Thanks everyone, I appreciate the support! While this build is taking forever and has spun wildly out of control in scope and budget, the motivation mostly comes from of all of the failed projects that I've previously attempted. That, and the fact that this was supposed to be a retirement gift to myself (I retire from the Army in May).
The failed/uncompleted projects that still sting:
My first project was a '92 GT that was a daily driver that I modified when budget allowed and raced on weekends when I was stationed in Georgia. Decent car and a great learning experience until I totaled it right after its first 7-second pass (1/8 mile, of course). Note: don't street race on southern Georgia roads at night in late summer...they get really slick.
I took the surviving parts and bought a really nice '85 GT roller to start my next build. Funds were still tight as a young Soldier, so a build with some really nice parts and chassis work took forever. 10 years later, it still wasn't done...I sold it, almost finished, in 2007 before I deployed again.
When I got home, I got the speed bug again and bought a low mileage 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. Another daily driver project, that never should have been. After a ton of $$ spent I'd gotten it down to 11.7x @117 with a Vortech, ported heads and meth injection. The problem was that I wanted more, upped the boost and destroyed the trans and transfer case. Without the funds to fix and keep the project going, I sold the Jeep at a huge loss.
I won't even mention the 2 Ducati builds and one out of control Harley. They were fun for a time, but a decent coupe build has always been in the back of my mind.
This coupe HAS to be the one that I finish, enjoy and keep. When I decided to tear it down and do another ground up build, I knew it would take some time with my budget. While my ultimate goal is some insane power with a turbo or YSI, I've had to make some concessions to keep the bills (somewhat) manageable...decent N/A power with a little shot for the track will do for now. I'll just have to keep the coupe light to make up for the lack of serious power. Unfortunately, it won't be done in time for my retirement and move back to Chicagoland in may, it will be close.
I really do appreciate the kind words and motivation from those who are following. I will say that I've been stalking this forum since before I started shopping for a project. I got a ton of ideas and motivation from a lot of your builds and projects on this forum. I know I'll need some info and help as this project progresses, and hopefully can provide the same for anyone who needs it.
Thanks again! -John
P.S. - find me and kick my a$$ if I get frustrated and even joke about selling this coupe.
The failed/uncompleted projects that still sting:
My first project was a '92 GT that was a daily driver that I modified when budget allowed and raced on weekends when I was stationed in Georgia. Decent car and a great learning experience until I totaled it right after its first 7-second pass (1/8 mile, of course). Note: don't street race on southern Georgia roads at night in late summer...they get really slick.
I took the surviving parts and bought a really nice '85 GT roller to start my next build. Funds were still tight as a young Soldier, so a build with some really nice parts and chassis work took forever. 10 years later, it still wasn't done...I sold it, almost finished, in 2007 before I deployed again.
When I got home, I got the speed bug again and bought a low mileage 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8. Another daily driver project, that never should have been. After a ton of $$ spent I'd gotten it down to 11.7x @117 with a Vortech, ported heads and meth injection. The problem was that I wanted more, upped the boost and destroyed the trans and transfer case. Without the funds to fix and keep the project going, I sold the Jeep at a huge loss.
I won't even mention the 2 Ducati builds and one out of control Harley. They were fun for a time, but a decent coupe build has always been in the back of my mind.
This coupe HAS to be the one that I finish, enjoy and keep. When I decided to tear it down and do another ground up build, I knew it would take some time with my budget. While my ultimate goal is some insane power with a turbo or YSI, I've had to make some concessions to keep the bills (somewhat) manageable...decent N/A power with a little shot for the track will do for now. I'll just have to keep the coupe light to make up for the lack of serious power. Unfortunately, it won't be done in time for my retirement and move back to Chicagoland in may, it will be close.
I really do appreciate the kind words and motivation from those who are following. I will say that I've been stalking this forum since before I started shopping for a project. I got a ton of ideas and motivation from a lot of your builds and projects on this forum. I know I'll need some info and help as this project progresses, and hopefully can provide the same for anyone who needs it.
Thanks again! -John
P.S. - find me and kick my a$$ if I get frustrated and even joke about selling this coupe.
Well if you do ever decide to sell it.....
Great looking build so far, looking forward to the rest of your progress.
I bet that srt8 Jeep broke a lot of hearts huh?
The SRT8 Jeep was definitely a lot of fun, especially because most people didn't know what it was. Some people would ask me why I put a loud exhaust, big wheels and Brembos on a Jeep.
With 285/315 Toyo Proxis IIs it would do 1.50 60' off idle at the track and it would dead hook on the street. I was lucky to score one of the first Vortech kits that got released and early on the out of the box tune worked pretty well as it made 505 hp with Kooks headers and a Borla cat back. The tuning and trans/transfer case nightmare happened once I upped the boost from 6 to 10 lbs and added Indy ported heads/intake/TB, meth injection and a custom Comp cam. Went from 505 to 598 hp with a somewhat conservative tune, but I broke it before I ever got back to the track. Ah, memories...
With 285/315 Toyo Proxis IIs it would do 1.50 60' off idle at the track and it would dead hook on the street. I was lucky to score one of the first Vortech kits that got released and early on the out of the box tune worked pretty well as it made 505 hp with Kooks headers and a Borla cat back. The tuning and trans/transfer case nightmare happened once I upped the boost from 6 to 10 lbs and added Indy ported heads/intake/TB, meth injection and a custom Comp cam. Went from 505 to 598 hp with a somewhat conservative tune, but I broke it before I ever got back to the track. Ah, memories...
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Progress...sort of.
While the chassis work is on a bit of a hold while I'm getting ready for a career and location change, at least Zach came through and finished up the 363. Hopefully the chassis work will get back on track in a few weeks. I seriously need to drop this thing in!
While the chassis work is on a bit of a hold while I'm getting ready for a career and location change, at least Zach came through and finished up the 363. Hopefully the chassis work will get back on track in a few weeks. I seriously need to drop this thing in!