My 21-y/o daughter wants to get an old car and rebuild it. Suggestions?

[rodmoe]

this looks ok but not so much drop

 

[Perry]

Agree. There is such a thing as "too low".

 

[BlueBomber]

http://bringatrailer.com/2014/02/18/seller-submission-1973-datsun-240z-project/

This

 

[samm3]

I'd love to restore/mod a 56 ford pickup but in the end its whatever you two can feel passionate about restoring or it might be left half done and that's a pain.

 

[Mute Lunatic]

I've been falling in love with the 60's/70's Datsun 510s. I think they are going to get very collectible very quickly. The nice thing is you don't have to do anything extravagant to get em to look good. Just a little drop and some nice paint and your set. Most of the Nissan/datsun stuff from that time seems to work on it so you can find a motor from a Z of that era and just make sure it runs right no extreme tuning needed. Because the car weighs less than a ton 180hp naturally aspirated is plenty to go fast and it will actually go around curvy bits as well.

 

[CanadianST]

I've been falling in love with the 60's/70's Datsun 510s. I think they are going to get very collectible very quickly. The nice thing is you don't have to do anything extravagant to get em to look good. Just a little drop and some nice paint and your set. Most of the Nissan/datsun stuff from that time seems to work on it so you can find a motor from a Z of that era and just make sure it runs right no extreme tuning needed. Because the car weighs less than a ton 180hp naturally aspirated is plenty to go fast and it will actually go around curvy bits as well.

I'd have to agree since i have a 1971 510 Fully built motor hooked up to a Z car 5 speed makes for a wicked fast and fun ride. Only downside is the rarity, i've only ever seen one in person and it now sits in my garage. Another idea which i almost went through with is an early 90s late 80s F150 2wd with a 460 big block swapped in. The engines/trucks are a dime a dozen and can easily push close to 500hp with a cam, heads, intake and headers. Plus that torque.....

 

[SpooledUpST]

A Kennmeri? Good luck convincing anyone to export those without marking you up the price of a fully loaded FiST!

 

[Perry]

The mega-hp, mega-torque pickup definitely isn't what we're gonna go after. Right now she's pondering the options, as it were, and thinking carefully about it, which I like to see. If we go through with this, a fair chunk of the expense will be coming out of her pocket, so I like that she's thinking reasonably and not just diving into the deep end with a blindfold on.

 

[rodmoe]

more OLD SCHOOL

 

[Perry]

Very nice, indeed! I'm sure I'd like it!

 

[RyGuyFIST83]

Chevy nova - Guy I use to work with did one,and he did most of the work himself,was pretty damn fast and looked so sweet.

-ry

 

[Perry]

An early-mid-70s Nova is one of the possibilities. She's combing the interweb looking at options/ideas, and that's been mentioned once or twice.

 

[elsolo]

Chevelles are bitchin, owned my 67 since 1991. Drove it to high school restored it twice, can't believe how expensive they are now.

 

[Perry]

Chevelles are bitchin, owned my 67 since 1991. Drove it to high school restored it twice, can't believe how expensive they are now.

Yeah, cost is a big issue. She's becoming less ambitious, as she's realizing it's not her top priority.

 

[theothersawyer]

Miata! Definitely not a muscle car, but it's "cute", easy to work on, dirt cheap to buy, dirt cheap to maintain, and super fun to drive. Also, I'm a bit biased!

 

[Perry]

Miata! Definitely not a muscle car, but it's "cute", easy to work on, dirt cheap to buy, dirt cheap to maintain, and super fun to drive. Also, I'm a bit biased!

I admit, we've not thought of the Miata. Might actually be on to something there.

 

[rodmoe]

I admit, we've not thought of the Miata. Might actually be on to something there.

Hmmm yup drop a swap in it too

Flying Miata Swaps

 

[theothersawyer]

They are awesome cars and so much fun to drive! Let me know if you have any questions about them!

 

[MrClean]

Depends what she wants to do with the car. If she is just looking for something to cruise around in with good power for stoplight fun, I'd recommend sticking with older muscle cars (Nova, Chevelle, Camaro, Mustang as previously mentioned) but maybe also look into MK3 Supra Turbos, and late 80s/early 90s Z-cars. With the latter two, you'll be able to make big power on the stock powerplants with a little big of work, while having a more modernized chassis. That makes for fun driving events that involve turns and such.

 

[lessard.dcj]

mmm go monster Miata, its a project I wanna do one day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG7TUVjfcb0

option if she is a Chevy girl.

Ford lover, here is a good video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2BSSy7fxOc#aid=P-9oQ9dKD-k