Help Me!!

[LiveInThePast]

alright everyone i'm saving up money to buy an old american muscle that will last me a long while and that i can work on and build up

i don't have any idea where to begin so i figured you guys could help me out

im lookin fer something around 5-8k a lil more or less is fine but yeah

throw me some suggestions and reasons why thnx alot bye ; )

[Tuffdrvr88]

I am a mopar guy so i would say an old mopar muscle car with a 318 V8 would be a good way to start. I have a 73 satellite with a 318. Im currently rebuilding it but its a strong reliable motor and will give you a nice beefy sound with proper breathing.

[maxwedge]

Tuffydrvr88, you should appreciate this!

[NOVA71]

I'm sure everybody will be a bit biased replying to a question like this, but hey. I'd say go with a GM product. Can't go wrong with a Chevy. The small block Chevy engine is probably the most popular engine ever built. Also, alot of the engine and drivetrain parts are interchangeable.

I'm partial to the Novas since I own a 71. Love the Novas. More of a subtle muscle car. Not quite as flashy as a lot of the others, but every bit as quick.
That's part of the reason I bought a Nova. They are a little lower on the food chain than the Camaro, Chevelle, GTO, Firebird, or Cutlass, but that can work in your favor. I looked at many Camaros, Chevelles, and GTOs, but since they are more "popular" so to speak, they were all more money and in worse condition. Just something to think about.

Just remember, don't rush. Take your time, do your research, and get the car that's right for you. It took me a few years to find my Nova, but it was definately worth the wait. Good luck.

[The Fast Forester]

Chevrolet Camaro...an American Classic! Yes, I'm biased, but a lot of folks are "biased" for Camaros, so I think they are a good investment. You probably won't get a decent 1st gen Camaro ('67-'69) in your price range, they are getting very valuable. But my favorites, the 2nd generation Camaro ('70-'81) are still in your price range, but you really have to look for what you want and be picky. Many of these cars have been altered, modified, cloned, etc. from their original beauty. My personal favorite is the '78 Z28, here's mine:



I also grew up going to the dirt race tracks, and the 2nd gen Camaros were the "late models" of that era and just loved their toughness on the track. Here's the race car I used to own, didn't race it much though, would rather restore one now:

[Blue Bowtie]

Little doubt that a small block Chevy is going to be the cheapest build you can do. There are so many aftermarket parts that the prices are like dirt compared to some of the less common engines. Try finding heads for the Wedge-Driver's car. It's going to involve a lot more than looking in the Summit catalog and writing a thin check.

You can build the SBC from anything to 265 CID to 454 CID (yes, a 454 SBC). That's a pretty broad range or one design block.

The older Fords are probably second, since there are also quite a few parts for them available. It's just that Chevy had that design running from 1955 through the 2004 model year, and still builds the engines or other purposes. Ford didn't keep one V8 design for more than 12 years, and Chrysler had so many different V-8 designs that you head will spin just trying to remember them all. That's not to say that anything is wrong with any of them, but the SBC is proven, cheap, reliable, and easy.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by LiveInThePast

alright everyone i'm saving up money to buy an old american muscle that will last me a long while and that i can work on and build up

i don't have any idea where to begin so i figured you guys could help me out

im lookin fer something around 5-8k a lil more or less is fine but yeah

throw me some suggestions and reasons why thnx alot bye ; )

my relative has a 1967 firebird convertible with a 400cu...this is a very nice car , very sharp looking ...i love to drive this one...

[cherryelky305]

a nice car that will last a while would be an '80s G-body. budget friendly and the oldest ones are only like 20 some years old.

[The Fast Forester]

[COLOR=blue! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Whoops, lost my images in Photobucket, I'll repost what I put in above:[/font][/font][/color][/color]
[COLOR=blue! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][/font][/font][/color][/color]
[COLOR=blue! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Chevrolet [/font][COLOR=blue! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Camaro[/font][/color][/font][/color][/color]...an American Classic! Yes, I'm biased, but a lot of folks are "biased" for Camaros, so I think they are a good investment. You probably won't get a decent 1st gen Camaro ('67-'69) in your price range, they are getting very valuable. But my favorites, the 2nd generation Camaro ('70-'81) are still in your price range, but you really have to look for what you want and be picky. Many of these cars have been altered, modified, cloned, etc. from their original beauty. My personal favorite is the '78 Z28, here's mine:



I also grew up going to the dirt race tracks, and the 2nd gen Camaros were the "late models" of that era and just loved their toughness on the track. Here's the race car I used to own, didn't race it much though, would rather restore one now: