I have a 1987 Firebird GTA TransAm that would be perfect! And it’s a non T-Top car. Came out of a tow yard impound, was abandoned on the side of the road up here in Flagstaff. The owner must have had a leaking water pump cuz I found a new one in it but the block froze and cracked from no antifreeze. Cheap too, I think I have around $500 in it! It even has awesome Wild Cherry seat covers for extra style points! Best part is, FREE to you! Come get it!
Those 2dr XJ Cherokee's are lighter than they look. There's more than a handful out there that are turbo LS powered.
Do you know how much a mid 60s nova wagon is worth these days? Way out of the value range. The 2 door XJ is also kind of tempting the value thing...a trashed 4 door would be better, but the 2 door is about 50 lbs lighter.
Only problem with the XJ is the Jeepspeed race series, have you seen those? Coming home from ElMirage I’ve seen them on trailers in Barstow! Adds a bunch of value to a dead one!
Nah, almost 3 million XJ's were made. They are everywhere. I'm considering finding a cheap XJ beater to leave at the ranch so I don't have to scratch up my shiny truck.
To me , I watched the Video posted previously above, did not think the competition was quite fair , Some of the engine combos .. & does any one Know why the Shot up GTO was not able to Run /Compete ? The Jeep's Cherokee models look to be best option for small & room ,or Station wagon type vehicles
@squirrel I have a 89 Chrysler Conquest (Mitsubishi Starion) that may work for you. They are IRS but many people have done LS swaps in them.
The Jeep XJ might work, but don't they all have the same front axle housing, 2wd or 4wd? I think I would be looking towards a 68-76 4 door Dodge Dart or 4 door Plymouth Valiant. They have leaf spring rear, are pretty light weight, have little value, should still be pretty available, a large engine space, and have pretty large trunk space. The LS and the 8.8 rear would be easy to install, and the larger front brakes swap out with the larger B body stuff with bolting the spindles in between the ball joints.
If the Firebird doesn't work out, how about an early Falcon? Those things are a thousand pounds lighter than the Firebird. Straight axle or even the stock suspension could work and it would only take 400hp to make it a very quick car.
I'm inclined to want something that came with efi originally, to simplify that part of it...and I've had my fill of Mopar A bodies, I kept my wife's going for almost 40 years. The XJ was available 2 or 4wd, the suspension was the same, but the 2wd had a "dummy" straight axle, with different spindle ends in the knuckles. Removing the guts from the front axle gets you most of the way there. And I've been thinking about other ways to deal with the front end, including a dropped axle. One big advantage is that there's a lot of room in and under for stuff, no need to get into the floor pan to add an overdrive, etc. And you can fit exhaust, and lots of other things. Roll bar would be easy to install. As I get older, I look at things a bit differently. One of the first engine swaps I did many years ago was a 3.8 v6 into a Chevette, and it taught me a lot about what a pain it is to start with a small car.
Like the XJ idea, another to consider is Volvo wagons, they used 8.8 rear axles don’t know what they had for suspensions or what they weigh.
I'll be busy the next few days, robot competition in Phoenix, and I get to help the students with that for 3 days of fun.
Definitely want a cage in the XJ as the unibodies are known for being a bit flexy. Doors often pop open when offroading in stock XJs. Suspension would be pretty easy since they are coil springs. Throw some double adjustable coilovers on all 4 corners and maybe some tubular link bars front and rear. An Explorer 8.8" out back, same wheel bolt pattern and perfect width. I even think there are bracket kits out there to swap 8.8" into XJs.
I got it !!!!!!! A V-8 powered Pontiac Fiero. Light....plenty of traction (mid engine) Nobody wants them because of a'few' engine fars. Somebody even sold a kit to V-8 'em so I know you could pull it off.... Aerodynamic.. Two seater with a trunk in front Besides....you done eliminated Fox body Fords... 6sally6
I was going to suggest an early square body S10 Blazer. Yep, engine compartment is tight, but you can leave the inner fender panels out or cut some of them away for fenderwell header room. I think I like the Jeep idea too, only they sit kinda high for a high speed car. Maybe a Geo tracker.......... 8:40/160mph
The Jalopy Journal
