Post by The Mod on Jul 12, 2009 21:44:51 GMT -6
Started work on the Slo-Mo Wagon again. We installed a whole new front suspension some time back. We picked it up for $500 from my father in law and it was in sad state. The front bushings and ball-joints were completely wasted. The brakes also needed immediate attention. As well as the bearings and just about anything that moved in the front end. On the plus side, the floor boards and frame are ultra nice and the frame is as clean as can be found.
Haven't done much to it sense. Except bracket race it and we also installed a new CD player. One of the major things that stopped us from working on it was the fact that these G-Body wagons come with a sad 7.5" 10-bolt differential. These things cannot take any type of real horsepower. Sure, you can beef things up a bit with a better unit and some axles. But, it will just be a ticking time-bomb.
My way of building a new project when it comes or making power is to start with the rear-end. What good is it to add a huge engine, a kick ass transmission, a boss fuel system and some sticky slicks, if the rear-end will not take it? So after some research, I found out that rear-ends for these G-body cars are super expensive. The cheap alternative is to find an 8.5" 10-bolt rear-end out of a Buick Grand National or Buick T-Type. But even those have no started to go up in price. I have seen prices that range from $500 all the way up to $2000 for a complete unit.
So, after a mad search with a very tight budget, we got lucky enough to find this Malibu locally. The Malibu came with a super nice 12-bolt differential. We got the car for roughly what a new Moser 12-bolt rear-end would cost. We gave it a lot of thought on whether we should just fix up this car and go racing. Or whether we should complete the wagon. After a lot of brain storming by my sons and I, we decided that finishing the wagon was the best way to go.
Why? Well, because we like to build street cars. And by street car I don't mean something that we can cruise to the shows or to the track once in a while. No, we like to build cars that we would not be afraid to jump in and go grocery shopping. Or maybe take a cruise to Houston, San Antonio, where ever. Something my wife, kids or even my Mom could drive...LOL! The wagon as it sits is complete. It has a full interior. The 305 under the hood is complete right down to the factory A/C, which we intend to keep. The Malibu on the other hand is a race car. From the gutted our interior with roll-bar, to the manual brakes and steering, to the gutted out firewall. It is just not what we want to build.
Today, we got both rear-ends out. We are going to install the stock 10-bolt 7.5" rear-end back into the Malibu and it is going up for sale. Like most of you, we are on a tight budget. And the money will come in handy so we can order some new suspension parts. As soon as we have the Malibu back in roller condition, we will be posting it in the classifieds. But, if anyone is interested in it, shoot me an e-mail.
That is all we have for tonight. Stay tuned for more updates on the Texasdragracing.com "Slo-Mo Wagon" project. In the next few weeks, the transmission will be going in for a full rebuild and we will be ordering some engine parts to get that started. The goal is to have it done before the end of the year. I will be posting updates in our Proboards "Readers Rides" section for a more permanent location. If you have a car or cars you would like featured in the Proboards "Readers Rides" section. Shoot me an e-mail with a discription of your hotrod. I will then post it all up for you with pictures and all. Thank you for your time and you all have a good night
Haven't done much to it sense. Except bracket race it and we also installed a new CD player. One of the major things that stopped us from working on it was the fact that these G-Body wagons come with a sad 7.5" 10-bolt differential. These things cannot take any type of real horsepower. Sure, you can beef things up a bit with a better unit and some axles. But, it will just be a ticking time-bomb.
My way of building a new project when it comes or making power is to start with the rear-end. What good is it to add a huge engine, a kick ass transmission, a boss fuel system and some sticky slicks, if the rear-end will not take it? So after some research, I found out that rear-ends for these G-body cars are super expensive. The cheap alternative is to find an 8.5" 10-bolt rear-end out of a Buick Grand National or Buick T-Type. But even those have no started to go up in price. I have seen prices that range from $500 all the way up to $2000 for a complete unit.
So, after a mad search with a very tight budget, we got lucky enough to find this Malibu locally. The Malibu came with a super nice 12-bolt differential. We got the car for roughly what a new Moser 12-bolt rear-end would cost. We gave it a lot of thought on whether we should just fix up this car and go racing. Or whether we should complete the wagon. After a lot of brain storming by my sons and I, we decided that finishing the wagon was the best way to go.
Why? Well, because we like to build street cars. And by street car I don't mean something that we can cruise to the shows or to the track once in a while. No, we like to build cars that we would not be afraid to jump in and go grocery shopping. Or maybe take a cruise to Houston, San Antonio, where ever. Something my wife, kids or even my Mom could drive...LOL! The wagon as it sits is complete. It has a full interior. The 305 under the hood is complete right down to the factory A/C, which we intend to keep. The Malibu on the other hand is a race car. From the gutted our interior with roll-bar, to the manual brakes and steering, to the gutted out firewall. It is just not what we want to build.
Today, we got both rear-ends out. We are going to install the stock 10-bolt 7.5" rear-end back into the Malibu and it is going up for sale. Like most of you, we are on a tight budget. And the money will come in handy so we can order some new suspension parts. As soon as we have the Malibu back in roller condition, we will be posting it in the classifieds. But, if anyone is interested in it, shoot me an e-mail.
That is all we have for tonight. Stay tuned for more updates on the Texasdragracing.com "Slo-Mo Wagon" project. In the next few weeks, the transmission will be going in for a full rebuild and we will be ordering some engine parts to get that started. The goal is to have it done before the end of the year. I will be posting updates in our Proboards "Readers Rides" section for a more permanent location. If you have a car or cars you would like featured in the Proboards "Readers Rides" section. Shoot me an e-mail with a discription of your hotrod. I will then post it all up for you with pictures and all. Thank you for your time and you all have a good night
