I'm looking for a decent muscle car (gotta have me a nice V8) for $3 or under. I'm fresh out of high school and have no job, however I sold my truck and my Suburban and have a budget of $3k at most. What are your recommendations? I've seen a few classic Skylarks and whatnot in my pricerange, and 2 Chevelle's ('70 and '71) however, they were both 4 doors and I'd like something with more of an aftermarket.
Things I've considered: >3rd Gen Camaros >2nd Gen Firebirds >2nd Gen Trans Am >4th Gen Mustangs (preferrably '99-'04)
Since I noticed it, and someone is gonna be a jew and point it out, I meant $3k or under
Chase Morgan
For that budget, focus on a vehicle in good condition, as opposed to model-desirability. A 3k base model is going to serve you better than a 3k Z28 or IROC.
Forget about anything that is not a Camaro. 3rd gens are way cool too.
Parker Rogers
Is there any issues specific to the 3rd gens that I should look out for? I noticed the sticky mentioned transmission issues, how common are they?
a third generation firebird maybe, but it's going to be in shambles if it's a Trans Am most likely, you might be able to get a decent 3Rd gen formula or standard fire ird for that much though. definitely not enough for a 2nd Gen sorry
Jackson Nelson
I'm not to familiar with GMs but why would a Trans Am be worse then a Camaro or Firebird? Aren't they the same vehicle technically.
Ryan Flores
You're better off getting a cheap foxbody mustang and fixing it up if you want 70s/80s american muscle.
third gen F-bodies (or any car for that matter) with a SBC 305 are very slow and can't be made fast. an SBC 350 can be made fast but those only came in automatic.
Gabriel Torres
I think he meant people ran the shit out of the Trans Ams.
Hmm, what other options are there? I really don't much like the look of the mustangs from '74 to '93.
Dominic Price
4th gen 3.8 v6 is faster than 3rd gen v8, they are the ones slower than civics.
Gabriel Wright
Are the 4th gen V8s any good? I'm fairly new to vehicles, and I'm trying to learn.
Nicholas Wilson
4th gen v8s will be too expensive, even the LT1s. I second taking a look at the 3.8 4th gens as opposed to v8 third gens.
Gabriel Butler
If I was buying a 3rd gen I would go with the cheapest roller I could find. Any factory rearend or trans you may as well toss out as well as most engines. You can build some of the TPI 350s to be torque monsters, but Vortec or LSx is the way to go. So don't pay a premium for all of the running gear you won't use anyway. If you go with a V6 car you may need to track down different bumper covers or ground effects packages if you're after that sort of thing, but no reason to overpay for a turd 350 car with a junk 700R4 and 7.5" 10 bolt GM rear.
Cameron Wright
This
ls1's are so fucking cheap and 4lxx trans are tuff and easy
Elijah Thomas
I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, but I've only ever done basic work on my vehicles. I don't even own an engine hoist. I've seen a few decent ones around me, even with manual transmissions for $1800-3k. I may end up taking your advice, though.
Justin Bennett
...
Carson Reyes
A cheap Harbor Freight hoist is enough. LSx and Vortec swaps into 3rd gens with a 4LxxE transmission are plug and play these days. You buy the engine mounts. You send the harness off to have it setup for your car and trans. You buy the trans crossmember for your application. Driveshafts are available of the shelf as well. T56 manual is an option too, but expect to spend at least $1000 more over an auto if not more. With a Vortec 5.3 you can get them cheap with an ECU. You get better than stock power out of the box with good fuel injection. A 5.3 with a cam and valvetrain will stomp most old school 350s with a complete top end kit including aftermarket cylinder heads.
Samuel Perez
That must be why so many of them with basically no mods and tires do so well in my autoX region. And the highly prepped racecars from yesteryear that are now super affordable are super car killers on track.
Dylan Flores
If I had a bit more money, or a job, I'd definitely go that route. I'm just looking for a car that I can reliably use, that is decent enough in stock form, and I can also upgrade at a later time.
Hudson White
If you want a decent 3rd gen your're going to need to overpay for a 350 car or something with an engine swap. For a stock 200ish hp 350 car your're going to spend way more than it would probably cost to buy a V6 car and put a 5.3 with more power in it. Beware though the stock trans and rear will not take much if anymore torque than thost smog engines made and basically none of the stock options are even worth upgrading at all.
Logan Roberts
> u kno , 500 and a weekend You're describing a swap that at cheapest is two quarters of a jobless op's budget. In terms of bang for the buck a third gen firebird or Camaro really isn't the way to go. You'll end up maxing your budget just in maintenance related items to make it reliable enough for a daily , they're 20 year old cars at youngest now , if I were in your position I'd buy the cheapest to own and run shitbox that has mild aftermarket support until I got a steady non shit pay job. The. Work your way into buying a spare toy to mess with.
Caleb Taylor
I did a 5.3 into turd gen swap for $1,500. I did reuse the 700R4 with a billet spacer for the flexplate though. That allowed me to use the original driveshaft as well. The engine was $750 with ECU and harness. Sent the harness off to have it done for $500. Rest spend on engine mounts, spacer, and small parts.
Henry Perez
Well, I have maybe a year left at most before I ship off to boot camp so that's not really gonna happen a bit. I'm more worried that with an engine swap I'll lose interested because I don't know what I'm doing, or because I can never find the right fucking size socket or wrench I need.
Parker Ortiz
I don't disagree. I see a lot of projects that are too ambitious so people get burnt out and move on. Get a driver and have fun.
Colton James
Mate they've got a chassis made of noodles the electronics are pathetic.
Stiffen them up, stay on top of the wiring and it's great fun.
Liam Rogers
I'm rethinking just because the foxbody's aren't that ugly, and they're pretty good from what I've heard. Never had any experience with them, though.
Carter Hall
Fox is the way to go because the 8.8" rear is great unlike the 7.5" GM, which requires a lot of work or money to swap in something else thanks to the 1 off torque arm setup. Also, if you want a stick the Fox T5 can handle around 350-400 lb-ft with a cluster support and no drag launches on sticky tires.
When it comes down to a FBody Vs Foxbody the FBody wins in the chassis, an RPO WS6 car will handle better than even most new cars. Styling and availability in your area can change. The Foxbody has a better aftermarket and you don't have to deal with as much bullshit since there weren't as many versions of the car. So if you want to build a car for straight line speed you're better off with a fox, but it it's for anything else a Third Gen FBody is the way to go. Go read as much stuff as you can on thirdgen.org
Easton Green
Every mass production GM 305 in a turd gen is shit. I've run some 305 sprint car stuff but even those 475 hp engines with very little factory parts are shit. Even the 350 3rd gen engines are mostly shit. A 5.3 Vortec with a cam will stomp a turd gen 350 with a full top end kit and after maker heads.
Ian Bennett
I guess for its day the LB9 and L98 weren't that bad. After I get a second gen WRX daily I'm planning on getting a 88-89 Firebird project car >T-tops >Manual locks and windows >no ground effects, Start with a Formula and add the spoiler on car in pic would be nice >sub frame connectors >same blue as the car in pic >black vinyl interior >either a 4.8 or 5.3 Gen III to make about 300HP >8.8 LSD Ford somewhere between 2.73 and 3.50 ratio >T56 or built T5, whatever is cheaper >suspension, brake, and tire set up mostly for 50-80mph cruising >decent stereo and speakers hopefully I can keep it under $10k Canadian, but this is my dream car save for a NSX.
Brayden Sanchez
A street SBC with less than 300-350 whp is sad. A basic 350 with Vortec heads (as in late 90s Vortec that you can get from a place like SDPC for $500 machined for higher lift cams not Vortec as in LSx) will make that. I see a lot of guys with SBCs that show up to dyno nights like hot shit and then they put down 250 whp. Sad. Meanwhile, a 5.3 with a cam is putting down 425 bhp on stock heads. A SBC will barely do that with good aftermarket heads and a bunch of speed parts.
Benjamin Johnson
Git Skylark Motorhome big block swap
skids
Kayden Davis
David Freiburger, Mike Finnegan? Is that really you guys?
Ryan White
yeah but I don't want to make that much power.
Henry Brown
user didn't mention taking the hood off and his post wasn't preceded by ads for Dodge and Optima, so it can't be.
Michael Cox
Hmmm, good point.
Luis Anderson
Other than being from the fucking 1980s and thus ancient and possibly rusting?
The 80s were 30 years ago. It's going to be an old car. Any specific issues will have been eclipsed by age and american neglect.
