Okay, so I am embarking on a long term project/bucket list build. The end goal is to end up with a race car that I will race up Pike's Peak. I've always been fascinated by that race, and have always wanted to do it myself, and something (not sure what) lit a fire under my ass to finally get started. The plan right now is to take a 2.3T (see this is relevant to this site) from a turbocoupe parts car that was included when I bought my SVO, and swap it into a 1961-1963 Thunderbird. I've always like this body style, known as the bullet birds. I know the car won't be putting out as much power at the start of the race as a lot of the big N/A V8's that will be competing, but the turbo should definitely help some towards the top. The key on this build is to make a car that handles really well, and is as lightweight as possible. That being said, I know there are far better options for the car than a Tbird, but the engine came out of a Tbird, I feel like it should go back in a better one. My end goal is to have a car that is putting out 400 HP (preferably more) to the rear tires. Yeah I know it'll take some work to get it there, but I think it is possible to reach that. That's the general idea of the project though. I think I have quite a few specifics sorted out as of now, but like any car project, a lot of that can, and will, change. That being said, if it is requested I can give a brief rundown of what my plan is.
So the first major items on the list are:
1- find a 61-63 Tbird. This one is kind of on hold since I just spent the car fund money on a trip to California. Short explanation, I signed up to be a volunteer on the show Mythbusters not thinking it would happen, and surprise! I get to go. It's kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I figured why not. Yeah, I'm a nerd, I accept it lol. And yes, this is kind of dumb traveling from Kansas to California to volunteer on a show. I'm alright with that too.
2- Cannibalize the Turbocoupe for anything that I can use, or that might be worth keeping, or something someone else can use. This is where I'm starting. The first item on this part of the list is to get the car running so I can at least start with a motor that ran when I pulled it out. That way if it doesn't run, it means it's something I did, not something wrong with the motor.
This part of the project is also where I need help. The plan is to keep my car mostly stock, so I probably won't use most of the parts, but someone might want them.
The parts I'm keeping are:
- Engine
- pretty much all the engine components. I'd like to get the motor in the car and get it running before I tear it apart to upgrade it. Again, start with a running car.
- Intercooler (it's actually on my SVO, but I didn't modify anything to put it on)
The rest I don't really know if I should or need to keep. The Marchal lights are toast which sucks, but not much I can do about that. What I've heard are good parts to swap over to an SVO, or commonly used for other reasons are the the sway bars as they're slightly bigger, the fuel pump, the rear axle, ecu, and wiring harness. Are there any parts you can think of that I would need for my build? And are there any other parts worth pulling off that someone else might want? Or if there is a specific part you need, let me know and I'll see about getting it to you. Some stuff like the trans I might not keep unless someone wants it just because of how much space it takes up. This process probably won't be done very quickly, but I don't want it sitting in my driveway too long either so hopefully it'll go fairly fast. I'm hoping to pick the car up from where it's being stored in the next couple of weeks.
I'll try to keep this thread updated as I go, unless there is no interest. In that case I'll just let the thread die. Feel free to ask any questions though. I'll answer them if I can.
Reply With Quote
