beginner car

[thelawnmower]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anybody could help me pick out a beginner car for me to restor. I want something that can be fast, a coupe, not a sedan, and something that I can try new things with. Preferribly a good amount of engine space so I can drop a big engine into it, and I think that about covers it. So any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

P.S. Any links would be greatly appreciated as well, Im not afraid to read like some people. I also intend on taking a welding class next spring, so by the time I can afford a car I'll hopefully be able to do bodywork and so on.

[curtis73]

How old do you want to go? Big engine bay suggests 50s to me, but they can be expensive to resto.

Try a GM X-body (nova, Omega, ventura, etc), A-body (tempest, chevelle, cutlass GTO), or anything mid-size From the Ford camp; Cougar, T-bird, Mustang, Falcon. All of the above were offered at some point with the big block engines and all have good parts support.

[MagicRat]

I would also suggest the Camaro/Firebird duo.
The 67-70 pretty rare, but the second gen cars are worthwhile and affordable.

[thelawnmower]

I would LOVE to get a 50's car but I just cant afford it. Im only 17 so yeah I think you get the picture.

I was also thinking about a Camaro, that would be sweet but im not sure if i could do it. Plus Im one of those people who wants to be origional. Oh plus I was wondering how do these cars take corners? Like say like a late 60's Camaro. anyways thanks for the input guys.

[Snow93]

71 olds 442 with the police package is pretty nice.. relativly cheap to if your intrested in going to alberta

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by thelawnmower

I would LOVE to get a 50's car but I just cant afford it. Im only 17 so yeah I think you get the picture.

I was also thinking about a Camaro, that would be sweet but im not sure if i could do it. Plus Im one of those people who wants to be origional. Oh plus I was wondering how do these cars take corners? Like say like a late 60's Camaro. anyways thanks for the input guys.

The second gen Camaros handled better and are cheaper to buy than the first gen.
They were a bit heavier, too, but, were exceptional performers, especially considering the time......in the disco era 70's when everyone wanted a big floppy Monte Carlo because it had "style".........the Camaro, (especially the Z-28) provided very good performance.

This was even more remarkable when you consider the Camaro had primitive engineering, a live axle on leaf springs, an old style steering box (no rack and pinion) and heavy all steel and iron components.

[Rod&Custom]

Which Monte's were floppy? Definitely not the 71-73! Those are beautiful. Oh, and I would go with a Mustang. They made millions, so the are plentiful, and repro parts are more plentiful than any car I know of. At the start you said custom with big motor, but then it was original. If you go original I say Mustang. If custom, I definitely say about a 50 Ford. A '49 or '50 Merc would be ideal, but that works too.