Originally posted by Jerilynne1965
I've put on my outline that I want the car to have (no laughing please):

* a more powerful/faster engine (my current setup only does about 190-220hp and is a very slow starter)

* a really nice deep sound, I want it to be heard, but not obnoxious.

* manual transmission (because I think they're fun)

* a more solid suspension system

I have a million questions...some are:

What are the problems with that general overview?
What KIND of engine should I be looking at and why?
What KIND of Trans should I be looking at and why?
What KIND of Exhaust system should I look for and why?
What obvious things am I missing????
Jeri, the only problem that I see here is that you are looking at doing your car like you would redecorate or build your house. And unfortunately, the same problems will occur depending on who is doing the work.

A builder or architect would be like taking the car to shop and leaving it until it's done. A place like this would look at a PowerPoint presentation with interest and ask when you want it back and what you want to spend.

A building contractor will only handle certain parts of a build, just like a plumber or electrician. This is what a body shop, an engine shop or a chassis shop would be like. They will look at your presentation with amusement and dismiss the whole thing, ask you what you want, and what you want to spend.

The above requires you to be the sub-contractor. And because this is similar to building a house, a contractor may try to take advantage of you if they think they can. It's like paying for a 6" concrete basement floor and only getting 4" of concrete (yes, this happens).

It's easy to lay out what you want, but you have to oversee what you actually get back. If this is a cruiser, this is what I would look to do.

Engine: A GM crate engine. And this would be either a ZZ4 standard small block Chevy and this would come with a 2/24 mile warranty, or a LS2 Gen III GM engine with electronic fuel injection. I'm partial to fuel injection myself (always starts, smooth idle or as lumpy as you want without hurting drivability) vs a carburated engine.

Transmission: A T-56 6-Speed trans. These are available used out of Z-28's, Trans Ams, GTO's and CTS-V's. They can also be purchased rebuilt or brand new.

The best way in my opinion to take care of the engine and trans would be a complete, low mileage salvage assembly from some of the yards here in Michigan. The engine and trans complete, with the electrical wiring could be had for $3500 to $5000 depending on the mileage (if you're interested, PM me and I can hook you up with a yard that will take good care of you).

Rear End: Unless you plan on building up the engine, the rear end that is in your car should work fine enough. A rebuild shouldn't be more than $1000. A bullet proof rear end can be had for $2500 if you plan on having more than 450 HP and will be racing the car.

Exhaust: Not nearly that important. This is more of a final detail. A little more planning may be required. Headers may need to be fabricated for a newer style engine.

As for body and interior work, this will be expensive. A good quality, driver paint job will run about $5000. This does not include body work necessary to have it ready to paint, or any other necessary rust repairs. And a show type paint job can easily exceed $10,000.

Depending on the condition of your current interior, this can run $7500 to $15,000. This will also depend on the materials you wish to use (leather costs, just for the hides, can be $3000).

Redoing the suspension, front and rear will probably run $1000 to $3000 depending on who does the work. You'll want to seperate the front subframe from the body and replace the rotted out body mounts, too.

Tires and wheels can run the spectrum depending on what you want to spend. The wheels and tires for my Studebaker are $5200 .

The rest is on 'stuff'. How good is your gas tank? How about the radiator? Do you want A/C? What condition is the windshield wiper assemblies in? How about the glass? What about all the nuts, bolts, hoses, etc. that hold it all together?

I'm not trying to scare you on price, but your project looks rather rough. While everything under the sun is available for a GM F-Body, how much will 'everything' cost? What can be salvaged and what can't.

I have a $75,000 expected budget on my Studebaker. This will be five year, ongoing project with approximately $15,000 a year going into it. And the body on my car is in better condition (bought it in Cal.).

Your job is to be the sub-contractor. It's a great way to learn about the construction of your car. Before you start to disassemble the car, have the service manuals, body manuals, and parts manuals. Plan out what you want the car to look like before you start. I put a year into the planning stage alone and I know just about every piece, nut and bolt that will go on my car and who I'm buying it from.

Things like the body shop being used, and my short block supplier have been contacted and things discussed so a plan could be formed.

Again, if you have any questions, PM or e-mail me.

Tom