I have time he is 8 but loves helping me every time i am working on my camaro.So i figure start planning now get some ideas and if he changes his mind later i'll build it for myself lol. i see lots of different posts on cars but what to get your take.

the engine will be a 4.8 cheap reliable tons of potential.
goal DD for Highschool so can't be a grandma car unless sleeper potential out ways the potential ostracizing he might get by his friends.

Car must be under 2k (doesn't need to be running because i am replacing the motor)
and the easier the swap the better older cars tend to have more room less crap to cut out but some times more fab work to make it fit.

So i pose you guys who have done more swaps than me and may have done one for the same premise. if your budget was 5k.
Motor 1000 to 1500
car 2000
Leaning room 2000 to 1500
what car would you pick to work on with your son and why (trucks acceptable as well cause he might be into that by the time we are ready do start.

Hard mode question less than 3 years to pull off IE age 13 to 16
Q)can your project be done without help from speed shop in under 3 years?
just added that one for fun but that is the latest i would start working on this with him.

I'm fond of the little Z cars myself.

this isn't a serious thing right now so just have fun with it.

 

why not build him a bada** Camaro?

 

id say a lil s10 or ranger... allot of room to do stuff there... they weigh less than a foxbody and have a full frame for safety

 

Here in wa it's hard to find anything but a redneck camaro that cheep and i mean redneck in a nice way but they stick out like a sore thumb and attrack cops like flies on s**t i want him to have fun not destroy my insurance lol.

but not a bad idea the third gens are a dime a dozen and pretty straight forward

 

nice thing about that is they are cheep and with the new laws keep him from putting more than 1 other person in the car. but again i'm not a truck guy and he may not be a truck guy *crosses fingers for no 6 foot lifted redneck 4x4 on my front lawn* (I live in yelm Wa these things are everywhere and i hate them cause they never do the speed limit and look like crap driving down the road when the cut me off cause they can't see me)

 

I'd say an S10 or a Silverado. Can't go wrong with either of those.

I like lifted trucks, but i'd rather drive a lowered truck any day.

I agree on young douchebags always in a f'ing hurry in those trucks, though. I see more fast cars and muscle cars doing the speed limit than I do trucks.

 

Third gen.

 

Base Second Gen Fbody? hmmmmm that's a tough one.

 

Gbody! Cheap, easy to find, full frame, huge engine Bays, cheap replacement parts and did I mention cheap?

 

G body or a foxbody. You can buy roller foxbodies for 500-1000 in decent shape. Depends what way you want to go with a build really.

 

a blacked out g body would look so 80s mafia lmao

 

I would say that G-body would be the best bet...but you could always build a newer F-body (4th gen) since they will be even cheaper when you are ready to buy.

If I were building a vehicle with my kid I wouldn't build a truck...especially not a V8 mini truck...HP + Little truck + rain = bad news. Same might be said for F-bodies and or and rear drive car but little trucks are definitely the worst.

Full size truck would be cool too if its tricked out right.

 

That's what i was thinking about something like the i-rock's body style i use to have a 78 camaro when i was 17 and i loved it to an there real steel so they will last

 

It's IROC-Z (International Race Of Champions. The Z is for Z28. I'm sorry, but I had to.

 

I'd go with a GBody. But I am partial to them myself.

Zack

 

I had a GTO as a first car in high school and a 3rd gen Trans Am as my 2nd car in H.S. The 3rd gen was the perfect car for me at that time because it wasn't really fast enough to get in serious trouble with, but looked good and handled decent.

I would say something relatively modern simply for the crash / safety factor.

I don't want to be in my current 66 GTO in an accident that's for sure.

 

i'm sure i want something from the late 70's to early 90's as they can be found cheep i'm putting the ls in it cause the parts can be had for pennies on the dollar especially if you compare it to something like a bmw engine plus loads of potential don the line and the efi alows me to have it tuned up as he grows with the car 290 hp is more than enough to get him in trouble but as he gets older a cam some tuning and some airflow mods and he is well above 300 then it's up to him.

i'm partial to the datsun z cars for 80's i think they just got the cool factor but you guys have made alot of good points keep them coming

 

I would pay attention to safety and economy. If the car is "too old", it'll be unsafe, no matter what. And by the time your son is old enough to drive, gas prices may have risen to the point where driving a larger truck that gets pretty bad mileage will be a financial disaster. Go for something new enough to be reasonably safe, old enough to be a project car, large enough to haul people and stuff, small enough to get at least 25 mpg on the highway.

 

89-93 240sx with a roll cage. fast, fun, and kinda safe.

plus, if he wrecks it, another running 240 is 600 bux!

 

porsche 944 with a bad motor or no motor $500

http://allentown.craigslist.org/cto/3133251708.html