New to forum. Have had muscle cars, and for ten years a '73 Triumph that I run around in the Summertime.

I have no hot rod. So what's that have to do with this forum? Plenty.

I have no hot rod. Yet.

See, my Triumph has been in the family since I was 9, and said beloved Spitfire has to go under the carsophagus in the wintertime as soon as they salt the roads, or else I'd have swiss cheese by the spring.

And I am tired of driving anonymous and boring cars in the very long winters here in central New York.

What to do about that?

Here is what I am thinking. After surfing around this site for a bit and reading all the great interaction - I think the folks here can handle the oddness.

Punched up Diesel Engine - most likely a 5.9 Cummins, but if I can find a 2 stroke Detroit Diesel I'll go that route and build it big and very noisy.

Engine set up to start and run well in the cold- block heater and glow plugs.

Front wheels come into the garage first. That's a "must have."

Four wheel drive.

Set the engine as far back as I can in the chassis and lower the whole thing as far as the packaging limitations of the transfer case and front driveshaft allow. It won't be as low as most hot rods, but I'll have to handle snowy roads so that's OK.

30's vintage body - four seat minimum. Mildly chopped top for certain. Hood and fenders in the plan, but removable. I'll be needing that heater...

Very low numerical gear ratio and beefy drivetrain to take advantage of all that torque to really fling this sucker down the road when said road is not all snow covered. Figuring an engine designed for towing 10,000+ pounds and then breathed on should launch a car nicely.

I won't have an opportunity to do anything about this bug in my head for quite a while. That's the bad news, but the good thing about that is it I will have time to figure out what I need to know and learn it.

And time to think it out - plan it out, design it, and accumulate the necessaries.

It's not even remotely normal, but I'd love to hear what this forum thinks of how to go about this, especially structural options and ideas on how to do the front suspension so I can have that live front 4x4 axle and still have it go down the road front wheels first.

Or if I am truly off in the tall corn on this one!

Best,
PlanningAhead