Old or New Build
Have you priced a muscle car lately? Do you have body work skills? You will either, a) spend a bundle on a decent rust free car to start with, or b) spend a bundle on bodywork unless you can do it yourself. IMO, you can build a couple of nice LT1 cars for less than the cost of a decent muscle car. If you have the bucks and skill to do the old car, go for it. The muscle cars are way way cooler.
Given the power these cars are capable of and the great ride quality and driveabilty I wouldn't go back to and older car (former GM A-Body owner). The only bennifit I see in the older cars is the nostalgic look and tradition of the orignal muscle car. For me, I perfer the modern technology of the newer car with the same power!
A friend has a 68 Camaro with a 450hp 502ci in it TH400 2800 stall Gear Vendor 3.55s out back, to drive he likes his Caprice better with a FEW boltons and a mild cam, driven my car and is pretty well set on an injected smallblock going back in the Camaro.
Thing is an old car like that is still a rattly, noisey, comparatively poor handling outdated POS unless you spend GOBS of money updating every last aspect of the car. It looks great but that is the only thing it has going for it.
I'll take the modern handling and comforts along with overdrive, lockup and injection any day.
I love the LT1, I have two ruynning and two blocks I want to try and build, one for each of my cars, BUT if retrofitting an injected motor to an old carbed car I would probably skip the LT1 unless you plan to have an LT1 daily drive and want to share/swap spare and speed parts. The friend with the 68 is considering and LT1 just be cause he and his wife have LT1 daily drivers and this would mean one set of spare parts and one engine to know. In the end though I think it will get an AI topped LS motor.
Thing is an old car like that is still a rattly, noisey, comparatively poor handling outdated POS unless you spend GOBS of money updating every last aspect of the car. It looks great but that is the only thing it has going for it.
I'll take the modern handling and comforts along with overdrive, lockup and injection any day.
I love the LT1, I have two ruynning and two blocks I want to try and build, one for each of my cars, BUT if retrofitting an injected motor to an old carbed car I would probably skip the LT1 unless you plan to have an LT1 daily drive and want to share/swap spare and speed parts. The friend with the 68 is considering and LT1 just be cause he and his wife have LT1 daily drivers and this would mean one set of spare parts and one engine to know. In the end though I think it will get an AI topped LS motor.
Razor hit the nail on the head, I have been hessitant because I have a lot of mechanical skills, but am very limited in the body department, that is the reason I haven't jumped right into it.
