Consider Full-size muscle!

About 15 years ago Car Craft had a car called "Project Heavy Metal". It was a 1965 Impala that they hot-rodded with a 500 inch Rat, aftermarket suspension and disc brake upgrades, trick paint, etc. It was quite popular with readers, but sadly the car was stolen and never recovered. The reason they did it was even then it was hard to find a "Traditional" (-i.e. GTO, Road Runner, SS Chevelle ) musclecar to play with that wasn't priced in the stratosphere. If you have a little imagination and ingenuity, a full-size car can make a great driver / hot rod. The reason they make nice drivers is what made them attractive to buyers when they were new. Roomy, luxurious interiors, a huge trunk, and a glass-smooth ride. Since these cars were usually the top of the line, they had cool options. It's a lot easier to find say a Pontiac Bonneville or Chevy Impala with factory A/C, power windows, and cruise control, than it is to find the same options on a Chevelle or LeMans. They make good hot rods because they usually had the largest engines offered in the line, or the engine bay will swallow them with ease, and since a lot of people pulled trailers with full-size cars in the '60's ( No SUV craze then ) they usually have heavy duty transmissions and rear ends standard. Here's a list of "Best Buys" in my opinion. # 1 1960-68 Pontiacs. While most Impalas, Bel Airs, and Biscaynes of this period have 283 or 327 small-blocks under the hood, every Pontiac built in this period, be it a Gran Prix, Catalina or Bonneville had the venerable 389 as standard equipment. Some have 421s. 1967-68 models will have 400s or 428s. Any aftermarket suspension or brake upgrades that fit an Impala will fit these cars, and there are a million ways to build power into a Pontiac V8. The only weak link is the "Slim-Jim" automatic tranny used from 1960-64. They will not upshift above about half-throttle. The solution is simple however-simply get a Turbo 400 out of a later-model BOP car. You'll have to change the rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke, and shorten the driveshaft, but that's not a big deal. You can even use the stock shifter, as it has the same number of detents. You just have remember that reverse is now low. 1962 and earlier blocks had the starter on the bellhousing. You'll have to have the block tapped for a later-model starter ( Unless your using a 1965 and later block ). 1963-64 blocks should already be tapped. 1965-68 models will have Turbo 400s and block-mounted starters stock. # 2 1963-72 Ford Full-size. Galaxies, LTDs, and T-Birds of this vintage are great. Most have 390 cubes under the hood, and the bulletproof C6 automatic for trannys. Some 1968 and later models may have 428s or 429s. Gorgeous interiors, cool styling, and big power. Some 71-72 models may have 351 or 400C power, but they can be hopped up, or you could drop in a 460, as they share the same bellhousing bolt-pattern. # 3 1963-71 Full-size Chrysler. Whether it's a Monaco, or a Fury, or an Imperial or Newport, these all had at least 383 cubes under the hood and a lot had 440s, backed up by the excellent and bulletproof 727 Torqueflite. # 4 1963-70 Full-size Oldsmobile. 88s and 98s have Cadillac-like luxury and Pontiac-like performance. 394,425, or 455 cubes provide the grunt. Like the Pontiacs, 65 and later models will have TH400s, 64 and earlier, you'll have to do the same swap as I detailed for the Pontiacs. # 5 1961-69 Full-size Chevys. I already gave the reason why these are at the bottom of the list. 396,409 and 427 models bring a King's Ransom already, the millions of others have six-cylinder or small-block power, while the Pontiac,Olds, Ford and Chryslers all have big-blocks as standard equipment. That aside- these still make great drivers. There's more speed equipment for the SBC than anything else on the planet, or you could swap in a Rat if you want pretty easily. I don't like the two-speed Powerglide automatics, but on the upside, a Turbo 350 is a bolt-in. They are the exact same length, and the trans mount and driveshaft yoke is the same. If you use the stock shifter, you won't be able to manually engage low gear. ( With a good shift kit you won't need to ). Build your own "Project Heavy Metal" and save some money in the process!  Mastermind