8 Project Cars We’re Dreaming About
It was only natural that, at some point in its annual meet-up, the Hagerty Media staff would begin to discuss project cars. Before we had metabolized our morning coffee—perhaps because some had found the gallon of cold brew in the fridge—there was a general online assault on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. The office murmured with schemes and dreams.
“I would LS that.”
“That’s not even a project car!”
“Watch Kyle actually end up with one of these in his driveway.”
“91,000 miles, it’s been driven … I like that … two grand?”
“Oooh, a brown one!”
“What if I sold my …”
If you spend time on this site, you probably can imagine who said what … so, in the spirit of further including you in our bad ideas, read on. This started as an editorial exercise, but stay tuned—we all read Kyle Smith’s latest column on how to be an adventure enabler, and we took very good notes.
The comment section is open …
Sajeev Salivates Over a SABUL
I want this SHO-swapped, supercharged Mercury Sable (or as I like to call it, SABUL in ALL CAPS) station wagon so badly I can feel it in my bones. I have always wanted an OEM+ style, cleanly integrated Taurus SHO powertrain in the slick, understated Mercury Sable, but this moderately clean wagon with a big hole in its hood for that M90 supercharger speaks to me at a more basic level. I need this the same way I breathe, even if I am not a huge fan of nitrous oxide or of buying a highly modified car that currently doesn’t run.
Gimme this SABUL right now, baby! — Sajeev Mehta
Steven Dreams in Neon
The most interesting classified ads on GrassrootsMotorsports.com often lead with four letters: NMNA. Not mine, no affiliation. In other words, “I just ran across this ad and posted it here for your entertainment; I have no skin in the game.”
And the listings are often pretty entertaining. Need a 1971 VW Squareback for $1600? A Kellison, perhaps? An ’89 Ford Tempo for $1000? A 1958 MGA? And those are from the first couple of 297 total pages.
My eye goes here, though: To Livonia, Michigan, and a 1999 Dodge Neon ACR. I had both an ACR and a tweaked Neon R/T but let them slip away: Raced an ACR a couple of times in the old Neon Challenge series, and autocrossed the R/T, and the cars really fit me.
This one is $5500 (asking price, maybe a little dear but he says make him an offer). As a poster on GRM says, it’s “pretty solid but slightly scruffy, perfect for track rat/rallyx fun.” I agree. It has a six-point cage, a lot of race-related spare parts, and a recent servicing. For maybe $4000—double what I paid for my old ACR—maybe I’d try to hold on to this one. — Steven Cole Smith
Nate Contemplates Land Cruisers (Pt. 87293)
Land Cruiser Project? Land Cruiser Project. Because of course. This thing is a tad ratty, which is kinda how I envision this all starting. I can’t get enough of Land Cruisers, and this FJ55 is quite a charmer. It’s got a 5.7-liter V-8 from a Chevy, and … well, we don’t know what else. I’m always mystified by these one-sentence descriptions in marketplace listings. Like, you have no other information to provide? Seems like a sure-fire candidate for a project that would put me over my head in about 14 seconds.
Where do I sign? — Nate Petroelje
Eric d’Elegance, the Latest in Luxury
I have a deep affection for these cars, since my friend daily drove his grandmother’s hand-me-down ’89 Brougham d’Elegance when we were 16. I’d want to restore the entire interior of this one and make it gleam—as in, nicer than my own living room. I would take it to drive-in movie theaters all over Michigan, simply to luxuriate. — Eric Weiner
Eddy Edifies His Fleet
A truck project would pay me back with some much-needed utility. This ’98 Silverado comes from the last year of what I thought was a really clean, understated generation. It’s got a long bed, 4WD, and doors to the rear open to the rear seats (that really only serve to transport stuff under roof—those jump seats are tight).
It might not be sexy or scream “project” like a Sable with a hole in the hood, but it’d serve an unmet need in my fleet. — Eddy Eckart
Kyle Sets His Sights on a Squarebody
Having road-tripped a friend’s big-block ‘Burban some years ago, there is something about these that always had my attention. What kept me away was the squarebody rust problems and voracity with which the big-block gobbles up gasoline. This beauty is priced right and has the solid chassis and clean interior that I want, but has mechanical issues that make it a perfect LS swap. A 6.0 with a mild cam and a 4L80 would slip in relatively easily and make this beast a great tow rig or adventuremobile for camping with the missus. Needs what I enjoy doing, everything else is ready to go. The perfect project. — Kyle Smith
Grace Anticipates a Pickup
I’d never want to daily something that didn’t like to be flung around, and I love the way my Fiesta ST squirts through traffic, but if I were to add another vehicle, I’d love it to be something truckish and off-roady. I don’t have a garage, and don’t get excited about doing my own drivetrain work, so my favorite project is something that runs and drives … like this J10. It’s already Chevy-swapped, it’s got a manual (almost always fun) with a granny gear, and I love how ratty it is. (The listing doesn’t even show the interior, so it’s probably just as abused as the paint.) This would be the perfect foil to the FiST—an old (ish), tattered, high-riding pickup with a bed. Think of all the estate sales I could raid! — Grace Houghton
Stefan Stumbles Upon a Zagato
When I typed “project” into my local Craigslist, among the usual domestic hulks was this Zagato-bodied Lancia Flavia. Lancias are neat little cars, and while I have no real affinity for the Flavia at all, with its Zagato roots it’s just weird-looking enough and certainly exotic enough to take on as a fake-money project.
According to the ad, “This particular project car comes with many duplicate parts including 5 engines. 3 of the 5 motors turn over and are extremely rebuildable. getting mechanical parts is not a problem… The alloy body is mostly straight and should be easy enough to sort out… the chassis has plenty of rust and will require significant metal work.”
Should be done in a weekend! — Stefan Lombard
I was going to go all pedant about “voracity” not even being a word, but darned if it isn’t.
I’ve purchased two running and driving but very old vehicles in the past year or so. Not “projects” in the sense that they would need major attention — or so I thought at the time. It turns out that both have project-level needs due to a combination of disuse, deferred maintenance, and the simple passage of time. Stuff like every single bit of rubber in the suspension. Things a person might not think about when considering a purchase. So for the brave souls in this article I have only one thing to say, and that is to be honest in measuring just how much of a project your project might be.
What year is that Suburban? The front grill/lights (and the side strip) say 1989-91, but the particular two-tone paint scheme seems to say earlier. Is it maybe not original paint, or not original other things?
I have lost count the number of land cruisers I have bought in pieces from guys that started into “restoring” them. those Cruisers grab the desire but also drain the wallet and time of the owners. or they were started as a father / child build and the kid moves onto something else and the father loses interest. I guess it is the same for most vehicles but these hit home with me.
Productive activities lead to success, the unproductive waste of time to failure…. Your guys “Golden Years” will be filled with lead.
I’m thrilled with our Dodge Magnum R/
We T bought two months ago well kept with only 88,000 miles
Quick grocery getter
Would really like the Jeep p/u however a J30 or J40 with a 401 and four speed. However a Yenko Stinger would be better…..or maybe a Rampside with a Nash fan for our 112 days….
The door alignment at the quarter on that Lancia gave me a nightmare. That’s the last time I read an article about project vehicles before going to bed!
Ps. Chevy built the GMT-400 trucks into 2000. Not the 1500 mind you but my K2500 is a ’99 and when I found an engine for it it was out of a 2000 K2500 in Alberta. It would seem only the 1500 was changed in ’99. GM just kept using up parts to build the heavier trucks until they were depleted. They did this on the square body trucks as well. I only paid 5K for my completely rust free with shiny paint truck. The engine need was my own doing after running it with a camper onboard with an undetected bad cylinder head gasket. It could have been fixed but it was faster ot swap.
id like an 81 to 83 Subaru wagon . make it anfibius fab a new rear diff cover with another pinion gear that has a propeller splinded on. some aluminum tanks to float it.
Any station wagon if you can find one indecent shape.
Give the guy in Atlanta a call.
This article got me thinking about all the cars I’ve gotten rid of thepat I wish I could have kept. My dad’s ‘57 Vw oval window, my own ‘59 VW beetle, my ‘72 Capri, and my ‘92 GMC jimmy all were so damned much fun.
Do another one of these; seriously!