More Alternative bodystyle projects that could be way cool......

If your not restoring some "Icon" i.e.-409 Impala, Tri-Power GTO, Six-Pack Road Runner, etc-it might be fun to hot rod something out of the ordinary. Since doctrine doesn't dictate that it be all-original you could really do it up cool,while still staying basically "Period-Correct"-No one really wants a '62 Impala with an LS Motor, a 4L80E, and rack&pinion steering. Here's what I'm talking about. # 1.'60's style "Gasser" tribute cars. No one wants to cut up a '55-57 Chevy; I get that. But how about a '66 Tempest ( TEMPEST-not GTO ) with a straight front axle,radiused wheelwells  and a snarling 455 Pontiac with dual-quads on it? Or a '68 Chevelle-not an SS396-one of the 400,000 plus base-model Malibus produced that year alone-with a small-block with a blower sticking out of the hood or a Rat with a Tunnel-Ram? What about a '68 Farilane with a dual-quad 390, or even a 429 or 460 with a Tunnel-Ram?  # 2. Full-size NASCAR tribute cars. Before the GTO started the musclecar craze-the factories raced the big cars. Fireball Roberts and Smokey Yunick dominated with their fire-breathing Pontiac Catalinas; in 1961-62 they won 22 races. The famous '63 Galaxie fastback came when Ford engineers made a steel copy of the "convertible" roofline to make the car more aerodynamic for NASCAR racing! The famous "Daytona Mystery 427 Chevy" that later became the famous "Rat" motor was prototyped in a '63 Impala. High Performance Pontiac featured a replica of Fireball Roberts' 1962 Catalina and it was badass looking. I have also seen a '64 Plymouth Savoy done to look like Richard Petty's early racer-complete with a Mopar Performance crate Hemi. "Mustangs and "Fast Fords" featured a 1965 Galaxie that looked totally badass-with the radiused wheelwells, huge tires at all four corners, and a 390 with Edelbrock aluminum heads and dual-quads. These would be relatively inexpensive to build and would be unique. The later models-after 1965 would be even easier-a lot them had big motors and front disc brakes standard. A Rat-Motored, Nascar-themed '69 Impala would be way cool, as would a 429 / 460 powered '69 LTD, or a 440 Pymouth Sport Fury. # 3. Trans-Am tribute cars. The SCCA series started out a "sedan" racing. Here's what would be cool-no Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs, or Challengers. How about a 1965 Valiant / Barracuda ( the one with the flat front end and huge fastback window ) with a snarling 408 inch 360 based stroker and radiused wheelwells? Or a '68 Dart with a 360 and a "Six-Pack induction setup?  What about a Ford Falcon with a 347 crate engine and a T5 5-speed? How about a '68 Cougar with a "Mock Boss" 302? ( Edelbrock "Cleveland" heads and "E-Boss" intake )  A Nova would be an awsome Trans-Am tribute candidate-any factory or aftermarket suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird fit them so you could really make a "g" machine out of one. How about a '71 Pontiac Ventura with radiused and flared fenders,a T/A style "shaker" hood scoop, T/A front and rear sway bars and fire-breathing 467 inch Pontiac for motivation?  # 4. '70's Pro Stock tribute cars. I know the "Pro Street" movement in the '80's and '90s got old-but I'm not talking about cars like Rick Dobbertins' J2000-tube chassised- monsters that cost over 100 grand to build. I'm talking low-budget. Like getting an early '70's Maverick,putting in a roll cage, radius the rear fenderwells to clear big tires and build a 302 or 351 with a Tunnel-ram and paint it like "Dyno Don Nicholsons'" famous racer. Or build a V8 Vega like "Grumpy's Toy" or a Mustang II like Bob Glidden used to campaign. There's enough of them built from '75-78 that have 302s stock, so they could be really low-budget. What about '75-79 Chevy Monzas and their cousins-Buick Skyhawks,Olds Starfires and Pontiac Sunbirds? Forget the V6 models; that's too much work. Get a 305 Chevy version and swap in a snarling 383. Any of these could be low-budget, cool-looking and wicked fast. Mastermind