Project car

[TurboRush]

I've recently did the head gasket on my Saab 900 Turbo last week end with my dad. He has outfitted himself with all the necesary air tools in the recent year and has allot of other tools he has had for a long time too. I got a set of air tools with a 5.5 hp electric compresor with 8 galon tank for x-mas this year. We realy enjoyed working on the car together and we both have a passion for cars. We joked arround about doing up a restoration on a big v-8 powered classic or simmilar. Well, I will be seeing allot more of my parents soon due to recent changes so I am seriously considering starting up a big project car with my dad. So far, some of my interests would be either '76 erra cadillac eldorado (most likely hard top) eighty's generation of a buick GNX with 3800 turbo... that Chevy Biscayne discussed in a previous post would also be an interesting project... What would you guys do? Edited December 17, 2005 by TurboRush

[Sixty8panther]

Do it!!! You'll ahve a balst, learn a few things and earn people's respect at the same time. BTW: ASC/McLaren only converted 547 Grand Nationals inot the coveted and rare GNX. It doubled the price of the car and these days colector's prices show it. It's as close as you could get to a Yenko Camaro in 1987. A large percentage went to the feds and local law inforcement. I know where #302 out of 547 is garaged. :D

[TurboRush]

I always se one or 2 for sale in the auto trader for a fiew grand.... fully restored ones go in the 10K to 13K $ zone


I'd realy like to an older 60's 70's V-8 GM vehicle and maybe even a totaly custom Turbo aplication shortly after restoration....

Whoa...... could anyone picture a '76 eldorado black hardtop like the black one in the eldorado topic with a turbocharged v-8 engine??!?!?!

I am salivating just thinking about it....

Edited December 17, 2005 by TurboRush

[mute]

well for a project car id def take a 97 caravan cuz thats what im working on now but i dont know if this is appropriate for uh any situation but....... has anyone ever seen a 03 imprexa on dubs lowrider gangster style? someone told me they had and it looked really hot.......... and they usually have good taste? what happened does it look good? i dont know I want to find out...

[TurboRush]

Mute, I'm talking about a classic car here...... your caravan might be a classic in another 7-10 years providing over 3/4 of the current caravans get somehow extinct....... there are sooooomany dodge vans out there its not even funny... But I saw an old '86 or '87 caravan the other day somewhere online that had a crysler turbo inline 4 in it.....custom job.... DCX had a fiew I4's that were turboed back in the day for the K-car and the lebaron and a fiew others.... this van was cick ass!

[Bizz]

my project car would be a late 60's volvo P1800, possibly a wagon if i could afford a lot of body work to fix the rear. trim/door handles would be shaved, slightly flared fenders, approproate chassis strenghtening/modifying (SFCs,cage,etc) and, of course, a nice paint job. powertrain choice has evolved over the years in my mind. everything from a volvo T-5, SC 3800, V8 to a TC ecotec. tranny or transaxle/engine combo choice would come down to weight distribution within the chassis. and, of course, suspension/braking would be modernized. i would pretty much leave the interior alone. just a pair of recaros up front, 5-points, necessary gauges and controls, and a basic resto. no tuck n roll, leather door panels, A/V system, etc. just gimme heat, AC, my guages and a carputer and i'd be happy. no rear seat, prolly use that room for a fuel cell to make room for a rearend or transaxle. btw, i'd do the powertrain before your resto. might as well get it running/turning/braking right before making it look good. and, you wont have to worry about scratching new paint or getting oil/dirt on new interior. :)

[TurboRush]

If I were to do a european vehicle, I'd probably do an early model Saab 9000 Turbo,pre- facelift with the hatch....say '91, '92 and turn it into a Torque MONSTER with later style wraparound black Aero leather seats.... But this aint about a european project.... I know my dad would have his interests on a classic north american v-8 powered rocket.....wich aint a bad idea as well!

[ocnblu]

Among others, I'd like to find a '79 Buick Century Turbo Coupe (the fastback one), and build an evil Buick V6 for it. I wouldn't want to have to tub it, because it would also need to get around corners like a go kart. I'd keep it stock looking (except for the rims, tires and ride height), minus the vinyl graphics. Ya don't see too many of those. Edited December 18, 2005 by ocnblu

[balthazar]

Mid- '70s cars naturally encompass emissions & other controls/equipment of the era, which can add to the complexity & cost of the job (tho not much if the car in question is one you're really into). I believe '75 and up Eldos had EFI... at least optionally; another complexity. Not trying to talk you out of one, the average prices are project-friendly for the most part, but know that a Cadillac will be more expensive than most others of the same era.

I have been working on & off on my '59 for 10 years now. I am glad I didn't do the motor first, as I went 'all the way' and ended up doing a body-off. The bigger, more obscure and rustier the vehicle, the more time & money it'll take. Before I started, I carefully researched approximate costs and made up a list... to date the only area of restoration that exceeded my liberal estimates was bodywork (and the actual blew the estimate out of the water). Well actually, the motor will too, but that's primarily because of what I want out of it, which has changed over the years.

When you love the car, it's easy to get picky & demanding about every little inferior spot... so get the best-condition example you can find... to the point of buying a rust-free one from elsewhere in the country and having it shipped. A local club for the same make will likely produce a member willing to check a potential purchase out for you if you can't make the trip.

BTW- are you sure "fully restored" GNXs are only around 10K-13K?? A few years back really nice GNs were in the high teens- GNXs are even more valuable.... unless the market for them has depreciated since for some reason??? I haven't kept on their values for a few years, but that sounds surprisingly low. Edited December 18, 2005 by balthazar

[mute]

then a volvo amazon sedan - 1966 or a niiiice little VW bug -1970 or an old austin mini -1971 oh a real car? AMC Rambler custom 1960

[TurboRush]

BTW- are you sure "fully restored" GNXs are only around 10K-13K?? A few years back really nice GNs were in the high teens- GNXs are even more valuable.... unless the market for them has depreciated since for some reason??? I haven't kept on their values for a few years, but that sounds surprisingly low.

[post="60184"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Well, I saw on a couple different occasions, a Buick Grand National with turbo 3800 engine (in the description) and the car would be in prety good shape.... maybe not restored but rather well maintained and in a decent 10 12 grand category...


I also remember seing one in the high 20 grand price range... so I guess it depends.....

At the end of one description it said "first one to show me 5 grand takes it!!"

and it was a beauty..... I was like >>What the hell??!?!<< he's crazy!

[balthazar]

See- there's a very notable value & collectibility difference between a GN and a GNX (the ultimate, limited-production, last-year GN). Sounds like you were seeing GN prices...

[TurboRush]

Well....... I guess we can put the GN/GNX topic to rest cuz the '67 eldorado has already stolen my heart and ripped it out of my chest in the process...... next time funds are avail and I have a place to park it and also providing thers one in decent shape for sale...... I'm getting an Eldorado.... has to be the 66-69 era with the cleanely pointed trunk lines and hump over the back wheel right after the passenger door.... Oh, and love the rims or hub caps they come with.... they complement the car the best ;-)

[pow]

'06 Mercedes E320 CDI with a Grease Car conversion. Give it runflats and put the aux french-fry-oil tank in the spare tire hole. Maybe an auto-fire extinguisher/sprinkler in case of a crash. And seamless integration through the nav system to turn it on or off and check the oil temperature. Hell, why not a diesel engine and vege-oil conversion on any car?

[mute]

a 72 camino ss put some deville taillights in it and a 69 camaro front clip...... mmmmmm

[balthazar]

...the '67 eldorado has already stolen my heart and ripped it out of my chest in the process......
I'm getting an Eldorado.... has to be the 66-69 era  with the cleanely pointed trunk lines and hump over the back wheel right after the passenger door....

Damned fine choice, I love the '67-70s (this body style)!!
Prices for nice drivers are pretty good in the States: around $5K, tho they are not what I would call 'easily found'. Repro parts are not plentiful, either.... for some reason I cannot figure, the collector market has not really warmed up to these fantastic cars yet. They got excellent road test/drivability feedback when new. Good luck in your search!

[Satty]

I love the idea of a P1800, those things are gorgeous. On the slightly less Swedish end, I'd go with something like a Corvair or Falcon. Something I could drive every day without being too worried about.

[bowtie_dude]

Take a Buick Grand National, gut it. Put a 3.6L V6 in it and bolt on a couple of turbos. Throw in a Hurst shifter and you've got a package deal.

[Variance]

I'd like to restore a classic Datsun Z car. Anything from the 240 to 280Z. I just feel they have a great timeless design. That or a '69 GTO for pretty much the same reason.

[regfootball]

easy. an olds custom cruiser from the mid nineties (think impala SS wagon) and slam it and stuff 400 under the hood with a manual tranny. the custom cruiser has the bitchen sunroof. yeah!

[razoredge]

Great choices there guys Eldorado P1800 Estate 260Z Cruiser how about Sportwagon/Vista me ? This week 66 Riviera GS, Im in a twin carb. nailhead kinda mood or maybe that 63 Holiday with the 394 B)

[AAS]

easy.  an olds custom cruiser from the mid nineties (think impala SS wagon) and slam it and stuff 400 under the hood with a manual tranny.  the custom cruiser has the bitchen sunroof.  yeah!

[post="60285"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

We had a '92 Custom Cruiser. My little brother and I were just talking about how cool it would have been to still have it, and to mod it like you are saying.

[TurboRush]

I'd like to restore a classic Datsun Z car. Anything from the 240 to 280Z. I just feel they have a great timeless design.

That or a '69 GTO for pretty much the same reason.

[post="60276"][/post]

I used to be inlove with the old original 260Z...... the one with the rounded headlights inset into the hood...



Edited December 18, 2005 by TurboRush

[Cory Wolfe]

If you don't what car I'd do... You obviously don't know me. :D

[Cory Wolfe]

Uh..... sure...? :blink: ...If you meant to post this instead:

[Nick]

I'd love to find like a 1974 BMW 2002tii. That would be such a cool car to do up. Or even perhaps an E30 325 or better yet, an M3. Those cars would make awesome project cars too. I'd probably track out both of them, but make the 2002 more for show.

[mustang84]

Probably some early-mid 80s GM coupe or a Ford fox-body vehicle (Mustang, T-bird, Cougar, etc). Or a mid 70s Cadillac or Lincoln. There's too many cars I would want to restore so it's hard for me to pick just one.

[TurboRush]

My dad wants to do a '68 Cougar convertible with the 390HP engine...

[Bizz]

Uh..... sure...? :blink: ...If you meant to post this instead:

[post="60455"][/post]

i had a red 86.5 at one time. its the one car i most regret getting rid of. a ~400 HP ecotec/4t65e would be sweet in that car. B)