More cars that never were....That you can build!!

There's a lot of cars that would have been cool if the manufacturers had continued to make them. However-you can build them on your own with the help of the aftermarket.  Here's some of my personal favorites. # 1. 1971-73 "Boss 302" Mustang. 351 Cleveland powered Mach 1s of this vintage bring a king's ransom, but 302 powered coupe and fastback models can be bought relatively cheap. Edelbrock and Trick Flow offer aluminum "Cleveland" style heads that will bolt up to a 302 block, and Edelbrock makes a Performer RPM intake manifold that's compatible with the Cleveland heads and shorter ( than a 351C ) deck height of a 302. With the right cam, headers, and gears, ( I'd go with 3.90:1 or 4.11:1 ) one of these "Mock Boss" engines could really rock. Back it with a C4 and a 3 grand converter or a T5 out of a later "5.0" and I think you'd have a dynamite performance car. Some Boss 302 style graphics would look badass too.  # 2. 1974-77 Pontiac LeMans GTO. We all know the last "A" body GTO was built in 1973, and the GTO ended it's legendary career on the X-body Ventura ( read Nova ) platform in 1974. But what if, instead of making the Trans-Am the flagship, Pontiac continued building the Goat on the "A" body LeMans  platform?  Well, you can build one! All you have to do is find a 2 door LeMans, LeMans Sport, or Luxury LeMans model. The 400 was plentiful in most models through 1977, and the 455 was optional until 1976. These cars have the excellent "Radial Tuned Suspension" from the factory, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle or Monte Carlo will fit these cars. They also have big fenderwells that will clear huge tires-you can run 275/60R15 tires on 8-inch wheels all the way around without modifying the body or the suspension. Like the T/A's of this vintage, all you'd need to do to get some real musclecar performance out of one of these cars is change the salt-flats 2.56:1 gearing for something in the 3.23-3.73:1 range, add an Edelbrock Performer intake ( the stockers from 1975-79 have a restrictive throttle opening that really limits power above 4,000 rpm ) a B&M or TransGo shift kit ( if you have an automatic ) and a decent dual exhaust system. Or you could build a stompin' 455-Edelbrock and Kauffman offer aluminum D-port and RAIV style heads, and Eagle makes a stroker rotating assembly to turn a 400 into a 455. Black out the grill and some of the chrome, add some "Judge" or "Macho T/A" type graphics and some "GTO" emblems, and you'd have a unique, head-turning ride with the power to back up the attitude, at a price far less than you can buy an earlier GTO or even a decent '70's Firebird for. # 3. 1976-77 Olds Cutlass "Hurst Olds". You can buy 73-74 "H/O" graphics ( the bodystyle is the same ) from Phoenix Graphics. Like the Pontiacs-an axle ratio change will work wonders-these cars have 2.41:1 or 2.56:1 gears stock, you need something in the 3.23:1 to 3.73:1 range-this will give you a good compromise between jackrabbit starts and decent freeway cruising rpm. There is a ton of speed equipment available for the 350 / 403 Olds engine, or you could get a 350 Diesel block and bore and stroke it to 440 inches, ( Mondello Performance sells a kit ) or you could just drop in a 455.  Any brake or suspension upgrades that fit a Chevelle or Monte Carlo wiil fit these cars.  # 4. 1978-83 Buick "Grand National". We all know the GN was only built from '84-87, and that only the fuel-injected, intercooled '85-87 models are worth having. ( The carburated 1984 models had way less power, and more reliability problems. ) I'm not suggesting that you try to Turbocharge a V6 base model-that would cost a mint.  No,-the way to go is to find a 1978-83 Regal with either a 301 Pontiac or 307 Olds V8-a lot of them were built with these engines. Don't start-I know these engines were lightweight "economy" motors that wheezed out maybe 150 hp. But, and it's a HUGE but-a 400 or 455 Pontiac will bolt right in place of the 301-the motor mounts are in the same location. Ditto for the 307- a 350 or 403 Olds will drop right in for an instant power and torque infusion. A monochromatic paint job, some fat wheels and tires, ( and again- an axle-ratio change ) and you could give those smug "real" GN owners a run for the money they'd not soon forget for very low bucks. # 5. 1978-83 Malibu SS. These "G" bodys are still relatively cheap. The real bargains are the '78-80 models that had 350s in them from the factory. The '81 and later models had 305s, but that's okay-you'll probably swap in a snarling 350 or 383 anyway. "Honest Charley" and a couple other places sell the Aero "Monte Carlo SS" front clip that will bolt right onto these cars and give them a badass look. I like this treatment way better on the semi-fastback, smooth-sided Malibu over the formal roofline and scallopped sides of the Monte. Being 600 lbs lighter than the 73-77 models they replaced, one of these could be an awesome sleeper with the right equipment.  Any one of these cars would make a unique, fast, cool project that you don't see every day. Mastermind