okay..with musclecar bodies demanding major loot and dwindling fast, some guys that watch barret jackson now want 10 grand for the rotted chevelle in the creek behind their house thats now a nature preserve. a lot of us are building 4 doors, wagons and non muscle period cars. do you stop to look at a wagon or truck bodied car(el camino or ranchero style)?..4 doors? theres also been a major influx of wagon car features in CC and other mags as well. some hot and some not. what about gm G-bodies, late 70s mopars, ford fairmonts and such? whats your view of whats hot or should be shot?

                                                   drillsgt98th

Anything can be done in a fashion to look good and run hard. If the owner is into it and it's odd/unique enough I call it good. My '72 Centurion isn't the typical muscle car, but it sounds like one and can beat 75% of the other daily vehicles out there and I'm fine with that since it weighs over 5000lbs. My '67 T-bird 4-dr is the same (though I haven't done anything to it yet). My fast car is going to be a '77 Skylark 2Dr. Besides with the not so popular cars it's easier to build a sleeper. It's always funny to see some station wagon blow the socks off a '69 Camaro, always.  

I agree.

As far as 4-doors, I don't think I would build one, but wagons are cool. mid-late 70s cars are cool as are the 80s G-bodys.

Requirements for a project car
1. Can you fit a V-8 in it?
2. Will it take the torque and not break?
3. Can I find the right parts to make it go?

If all three of the above are yes then I would consider it.

Four doors are cool cause you can have a Chinese firedrill and the body is stronger than a 2 door.

Wagons are way cool cause you can sleep in the back of them at the CC nats.

Granny's grocery getter is cool 'cause the local police officers don't give it second look.

Rambler Americans are cool because it was the first car I ever owned.

Now exactly what should I do with the Ford 300 straight six and the Dodge Diplomat I have in the barn?

I got my rust free 68 cutlass body for $750 from a salvage yard...and the owner delivered it an hour away for free...most of the inflated prices are for the popular stuff...though prices on everything are going up.

I personally haven't cared for many 4 doors...at least from the muscle car era...they just never seemed to look right.  So for me...a 4 door (in general) is a no.  Thats not to say I can't stand when other people build them...I just personally won't build one.  

I am dropping a 425 Olds in a 1985 Olds Delta 88 2-door.  

G-bodies are cool...as are F-bodies...those can still be had cheap.

And I would consider a wagon.

Another option would be the odd ball stuff from the muscle era.  Big cars are still cheap (non-Impala).  One thing I've kept my eye on is the price of a Toronado...yeah its front wheel drive...but that just means you could drive it in the winter...and they came with the best big block olds available.  Always big valve heads...39 degree cam bank angle in 66-67...they never got the weak stuff.

Stuff that should be shot...imports with big wings and fart cans for mufflers.

As far as I'm concerned anything can be cool when built right.

mmmmmmmm Pintos

I have always liked wagons more than 4 door sedans. It's like a wagon has a good excuse for having 4 doors.  

I say they have a truck now and then. Everyone and their brother races an sbc s-10, but all in the late 80's-early 90's. like to see on in a new body style, or even 4.3 litre tech. its just a 350 missing 2 cylinders. A guy had a 4.3 with blower on it. it was in a model A, and ran pretty good. or even better, how to fit a big block in without modifications to the firewall ect.  

cherry lookin wagon you got there.  

What's still cheap:
75-81 camaros
82-96 F-bodies
'73 and up Collonade cars
volares and aspens
90's mark VIII's
fox bodies
SN mustangs
74-79 Novas and their BOP sisters

The weiners of the world have taken to most "real" muscle cars now.  I've been looking for a '73-74 cuda project, and I can't find one under 5 grand and they're in rough shape.  It's not even the most desirable years.  ( my dad had one back in high school, and I'd like to build him one )  The only downside is sheetmetal is hard to find for a lot of not so common cars.  My buddy's 75 cutlass is next to impossible.  Cool car, but rust is getting to it.  I say the *** who are buying up muscle cars should find their own hobby.

Hey DS what base are you out of?  I just got out of Ft. Benning not too long ago.  

I am getting off the beaten path away from all the "hot" models, Camaros, Chevelles, Novas, Cudas/Challengers (my favorite models, which I will never own).  Now I am looking models like Tempests, 70's Roadrunners, 80's Mustangs, well youg guys know what they are.  I am currently looking at buying a 65 Pontiac Grand Prix 2 door, 389, auto, needs some work *** ITS CHEAP!!!

My first hot rod was a 71 Impala four door with a sbc 400. I raced it alot. Apparently, no one ever used the back seat because it looked brand new and the back door hinges were frozen from lack of use.  

you should have parked with your lady and broke in that back seat my man.  

I've always been a fan of the 80's G bodies.When I was "younger" in the early 90's,we could still get relatively solid ones around here (western NY) pretty cheap.I had a few 81-88 Cutlasses with older 350's ,I still have a few friends that have Monte SS's.None of 'em are too swift bone stock,but if you live where emissions and rust aren't concerns,they can rock.Around here anything worth building is expensive if it ain't ravaged by rust.That includes wagons and 4 doors.Decent Mopar projects are pretty hard to come by (glad I got my 'Cuda and Charger when I did).You can ocassionally find a C body (barge,not my first choice for a street machine) but the A body Dart/Dusters and F body Aspens etc. basically came new with rust (as did most 70's cars now that I think of it) and New York has ate most of 'em up. Same for the Pintos,Gremlins,Vegas and,my most recent thought,Mavericks! It's almost kinda hard to find anybody into the "right" kind of cars around here,actually. I think the up-ratcheting cost of decent projects has been steering a lot of the youngsters towards "compacts". And not even "fast" ones,around here it seems wings and big chrome mufflers costitute a "tuner" car! I think the emissions noose has relagated a lot of G bodies and some F bodies to the dirt tracks and then the boneyard.I know a lot of 'em that had already had their cats,air pumps and hoses (and their 6's, 305s and 307s) removed before the state decided to crack down on that stuff.I'd hardly call the 80's and 90's the good old days,but in that respect,...

congrats on graduating from benning!. im going to guess that your an 11B with airborne dreams. they carry out a rough BCT down there, as for me, im a reserve drill sgt from buffalo N.Y. i train bct and ait down at ft leonard wood MO. for 21b and 21c,s engineer OSUT. we fill in for 35th engnr battalion drills on active duty stints or for just a 2 week AT. other times we are BRM cadre at west point training cadets. congrats and good luck on your military career.