would building a dune buggy with a shelby mustang engine be better than doing a project 1968 chevelle i mean restoring the chevelle
2007-03-25 03:18:32 · 4 answers · asked by chris 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Other - Cars & Transportation
The weight and power of that engine will make it very unsafe. You will spend a lot of money on the suspension alone to get it to be stable. Restore the Chevelle and make it into a "sleeper".
2007-03-25 06:11:09 · answer #1 · answered by Lab 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Building a dune buggy is always a lot of work, and if you are going for the traditional sand rail with a VW transmission and the engine in the back, you can easily wind up with an uncontrollable wheelstand machine. I've seen VW powered sand rails pop wheelies on the street - on mudding tires! And if that's a 1960s Shelby Mustang engine, please save it for the restoration crowd - you can get a more powerful modern engine for way less than what you can sell the Shelby engine for. You could either go for a Ford V8, or the hot setup these days seems to be the Subaru flat four.
Restoring the Chevelle would probably be easier as long as you have most of the parts and the Chevelle does not have any serious rust issues. Rust, however, can be a real pain if it is deep enough that you can't just grind it off with a sander. The only way to fix a rust-through is to cut off the damaged metal and weld new metal in. I've tried chemicals to fix rust and it doesn't work for long.
My vote depends on what you have available. Starting from scratch? A mundane Ford V8 in a dune buggy would probably cost a lot less, but take a good chunk of time and some serious fabrication. And you have to really know what you're doing with these things, or a massive amount of power in such a light car will be more scary than fun. A 1968 Chevelle would be pretty expensive if you don't already have one, but a lot less work unless you are starting from a rusty derelict. The end result may also have more people who "get it" at cruise-ins.
If you're just getting started, though, I'd recommend a restoration project over an all-out fabrication project like the dune buggy.
2007-03-25 15:31:59 · answer #2 · answered by Mad Scientist Matt 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the Chevelle would be easier and a lot saferto drive. The dune buggy with the shelby engine could be too overpowered, and may not even be street legal.
2007-03-25 10:22:31 · answer #3 · answered by dshank1947 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
build the buggy, decide what its purpose will be, you could also make it street legal. Dan
2007-03-27 21:24:32 · answer #4 · answered by Dan H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋