
3rd gen camaro
any of the Panther platform cars: Crown victoria, grand marquis, Etc. ( just look at the patrol cars, they haul a$$$ and handle quite well, The 03-04 Merc Marauder is one bad a$$ ride)
The other A-bodies, Cutlass and Skylark
How about a wagon.

On thing you may want to look at is the cars the youth of today are getting given to them. sometimes from grandma or grandpa, mom, and Dad etc.
Doesn't emission standards have to meet the standards the car came with???

Tim

[CRCRFT78]

Doesn't emission standards have to meet the standards the car came with???

All that changes with engine swaps like Andrew stated. The motor has to be newer than the chassis its being installed in and it has to comply with the emissions standards for that year motor. Crate motors I'm unsure of. For instance my 78 Malibu has a 1996 motor in it, so legally I have to comply with emissions standards for that year motor. Please correct me if I am wrong because I would like to have the correct info if I'm misstating anything.

[Takid455]

what about the mid 80's dodges daytona, chargers or a ghls omni. dirt cheap and for a few bucks can break 12's.

[Damn True]

I have to agree and disagree with True. This issue needs to be addressed. All of the smog vehicles are the next affordable cars/projects. Yes it can be costly to make these vehicles compliant with regulations but someone has to step up. How are we supposed to continue this hobby if we don't advance to the next level? SMOG & CARB regulations will only get stricter as time goes on and in order to preserve these vehicles we need to comply with them. The technology is there so how about some info on making them compliant.

G-bodies are just a few of the cars that can easily be modified, along with 2nd/3rd gen F-bodies, B-bodies and so on. What good is swapping an LSX/6 speed combo in them if the government is just going to force us to tear them apart because they don't comply with government standards.

Where would some of the cars/projects we see on these websites be if the government enforced smog laws on all of them?

Sorry for the rant I just hate to see this being ignored.

Yes it "can" be done. But at what cost and to what audience? The intent is to do a budget build in a National mag. The difficulty and expense of meeting CA specific goofball smog requirements don't matter to the guy building a monte carlo in Utah. The end result wouldn't offer the power that one could make in other states AND it would likely cost more to create less.

[Damn True]

There have been numerous guys that have successfully been able to get 2nd and 3rd gen RX7s with LS1 swaps to pass smog in California. As I understand it, the rule is that the engine has to be stock and must retain all emissions that were standard for the year of the engine. The engine must also be from a newer car than the chassis.

A stock LS3 in a lightweight 79 Monte Carlo would be great. It would be totally smog legal as long as it had stock exhaust manifolds and catalytic converters.

Andrew

Winner winner, chicken dinner.

This is the key is to not screw around with the boat anchor in the post-smog crapcan, but to put a new engine into it and make it a more desirable crapcan. Hence my suggestion of the ectotec 510.

[JV69z/28]

How about a rubber bumper C3 Corvette - reasonable buy in - a ton of aftermarket support - and by todays standards it's easy to work on?

[tymbom]

I second the vette idea...

[dj3]

Do you ever watch the show Gearz and see what he did with a Mazda Miata, it looks like a fun and cool looking car.



http://www.gearztv.com/projects/banshee.html

[Steve1968LS2]

An odd ball car CAN cost as much as a popular car to build, but it doesn't have to. Don't buy a crate LS3 and a set of 18 inch billet wheels and put them on an Olds Omega. That's silly. Be creative.

No, an oddball car costs EXACTLY the same as a popular car provided you do the same level of work to each car.

For the same quality paint job.. with the same amount of bodywork what costs more to paint.. a Camaro or a Vega?