So, should I swap a 5.0 into a...
 

chevette! I was thinking if I can get a motor/trans/rear out of an early 90's mustang for a good deal I could get everything shoved up into a chevette, possibly mini tub it so I could fit some 10-12 up in the wheelwells. I think chevettes are supposed to weigh (stock) around 2000lbs, so with a 5.0 it should weigh around 2400-2600, and being it's nice and short it should pop the front wheels off the ground with some good tires/gears. I'm not to worried about tying down the motor/trans, but the rearend would take a little while to figure out and set up right. I could also just get a notchback which would be sweet, but it would be pretty bayad to almost completely build up a fast small car.

Opinions?????

Hmmm..... sounds like a nifty idea at first, but after all the money's spent and a few months later... I think you'd be wishing you'd spent it on the notch. :)

I've thought about that also. It would just be sweet to have a black 2 door chevette minitubbed with a 4-5 inch full length cowl, plus I'd think with gears and good tires it should run at least 12's with a close to stock 5.0/5 speed. If I do it I'd at least like to clean up/port the stock heads and go with a new cam/intake with some headers/x-pipe/flowmasters or magnaflows. As far as the rearand, I want to use an 8.8 and try to get a subframe to bolt it up to (4 link) so I could tie in a roll cage to stiffen everything up being it's a unibody. I haven't decided I'm definitely dong it yet, I just want to try to think everything over for a little while or until I come across a car for a good price, plus I need to get a place with a garage so I can work on it this winter. I should probably put some ford and 5.0 emblems on it, I'm sure some people would talk sh*t if they saw it parked. check out http://chevette.virtualave.net/Drag.html

The black chevette w/black wheels is what I'd want it to look like, only a little smaller diameter rear wheels and not so much of a drag slick, maybe a 16 inch wheel with a big wide tire (about 10-12'') that still handles ok.

Hot Rod magizine put a 500cid Caddy motor in one.

They're not supost to make great drag cars, with a car that small it's hard to keep it in the grove

-Josh, aka the tireburner

NO
 

I agree with tireburner...that's a pretty small car...and it sounds like a lot of work. Just get a notchback and if you want it lighter...strip the thing! Sway bars, A/C, powersteering, smog crap & if you want to get crazy...pull out all of the insulation in the car.

Hey man, Ford Pintos have been tubbed and have bigblocks in them for a while. Go for it man!!!! Show us pictures of it though!!!!

I'm definitely gonna look out for a chevette on ebay/autotrader or wherever. If I fine a nice 2 door it's mine, I'll rip everything out and start with the rearend (I think) and dash. Eventually I want it to have a minitubbed 8.8 rear, 5.0 (maybe stroked eventually) with a 5 speed, painted black with a full length cowl, roll cage/custom dash-autometer phantom gauges, some nice seats (corbeau probably) and most of the interior covered in black carpet. I want it to be nice as possible, but run at least 12's (if not 10-11's which would be real sweet).