Okay, I'm trying to plan what to do with a collection of engines I've got sitting around. In about 3 years, when my daughter takes the IROC I built as a driver for her college car, I'll be ready to consider another simple project car to build as a driver. Problem is, I can't decide.
I'm kind of wondering what you guys think sounds the most interesting.

1. I've got a 400 small block. It needs a rotating assembly, but the block's been magnufluxed and is good. I've been thinking about using that in an old fat-fendered truck, but jeeze, that's 10 or 15 years away realistically.
So I've been really tempted to do a couple of things with it.
One is to build it up as a centrifugal supercharged 406 with 6-inch rods and an LT1 or LT4 type fuel injection set up and find a ZF-6 speed C4 Corvette to put it in. But that's if I can afford a 10 grand C4 and build up a 4 grand motor.

2. I'd also love to have a later C3 Corvette. Something like a 1977 or newer. I'd pull the 350 and build the 400 into a long-rod 377 engine and twin turbocharge and intercool it. Once again, I'd probably prefer to find a good 6 speed overdrive transmission for it. This one would have seriously steep gears to take advantage of a double-OD 6-speed. Maybe 4.56 gears.
I think the car would be a little cheaper, maybe 7 or 8 grand, but the twin turbo mill will cost more. So still a 12 to 14 grand project.

3. The guy across the street has been trying to get me to buy his cute little 4-cylinder Fiero for a few years now. I think he's saving it for me to make him a $900 offer. I can't imagine a 406 in a car like that. It'd be undriveable. But I could see finding a turbocharged and intercooled Olds Quad-4 for it though. Ever since I retired my Shelby Charger, I've missed the feel of a turbo-4. This would be cheap. $900 bucks for the car, $500 for the engine in a junk yard, some surgery and a grand on miscellaneous stuff.

4. Rebuild my Shelby. I've got a Lotus 16-valve turbo intercooled engine and a Getrag transmission with 3.85 final drive gears. Cool combination that could easily make 300 hp in a 2200 lb car.
Cost: Almost nil. A few thou rebuilding that motor. Everything else I own.

5. Throw my cares in the wind and buy a 1970 Cuda or Challenger with a bad motor and stick a Viper R/T-10 engine in it.
Cost: Forget it, probably 20 or 25 grand...but it'd be fun.


Comments, opinions, suggestions?
I'll be retiring my military job as a jet engine mechanic on F-16's after 21 years and I'll need something to do with my fingers!!!

 

If I lived in the states and already had a vette, I'd go with 5 and the choice would be a challenger, lime twist green and no vinyl top

Marck

 

I use to own a '70 AAR Cuda, fun car. I like the body style of both the Cuda and Challenger. Can't go wrong there.

Here is a link if you decide on the Fiero. http://www.v8archie.com/v8fiero.htm

Anything corvette is cool.

Not much help here. They all look like fun projects.

 

My recommendation is to go with #4. These cars are sooo rare on the streets these days but can be built for daily driver useage. Don't just build it up, BUILD IT UP. I haven't had mine on the road for years, but it still has all the memories of cleaning the clocks of Cobras, Camaros and TransAms. No one ever expects these cars to be lightning quick... however, when they hear the jet engine sound of that turbine spooling up... look out, all they see is below :yesnod:

 

Why did you have to go and make me miss my Shelby like that?
The engine runs fine. I bought mine 6 months before the GLHS came out, and I was PISSED. So naturally, I intercooled it and bought one of those intercooled computers. The engine still runs great, with 201,000 miles on it. The problem is, I blew out my transaxle. I did, however, buy a Getrag A555 tranny. And with 201K on the motor, why go through all that work and then have something go on the engine?

So I guess because I already own everything, I'll do #4, the Shelby, first. I'll rebuild that Lotus head Turbo III engine and drop that in.
The only problem I ever had with that car is that I couldn't launch worth a damn with that FWD.
I always did love that very loud jet engine-sounding engine though.
Gawd I miss that car.

I could see the Challenger V10 project, if money was no object. But that's more of a dream.
And the Fiero, if I were going to build up one, I should find a 1988. They finally fixed everything, just in time to stop building them, and the body style is better.

I'm surprised there aren't more people voting on the Vette ideas. But that's okay. I already have a big block Vette.

 

#5, That will be really bad butt looking, Anyway if you do will it be legall? B/c you changed the engine? :confused:

 

No problem, in California the smog requirement is determined by the year of the car, so if the car is old enough to not need smog, your good to go. If you change the motor in a car that requires smog, the engine must be the same year or newer, from the same manufacturer, and you have to upgrade the smog equipment to the year of the engine. In fact a lot of car guys out here who like late 70's Vettes, f-bodies, g-bodies, etc, but don't like the driveability problems of the last carburetor cars are converting over to tpi or lt1 fuel systems.

 

Say for example I put in a BB in my 84 vette ( IT can be done, has been done many times) and I use all the smog parts. But heres the problem, If i buy a crate engine, and that crate engine doesnt have any year on it. Will it automatically be called a new 2003 engine? Or can I just pick any year and go by that? Or is that you cannot put crate engines in your car in CA and still be legall? :confused:

 

This has been a dream project of mine. I would look for the GT body which is better looking IMO and pop that 406 in it. Talk about a sleeper! A rear V8 engine/rear drive combo in a super light car would be a blast at the strip! :cool:

I would do this as a second choice but put the 440 magnum in it with the pistol-grip 4 speed for a stock look and less $$$$. :cheers:

 

I always that it would neat to do a "de-stroked" 400. I think you put a 350 crank in it and get close to 383 displacment. Some high flowing heads like AFR 195, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and high-lift medium duration cam, like Comp Cam 270HR. Should be tons of high-reving torquey fun. :cool:

 

A 377 would be best with steep gears and an rpm cam, probably a solid roller. For this, the car I build around it would have to be a pre-1974 so that I can get by the smog laws.

So what I've tentatively decided is to first replace the engine in my Shelby with the Lotus headed 16 valve turbo III engine with Getrag tranny. I'll start on that this year. Soon, I will be donating the old intercooled turbo I engine to my son's 86 Daytona that he's buying. Only thing wrong with that car is a rod knock. I'll drive the Lotus Shelby around for a year or two and then let my son have it.

Then I want to find a Fiero, preferrably a 1988 GT with the good suspension and V6 with 5-speed. Because I can't go hog wild with cams in a smog-era car, I'll build a 406 instead of destroking it to a 377, and then do the V8 conversion on it. I'm thinking I'll put in a fairly mild cam, maybe in the range of 224/234 @ 0.05 and shoot for around 9:1 compression. Temporarily, I'd just run a dual plane manifold and vacuum secondary Holley carb, but within a few years, I'd like to bolt on a roots blower and perhaps some kind of throttle body fuel injection.

Steel shim head gaskets are available for small block Chevy's, so I can raise compression to 9.5:1 while I'm just running a carburetor and burn pump gas all day long. Then go to a conventional head gasket for 9:1 when I supercharge. I think the Fiero would be a really fun project, but I won't turn down another good option if it fell in my lap.

Keep in mind the Fiero with the V8 conversion is a 2750 lb mid-engine car, which has some real nice potential. So I've done some playing around with dyno2000 and came up with the two general power ranges:

1. 406 SBC with 9.5:1 on aluminum heads, 2.08/1.60 valves and 700 cfm Holley carb on a dual plane with small tube headers and mufflers should make in the neighborhood of 425 lb-ft at 4000 and 400 hp @ 5500.
Plenty of power for playing around and still seeing at least mid-teens gas mileage.

2. 406 SBC with 9:1 on same heads, with a Wieand 177 roots supercharger, should be in the neighborhood of 505 lb-ft @ 4500 and 500 hp @ 6000.
On a 2750 lb car, the Fiero becomes a rocket with some really cool traction problems.
:D

 

Or another option would be to turbocharge the V6 aka the Buick GNX which would preserve the sleeper look until you spool it up; with that low weight, another rocket on wheels! :cool: :cool: