Super newbie... jumping into the deep end
02-18-2015, 07:50 PM
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Super newbie... jumping into the deep end Hey yall first time poster I'm a little bit of a lurker.
I'm sorry I'm bothering yall with these basic questions, but I'm a first generation car guy (my daddy doesn't know a thing) and the only mechanic I know is my uncle who live across Texas from me.
Basically, for my 20th birthday, I want to buy and start building my first real car. Since I got my license I've been driving around old mini-vans and japanese beaters. I love cars though, and always have, so I want to get (build) myself something nice.
I have almost $11k saved up which I figured would be more than enough to get the ball rolling.. my previous cars have been real junkers so I don't really have a problem rolling around in a project car.
Getting to the point, I want to buy an old GM wagon (impala, catalina, etc) or 1/4 ton truck (el camino) and swap an lsx/6spd in it. I would like to maintain EFI, and update the car with power steering, power breaks, etc etc.
Already I'm getting dizzy because I have NO experience with american cars, much less swapping motors. What am I in for? Will I go way over budget?
I'm just testing the waters. I don't even know if this is the direction I want to go in. I have been toying with the idea of a MB w124 2jz swap but there seems to be even less info out there on that.
Thanks guys
I'm sorry I'm bothering yall with these basic questions, but I'm a first generation car guy (my daddy doesn't know a thing) and the only mechanic I know is my uncle who live across Texas from me.
Basically, for my 20th birthday, I want to buy and start building my first real car. Since I got my license I've been driving around old mini-vans and japanese beaters. I love cars though, and always have, so I want to get (build) myself something nice.
I have almost $11k saved up which I figured would be more than enough to get the ball rolling.. my previous cars have been real junkers so I don't really have a problem rolling around in a project car.
Getting to the point, I want to buy an old GM wagon (impala, catalina, etc) or 1/4 ton truck (el camino) and swap an lsx/6spd in it. I would like to maintain EFI, and update the car with power steering, power breaks, etc etc.
Already I'm getting dizzy because I have NO experience with american cars, much less swapping motors. What am I in for? Will I go way over budget?
I'm just testing the waters. I don't even know if this is the direction I want to go in. I have been toying with the idea of a MB w124 2jz swap but there seems to be even less info out there on that.
Thanks guys
02-18-2015, 11:34 PM
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Also new here but clearing some stuff up, what's your perception of old? I'm 18 and basically doing what you're doing. I'm starting with a short bed 68 Chevy c10. Cheaper than an el camino and there's actually probably more out there for them than Elcos. What years are you lookin at? Where are you from? I'd set aside 2-3k if not more for an ls swap. 1-2k for a takeout motor and trans and 1k for the conversion hardware and small nickel and dime stuff. As advised above look at conversions and hybrids and get sine ideas.
02-19-2015, 11:35 AM
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I'm pretty set on the elco actually. It was my first exposure to a classic car when I was a little boy, and I thought it was so rad that a regular car could also be an impractical truck! Lol Jokes aside, if I were to do a real truck, it'd be a off-roading blazer.
El Camino 1972 or older. Ifff I do a wagon, I'm just looking for something sweet. I mean obviously 60's to early 70's is ideal but it would be killer to do a 90's Caprice/Custom Cruiser. But wagons are just hard to find. The 90's ones are usually just all sorts of torn up (the only car that got preserved was the impala ss) and with the older ones, anything that isn't a complete rust bucket seems to have a $10k+ price tag.
I'm also from Houston. Which one of the main reasons I'm straying away from the MB is because I would want to lower it, a lot. Houston has the worst roads and is a terrible city to drive a lowered car in.
And about the engine... Thanks for the heads up but I probably will just go with the 5.3l cammed and upgraded intake/exhaust for the elco, maybe the 5.7l out of the f-body. I'm not looking to make 11sec runs, just a cruiser with a little bit of beef. If I got a wagon I might do an old vette engine or the ls3 out of the goat because of the extra weight. That being said, I'd like to get my hands on the car before I get the new drive-train.
El Camino 1972 or older. Ifff I do a wagon, I'm just looking for something sweet. I mean obviously 60's to early 70's is ideal but it would be killer to do a 90's Caprice/Custom Cruiser. But wagons are just hard to find. The 90's ones are usually just all sorts of torn up (the only car that got preserved was the impala ss) and with the older ones, anything that isn't a complete rust bucket seems to have a $10k+ price tag.
I'm also from Houston. Which one of the main reasons I'm straying away from the MB is because I would want to lower it, a lot. Houston has the worst roads and is a terrible city to drive a lowered car in.
And about the engine... Thanks for the heads up but I probably will just go with the 5.3l cammed and upgraded intake/exhaust for the elco, maybe the 5.7l out of the f-body. I'm not looking to make 11sec runs, just a cruiser with a little bit of beef. If I got a wagon I might do an old vette engine or the ls3 out of the goat because of the extra weight. That being said, I'd like to get my hands on the car before I get the new drive-train.
02-19-2015, 11:59 PM
#6
I have a nice, cheap 5.3 in Baton Rouge..about 85K miles and ran great before I went LS2. Intake to oil pan minus fuel rails and front dress. Took one head off to have broken exhaust bolt extracted..but that way you can see it still has nice cross-hatch in cyls. Set of non-ARP head studs new goes with. $400 and I'd meet you halfway if you are interested. Looking for a good home. 
. Has nice 862 heads. Have a set of 12K mile LS1 heads I would throw in for another $100.
Let me know if interested and I will email you pictures(email needed).
. Has nice 862 heads. Have a set of 12K mile LS1 heads I would throw in for another $100.Let me know if interested and I will email you pictures(email needed).
02-20-2015, 10:14 AM
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If you are starting with no experience, minimal knowledge, basic tools and little to no help, then I would recommend looking for a first project car that already has as many of the things you want as possible to begin with. Repairs and parts changing is hard enough when you're learning, but doing conversions/updates/fabrication or even simply adding options that weren't there in the first place are an even taller order for a first timer.
Dealing with older cars, there is also the concern of rust and general chassis and cosmetic deterioration due to time and weather. Restoration work is another challenge separate from mechanical upgrades or repairs. In my experience, you're always better off buying the nicest condition example you can afford of whatever car it is that you're interested in, because unless you are highly skilled at all aspects of restoration and auto repair, it will always end up costing you more to do a ground-up rebuild/resto than to buy something that only needs minor-to-moderate work.
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02-20-2015, 12:08 PM
#8
You may not need to do all these things. My '71 Nova came with power steering and power brakes from the factory, and it was the lowest end vehicle that GM produced in 1971, other than the Vega. So higher end stuff like the Impala you mentioned would be even more likely to be found with power options.
If you are starting with no experience, minimal knowledge, basic tools and little to no help, then I would recommend looking for a first project car that already has as many of the things you want as possible to begin with. Repairs and parts changing is hard enough when you're learning, but doing conversions/updates/fabrication or even simply adding options that weren't there in the first place are an even taller order for a first timer.
Dealing with older cars, there is also the concern of rust and general chassis and cosmetic deterioration due to time and weather. Restoration work is another challenge separate from mechanical upgrades or repairs. In my experience, you're always better off buying the nicest condition example you can afford of whatever car it is that you're interested in, because unless you are highly skilled at all aspects of restoration and auto repair, it will always end up costing you more to do a ground-up rebuild/resto than to buy something that only needs minor-to-moderate work.
If you are starting with no experience, minimal knowledge, basic tools and little to no help, then I would recommend looking for a first project car that already has as many of the things you want as possible to begin with. Repairs and parts changing is hard enough when you're learning, but doing conversions/updates/fabrication or even simply adding options that weren't there in the first place are an even taller order for a first timer.
Dealing with older cars, there is also the concern of rust and general chassis and cosmetic deterioration due to time and weather. Restoration work is another challenge separate from mechanical upgrades or repairs. In my experience, you're always better off buying the nicest condition example you can afford of whatever car it is that you're interested in, because unless you are highly skilled at all aspects of restoration and auto repair, it will always end up costing you more to do a ground-up rebuild/resto than to buy something that only needs minor-to-moderate work.