New age hot rod

So the roots of hot rodding in my opinion starts by getting a really light car or truck shoving the biggest motor you can into it. Now mine may not be a T-bucket, a muscle car, or a little 30's coupe, but this is what I've got. I took an old 1991 Eagle Talon (same car as a Plymouth laser or mitsubishi eclipse) that I owned in highschool, and decided I wanted to convert it to rear wheel drive. (I was still stationed in the states at the time so I had the ability to work on it some)

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So I gutted the car and pulled the motor to start.

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Ran into the previous owners electrical mistakes

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Getting the motor out

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interesting. please keep posting pics.

Well I was up for new orders and I got a big surprise and instead of staying stateside, I got sent to japan. So before I left I decided I wanted the car up and running when I came home. After a couple weeks of searching for a shop that was up to the task and didn't laugh and hang up on me, I found powerhouse hot rods a shop not too far from my hometown. So off went my car and off I went to japan.

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Up on a frame table it went and a custom chassis started being fabled up

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Then finally it was on the ground and they started fabricating the interior tins

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Looks like Great progress and I believe your right a hot rod is what ever you make it and an engine change is the right place to start.

More pictures (everybody loves pictures). Again, like most hot rodders changing up body parts with other/newer models isn't out of the ordinary so I put a newer front end on it.

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And that brings everything up to date from the past 2.5-3 years

Mind the rust! I'm from the north haha

I like what you're doing here.......

Who wouldn't love it? A full frame, rear drive Eagle with uber-power? Very cool.

love the work so far.

Looks great. Very, very nice work.

Times 10! This thing will be Bad_ ss! Thanks for all the pics too.

I too admire what you are doing to your light weight rocket ship, it will be a real sleeper and have people guessing what the hell it is what sort of engine it has under the hood. I bet you are looking forward to scaring the shit out of some rice racer at the lights. Is it going to be manual gog box or the slush box ?

Thanks everyone!
It'll be a good sleeper, really the only thing that will be un-factory are the 11" tires going on the back. It'll have a T56 magnum behind it, also I am putting a FAST 102mm intake manifold and TB on it. I'll probably put stiffer springs in the heads as well to try raising my RPMs a little bit. The motor already has the GM performance cam.

This is a hot rod, pure and simple! I always like the unique projects. Nice work so far!

Thanks everyone.
My peddle assembly is supposed to be in today (3rd times the charm for fitment). So once that comes in the mounts to the chassis will be made up for the masters and then the firewall and trans tunnel can be finished up. After that the body is gonna be taken off and the roll cage reworked along with all the final welding. Powder coat here I come! Haha

Good news for sure! When do you rotate back to the states? Sounds like the shop is putting some decent time into your project, hope everything works out good time wise for you!!!!

It's looking like December this year I'm coming home, I'll have spent 3 years here in Japan. The goal for the shop is to be done before snow starts falling this coming fall/winter and then it'll sit in the garage until the roads are nice again.

Yeah, that should work! Hope things keep progressing at a rate to make that work for you! A couple decades back I did a car for a guy who was doing 2 years in Germany in the Air Force, had a brother who lived in town act as his liaison. Things went off as planned and the guy came home to his new rolling chassis, body in primer, and all the electrical done just like he wanted!!!!! Hope yours works out just as well!!!!

In case anyone was interested, this is my springtime here in Japan.

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Very Very Nice! Thanks for the pics!

OH...and thanks for your service too!!!

The Kamakura Buddha is somewhat bigger in person than it looks.

Hi everyone, I've been gone awhile on deployment but I'm back now and I've got some updates https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8606/...5aa22b381c.jpg
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Awesome work. Are you satisfied with the progress per dollar this shop is giving?

I was at first, but I don't pay storage fees there and we have an agreement knowing it was going to be a long term project since I'm in Japan. However, I'm coming home this spring and it's supposed to be completely running and drive able with the exception of paint and body work. I'm hoping they deliver on that expectation.

Looking like they're making progress, and the thing should be a lot of fun to drive. You mentioned that you're back (from Japan?), but then say "...coming home this spring". Does that mean you're finishing your tour of duty, and moving back into civilian life, or just that you're coming home hoping to have a car you can drive to your next post? Just curious.

I'm stationed overseas in Japan, I was out on deployment in the south pacific. So I'm back in Japan now but next spring when I go out and I'll end up back in the states when we're done

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Originally Posted by turtlespeeder

I'm stationed overseas in Japan, I was out on deployment in the south pacific. So I'm back in Japan now but next spring when I go out and I'll end up back in the states when we're done

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And are your done, done; or just done with that duty rotation, moving on to another?

Just moving on to another, I'm 5 years in now and I've got at least 6 more left before I get out

Once again, thank you for your service, which seems even more appropriate on this Thanksgiving Day. If you invest eleven you might as well plan on twenty or more to get that retirement check while you're still a relatively young man.

2nd on hanging on til the 20 mark. I did and I'm so glad for it. I'd do it all over again. The friendships and good times I had in the Navy out last anything I ever did or have done since I retired in 97.
Now how about the ride, Looking Sweet !

Thanks everyone! Hope everybody had/has a great thanksgiving!

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No disrespect intended, Dave, but isn't asking someone how much they've spent on their build kind of like asking a woman her age, or even worse, asking her weight? Some things are just personal, regardless how curious one may be about the facts. Maybe I'm off base here, and if so I apologize in advance.

Wow, cool project you have going here. That will be a total sleeper sitting there, and should be a fast little rocket too! Thanks for your service too! What job do you do daily?

I agree with you Roger as I personally get a bit angry when non car people say to me or try and tell me what I should of spend my money on. I say that I don't gamble, smoke and only have the occassional drink,beer, so if I choose to spend money on my hobby I will. I also ask if they have a boat or any toys in their cubboard. It is all upto what an individual wants in their life.

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Originally Posted by daveS53

Thanks for the apology.....

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I guess that means that you felt I was off base, which is your prerogative. I'll just say that you and I have totally different points of view about the etiquette of discussing private money details publicly, and hope that you will allow turtlespeeder to reclaim his thread.

Turtlespeeder, looking forward to another batch of pictures from the shop, and hearing that the guys have it ready for you to come home to. Wish it was not so far away from the Heartland!!