[trackbird]

I was at a friends house yesterday (440 miles from home) to look at a 3rd gen shell that I can get for a great price. It's not a real desirable car for anything other than a track car. Let me try to explain (since it was dark and we were using a flashlight, I didn't think to try taking pics).

It's a '84-ish Berlinetta. It has the 85 mph speedo with the kmh scale on the other side (the double needle setup). It has idiot lights for temp, oil presure and voltage. The seats are blue vinyl and ripped. The car was purchased for the 6,000 mile goodwrench 350 that was in it, the engine and the automatic are gone (not that I care about the auto, there aren't many things that are worse than an early 700R-4). The body is straight and seem solid, there is slight damage to the fender lip on the front drivers side 1/4 panel. The rubber nose is chipped up (looks like it hit something and popped the paint off), but it's otherwise solid and not torn up. It has a rear and all the suspension is there. Some of the wiring under the hood is stripped and wrapped in electrical tape (I was told that was the distributor wiring), the Y-pipe is still in the car, manifolds are in the hatch, etc.

The bottom line is that this is a fairly straight body in an unloveable car (there is no saving that interior) and it's a hardtop. I'd be starting from scratch, gutting the interior, wiring the car, installing a manual (I've done 5 and 6 speed swaps already), getting it caged, building a motor, etc. The problem is, it's hard to decide to put a 305 back in it since I'll be building from scratch, same for a 5 speed. It's not much more to put a 6 speed in there while I'm already doing it. That would rule out CMC, but maybe I just need a track car anyway, I'll find a class for it later and just do HPDE stuff for a while.

So, do I drag this heap home and likely put $12,000 in it or go buy something that runs?

[CMC #37]

That is my old car, the ass kicker itself! (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) That is a steal!

[johns68]

This thread could go on forever, but Kevin, for what it's worth:

For 30 years I've been an "if you didn't build it yourself, it ain't yours" guy. I bought my 68 Camaro from my dad when I was 15. He bought it new in 68. I've still got it, and it's been through 7 different drivetrains, 5 custom paint jobs, 5 complete suspension change-outs, etc, etc, as I survived my teen street race and NHRA days before being converted to corners. (incidental to this thread, the car currently has full GW suspension, an all aluminum 427 BBC, Richmond 5 speed and Auburn posied 12-bolt) Every bolt turned and part bought by me, for all those years.

Then my wife convinced me that I would never forgive myself if I put the old girl into the k-rail around turn 15 at Thunderhill. So a buddy and I went in halves on a track car with only 4 hours on it for pennies on the dollar. A fox-mustang (horrors) but it taught me the value of buying someone elses project. I have since sold my half of that car to my partner (couldn't handle owning even half a mustang) Wicked fast car, though. $4k custom cage, every high end part Griggs makes, 480hp 351, t56, builder (Bill Kaiser of Apex Motorsports) had over $50k into the car ... without labor costs considered. We bought it for $14K.

I bought a 4th gen A-sedan as a roller, after it won at nationals in '05 but then blew up. Even though I have been re-doing all sorts of hacked, half-assed nonsense, I paid significantly less for the car than the cage and fuel cell alone would have cost if I started with a free donor like you were considering. Is it mine? Hell yes. Building the 68 from scratch almost gave me less sense of ownership than undoing the crap a previous owner inflicted on this car.

Bottom line from my experience: if cost is a consideration, buy a finished car! If adrenaline on track is what you're after, buy a finished car. If you enjoy the build, buy a project with a bunch done already. Love your '02, and buy a good car to thrash at the track.

My wife calls my track car "expendable" ... which says it all if you really think about it.

[nape]

I bought a 4th gen A-sedan as a roller, after it won at nationals in '05 but then blew up. Even though I have been re-doing all sorts of hacked, half-assed nonsense, I paid significantly less for the car than the cage and fuel cell alone would have cost if I started with a free donor like you were considering. Is it mine? Hell yes. Building the 68 from scratch almost gave me less sense of ownership than undoing the crap a previous owner inflicted on this car.

You bought Hein-rocket's Phoenix ride? I'm just interested to know what was hacked up and half-assed (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)