Share your "sleeper" secrets (It has begun!)

[shotgun]

I tend to think "outside the box" and have a few tricks/ideas I am going to employ on my next build , street sleeper.

The short version is I want your sleeper tricks/ideas to see if you have something I have not thought of.

One thing , I am using a Pontiac mill and have that along with the trans covered , so any "little orange engine" stuff will not apply.

Thanks in advance

 

[Mike P]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

I’ve done several sleepers over the years (and several that were not so much). You might want to look at the 65 Chevy, the white 77 Mustang II, 68 El Camino and 64 Ford in this video. What can I say I’m an equal opportunity builder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6s8bp1w7hM

First thing would naturally be the exterior body, (if you’re not already locked into one). Personally I tend to go for 2 dr post cars, they are generally cheaper, lighter and more rigid than the hard top versions. A vinyl roof is always a nice touch. Wheels should either be (or at least look like) factory rims or even better steel rims with hub caps.

Remove any factory call outs that hint at performance (the V8 emblems were removed from the Mustang II, and the 68 El Camino has the 307 marker lights instead of ones indicating a BB. I’m also running a flat hood on the 68 instead a raised SS hood. Dual exhaust is not so easy to hide but is less noticeable when it exits in front or behind the rear tires. Speaking of exhaust use the quietest mufflers you can find that don’t restrict flow (the 57 Plymouth is running Repop HEMI mufflers which makes it a lot harder to hear the cam that under there unless you’re close to it).

If you’re running a 9” or 12 Bolt make sure it’s painted black and no chrome over (yeah, guys like me look for things like that when we roll up on someone).

Keep the interior as stock looking as possible and if you can live with it use a factory in dash tach ......a super tach with shift light is kind of a dead give away.

If you’re going to open the hood keep the engine compartment as stock looking as possible. The Mustang II is a good example, the it’s a very modified 351W with Edelbrock heads, intake etc. The Edelbrock name was ground off the intake and it and the aluminium heads were painted blue. The valve train allows for stock steel valve covers. The cold air induction was custom fabricated by adding the second snorkel to the air cleaner and uses stock V8 and V6 plastic ducting to the core support.......a nice touch was the 302 CI Air cleaner decal. Also hide the MSD box. A 307 decal on your air cleaner would probably look right at home.

Anyway just a few thoughts to get you started. Oh and looking old and fat like me doesn't hurt either when your trying to pull off the grandpa car image LOL

 

[G-Body_Vet]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

Definitely keep the spoke hubcaps on that Bonneville you picked up (good luck keeping them on with all that torque)! Stock ride height, whitewalls if you can find a decent set that's wide enough. The most quiet mufflers you can find, exhaust exiting behind the wheels instead of the bumper...less noticeable to the untrained eye. I wouldn't even use Pontiac blue on the engine, I'd go black since that's what the 80's cars had for engine paint, just one less thing to draw suspicion. Maybe find an old State Farm sticker to put on the bumper :lol:

 

[Black Sheep]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

What car are you building? As a racer, i'm sure you're aware of the benefits of a light car and weight distribution. Attack the inner panels with a hole saw. Fake battery up front with the real one over the rear axle in a hollow sub box. Lexan glass in the rear, fixed windows. Hollowed out rear seat, just a piece of aluminum, thin foam and a cover. I know a guy that took a bench seat apart, made just the driver side functional, then made it look like a bench again. No passengers. Put gauges in the glovebox. Make your brake warning light a shift lite. You get the idea :wink:

 

[Blake442]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

Have it look as bone-stock as possible. Inside and out.

I think one of the best tricks is tucking everything under a stock flat-hood. Even if you have to cut out the bracing for clearance.

Get the cheapest, lightest aluminum wheels you can. Paint them black, and put full hub-caps on them.
They don't have to be wires, actually it's better if they aren't, since the simpler stamped disc style ones are much lighter.

Then it's just a matter of how much weight you can pull out of it.

 

[shotgun]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

Here is a pic from my other post:

A vinyl roof is always a nice touch...... See above
I'm also running a flat hood..... Already covered
use the quietest mufflers you can find that don’t restrict flow ..... Using 3
9” or 12 Bolt make sure it’s painted black and no chrome over..... 8.5 with "my own" rust paint
Keep the interior as stock looking as possible..... planned on it
a super tach with shift light is kind of a dead give away...... shift lite going inside the ac vent
keep the engine compartment as stock looking as possible...... it will be
cold air induction was custom fabricated by adding the second snorkel ..... using single huge one from a 454 Suburban
Also hide the MSD box...... mounted in the glovebox
looking old and fat like me doesn't hurt either ..... I resemble that comment
I wouldn't even use Pontiac blue on the engine,..... wrestling with that , thinking GM blue
Stock ride height..... Will be + or - one inch
an old State Farm sticker to put on the bumper..... Already has triple a AAA
Fake battery up front with the real one over the rear axle in a hollow sub box.....Got a display battery just for that
lightest aluminum wheels you can. Paint them black, and put full hub-caps..... Using drag stars/hub cap from 72 bonneville

As you see I already had most suggestion covered , thanks by the way.

Let's get creative, like stock rear lca that are boxed inside the channel so it goes unnoticed or mild engine set-back to help with weight distribution or Ram Air manifolds with non ram heat riser cover.

 

[81cutlass]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

White Walls
Bug Deflector
Curb Feelers

 

[79loserbluebu]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

Not sure if it's going to be on the spray or not, but everything can be hidden under the stock air cleaner with some creativity, and they do make tiny nitrous bottles for doors and frame rails.

Other than that really everyone has said anything that is a dead giveaway. What about gutting the stock dash of all the HVAC stuff behind it and leaving all of the vents the way they are? You can take the regulators out of the windows and get the glass to stay up with something wedged in the doors and tacked to keep it up.

 

[3XBrownCutty]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

mudflaps. steering wheel cover. :lol:

 

[Justink]

Re: Share your "sleeper" secrets

Or you could go the opposite direction with it. Lots of stickers, and I mean LOTS! No one will expect speed then
Instead of quiet mufflers what about running stock exhaust with electric cut outs?