mongoosetoo
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2005
- Messages
- 87
About 8 years ago I purrchased a ragged out 82 Sport Coupe Regal. Very rough, but it had the title to it, but then when I went to get it signed and notarized, the person had moved. Searched the internet for them but couldn't find them.
Anyway, the car was rough anyway, but it had an 85 Turbo SFI driveline w/ harness in it. So I kept the running gear and "recycled" the body. At the time, I didn't realize how rare the 82 was. Wish I would have known.
I got this idea to put the motor in a Chevy Monza, light car + strong motor sounded like a real beast. After buying about 5 Monzas and taking the best parts from each, I had a complete Spyder clone. In a classic "cart before the horse" episode, I sent the body to my friend to do the body and paint. Had another friend recover some 89 TA seats to look GNish and found some TTA wheels to fit to the Monza. After some hub changes up front and a custom Ford 9" in back, I had five lugs at every corner. I was trying to make a Monza dressed up in GN fashion. Pretty cool idea huh?
Anyway after about five years of working a lot I finally got around to dropping the rebuilt motor into the Monza. Easy fit, but when it came to the headers on the right side, I hit a brick wall. For the stock turbo exhaust to bolt in, I would have to have front halfed the car and tube frame it. Didn't want to make a race car - just a real fast street car. The other option was an older pre-SFI exhaust manifold, but I thought that would be too restrictive, further, I didn't want to compromise. Another option was custom header pipes, but I just didn't see it happening, either financially or professionally. In short I thought it would end ip looking like a hack job, so I dropped the Monza idea and sold the body to a guy named Tony Underwood in Newark, Ohio. He got an awesome Monza for cheap.
In the mean time I was building my house with my father, that stalled me for about a year so I dropped the motor and trans at a buddy's house for safe keeping until got the house and garage done. Went back for the motor a year later, turns out he had moved two months prior with no forwarding address. Talked to his pals, x-girlfriend and tracked him down to Columbus. Asked him about my motor and he said, "What motor?"
Called a lawyer, made some threats and eventually he coughed up the motor and trans. Some pal, huh? Now more determined, I bought a T-Top 88 Cutlass. I figured I know this motor will sit in there - it's a G Body. Three years later, and for a grand total of eight years in the making, I'm happy to say, I just turned the key on my eternal project car, the GNutlass. To my credit, it fired up on the first try.
Now I have to work out a few bugs here and there and she'll be ready. The moral of the story for those of you in the midst of a swap: Don't give up, you'll figure it out. Besides, who wants ordinary when you can have extraordinary?
Brew
Anyway, the car was rough anyway, but it had an 85 Turbo SFI driveline w/ harness in it. So I kept the running gear and "recycled" the body. At the time, I didn't realize how rare the 82 was. Wish I would have known.
I got this idea to put the motor in a Chevy Monza, light car + strong motor sounded like a real beast. After buying about 5 Monzas and taking the best parts from each, I had a complete Spyder clone. In a classic "cart before the horse" episode, I sent the body to my friend to do the body and paint. Had another friend recover some 89 TA seats to look GNish and found some TTA wheels to fit to the Monza. After some hub changes up front and a custom Ford 9" in back, I had five lugs at every corner. I was trying to make a Monza dressed up in GN fashion. Pretty cool idea huh?
Anyway after about five years of working a lot I finally got around to dropping the rebuilt motor into the Monza. Easy fit, but when it came to the headers on the right side, I hit a brick wall. For the stock turbo exhaust to bolt in, I would have to have front halfed the car and tube frame it. Didn't want to make a race car - just a real fast street car. The other option was an older pre-SFI exhaust manifold, but I thought that would be too restrictive, further, I didn't want to compromise. Another option was custom header pipes, but I just didn't see it happening, either financially or professionally. In short I thought it would end ip looking like a hack job, so I dropped the Monza idea and sold the body to a guy named Tony Underwood in Newark, Ohio. He got an awesome Monza for cheap.
In the mean time I was building my house with my father, that stalled me for about a year so I dropped the motor and trans at a buddy's house for safe keeping until got the house and garage done. Went back for the motor a year later, turns out he had moved two months prior with no forwarding address. Talked to his pals, x-girlfriend and tracked him down to Columbus. Asked him about my motor and he said, "What motor?"
Called a lawyer, made some threats and eventually he coughed up the motor and trans. Some pal, huh? Now more determined, I bought a T-Top 88 Cutlass. I figured I know this motor will sit in there - it's a G Body. Three years later, and for a grand total of eight years in the making, I'm happy to say, I just turned the key on my eternal project car, the GNutlass. To my credit, it fired up on the first try.
Now I have to work out a few bugs here and there and she'll be ready. The moral of the story for those of you in the midst of a swap: Don't give up, you'll figure it out. Besides, who wants ordinary when you can have extraordinary?
Brew
