Hey guys, I'm pretty new to this forum, so I've posted this in the most relevant category(I hope) This might be a little long but please bear with me.

I'm just fresh out of highschool and getting ready to go to college and need a daily driver. After looking about a couple dozen honda civics and toyota camrys online....I pewked, and then decided I was going to build my own car. I should mention that I bought a 1972 Chevy C10 when I was 14 and stripped it to the frame before realizing that it was rusted beyond being worth my time to fix, so I'm not stranger to old cars, restoration, and the like. I've been working on cars and engines my whole life. Anyway, I've definitely settled on a 3gen Camaro.

My goals for the car are: first and foremost, to be a daily driver. It needs to have decent fuel economy(for a performance vehicle from the mid 80s) and it needs the basics, heat, ac, radio, etc. Secondly, I want it to be fun! I put a equal weight on engine and looks. My asthetic plans are a aftermarket ground kit (the one with brake ducts), a 5 inch spoiler on the back, and either a cowl induction or a ram air hood. and of course a swanky set of rims. As for as Engine goes, I would like the car to be able to comfortably cruise north of 100mph. Nothing crazy like nitro...just be a fast muscle car! I definitely am not building this car to be a drag racer. I'll never take it to a track and punish it like that. I would like it to last for a long time after I build it. My tentative budget for this project is $7000 but I'm looking at college right now so anything lower then that would be great!!!

So my question is.....
I have a 4 bolt chevy 350 engine that I took out of that C10 I talked about earlier. It ran very well when it was in the truck. no lifter noise or piston slap. Would it be cheaper to rebuild my 350 and drop it into a quality roller with a complete interior and exterior all pretty much done, or should I keep the cost of a rebuild (and tranny, since I don't have one right now) and just buy a complete camaro that I could customize a little??


Since I'm hoping that you all will think that the first option is better, I'll go ahead and ask my second question. What would you do to a 4 bolt 350 engine? Beyond the basics of upgrading the cam and rockers and the exhaust headers and pipes. I'm kind of thinking that fuel injection is going to be better for my application since I'm hoping for decent fuel economy. But what about changing it to a 383 stroker? what type of intake system? what rating on fuel injectors is the best balence between fuel economy and performance? what about a super charger? would that kill my economy? and I guess a really basic question would be: how much horsepower do I need to be able to drive 100-110? I mean, I can get my mom's minivan up to 100...once. So yeah, I'm hoping that you all will jump at the chance to dream up a theoretical car....and specifically the engine, tranny(has to be a manual!), and rear end combination from the ground up.

Thanks for reading, and thank for taking the time to help me out!

Here's a link to a camaroguy18's ride. Just to give you an idea of what I'm hoping to have. but for starters I probably can't afford that paint job. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/660540...e-1#660540_214

hello flashhacker
my answers in bold

well, this about sums up my critique...the only thing that i could say you were right on, was this...

Quote:
This might be a little long

who has time to read that small novel?

oh wait...i think i just did...

^



Anyways, to have that ride you are gonna need more than $7000. As far as your plans and budget. I would personally do a budget 5.3 swap with a 4l60e with a stall or t56 depending on you. Then the rest would go into making the exterior/interior as nice as you want to get it to be.

One thing to remember and one thing I will tell you is, finish school. Picking up a project and doing it while going to school will be stressful and most likely will end up on the backburner time after time depending on how detailed you go into it. You want a daily driver with all your goals? Then it will be very time consuming to get there. Be prepared to put in the time. I have nearly 2.5 years into my project and its just a base Firebird with a outdated LT1.

Your questions in red are the complete opposite of ones you 1st asked
Performance cost $$$ and fuel economy.
As a student what is more important to you right now?
Your DD will be a project car and you will very familiar with buses unless you have the $$$ to do everything
you think you want to do right now.
Drop the engine you have in , drive and enjoy it while you save $$ and work out what you can afford

Well ,you made a impressive and helpful reply with your first post on here

Welcome to TGO, flashhacker.

Hopefully, TGO and its membership will assist you in reaching your goals. Take note that a search will often provide the answers you're searching for.

JamesC