Hot Rods The ultimate sleeper?!?

I was gonna say a Rambler but, I WOULD drive that one docmike posted.


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A Honda. >.>

I seen a 30 model A here, beige, either orange wheels, black fenders bone stock on the outside, and interior..BONE STOCK...but it had a sbc stuffed in it.could only tell if you peeked hard into the side lovers

 

Sleepers are my favorite kind of drag car, and if I were building one today it would not exactly be HAMB friendly, but something along the lines of a Farimont SW with roof rack and baby seat in the back. Engine would probably be a 514 stroker Ford with a little nos thrown in for good measure.

One that I remember that was HAMB friendly was a 65 Impala that showed up one night at some street races in 1965. The 396 425 Vettes were kind of the car to beat that night and in rolled an all white 65 Impala with 396 flags, tribar hubcaps, fender skirts, twin Appleton spotlights, and whitewalls. He arranged a race with one of the Vette guys for $100 and the Vette guys buddies were laughing, thinking it was an easy sucker they had on the line.

As soon as the race was agreed to the trunk was opened on the Impala and out came two 11 inch M and H dragster slicks and a floor jack. While the owner was changing tires his buddies were underneath, uncapping the headers. When they drove up to the line the complexion of the car had changed dramatically, and was more like a gasser than a street machine.

He lined up with the Vette and when the flag dropped he went through all 4 gears before the Vette knew what was happening. Now the Vette guy wanted to fight, but the Impala guy told him he would give him a chance to get his money back, so they lined up for a second $100 race. This time the Impala blew him off even worse.

As they were putting the whitewalls and hubcaps back on the Impala they finally opened the hood. There on the valve covers were two little stickers that read "Built by Bill Thomas Race Cars." He also told us it had 5.14 gears in the back. The Impala drove off $200 richer, and we never saw the car after that night.

That was my favorite sleeper of all time.

Don

 

Thats kinda what i was thinking. I was looking at trying to find a 60's biscayne post or 4 door. I just wasn't sure if the x style frame would work well or not....?

I already have the motor and trans, (388ci stroker and a turbo 400). I just need pointers on what car to start with and how to make it hook/run but still look the part of a turd.

 

A early 60's or 70's 4 door Nova with steel rims, dog dishes, and a bench seat, original paint

Woud be easy, parts are avaliable and cars are cheap.

 

Sleepers can be a lot of fun, but you have to be careful. After the fun wears off (and it will, eventually), you may decide to part ways, and you'll be left with an ugly, orphan 4-door car that nobody wants. Even the ugly cars take a bunch of time and money, especially if you want to make it fast and safe. The fast ugly cars are cool, but they aren't timeless. Once the "secret" gets out, it's just another fast, ugly car, and you won't fool anybody anymore.

Get a car you like, preferably a 2-door. Or maybe even a truck. Get one that's a little worn around the edges, with patina'd paint, worn interior, and dingy trim. When you're done playing the sleeper game, you'll have a car you can hot rod or restore later. Or if you decide to sell it, you have a desirable car that you won't get stuck with because it's so weird that nobody is interested in it.

I would suggest a '62-'65 Nova 2-door post or wagon.

 

8.60's. This car to me is the ultimate sleeper, slightly new as it's a 67.

 

'52 to '54 Ford mordoors, I just gave my '54 Ford mordoor to my oldest son, warmed over 350 chevy, 350 tubro 4:10 8in rear lowered, flat black and flames front to back, shaved and decked, and single exhaust!! That car is a blast to drive, everybody laughed at me when I built it, I didn't care. Miss it now, but my son is loving life and driving the wheels off it.

 

Thanks Doc, my monitor needed cleaned anyways..

 

I like my sleeper, but its O/T its a 81 Fairmont wagon, with a 5.0. I have a luggage rack, and not to loud of exhaust, untill I stand on it. It might weigh 3g's, so it flys. I've got picture proof of me lifting one front wheel on the track with bald street tires. I drive it everyday, it might run high 13's on a good day, but I still take everyone that lines up to me on the street, I gap the FUCK out of them, and then they cant catch me in time. Vettes and mustangs hate me...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVKt1rebIi8


<hr style="color:#e5e5e5; background-color:#e5e5e5" size="1"> Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset"> Originally Posted by TheTrailerGuy
How about a 1961 Pontiac Tempest... small, ugly and nobody would see it coming until it was too darn late....
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

No one would notice the new rear suspension and straight rear end?

Too much work


Uhhh....OK!

 

This particular one has a 500 hp 454 and Richmond 6 speed.

 

Any mid fifties 4 door from the big three. If you really wanna sneak up on people have single exhaust with a real quiet muffler and have electric cutouts that dump somewhere hidden up front...


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1/4 miler Coupe Deville, 9.05

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asK2dEb-tEw

 

I actually did an article on one that was complete garage built, not special equipment past a torch and a welder that had a 454 in it. It was a total sleeper all the way down to the hub caps.

The guy actually used his garage door for a wheet metal brake to bend his transmission tunnel.

Tempest or the little olds F-85 would be on my list. Maybe the little buick, like a special or skylark, even the '64 Chevelle post car was light and unpopular.

In high school a friends mom had a '64 Chevelle 4 door that had a warmed over 327 in it and 3 on the tree. That car was a blast to drive and while not totally homley it was not desirable enough for anyone to expect to get their hat handed to them by it.

 

How about a 1960 apache? IT runs 9.4 in the 1/8th 383 stroker. Shocks the hell out of people.

 

I vote for this. I've seen some wicked older Nova 4 doors that have had the sleeper treatment. As long as they're not too loud and the stance is right...people won't give you the time of day. Until you press the go pedal.

 

there is a you tube of a 64 chevy sleeper truck with a camper shell, pullin the wheels at launch...........

 

1969 - 4door- Dodge Dart, Driver Ed car.... with passenger side steering wheel and brake pedal...... Hemi and dana 60

 

A little O/T but I have a '89 Mustang hatchback with a 575HP SBC and T56 that is a sleeper, and it's butt ugly with Sun bleached paint and several different color body parts. There is enough room under the hood for a big block and parts are dirt cheap.

 

66 Nova wagon With Duramax twin turbo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh63EZvSl2o

 

I had a Rambler wagon set aside for a sleeper. The plan was to make it look like it belonged to a drunken house painter with various colors of spilled paint running from the tailgate, a cheap light aluminum ladder secured to the rack, fish stickers on the rear-side glass, mud flaps with reflectors hiding fat tires, an air shock on one side to make it look like it had a broken spring.

Some kids tried to steal it and when it ran out of gas first they set it on fire.