I agree 100%.
The only thing I want old about my cars is the body.
If I had to start over, my first purchase would have been a 4l80e, then a new rear end, then an LS motor swap. Followed by suspension, steering and brakes.
Is your G-body "Old School" or "Restomod"?
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I agree 100%.
The only thing I want old about my cars is the body.
If I had to start over, my first purchase would have been a 4l80e, then a new rear end, then an LS motor swap. Followed by suspension, steering and brakes.
I don't believe in labels.
That being said I would argue that our wagon is more of a classic recipe than a "Restomod" (thanks for that over used term, Barrett J-ck-ff - barf!) and here is why:
The restomod ideals tend to be based around sticking late-model parts under cars. Meaning all of the factory running gear (engine, trans, IRS/rearend) is plucked from donor and shoehorned into an old car. Stock for stock - gain all of the late model reliability with no personality. Jam some brakes and wheels on there, and off to sitting around a parade ground with your crying baby on the bumper you go. Looks stock and pushes no boundaries. Restomodding a car is as boring and mundane as it comes.
In contrast there is doing a performance build with late-model parts. The cam in our wagon is about as aggressive as you can get without having major driveability problems - the LSA and overlap really contribute to the sound and experience; add ported heads, long tubes, etc and you have a high strung V8 that rumbles. The trans is worked over with a "shift kit" and no torque/shift/TCC management or PWM to soften the gear changes - when the TCC comes on it is like a kick in the back; plus it has a decent sized stall converter. The rearend is a Dana 60 - like a HEMI car - with 3.73s. Stupid fat tires for looks, and bigger brakes for safety. It runs and drives like a vintage muscle car (it even stalls sometimes) and is a visceral experience from the moment you see it.
But, you are also talking to a man who has been banned from Pro-touring.com because of opinions such as these - so take it with a grain of salt.
That being said I would argue that our wagon is more of a classic recipe than a "Restomod" (thanks for that over used term, Barrett J-ck-ff - barf!) and here is why:
The restomod ideals tend to be based around sticking late-model parts under cars. Meaning all of the factory running gear (engine, trans, IRS/rearend) is plucked from donor and shoehorned into an old car. Stock for stock - gain all of the late model reliability with no personality. Jam some brakes and wheels on there, and off to sitting around a parade ground with your crying baby on the bumper you go. Looks stock and pushes no boundaries. Restomodding a car is as boring and mundane as it comes.
In contrast there is doing a performance build with late-model parts. The cam in our wagon is about as aggressive as you can get without having major driveability problems - the LSA and overlap really contribute to the sound and experience; add ported heads, long tubes, etc and you have a high strung V8 that rumbles. The trans is worked over with a "shift kit" and no torque/shift/TCC management or PWM to soften the gear changes - when the TCC comes on it is like a kick in the back; plus it has a decent sized stall converter. The rearend is a Dana 60 - like a HEMI car - with 3.73s. Stupid fat tires for looks, and bigger brakes for safety. It runs and drives like a vintage muscle car (it even stalls sometimes) and is a visceral experience from the moment you see it.
But, you are also talking to a man who has been banned from Pro-touring.com because of opinions such as these - so take it with a grain of salt.
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I've seen some of your pro-touring posts years ago. I'm not surprised.
Blue collar old school....i did this swap at 19 so i was learning....kind of sloppy but it was loud and fun!
White collar old school....did the efi swap in my parents gravel driveway in 2007.
A little more restomod looking....definitely more time spent making the engine look like it doesn't run with a ton of wire hiding!
White collar old school....did the efi swap in my parents gravel driveway in 2007.
A little more restomod looking....definitely more time spent making the engine look like it doesn't run with a ton of wire hiding!
Yep....I've had it since i was 17 back in 2001. The transformation over the years. Here is a pic back before the resto began.
I wish I still had my 83 my cousin crushed it if I remember right when it got crushed it had no motor and transmission but was a roller set up for SBC it had headers full 2.5 dual exhaust and a 7.5 3.23 posi and a rebuilt front end and rear suspension boxed arms and drag bags I think it had no hops in it to oh well it's gone now
I'm not sure how to vote, 403/2004R/3.73, but have blazer brakes, Hellwig rear roll bar, Fbody front, Grand cherokee box and shaft and lowering springs. Old school power train with restomod suspension?
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