What family-size american malaise challenge hoon sleeper?

This is what I have been really wanting lately (and I'm not immediately in the market so this is really just for fun):

• car from my birth year (87)
• LS+4l60 swappable
• column shifter
• bench seats
• 4 door
• can be made to handle
• challenge budget eligible

Bonus points for:

• american?
• wagon?
• towing capacity?
• looks awesome lowered on circle track steelies?
• room in the budget for junkyard turbo?
• fun fly and drive road trip?

Please post pictures of suggestions.

you know you wanna

slam it, cut the fenders, tub the rear a touch, add wide circle track rolling stock...

B-Body Caprice. Steal everything off a 94-96 9C1 or impala SS.

Yeah, caprice. Caprice is what your looking for.

I think '87 will get you the last of the GM G body sedans. Try Cutlass Supreme Classic

Here's my 2016 Challenge machine / SWMBO's art festival hauler for her pottery business. She dubs it "The Mud Mobile".

car from my birth year (87) - Close enough (92 to 96)

LS+4l60 swappable - Who needs a swap when it comes with LT1+4l60E

column shifter - You betcha

bench seats - 3 of 'em

4 door - Yes, and the wagon door opens out like a 5th door OR down like a tailgate!

can be made to handle - See Impala SS. It's the same car underneath

challenge budget eligible - See my build thread

american? - Made in Arlington TX

wagon? - Only the biggest ever

towing capacity? - 5,000 lbs, or 7,000 with load-distribution hitch

looks awesome lowered on circle track steelies? -

room in the budget for junkyard turbo? - My purchase cost was $300 with ice cold A/C and a cracked head.

fun fly and drive road trip? - Don't see why not

G-body isn't a bad idea. And if you're willing to grab one from upstate NY, I know where you could find a fairly clean G-body Cutlass Supreme with t-tops and a 3.8 that suffered a timing gear failure... Only problem is, it's an 86.

Get the last year of the rear wheel drive Malibu (1983).

Less GM content but it can be added pretty easily...

Dodge Diplomat (mid sized cop car) was sold through '89.

G body or B body wagon. G body suspension is dirt cheap thanks too the circle track guys.

1987 was the last year for AMC Eagle. All are 4wd originally but could be swapped back down to 2wd. GM drive train swap is well documented.

Apexcarver wrote: you know you wanna slam it, cut the fenders, tub the rear a touch, add wide circle track rolling stock...

I am actually digging the LTD, and I didnt say "has 8 headlights", but I really like that with the lowered front bumper, just not digging the beak.

mmmm. Caprice wagon with some big meats.

G-body. Niiiice.

Robbie wrote: I am actually digging the LTD, and I didnt say "has 8 headlights", but I really like that with the lowered front bumper, just not digging the beak.

Wait... do you not know what that is?

JohnRW1621 wrote: Less GM content but it can be added pretty easily... Dodge Diplomat (mid sized cop car) was sold through '89.

That looks awesome.

And related plymoth gran fury

Tom_Spangler wrote:

Robbie wrote: I am actually digging the LTD, and I didnt say "has 8 headlights", but I really like that with the lowered front bumper, just not digging the beak.

Wait... do you not know what that is?

maybe not? I thought it was an LTD that was tarted up for the vacation movie.

maschinenbau wrote: Here's my 2016 Challenge machine / SWMBO's art festival hauler for her pottery business. She dubs it "The Mud Mobile". car from my birth year (87) - Close enough (92 to 96) LS+4l60 swappable - Who needs a swap when it comes with LT1+4l60E column shifter - You betcha bench seats - 3 of 'em 4 door - Yes, and the wagon door opens out like a 5th door OR down like a tailgate! can be made to handle - See Impala SS. It's the same car underneath challenge budget eligible - See my build thread american? - Made in Arlington TX wagon? - Only the biggest ever towing capacity? - 5,000 lbs, or 7,000 with load-distribution hitch looks awesome lowered on circle track steelies? - room in the budget for junkyard turbo? - My purchase cost was $300 with ice cold A/C and a cracked head. fun fly and drive road trip? - Don't see why not

I love this idea and I love your build. can't wait to see it at the challenge. Just really would want the boxier earlier model though.

JohnRW1621 wrote: 1987 was the last year for AMC Eagle. All are 4wd originally but could be swapped back down to 2wd. GM drive train swap is well documented.

I do love me some eagle.

Just give a wagon this treatment...

If it needs to be a wagon, a B body - Caprice or Pontiac Parisian - would fit the bill. G body wagons were out of production by '87, but a four door G body would be pretty easy to put an LS motor in. Many of these already had the 700R4, which is basically a mechanically shifted 4L60E, so everything to put a 4L60E in there will already line up and you just need to make some motor mount adapters and deal with the plumbing side of things.

Robbie wrote:

Tom_Spangler wrote:

Robbie wrote: I am actually digging the LTD, and I didnt say "has 8 headlights", but I really like that with the lowered front bumper, just not digging the beak.

Wait... do you not know what that is?

maybe not? I thought it was an LTD that was tarted up for the vacation movie.

OK, I wasn't sure based on the way you were actually breaking down it's appearance. I don't think the producers of the movie intended it to look good.

Robbie wrote: mmmm. Caprice wagon with some big meats.

This... so much this.

B body is probably the only one you can still find a solid example of for $2000.

You know you want it!