This car has been an absolute blast to both own and build, but unfortunately the time has come for me to part with it in order to free up some money for another project.
I bought this car from the second owner in spring of 2023. He had owned it since 1984, when he purchased it for 300$. He picked it up with a blown motor, a dented passenger fender, and in need of some serious TLC. Over the next almost 40 years, he slowly brought this car back to life. He documented every cent that went into the car, and I have every receipt and service record for the past 39 years. He wasn't in a hurry to sell it, but I told him what I wanted to do with the car and he realized it was going to a good home.
Over the course of 6 months, I began to restore it to a more modern muscle car. I did all of the work myself, and can answer any questions anyone may have. The build consists of the following:
- 5.3 LS swap, 110k miles, fully gone through before install (compression test, bore scope, checked rod bearings)
- Freshly tuned computer and new standalone harness. Tucked up behind the glovebox and routed cleanly.
- T5 transmission swap (brand new, under warranty) along with a new clutch, flywheel, hydraulic throwout bearing, and Wilwood slave cylinder
- Custom cut and freshly balanced driveline (new u joints as well)
- New front suspension, including QA1 adjustable coilovers, new control arms, new wheel bearings, and 2" drop spindles to give it that classic muscle car rake
- Front disc brake conversion
- Dakota digital gauges (everything works as it should)
- Retrosounds radio
- 2.5" true dual exhaust with an H pipe to maintain that classic sound
I have quite a few spare parts that will go with the car, to include a brand new dash from ss396, the original cluster (with clock), material to convert the interior to all black leather, chrome trim, weather stripping, A/C compressor, and many other odds and ends. Also included is a 1" thick binder with every receipt that has gone into the car in the past 40 years.
I wish I could keep this thing and finish it myself, but as I mentioned, I have another project to start, along with the need to free up some money to grow my small business. This is a great buy for someone who wants a cool vintage cruiser with modern power and reliability. I would be very impressed if someone was able to find a car built to this level for a comparable price. That being said, I believe I am asking a pretty reasonable amount for what the buyer will be taking home.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions, I am happy to answer them and take any further pictures/video as needed.
