Which way would YOU go?

[greazerlou]

Heres the general idea of what i wanna accomplish:

1. Strip Car
Theres a 6-event series at my local track that I wanna start running every year so I wanna have something I can take to the Thursday night Test N Tune and then run the series 6 times a year. Its only an 1/8 mile track and ill be running the Sportsman class so ill actually be driving it to work on Thursdays, go straight to Test N Tune after work and then run the 6 Sundays throughout the year for the Points shootout.



2. Daily Driver
This car has to take me 33 miles one way to work Monday through Friday without fail, no matter what. This car will for sure have heat/AC!!!



3. Weekend Cruiser
This is something id like to have to cruise around on the weekends, go to shows, take my honey to the movies in it, hit PCH on a nice day, etc. Not an absolute necessity, it would just be nice, ya know?



Now heres what I got...



71 DEMON
- Interior - pretty bad, no carpet, no headliner, the front bench is totally worn, the back seat is decent but its red, which im not a fan of so that would get redone too.



- Body - Bad cancer (all cosmetic, nothing structural) in the trunk, both lower quarters, front sections of both floor pans, one rocker, both fenders, the lower front corners of both doors and the drivers side door jamb @ the "bolt" (I have patch panels for the trunk, floors, rockers and door jamb and I also have a pair of rust free fenders and doors so all I need now are patch panels for the quarters) - its mostly in white primer with some surface rust showing through + various dents/dings throughout.



- Drivetrain - slant 6/3 speed manual on the floor/open 7.25 with highway gearing. great running little slanty, buzzes right along @ 60/65 mph with no worries. Its out of action right now because im swapping the h20 pump on it but it should be up & running again this weekend.



66 CORONET
- Interior - pretty much the same as the Demon, no headliner/carpet, front and rear benches pretty rough. Front bench is wearing a "parts house" seat cover so I can actually sit on it without coming outta there looking like the yello Pac-Man ghost from the back.



- Body - theres only one 3" hole in the trunk. Other than that, 100% rust free. it has an old black low-dollar paint job, no dents/dings, looks ok @ about 500'!



- Drivetrain - Poly 318/727/8.75 with 3.55 gears and a Sure Grip. Its all stock, no upgrades except for a points eliminator kit. not very powerful, but pretty torquey and reliable (and heavy) as a brick.



These 2 cars are what ive been using for work lately (oh and no climate control in either one... thats getting old lol).



66 NEW YORKER
- Interior - Its got a funky gold/green motiff going on that i actually really like (!) Its decent, but the front bench is starting to get pretty worn.

- Body - its got some rust in the corners of the rear window but other than that, rust free.

- Drivetrain - 440/727/8.75 with 2.95 gears & open diff - runs great, no issues at all.


So heres my dilemma... I keep going back & forth between these "plans" and im driving myself CRAZY!

1. Leave the Poly in the Coronet, swap the highway gears into it from the New Yorker, get a decent paint job, do the interior and use this as the daily driver

2. Then drop the 440/727/8.75 (with the Coronets 3.55 Sure Grip chunk) from the New Yorker into the Demon, pull the interior out + bolt in a couple of A100 van buckets that ive had in my garage forever, put on what good sheetmetal I have, leave the 1/4 panels as is, primer the whole thing and use that as my track car

- i could then sell/trade/barter both the New Yorker body and slant 6 drivetrain for money/parts/etc.


OR


1. Put the 440/727 into the Coronet, leave the 8.75 in there with the gears & Sure-Grip, gut whats left of the interior & bolt my A100 buckets in there (like an A990 car!) and set this car up as my track car

2. Then leave the /6 drivetrain in the Demon (maybe swap in an OD 4speed), do the interior, bodywork and paint on it and have a decent little numbers-matching Demon-6 as a daily driver

- and since ive come across some info on schumachers website leading me to believe that i can flip-flip motors between the Coronet & New Yorker, maybe i could put the Poly into the New Yorker, redo the front bench, a little paint, a little work here and there and theres my weekend cruiser (or I could sell it as a complete, reliable, running car and use the cash for my other 2 cars)

Im not a show-car type guy at all so there wont be any $3000 paint jobs or famous interior shops stiching a councours-level interior or anything like that in any of these cars' futures. My cars also arent gonna be "rat rides" or anything like that, theyll just be "nice" cars that I can just jump in and drive anytime and be proud of what im driving.

Man... 3 project purchases in a 2 year span. This is what happens when a car guy gets deprived from his passion for about 8 years!!! what would you guys do?!?!?

 

[Grancuda]

Your going to have to fix the 1/4 & trunk floor rust in the Demon or your going to get exhaust back feeding through on your daily drive.

I personally would do the 66.

A/C is overrated, my 72 doesn't have it and I drive it every day.

 

[The Satellite Cometh]

Crusie the New Yorker, daily drive the Coronet and make the Demon into a strip car.

 

[greazerlou]

Thanks for the input guys! My main problem is not wanting to thin the fleet out. Too many options!!! My Coronet is in the best shape so some highway gears and interior work should make it liveable as a daily. The Demon is in the worst shape body-wise and its also the lightest so that would make it the best candidate for the 440 swap since itll mainly be a track car. That means id have to get rid of the New Yorker since this arrangement would render it motorless. Kinda sucks because i really really like that body style. Man, I gotta decide on something and quick because @ this point im just spinning my wheels and getting nowhere fast. Im gonna sit down this weekend and really hunker down and make a decision. Thanks again for the input guys, i know my madness is a lot to read through! Later!

 

[brandon64]

junk the new yorker, drive the coronet, and race the demon.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

junk the new yorker, drive the coronet, and race the demon.

Sell the NY'R race the demon they are perfect track cars since it's tore up already just do the min to make it legal for the strip. Cruise the cornet daily keep it rust free put in the after market air package and ur set. good luck, put some pictures up for us.

 

[shag766]

hunker down decision

Thanks for the input guys! My main problem is not wanting to thin the fleet out. Too many options!!! My Coronet is in the best shape so some highway gears and interior work should make it liveable as a daily. The Demon is in the worst shape body-wise and its also the lightest so that would make it the best candidate for the 440 swap since itll mainly be a track car. That means id have to get rid of the New Yorker since this arrangement would render it motorless. Kinda sucks because i really really like that body style. Man, I gotta decide on something and quick because @ this point im just spinning my wheels and getting nowhere fast. Im gonna sit down this weekend and really hunker down and make a decision. Thanks again for the input guys, i know my madness is a lot to read through! Later!

this is a VERY important step in the process of elimination. this is how i approach it as a sane and caring person.
1- start slowly, say with irish cream in the morning coffee
and do a list of pros/cons for each car. 3+ coffee's.
2- do something mindless so your thinking process isn't
cloudy, ie; cut the grass, weed the flowers. cold beer
3- have lunch while doing a review of your thoughts
and add to the pr/co list. 2-3 beers
4- go to the shop for a clean up and ??? some more. at
this point a good shot of grey goose or 2 is good. now
the list is getting more attention, right. more goose.
5- after dinner with a nice liquor or 2, the list. to the shop
6- put your favorite music on and have a seat with a good
cigar, goose, and think. review the list, more goose.
7- at this point there should be some sort of a plan in
your mind. try not to 2nd. guess yourself. it's hard.
8- if you are still not decided turn the tunes up and and
reach for the stash.
9- guessing it's about 7-8pm by now. the plan is forming
and you feel alright about it. good about it. write it
down and reflect on the end vision. more goose.
10- and finally the last step. the plan is on paper and you
feel good about it in a couple of ways. its over.
MAKE THE PLAN WORK THE PLAN.



P.S. no need to thank me. it's my way of doing some simple chores and making a decision or 2.:headbang:

 

[darkhorse]

I'm poor, I cant fix /make a DD car and a strip car at the same time. So I would put the 440/727 in the cornonet make it clean (so your lady will dig it) put decent gear in the back 3.5's to 3.7's you should be able to dial in a nice time at the track,drive to work, cruise anywhere and look good doing it. Save your money(if you can honeys cost) then do the demon. my 2cents. if it were me

 

[SirSixPack]

Part out the NY; take the 440 and put in the Demon, make a strip car outta it. Drive the Coronet in its current form while doing this. After you have the Demon doing what you like at the track, focus on the Coronet and get some upgrades for a cool Weekend Warrior/Daily Driver.

 

[74Satellite]

Make the demon the dragstrip car, daily drive the coronet and either sell or part out the New Yorker. Or set it aside for after the demon and coronet are done and find an engine for her down the road.

 

[rumblefish360]

Crusie the New Yorker, daily drive the Coronet and make the Demon into a strip car.

Best advice yet.

OR

Simply take the best car for the dragstrip (AKA Demon) and use the New Yorkers power plant to move it down the track. As time allows, add performance parts.

Drive the Cornet to work. Get the daily driver in shape first and foremost.

 

[MoparBill]

I'd put the 440 in the Coronet, part out the Demon and NY to pay for upgrades to the Coronet. Keep the best parts for your build. Make one nice street/strip cruiser.