For 10 grand...well where I live, I don't have to do emissions tests...so third gen Camaro's are on the table in full...

But I doubt I'd need it.  I'd pick up a 6.0 Gen III or Gen IV truck engine from a junkyard and drop in a nice hot cam, a T-56 from something, try to find an 8.5" ten bolt to drop in, then concentrate on suspension mods...

OR...my current project...

1985 Olds Delta 88 2-door.  Drop in a 425 (with Edelbrock heads) back it with a built 200-4R and an 8.5" ten bolt.  Use Impala SS springs, beefed up sway bars, and spend whatever is left on brakes and suspension...  

$10,000?

Get a V6 78-81 Malibu for $1000 or less, stab a cam in a JY big block and swap it out with the V6, spend some coin on a rear diff and 2004R and go melt some cheap-ass tires.

You could probably do the whole thing for less than $5,000.  

For 10 grand I could build a car that would make my high school shop teacher blush.

the car: 1965 Chevy Impala(my favorite)

the engine: Dart block 454, fuel injected(probably Super Squirt to help keep cost down), twin (junk yard)turbos, with a 250 shot of nitrus just for laughs.

the tranny: 6 speed with a vintage restored Hurst shifter poking through the console.

the drivetrain: rebuilt bulletproof 12-bolt rear with a Detroit Locker, maybe 3.55 gears to try to keep highway travel possible.

the outside: Blitz Black paint by John Deere(durable, cheap, looks like semi-gloss when wet), minimal trim pieces, polish up the chrome bumpers & grill(but not too shiny)

the inside: bucket seats, cushy and adjustable. Manual windows & locks, cold A/C, Autometer tach and other useful guages stylishly incorperated, Grant walnut steering wheel, black interior overall, six speaker sound system with mp3 player capability. For ten thousand dollars the damn thing better have a radio. Not too flashy, but not too spare for a daily driver.

the suspension & handling: eurethane bushings and tubular bars everywhere. I want smooth, precise, responsive handling on my land barge. Coilover shocks of good quality and big, fat sway bars should keep all the wheels planted.

the exhaust: 3 inch Flowmaster duals with an X pipe. There are no emission laws where I live.

If I've done all the work I could on this, with all available friends and tools, with as many parts scrounged at swap meets and junk yards as could be found, I'm now out of money. Maybe in debt, even. But, I think I've got the best car I could have imagined.  

CaptainFiend:
For 10 grand I could build a car that would make my high school shop teacher blush.

the car: 1965 Chevy Impala(my favorite)

the engine: Dart block 454, fuel injected(probably Super Squirt to help keep cost down), twin (junk yard)turbos, with a 250 shot of nitrus just for laughs.

the tranny: 6 speed with a vintage restored Hurst shifter poking through the console.

the drivetrain: rebuilt bulletproof 12-bolt rear with a Detroit Locker, maybe 3.55 gears to try to keep highway travel possible.

the outside: Blitz Black paint by John Deere(durable, cheap, looks like semi-gloss when wet), minimal trim pieces, polish up the chrome bumpers & grill(but not too shiny)

the inside: bucket seats, cushy and adjustable. Manual windows & locks, cold A/C, Autometer tach and other useful guages stylishly incorperated, Grant walnut steering wheel, black interior overall, six speaker sound system with mp3 player capability. For ten thousand dollars the damn thing better have a radio. Not too flashy, but not too spare for a daily driver.

the suspension & handling: eurethane bushings and tubular bars everywhere. I want smooth, precise, responsive handling on my land barge. Coilover shocks of good quality and big, fat sway bars should keep all the wheels planted.

the exhaust: 3 inch Flowmaster duals with an X pipe. There are no emission laws where I live.

If I've done all the work I could on this, with all available friends and tools, with as many parts scrounged at swap meets and junk yards as could be found, I'm now out of money. Maybe in debt, even. But, I think I've got the best car I could have imagined.

If you got the cash, my brother has the 65 Impala sitting out back.  He's got a couple of 454s, too.  

CaptainFiend don't tempt me with such offers. I have no self control.  

Neither does my brother.  That's why he's got the 65 Imp sitting, a 50 GMC 3/4 half finished, 2 74 Chev Crew cabs with 454's in them...  

If I had a REALLY unlimited budget, I'd start by engineering a set of bolt-on DOHC 4-Valve aluminum  heads for the 460 Ford, with capability for direct injection and Ethanol Boosting System's direct auxillary ethanol injection system . . . .

However, using parts that generally exist, I'd build (probably with the help of Chip Foose, or Troy Trepanier, or Pure Vision or some other pro builder that has industry connections) a "triple-charged" hybrid electric, modular displacement, all-wheel-drive big block Ford-powered 1969 Mustang as follows:

1. HYBRID ELECTRIC MANUAL TRANSMISSION: I'd raid the GM parts bin/insurance wrecking yard for the transmission, high-voltage batteries and electric control gear from a Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid.  I'd then machine the twin electric motor section of the transmission to interface with a beefed T-56 manual (or possibly a strengthened TKO-600 with a Gear Vendors overdrive added on). The Tahoe hybrid controller would be hacked to allow for manual operation of the electric motors.  Ahead of the elecric motor pack I'd use a multiplate clutch and a "decoupler" box (allows electric-only operation if desired).

2. VARIABLE DISPLACEMENT: I'd grab a set of either Chrysler or GM "displacement-on-demand" hydraulic roller lifters and send them off to Rhodes Lifters for machining with their patented variable duration grooves and to fit in an Eliminator Products aftermarket 460 Ford block. The DOD oil feed solenoids would be triggered by a manual controller.

3. VARIABLE GEOMETRY INTAKE MANIFOLD: I'd engineer and have built by one of the sheet metal manifold companies a "variable geometry" EFI intake manifold that would allow a low r.p.m. intake runner length (to the valve) of 26" with butterfly valves in the runners to shorten the effective ram pipe lengths to 19" and 13" as the r.p.m. increased.

3. DUAL FUEL INJECTION: I'd buy a top-of-the-line Motec EFI/Ignition system and a datalogging system and at least 16 injectors (so that the vehicle could run off-boost on pump gas and immediately switch on-boost to alcohol(E100) or E85). I'd run two fuel cells (one 16 gallon and one 8 gallon) with two sets of lines, filters and pumps.  

4. LONG BLOCK: Bored and stroked 460 Ford with aforementioned aftermarket block, fitted with oil squirters for the pistons, billet main caps, billet crank, billet rods, forged reverse deflector pistons featuring anti-scuff and thermal barrier coatings, Total Seal gapless top and second rings, hydraulic roller cam in the 230-degree (at .050 lift) range, ported Jon Kaase P-51 aluminum heads, roller rockers (no shaft rockers for me, even with an "unlimited" budget) ARP main and head studs, fabricated reverse-flow cooling system, true-roller timing chain or gear drive (no belt cam drive, even with "unlimited"  budget); cam phaser added to the timing set; chain-driven dry sump oiling system (no belts to break).

5. FORCED INDUCTION: A "twincharging system" similar to what I described in the "We're not rich but we're not Stupid" thread (Turbos into air-air intercooler into Roots or bypass into air-water aftercooler), with these modifications: Heavy-duty 4-into-2 (bifurcated) exhaust headers with four Turbonetics racegate wastegates (one for each exhaust channel), dual sequential ball-bearing, divided entry-turbine turbochargers (four turbos -- two per cylinder bank), Lancia Delta-style stainless steel flap valve at the exducer of both secondary turbines to prevent exhaust flow at low RPM and an electric secondary throttle to prevent flow out of both secondary compressors at low RPM.

6. JOHN COLETTI "SUPERCOOLER" SYSTEM:  The second stage aftercooler/intercooler would be augmented with an the AC-cooled "supercooler" designed and patented by John Coletti when he was chief at Ford SVT.

7. REAR AXLE: Dana 60 with an Auburn ECTED (limited slip with an electric locker), NASCAR-style full-floating axles (would consider a quick change rear if strong enough and the ECTED could be made to fit).

8. FRONT AXLE: adapt in an AWD Chrysler 300 differential and beefed half-shafts (obviously, the torque split would have to be limited).

9. CENTER DIFFERENTIAL/TRANSFER CASE: Single speed, non-locking viscous differential modified to transfer no more than 150-200 lbs/ft of torque to the front axle (Source and modifications to be determined).

10. CHASSIS: Art Morrison pro-touring with Air Ride Systems air springs and weight jackers, Koni adjustable shocks (I would add a solenoid controlled external bypass to the front shocks so that they could be switched on-the-fly to loose-rebound "drag" shocks), huge swaybars with a remote off-road-style disconnect of the front bar (for drag racing).

11. TIRES AND WHEELS: NO DUBS!  NO PRO STREET! 17" diameter "Mini-lite"-style or billet Magnum 500s (8" wide front, 10" wide rear) with Goodyear F1s on front and drag radials on the rear (Of course it still wouldn't hook up, even with AWD!).

12. BRAKES: Baer/Brembo four-wheel discs with modified ABS adapted from factory Ford Mustang parts, line-loc, dual Tilton master cylinders with balance bar.

13. BODY: Boss 302 rear scoop delete, Black Boss 302 stripes with "Boss 555" call-outs, Thunderbolt hood bubble (the greatest FoMoCo hoodscoop of all time) on a blacked-out hood, revised Boss 302 front spoiler with a small splitter, "Off-road-only" High/Low-beam H4s bulb assemblies in the high-beam headlamp sockets, HID conversion in the low-beam head-lamp sockets, discrete but period-correct fog lamps below the bumper, fiber optic lamp monitors from a 1980s Cadillac, rear spoiler, hood tach nacelle fitted with fuel pressure gauges (one for each fuel system), legal window tint on rear and side windows, NASCAR-style rear window straps and windshield retaining tabs, hood pins with lanyards on hood and trunk (trunk pins are weather-sealed), Shelby Cobra-style mirrors modified to add heat, electric adjusters and auto-dimming glass, two recessed flip-top Cobra-style fuel caps (one for each fuel system), 1970 Mustang tail lamp panel and taillights, blacked out and with tasteful, period-style "honeycomb" accent, tail lamp segments converted to Cougar-style sequential operation with high-intensity LED bulbs.

14. SAFETY: Full cage with triangulated swing-out side bars that can be pinned either to the doors (street) or the cage (track) and removable main hoop cross-bar on the passenger-side for rear seat access (driver's side cross-bar is fixed and tied into the main hoop diagonal bar), all safety equipment required for bracket racing, HRM Drag Week (tm), CC's new Street Car contest, open road events, HRM Top Speed Challenge at Maxton Mile, ECTA events, integrated fire suppression system, Five-panel WINK rear view mirror refitted with electric auto-dimming glass.

15. INTERIOR: Leather and wool in the style of the original interior, but with fully power-adjustable RECARO front seats (driver's seat can be removed for certified racing seat), Taurus-style lighted sun visors modified to work with the cage and the Wink mirror, Engine-turned auxiliary gauge/control panel with carbon-fiber accents (panel can be turned to face "riding mechanic/tuner" in the front passenger seat, dome light with map lights, courtesy lighting, center console with drink holders, rear seat with fold-down center arm rest, stereo, tilt and telescoping steering column with modern "stalk" controls for accessories and a vintage-style Shelby Mustang steering wheel.

16. MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT: A/C (pirated off the hybrid Tahoe?), electric power steering, power windows, power door locks, custom security system (schematics known only to me), electric vacuum pump (if Tilton master cylinders can be interfaced with a brake booster), cruise control, Valentine One, interval wipers, automatic headlamp system, automatic emergency brake release with an override system to facilitate "bootleg" e-brake turns.

17. EXHAUST: Expansion megaphones after each turbo lead to manual dump caps and split into four three-inch pipes; four catalytic converters; two after-cat pipes run to the sides, through minimal "race" mufflers to NASCAR-style side outlets, but flow through the side pipes is regulated by "cut-out" valves; the other two pipes run through turbo mufflers and exit through polished MEGS at the rear.

It'd probably be cheaper to just buy a Bugatti Veyron . . . .  

For 10 Grand budget?

JY Ford V8 (SBF or 460) swapped into an '87-'88 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and fitted with a pair of cheap turbos; TKO-600 with a dual-disc clutch; beefed 8.8; 6-point roll bar . . . can you sell parts to increase the budget?  

I would go for an odd ball chevy like the 75 Laguna S-3. why do a car that hase ben overdone like the 69 Camaro? It"s nice but be origanal!  

As for "odd-ball" and NASCAR-inspired, I really struggled in picking the '69 Mustang, because a '69 Torino or Cyclone converted to the Talladega nose would be a "dare to be different" shell for the AWD- electric-hybrid-super-dual-sequential-quad-turbo BBF.

A '67 or '64 Fairlane or a '66-'69 Falcon might also "work," too.  

On the DoD you really would be better off letting the computer control it based on MAP and TPS settings.  Might as well let the computer handle shutting down 4 cylinders every time you come to a stop and get the fuel savings rather than hitting the switch every time.  Goes with the highway too.  

That might be true.

But manual DoD fits in with manual gear selection in my mind.

And a manual system would probably be easier to retrofit to a non-DoD engine  (Not that anything else in the "unlimited" build would be easy).

Even with an automatic DoD system, you'd need a manual override for cruise night profiling at the drive-in or on the fairgrounds "at the Nats" (the idle sound on four massive cylinders probably wouldn't be all that pleasing for "show" settings)

Besides, with an engine that's about 50% larger than anything Detroit has fitted a DoD system to, I suspect the system would be forgiving enough to operate manually (engine bogging not too likely).  

GLAD:
If you had an unlimited budget. What car would you build and how you build it?
douglas

First, I'd score some sheets of 100% pure platnum.  Then I'd get Christina Ricci ("Speed Racer") or Jordana Brewster ("The Fast and the Furious") to start forming them on an English wheel . . . .  

dr511scj_1:
As for "odd-ball" and NASCAR-inspired, I really struggled in picking the '69 Mustang, because a '69 Torino or Cyclone converted to the Talladega nose would be a "dare to be different" shell for the AWD- electric-hybrid-super-dual-sequential-quad-turbo BBF.

A '67 or '64 Fairlane or a '66-'69 Falcon might also "work," too.

. . . electric-hybrid . . . turbo . . .

I wonder if Jeff "Camaro Craft" Smith could tap into his GMPP contacts/handlers and wrangle up the drivetrain from one of those newfangled Tahoe hybrids. (Hey JEFF, it's still an LS . . .)

Then maybe they could swing the "miracle motor," the "Mr. Electric" transmission, battery pack and computer into one of those dead GM sleds we never hear about any more  (Disco No-Go, Great Specked Firebirdturd).

Then CCMAG could talk someone into turbocharging it for them . . . .  

I would build my 1979 delta 88 with a 455 stroked to a 493 with a six speed tranny that way i could got to the local cruise nights it full sleeper fasion and then woup on a new vette