In reply to A 401 CJ :
"I agree, go 4-door. 2-doors are overdone."
Absolutely ! I'm hoping to trade my '65 Mustang coupe for a four door Falcon or Comet come late Spring . . . a dropped four door is just SO much more sinister than a perky two door.
In reply to A 401 CJ :
"I agree, go 4-door. 2-doors are overdone."
Absolutely ! I'm hoping to trade my '65 Mustang coupe for a four door Falcon or Comet come late Spring . . . a dropped four door is just SO much more sinister than a perky two door.
In reply to MuSTANK :
that will not be happening. 4 door muscle cars are the same pointless monstrosities as skim milk, v6 camaros, and sugar free soda. the worst of both worlds. less taste, even less filling. no thanks
budget_bandit said:In reply to MuSTANK :
that will not be happening. 4 door muscle cars are the same pointless monstrosities as skim milk, v6 camaros, and sugar free soda. the worst of both worlds. less taste, even less filling. no thanks
I think you'll need to revisit your requirements. If you want something that can be revived without complete overhaul of all systems I suspect you can only get two out of three:
1) Right years
2) 2 door
3) cheap
I've seen some sharp looking malaise era versions of muscle cars, along with some good looking 4 doors. There are also options with badge engineering variants (i.e. Volare, lemans) that get you 90% of the look at a lower buy in.
Google image search may help provide some inspiration to broaden the search options to make it more feasible to do in the target budget.
As others have said, you are going to want to avoid the bottomless money/time pit of sheet metal repair if you can. Find something as rust free as possible on a popular platform and you'll be in a good starting position.
Weird or off-brand stuff = harder to find parts, and a lot of the time, that means more expensive, too.
I'm in a similar boat with my 1979 Trans Am. I bought it over 20 years ago for $2k. Over the years, it's developed rust, and I've repaired some of it, but rust never sleeps, so there's more to do. It has a Pontiac engine, and that thing was easily double the budget to put together than a contemporary Chevy or Ford engine. Also, it has no interior right now save for the cracked dash, some ratty Camaro front seats, and a broken console. I was quoted over $5k in parts to put an interior in the car, and that's a black interior (colors add about 20% to that cost, and mine is red). But that said, it's a highly supported platform, and if I do need something for it, someone makes that part. It's fun to drive in street rat mode, so I'm not rushing to "make it nice".
What I would buy now: Mid-70's Camaro (as in, a 1975-76) as rust free as I can find. They are unloved because no Z28 during those years and they have smog motors. Slap a junkyard LS in it (or random SBC if you want a carb), outfit it with cheap suspension upgrades, and go as fast as the bank account allows. Same applies to early 3rd Gen Camaros and Firebirds; base models are dirt cheap and unloved, and all of the above applies.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
well that's not awful...
In reply to budget_bandit :
proper stance and good wheel & tire fitment go a long way.
the more i think about that big-bumper nova hatch, the more i think it would be a great starting point:
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
i'm pretty set on a 5.3, this will be an all weather driver so i want EFI/OD. I think what I would do is use the 4L60e and slowly collect parts to do a T56 eventually.
Im thinking those 72-74 novas/venturas/appollos could be great looking with a steel sheet mesh grille and something done to the bumpers
A bumper tuck is pretty easy on that '74 hatchback X Body, and would do wonders for its Habsburg Jaw.
Since you said Freiberger was your hero, you DO know he built a late 70's Nova, right?
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/ccrp-0508-1977-chevy-nova/
In reply to anger_enginering :
The Disco Nova.
I agree it has to be 2 door. That mopar on the first page is perfect.
you can bindo a cracked dash and flock it for pennies. Book of faces seats and metal door panels and you have a perfect rough and ready interior.
all muscle cars used to be like that when I was growing up. Rust is just speed holes. My dads 69 Camaro ss had no floor in the trunk and he never bothered fixing it.
hurst shifter and cheap buckets for the win
I'm late to this discussion but here are my thoughts (that I considered doing also.)
$5k will buy you a Nova that you can not drive home.
For the same $5k you can drive home a Cadillac Seville and the interior will be near mint!
You see, no one saved Novas. For 40+ years now they have been ragged on any young male with just a few bucks. The cheap ones are gone. The good ones that remain are not cheap.
But, with a Seville, someone brought it home, parked it only in the garage and wiped it down with a diaper after every drive. All Sevilles have a 350 Oldsmobile engine and a 3 speed Hydromatic auto trans.
Here's one quickly found asking $6.7k but also says OBO
For Inspiration:
I saved these pics of the black car I once found in Craigslist ad. I liked that the owner had incorporated Cadillac V badges for a 2010's and late 70's mash up
RonnieFnD said:DjGreggieP said:Given the 'LS swap the world' can probably pick up used SBC performance parts relatively cheap. *May* even be able to pick up nice big block chev engines decently cheap, I know of a few older classics locally that have pulled nicely warmed over big blocks to swap in an LQ for reasons unknown and selling complete built running engines for like $500 to make it not take up floor space in their garage.
I'm in the same line of thinking. I have a s10 shell sitting and I was thinking about trying to pick up a nice sbc someone dumped for a LS, I figured the price had to be coming down.
It's been my experience that this is not the case. I see plenty of SBCs for sale but people seem to think they're gold. $4500 for a rebuilt 350, $6500 for a 383, and without disassembly I can't be sure it's not just a rattlecan job and an intake swap on a stock junkyard motor.
This is what is pushing me towards an LS swap. If I'm going to pay that much I might as well get the better engine.
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
I'm seeing a lot of the same re: small block Chevy pricing. A cheap one pops up from time to time but most are IMO overpriced. From an aesthetic and nostalgic perspective I prefer the old school SBC. That said, I completely get the OPs reasoning for the LS platform.
In reply to nakmuayfarang :
i'm leaning that way anyway. i think i could make the interior pretty decent, and i dont think i care that much about some rust in the floor. cut out the bad stuff, weld in a new something and throw some carpet over it
budget_bandit said:In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
i'm pretty set on a 5.3, this will be an all weather driver so i want EFI/OD. I think what I would do is use the 4L60e and slowly collect parts to do a T56 eventually.
Im thinking those 72-74 novas/venturas/appollos could be great looking with a steel sheet mesh grille and something done to the bumpers
Following. Kind of partial, since we have a '73 Nova roller. Father/son project. Straight and rust free body with a near perfect interior. Previous owner ran out of $$ and interest. Already had an ls, 4l80 (low mile junk yard). If interested, I'll share any info on the build as we get going. Just waiting on the weather to break. Just a few points of interest. This is a budget build. The Nova was gotten on a swap/trade. If possible, connect with like minded people. Sometimes you can swap/trade for parts, which cuts down on cost. And ask questions, the dumbest question is the one not asked. This forum has a wealth of helpful, knowledgeable people who are willing to help out. Good luck.
One other I think would be good for inspiration would be Scotto's Napalm Nova. As I recall, when he took it on Power tour it didnt even have a trunk floor
https://stanceworks.com/2015/08/kill-all-tires-brian-scottos-1972-chevy-napalm-nova/
https://www.holley.com/blog/post/brian_scotto_s_555_cubic_inch_big_block_powered_chevy_nova/
I know many here like the old school small block, but I fully support the LS based swap for the purpose you're after. EFI ease of daily driver capability. Love the older Novas as well. Do it!
If you go LS, you could score some good parts from those doing upgrades. Best friend has a turbo 5.3 in a fox body. He scored heads and intake from a 5.7 (I think it was a 5.7) when someone else upgraded. His entire drive train was sourced used. Driveshaft was an ex-NASCAR unit, the 9" rear, trans, they got a re-buildable torque converter.. the turbo and MSD efi were the only new parts. They even managed to wire the GM sensors to work with the factory Ford gauges
This old ad I came across has 126 pictures. I was disappointed to see a hood scoop but then it turns out that it is functional.
An even bigger surprise...manual trans:
xflowgolf (Forum Supporter) said:I know many here like the old school small block, but I fully support the LS based swap for the purpose you're after. EFI ease of daily driver capability. Love the older Novas as well. Do it!
Carbs were the go-to for decades and without the miles of vacuum lines and other emissions equipment were relatively maintenance free and reliable daily transportation. Press the gas pedal to the floor once, release and then hit the key, and if run regularly it should fire right up.
I'd watch for a carbureted SBC drivetrain to drop in and get the project on the road. One wire for the HEI, the alternator leads, vacuum line for brake booster, ignition advance, and trans modulator valve.
Get it running and driving and then start small projects and pull together the parts needed to LS swap as you find them at the right price.
Well, i went and looked at that Nova...in summary, it's a piece. I was hoping it needed some patches in the floor/trunk and a new lower right rear quarter. In reality, it needs a whole new floorpan, new trunk, probably some new body mounts and a new rear end (apparently, roller=diff cover has been MIA since Bush #1 was prez).
discouraging, but hopeful i'll find a good one. Even in disrepair, these Novas are great looking cars. I really want one
In reply to budget_bandit :
Head south and grab a rust free one. Your time and money spent on travel will be tiny compared to the cost and labor of all the welding repairs.
In reply to Indy - Guy :
I suspect you're right and I appreciate the advice. Widening the search...
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