what do ya think?

for some unknown reason i picked up this 29 gazelle body off of CL last weekend, so my buddy and sat it up on blocks and sat some old tires and wheels up to today. my 1st thougth is to shorten the back almost 12", close up the door areas, build a 2x3 ch***is of sorts, steel tubing skeleton on the inside, str8 axle front and run an inline 6. so the ? is should i do or just s**** the idea

 

I'm sure some here don't like it but if you put it together right it might be a good driver. It is slightly unorthodox.

 

Looks very MGTCish, I think I would put it back on Craig's list. There would be a lot of work in it and in the end you dont have what you really want. Hold out and spend the $$ on the body you want.
Doc.

 

It kinda looks like a sectioned Jeep.

 

Supersized Pinewood Derby

 

went through this with kit car bugatti body finally said heck with it and gave it away. have other cars i do like, 56 ford-54 panel, that i couldnt get done and was wasting my time this 'gl***. wasn't what i wanted anyway. life's to short. good luck though.

 

For the same effort you could be building a cheapo rustbucket Model A. Unless you paid like $50 for the thing and can get the steel for it for free. In which case, save the steel to replace the wood in the Model A body.

 

Seems like a lot of effort on something that will just look wrong, no matter what you do with it.

 

I almost bought one of the Bugatti kits on a VW. I eyeballed it for a long time, then took a couple pics and started photochopping. I ended up going with an old speedster/race runabout look, and it worked very nicely, but by the time I decided to jump on it, the thing was sold. Too bad, more I think about it, it would've been a pretty neat little runaround toy, easy as hell to re-work, and pretty damned good on gas, too.
Then I saw a similar deal on the same kit as yours, on a Pinto base. Thought about that one, too, but I'm kinda more of a VW guy anyway.
If this were mine, I would go as simple as possible. Too many of these things are uglied up with tons of chrome trim, wire-wheel hubcaps, VW taillights, those god-awful fake exhaust pipes sticking out the hood sides, and a super-lame tan-with-brown-fenders paint job. It just screams "old retired guy".
If you went with real wire wheels or steelies, a nice bright or dark-colored paint (NO TAN!!!), with some vintage-looking decals-I've been looking around for some on ebay for my own project, there's some neat repros, like "Roar With Gilmore!" Just shoot for making it look more like a 30s speedster and less like an old man's garage queen, and I think it would be super-kool and different.

 

I see a big money pit going nowhere fast. Haul that thing three miles due west, ditch it and run like hell before it ****s the life out of you.

 

That's the same thing I thought when I saw the pics too.

Not my cup of tea but if it's what you like do it.

Like others have said, you'll have alot of time and money in something that you'll never get back.

 

any of you want one? i have a running one for sale/trade. it has a v.w. superbeetle running gear.

 

I kind of like it.
It would be a great body for a "Locost" (Lotus Seven) project.
Those Locost cars have hideous styling, but this body fixes that.
Sports car with a HAMB face.

Google Ron Champion and Locost if you're interested.
He has a light-weight space frame, and this thing with S10 (or Miata) running gear would really rip.

 

Am I missing something? Another thread recently got locked because it was talking about fibergl*** aftermarket parts shoved onto late model cars.... WTF....I'll throw in my .02. I think you'll spend a ton of money and time and still have something that looks like a VW kit car with a face lift. But, like I've said before, opinions are like 350 Chevy engines. Everyone has one and they all think theirs is better. For my money, I'd rather devote my time and energy into something more HAMB friendly. But, it's not my money. It's yours. Do what ya like.

 

Are you having a Midlife crisis...If you are just tell us and we will all understand because we are so sensitive on this board....If not get rid of it.....and say what was I thinking......

 

At least the Bugatti VWs looked something like an old car. That thing is a styling nightmare bred with a great big boatbuilder's disaster.
Run as fast as you can Put it on Craigslist and take the first offer you get, or give it to the first guy who calls.

 

If you want to do that, you have to go completely wild with it... like in street driven race car g***er or put in on a FED-style ch***i, completely overwelm the fact that you are using a 70's kit car body with the wheels, tires and ridiculous induction.

 

I think that if you are not p***ionate about it that you will soon run out of the steam that is necessary to build a complete project like that. It sounds to me like you are asking us to re***ure your own doubts. Sorry I can't help. If it isn't the coolest thing you've ever seen and it doesn't have you doing back flips then it will become a chore in due time.

I can't see the end result being worth the effort that it takes to get there. I've made the same mistake a few times. I wish that I had saved the money lost to use on something that I was more p***ionate about. Sometimes it hard to face the reality of the job at hand. Once that sets in, it may not seem so cool anymore.

Sorry if that's a downer. I believe in honesty, reality and not good intentions.

 

Tommy, that is the most tactful way I've ever heard anyone say, "You can't polish a turd."

 

Can you get us some daylight pics without the snow all over it?
Photoshop helps, but that's a lot of trash to remove from an image.

 

you guys are just to dam rude. I got it real cheap and i mean cheap, and i thought it would be something to mess around with. I keep looking for a late 20's/early 30's body but by the time i see anything around here someone beats me to it or the price is just way to much for my blood. well i guess iwill just have to see if i can find some that will want the body and just keep looking around

 

Paint it up and put a couple of pipes for framerails and put it in your yard and plant flowers around it -or on top of your garage with your shop name on it.

 

I don't think it will ever look like anything you would want to drive on the street but....lay the nose back, build a tube frame with a cage and a fibergl*** cover over the p***enger compartment and head to B'ville. It could also double as a altered style bracket car.