Ten Crazy Winter Car Projects
The long-range weather models indicate bitterly cold air for most of the country next week, meaning gearheads will be forced into their garages to tinker. With your help, we've identified these ten crazy winter car projects.
This is Answers of the Day – where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's "Question Of The Day". It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers.
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Photo credit: Ronald Sumners/Shutterstock
10.) The Hudson Hawk
The Project: "Build the Lancia Stratos kit car – The Hawk HF.
I've been dreaming of having one of these, but I know I'll never have the time, money, skill, tools. However, all of those (admittedly important) things aside, I'd totally have the kit box delivered.
Plus saying, "Thanks, I built it myself" is just a great phrase for the comments it'll get."
Suggested by: Half the wheels, twice the price
9.) The Caddy-mino
The Project: "This. With a modern turbo diesel in it."
Suggested by: SlowMo
8.) Malibulade
The Project: "Currently working on getting an L92 6.2 L Escalade motor built to put in my 78 Malibu..Ls3 intake and trying to find a bigger cam."
Suggested by: Lotus7
7.) Honda S600RR
The Project: "I'm in the first winter of mine: a 1964 Honda S600 with a CBR1000RR engine."
Suggested by: Superfast
6.) It'll Deliver A Lot Of Tofu
The Project: "Want to build a Drift Wagon..."
Suggested by: VPCMotosport
5.) Mini LFA
The Project: "Miata geometry based tube frame with twin turbo coyote 5.0 moved back a few inches and 6 speed rear transaxle with serious ground effect custom carbon bodywork... sort of a mini LFA/599 GTO."
Suggested by: dorkstar
4.) Not Your Grandma's Buick
The Project: "All I want to do is drop a 455 with a four speed into Riviera. I just want to swap gear in something that looks so deliciously evil."
Suggested by: 427CID
3.) Miata LS
The Project: "MIata with an LS1,2,3,6, or 7"
Suggested by: BryceBryce
2.) Not A K5, A C5
The Project: "The image above of the C5 corvette drivetrain and suspension is half of the project.
the other half is my 72 blazer. the wheelbase and track width of a C5 corvette are both within an inch of the 72 blazer.
come up with a way to put the two together and you have classic good looks, a removable roof, but with a modern sports car stance, suspension, and drivetrain
the unfortunate part of the project? My blazer was $700. a rolling c5 chassis like that is $6000 or more :("
Suggested by: TheWraithL98
1.) Any Of These
The Projects: "In my head (which is a far warmer theoretical garage, than my actual sub-zero garage.)
Building a custom Guigiaro homage mid-engined sports car, with a longitudinal EG33 flat 6 on a modified fiero space-frame with a Maserati Merak/Bora, DMC12, Lotus Espirit, and other Guigiaro inspired body, and custom retro/modern interior.
Building a tilting reverse-trike (two forward motorcycle wheels that tilt on their suspension) recumbent-seating road/race car, with the back half of a BMW HP2 Sport motorcycle. Think single-seat exo-skeleton like an Ariel Atom, but smaller, lighter, and tilting like a motorcycle, with an air/oil-cooled DOHC boxer, quick-shifter, and shaft-driven single rear wheel. Simple and effective.
A prime condition Subaru SVX with a blueprinted and tuned-up EG33, backed by an STI 6MT DCCD drivetrain. A nice rich color red, like Velocity Red Mica or something, with a black roof and acres of moderate-tinted glass, and LED or HID retrofitted lighting.
An Infiniti 4.5 liter V8 swap into a cobalt blue Z32 300ZX coupe. (I really wish that were an easy/common swap to pull off. Otherwise putting an EG33 engine in there, under that really low hood. The EG33 is a bit healthier on power than the VG30DE non-turbo V6, and can be built for turbocharging, if so desired.
I'd LOVE a 4-season AWD SVX and 3-season RWD T-top Z32 parked next to each other in my garage. And maybe a beater AWD Subaru for the really nasty weather or slushy and salty roads, just to keep those two in nice shape.
I am sure there are a bunch of other ideas rattling around up there.
But in the real-world, my project is to keep the existing cars running, and fueled. Not much other money available for toys."
Suggested by: BoxerFanatic