Our youngest has a '76 Ventura 2 dr in really nice condition, minus a driveline. He's mulled over a few possible options, V6 with a turbo, I-6 with a turbo, either with a 5 spd ........but a couple days back his girlfriends Father offered up a low mileage early 70's 454 he's been sitting on for a couple decades. I suggested a Powerglide and he's not stuck on a standard trans so.....
He wants to do it up like an early 70's Nascar modified.
Well for me and just my opinion.. I am gazing into my crystal ball and looking at the future of the price of fuel, insurance, and drivability.. I would have no interest in a 454 at all I would be choosing the V6 Turbo or the inline-6.. of course if I was 20 I might have a different opinion..But I just see this hobby as getting really ,really expensive , harder to sell hi end big engine cars.. It this going to be a street car or a track car..I am getting to the age that my next car for my daily driver will be a 4 banger. Preferably for me a Honda CRV .. I have way less disposable funds to blow on toys going forward.. It is that time in my life to be emptying the shop and garage and moving to a smaller place in town..I do have a power-glide sitting here for a core an aluminum one.. I find getting to this age has changed the view of many things I would not have considered at all just a couple short years ago..I have caught my self reading the o-bits a couple times a week and I am surprized how many names I run across in a month that I knew...Worse I find my age bracket is the same .. scary.. Where did the time go seems like only a couple years ago me and my girl were fogging up the windows in the back seat..
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There is no elevator to success — you have to take the stairs.
I hear ya Chuk. The I-6, V-6 were my idea's, ( because I'm old & cheap and tired of paying high fuel costs) the added turbo his - and I concur but when he heard that sacred cubic inch designation his eye's glazed over, lol.
I know this would really complicate the build, but hey - why not explore the idea - what about 454 + Powerglide + 2spd rear dif?
Since he likes the Nascar theme a truck dif(narrowed) with floater hubs would lend itself to the wide 5 wheels wouldn't it?
Just throwing them all out there..........c'mon folks, weigh in.
I put my old " fatherly cap " on and was thinking , why not " baby steps " at this stage . How about a 350 like the rest of the universe ? The 350-350 seems to be the motor of choice in a high % of rods these days so must be cheap . Once Junior gets an idea of what he wants to do down the road , make the appropriate change . At this point I would be looking at bang for the buck ....turbos and such I think are expensive especially if something goes wrong .
T
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To Err is human ....to blame someone else is Management Material !
Nobody could talk sense into me when I was 20 ...I , of course , knew everything , just ask me I had wanted a car , had my own money , but was still living at home (for the time being ) so had to answer to my folks . I went out and bought a car anyhow and hid the thing in a friends garage .
Here goes ....it was a 59 Chevy Biscayne sleeper with a 409 dual quad 425 horse 4 speed from a 63 Chevy . It was fast ......%#$@&^$ FAST ! It also got 6 mpg and would go through spark plugs every 250 miles when you got on it . Blew 3rd gear at Detroit Dragway ( revved too high on the 2-3 shift ) , drove it around for a bit with 1 , 2 and 4 th , fixed all that and ended up selling the car withing 6 months . I had my fun but paid the price and learned my lesson . Next car was a 55 Chevy 6 banger
T
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To Err is human ....to blame someone else is Management Material !
I think the 2 key things to be looking at are age and Insurance. The less the age the more the insurance to the point of the car sitting in the driveway looking pretty. That's not to mention the price of gas which will be going up significantly because of Winnie the Shrew and her bunch of bandits.
He's 21, living here with us until we get his apt. finished in the barn loft. He has a great job, almost finished school ( for now) and has worked on a few cars. Has his head on straight and level.
He also has a couple tickets so his Insurance( in his name) is already stupid - so he's learned. We started all our kids on our Insurance, when they purchased their own cars then they switched it into their own names.
I believe in helping direct young people - but not just " telling them what to do", otherwise how will they learn?
I'd like to see the I-6 turbo version myself, we have a straight and V 6 so it could be either really. The auto trans is okay but his current car is standard and while he hasn't driven in stop 'n go with a really heavy clutch enough to appreciate an auto - he'll learn. On the other hand he works out regularly, so....who knows.
My ace in the hole?......we also have a 1972 all aluminum short wheelbase curb van that would make a really kool kruiser. The big-block auto/overdrive would make it putt right along. Nice wheels, good sound system, comfy interior - presto - beach wagon.
Keep the opinions coming guys 'n gals, the more ideas, the better the results - and thanks!
I personally like the I6 turbo as well with say a 200R4 or the 5 spd. Insurance can be a backbreaker. Just sold my buddy's '78 Nova with an I6 auto in it. Nice young guy around the corner bought it. 23 years old and Hagerty won't talk to him until he's 25 but apparently Zehr's will after they do a driver abstract etc. He plans on driving car as is right now and going to help him with a 292 or 250 I6 with a Turbo. Do some research and take our time over the winter and then when drivetrain is ready spend a weekend to install it. He's pretty happy with it. It's a real nice car.
51 Styleline, Atomsplitter and 33guy all raise the one issue we ALL seenm to be dealing with today. It seems to me the Insurance companies are in cahoots with our efff-ed up Chit-heads in Parliament. I remember truckers and farmers on tractors surrounding Parliament Hill. I think it's almost time Hot- Rodders do the same. Since when did Canada the Free become such a Communist State that we aren't allowed to have a hobby? Folks, our kids aren't going to be able to so much as change their own oil without permission from some " Authority"...........frick.
Now, back to the Ventura drive-train.......more opinions please?...........
I would go with a Gen 3 or later (LS series) with a 4L60E. Drivability, fuel mileage, performance is way better than that old first gen SBC. They are starting to pop up on KIJIJI all the time. Or buy a whole truck for under a $1000.
Eldest son went through a similar thought process, ended up going with a twin turbo V6, 5 speed manual, if he keeps his foot out of it gets 30+ mpg on the highway.
Thanks guys, this is what we're looking for. I'm more familiar with blue oval, the orange stuff is kinda alien to me so we can use all the help we can get.
-- Edited by Matchless on Wednesday 22nd of June 2016 08:15:59 AM
