"X" could be the ultimate sleeper...

Kiss had a hit several years ago titled "Let's Put the "X" in Sex".  I thought of that and thought about an often neglected car that has great potential-The 1968-79 GM "X" body. The '68-74 Chevy Nova already has kind of a "cult" following-you see tons of them in the buff magazines. However almost all of those are done in the '90's "Pro Street" style-i.e.-looking like Pro Stock drag racer-narrowed rear ends with huge tires in the rear, a nasty small or big block Chevy with a blower or tunnel ram protruding through the hood. And that's Ok. My vision is a little different. "X" bodies have great potential for two reasons. # 1. Their engine bays will swallow anything from a Chevy straight six, a Buick V6, a 350 Chevy, Pontiac, Olds or Buick to a 454 Chevy or a 455 Pontiac or Olds or Buick. # 2. The basic platform is the same as a Camaro or Firebird. That means any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Camaro / Firebird will fit these cars. You could build a drag racer that will pull the front wheels on take-off, a corner carver that can run with a Z06 'Vette in the twisties, or anything in-between. The first word of advice I would give any X-Body builder is first off-get the one you want. Chevy Novas are the most popular and will be pricier than the other versions, but compared to a same-year Camaro or Chevelle their still dirt cheap. If you want a Pontiac Ventura, get one. Ditto for an Olds Omega. Not many Buick Apollos around, but there's a few. Secondly try to get one with the engine line you want. Because of GM playing musical engines in the '70's because of smog laws a lot of these are going to have small-block Chevys in them, which is if anything a plus factor. There's more speed equipment for a small block Chevy than anything else on the planet. Even if it has anemic 262 or 305 that's not a deal breaker because a 350 or 383 stroker would be a bolt-in. However-if you "gotta have" a "real" Pontiac engine in your Ventura-their are a lot of them with 350 Pontiacs under the hood. The good thing about this is 350 Pontiacs respond well to basic hot rod tricks-carb and intake, headers and dual exhausts, mild cam, etc. You can make 325-350 hp and 400 lbs ft of torque pretty easy. If you need more than that-a 400 or 455 is a bolt-in swap. Their are Omegas out there with 350 Olds V8s under the bonnet. Of the "other"-i.e.-non-Chevrolet 350s the Olds has the most potential. Edelbrock claims 397 hp and 400 lbs of torque from their "Performer RPM" package on a 350 with stock heads. 400 hp will turn a 3,200 lb "X" body into an absolute rocket. If you want more than that-a 403 would be a bolt-in swap-53 extra cubes will give you a big torque boost. You'd need special pistons-but you can use 455 heads on a 350 / 403 if you want to build a real stomper. Or you could swap in a 455. As for Buicks-if you find one with a 350 Buick they make nice drivers-but their isn't much speed equipment available for 350 Buicks. There is quite a bit for 400-430-455s-Edelbrock makes heads and intakes, Crane, Lunati, etc make cams, Hooker makes headers. If you find a 231 V6 model here's a thought-though it might be a little pricey. Find a wrecked late '90's early 2000's Buick Riviera or Pontiac Bonneville or Grand Am / Gran Prix SSEI with the Supercharged 3.8 V6. They have 240 hp stock, and could easily make 100-150 more by changing pulleys on the blower. Scarcer still and more expensive would be the vaunted Turbo V6 out a wrecked Grand National or Regal T-Type. Dynamite if you could find one. My personal choice would be a '71-74 Ventura.  As for suspension I would use WS6 Trans-Am sway bars and KYB shocks. I'd use an '84-92 WS6 Trans-Am steering box. These have a 12.7:1 ratio which is even quicker than the '70's T/A's 14:1. Some Year One 17X9 "Snowflake" or "Honeycomb" wheels shod with 255/ 50ZR17 tires. I'd use a 400 Pontiac stroked to 467 inches with aluminum Edelbrock heads. Besides the hp boost, the reduced weight on the front end will help handling too. I'd radius and flare the wheel wells to clear the big tires, and put front and rear spoilers on it. I'd cut a hole in the hood and use a Trans-Am "Shaker" scoop-like a '74 GTO. Paint would be either Monochromatic Sinister black, or Diamond White pearl with Diamond Blue pearl stripes like a '70-'72 Trans-Am or maybe a '78-79 "Macho" T/A. Any body else have ideas for a badass "X" body?  Mastermind