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nicksta43
nicksta43 Dork
6/5/13 10:54 p.m.

The first one is kinda out there and I imagine most of you will not get it. However it was partially inspired by a thread here and has been all I've been thinking about for the last couple days.

I had been driving my E21 daily and it is completely gutted. (Have a company vehicle now) I got to thinking how it would be nice to have things like A/C, radio, sound deadening, more than one seat and maybe even a muffler. Some one posted a thread about the last gen of Riviera a while ago. And while researching those I stumbled across the 7th gen Riv. For some reason I can't get the thought of building one out of my mind.

So I would do it like this. ( I've actually spent way too much time day dreaming about this)

  1. Custom coil over suspension. Rates a little sportier than "couch cushion soft" with damping to match. Maybe a half inch lower all the way around at the most.

  2. Custom rear mounted turbo. MS to run it. (yeah I know a SC 3800 would basically be plug an play but this is my fantasy so stay out of it)

  3. A set of 16's with summer tires for summer and the stock 15's with all seasons for winter. We don't really have winter here.

  4. Replace at least the drivers seat with something from Recaro, a whole lot more sporting but still way comfy. Replace spaghetti like steering wheel with something from Momo. Strip the interior to install all new tech sound deadening materials and install a very good sounding stereo system.

  5. Medium tint on the windows. Solid black paint.

My idea of a comfy get back and forth to work car. Can't shake this idea.

The other one is basically the polar opposite. I want to build from scratch a single seater that looks like a formula vee for the street. Powered by a turbo'd three cylinder from a metro.

JohnRW1621
JohnRW1621 PowerDork
6/5/13 11:16 p.m.

I like the idea but personally, I would go with the Olds Trofeo.

Prefering the long trunk version over the short.

Avoid any Trofeo or Riviera with digital dash...impossible to repair

SyntheticBlinkerFluid
SyntheticBlinkerFluid UberDork
6/6/13 12:37 a.m.

In reply to JohnRW1621:

You could always contact United Radio. IIRC, they still repair both GM digital dashes and even the CRT monitors that came in both the Trofeo and Riviera.

http://unitedradio.com/index.htm

Found this place too, it shows that they do fix them around $250.

http://www.mrwhizard.com/

ebonyandivory
ebonyandivory HalfDork
6/6/13 5:28 a.m.

That was me that started the Riviera thread a while back. I love your idea. And I'm going to start a thread (i won't pollute yours with my crazy thoughts) about Town Cars.

There's soooo many ideas out there, and with the immeasurable knowledge and good (read enabling) guys here, it's at least not impossible!

MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt UltraDork
6/6/13 6:24 a.m.

Some ones that have been knocking around in my head - mostly for "what would be a fun daily driver:

  • Fiero like GM should have made it - with a W41's Quad Four.
  • Put an LS4 or a SC3800 in a Chevy Citation X11, inspired by the "Crappy '80s car museum" thread.
  • Modern power in a first generation Isuzu Impulse, either Ecotec or LSx.
  • 1JZ-GE in an early Celica or a Mk II Supra.
  • Late '80s JDM Toyota Soarer. Had one show up at the MegaMeet; it's a hansom car that nobody knows what it is.
93EXCivic
93EXCivic MegaDork
6/6/13 7:45 a.m.

I really want to build a Spit6 with some cues from the Spitfire (the plane).

t25torx
t25torx Reader
6/6/13 8:46 a.m.

For some reason I want to take the 3.5L Short Star Oldsmobile motor and put it in the back of a '96 Cutlass Supreme coupe. Hinge the back glass, make it a poor mans NSX.

Leafy
Leafy New Reader
6/6/13 9:00 a.m.
nicksta43 wrote: The first one is kinda out there and I imagine most of you will not get it. However it was partially inspired by a thread here and has been all I've been thinking about for the last couple days. I had been driving my E21 daily and it is completely gutted. (Have a company vehicle now) I got to thinking how it would be nice to have things like A/C, radio, sound deadening, more than one seat and maybe even a muffler. Some one posted a thread about the last gen of Riviera a while ago. And while researching those I stumbled across the 7th gen Riv. For some reason I can't get the thought of building one out of my mind. So I would do it like this. ( I've actually spent way too much time day dreaming about this) 1. Custom coil over suspension. Rates a little sportier than "couch cushion soft" with damping to match. Maybe a half inch lower all the way around at the most. 2. Custom rear mounted turbo. MS to run it. (yeah I know a SC 3800 would basically be plug an play but this is my fantasy so stay out of it) 3. A set of 16's with summer tires for summer and the stock 15's with all seasons for winter. We don't really have winter here. 4. Replace at least the drivers seat with something from Recaro, a whole lot more sporting but still way comfy. Replace spaghetti like steering wheel with something from Momo. Strip the interior to install all new tech sound deadening materials and install a very good sounding stereo system. 5. Medium tint on the windows. Solid black paint. My idea of a comfy get back and forth to work car. Can't shake this idea. The other one is basically the polar opposite. I want to build from scratch a single seater that looks like a formula vee for the street. Powered by a turbo'd three cylinder from a metro.

I like it, besides the rear mount turbo. You're telling me you cant fit one in the engine bay of that boat?

RossD
RossD PowerDork
6/6/13 9:02 a.m.

Take a late model, midsized Taurus and put the entire drivetrain from a MN12 car into it. Keep it looking stock as possible. Only mod would be maybe a manual transmission.

petegossett
petegossett UberDork
6/6/13 11:10 a.m.

I've been wanting to something like a scaled-down/scaled-back cyclecar, built out of lawnmower & bicycle parts,and possibly styled/constructed more like a miniature 7.

Unfortunately, even though I have quite a few of the components, I have to place to drive something like that.

fasted58
fasted58 PowerDork
6/6/13 11:24 a.m.

I still want one

Ian F
Ian F PowerDork
6/6/13 12:46 p.m.
93EXCivic wrote: I really want to build a Spit6 with some cues from the Spitfire (the plane).

Having owned a Spit 6, unless you're going to build a replica of FIS6, don't. As far as the fighter plane cues, that's been done too.

I have so many "things I'd like to build" dreams, I'd have trouble listing them all. Some with cars I already have... many I don't. Mostly revolving around resto-mods of varying degrees. My problem is I want to build so many and wouldn't want to sell any of them.

fasted58
fasted58 PowerDork
6/6/13 12:50 p.m.

TR-6 w/ custom tube frame, Mustang II front, coilovers, 5.0 Ford.. T5 should suffice for S&G

pinchvalve
pinchvalve UltimaDork
6/6/13 12:53 p.m.

Yeah, I occasionally have nightmares about finding a rollover GNX and a rust-free LeSabre T-Type in my driveway.

Knurled
Knurled UltraDork
6/6/13 1:01 p.m.
nicksta43 wrote: So I would do it like this. ( I've actually spent way too much time day dreaming about this) 1. Custom coil over suspension. Rates a little sportier than "couch cushion soft" with damping to match. Maybe a half inch lower all the way around at the most.

The rear suspension is... odd. I'll leave it at that.

The stock shell is just barely stiff enough to tolerate the original pillowy suspension, any uprating will require chassis reinforcement unless you want it to drive like a C3 Corvette.

2. Custom rear mounted turbo. MS to run it. (yeah I know a SC 3800 would basically be plug an play but this is my fantasy so stay out of it)

There's acres of room over the transmission to put a normal turbo in, and a convenient over-trans crossover pipe in which to mount it.

Just sayin'. I've worked plenty on the V8 version of this pig (Eldorado) and they're neat but have their faults.

93EXCivic
93EXCivic MegaDork
6/6/13 1:04 p.m.
Ian F wrote:
93EXCivic wrote: I really want to build a Spit6 with some cues from the Spitfire (the plane).
Having owned a Spit 6, unless you're going to build a replica of FIS6, don't. As far as the fighter plane cues, that's been done too.

Why is that?

Ian F
Ian F PowerDork
6/6/13 1:17 p.m.
93EXCivic wrote:
Ian F wrote:
93EXCivic wrote: I really want to build a Spit6 with some cues from the Spitfire (the plane).
Having owned a Spit 6, unless you're going to build a replica of FIS6, don't. As far as the fighter plane cues, that's been done too.
Why is that?

To put it bluntly, a Spit 6 goes great in a straight line, but it's otherwise a very unbalanced and ill-handling beast. The extra weight of the hatch and roof of the GT6 helps to mitigate the extra 2 cylinders hanging past the front axle line. Having owned all three now, I'd build a Spitfire with a professionally warmed up 1500.

93EXCivic
93EXCivic MegaDork
6/6/13 1:20 p.m.

In reply to Ian F:

I have driven a Ford V6 powered Spitfire and thought it was a blast. What is the difference with FIS6 other fuel injection?

I already have JK Jackson built 1500 to go in the racecar.

Ian F
Ian F PowerDork
6/6/13 1:32 p.m.

In reply to 93EXCivic:

Ok, a V6 Spit6 is a different animal. The weight should be better there, although I've yet to see one that handled the exhaust routing well. After Tegler put a GM V6 in his MGB GT, he was itching to put one in a Spit as well, but the exhaust routing bothered him as well. It pretty much has to in the wheel wells, outboard of the frame and then routed under the floors vs through the middle into the frame as normal. A Spitfire is a low car to begin with...

There was a V6 car at Carlisle this year. It looked ok, but it was carbed and he had to scoop the hood for clearance - even with integrating the air filter into the scoop. The rear was replaced with a narrowed straight axle as well.

oldtin
oldtin UltraDork
6/6/13 1:41 p.m.

beige camry converted to rwd, powered by 1uz-fe that spins to 9k and manual trans. It's not very high on the to do list, but makes me smile.

Higher on the list is a 3/4 scale pre-war GP replica - like the afettina on the cycle kart site. I have a triumph daytona I'd trash for the cause

93EXCivic
93EXCivic MegaDork
6/6/13 1:51 p.m.

In reply to Ian F:

This one just had Cobra style sidepipes.

conesare2seconds
conesare2seconds Reader
6/6/13 2:02 p.m.
pinchvalve wrote: Yeah, I occasionally have nightmares about finding a rollover GNX and a rust-free LeSabre T-Type in my driveway.

I wanted a LeSabre T-Type so much back in the day.

penultimeta
penultimeta New Reader
6/6/13 2:08 p.m.

So many...

Today a 350/t-5 swapped early s10 cobbled together with G and F body bits for cornering

Third generation Cressida with a turbo 1UZ-FE and mkIII supra bits

Turbodiesel Mercedes w123 with 4 speed and tuned to perfection

LS swapped Porsche 944

Volvo 240 wagon with the b230ft and Getrag from the 700-series.

AutoXR
AutoXR HalfDork
6/6/13 3:13 p.m.
pinchvalve wrote: Yeah, I occasionally have nightmares about finding a rollover GNX and a rust-free LeSabre T-Type in my driveway.

I had a Pontiac 6000 I bought for $100 (we took it in on trade) it was as base as can be. Crank windows, rubber floors, no AC and a 3.1 with a TH125.

It would run mid 15's Stock! which for the early 2000's surprised a lot of people. I sold it to my then girlfriends brother who still has it. BC car with no rust. Something fun about driving it... I still remember putting bus lengths on a guy in a Civic SIR (EP) over and over..

moparman76_69
moparman76_69 Dork
6/6/13 3:36 p.m.

Geez I could go on for days. Here are a few choice ones.

2.4 turbo a body dodge

2.4 turbo hot rod

rat jeep

old dodge van body camper converted to a ramp truck

stock car converted to track day car with a 5.7 hemi/T56

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