Building movie tribute cars.....On the cheap

Had someone ask me how I would build a replica of  Burt Reynolds "Whiskey Runner" Ford LTD from "White Lightning". It depends on how close a replica you want. If you just want the look, then buy a 4-door 1971-72 LTD, paint it Chesterfield Brown-( A Pontiac color, but it's identical ) add some black steel wheels with chrome lug nuts and white-letter tires, and your there. If you want the 429 / 4-speed powertrain, that's going to be a lot more trouble. The reason is unlike Chevy Monte Carlos or Pontiac Gran Prix's, LTD's had no manual transmission option. They were all automatics. You could buy a Top-Loader or T10 4-speed and a Hurst shifter pretty easily. Luckily-the 351C / 400 C and the 429 / 460 share the same bellhousing bolt-pattern, so that's not a problem.  The problem would be the clutch linkage. You'd have to find a Mustang or Torino with a 351C and a 4-speed ( pretty rare ) and pirate the clutch linkage and pedals, or you could find an F150 pickup with a 460 and a stick and adapt the linkage and pedals from that. Otherwise you'd have to fabricate a hydraulic set-up which can be a real pain in the ass and expensive. The other problem would be the engine swap. Most of these cars had 400C's with a two barrel. 429 / 460 versions are rare. And unlike GM and Mopar stuff, practically nothing interchanges from model to model-the oil pans, the bellhousings, the power steering pumps, the water pumps, the fuel pumps, all that stuff is different. 351C's have good performance potential in a Mustang, Cougar or Torino, but not in a car this heavy. If you "Gotta Have" one- I would suggest searching for a 429 version and hopping that up and just use the C6 automatic. To be perfectly honest- if I wanted to do something like this I'd build a GM / Mopar product because of the ease of parts interchangeability. The reason being you can find a 4-door 71-74 Dodge Coronet, Polara or a 70-74 Plymouth Satellite, or 71-78 Plymouth Fury pretty easy. A lot of these cars had 383 , 400 or 440 cubes under the hood stock. Since a lot them were used as cop cars-Remember "The Blues Brothers"- there's more 440s out there than you think. If you wanted to convert one to a 4-speed, it would be easy. Year One, NPD, and other restoration companies sell "B" body clutch linkages and replacement pedals, and reproduction Hurst "Pistol Grip" shifters. Live out your "Gator" and "Kowalski" fantasies at the same time! Being unit-bodys these sedans are a lot lighter than the big Fords. Even a 360 version could be made to really rock with the right combination. ( 408 inch stroker crank kit, '92 and later Magnum heads, hot cam, Performer RPM intake, ) I'd go monochromatic with the brown paint or even flat black.  The other way you could go would be a '73-77 Pontiac LeMans. No one wants the 4-door models so their cheap. And most will have 400 cubes standard, and a few will have 455s!  Any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle will fit these cars, and their huge fenderwells will fit 275 / 60R15 tires on 8 inch wheels all the way around without modification.  And making one a 4-speed is easy-Year one and others sell GM "A" body clutch linkages for less than $300. Find a Saginaw, BW or Muncie 4-speed in a junkyard or swap meet . Call Summit and get the bellhousing from Lakewood and a Hurst shifter and your there. Nothing against Fords, but it would be a lot harder and more expensive to exactly replicate that "Brown See-dan" from the movie. Unless you have an unlimited bankroll, I'd go the Mopar / Pontiac route for this tribute. Mastermind