OK, i figure i need to start getting some details down on paper so i can make some decisions about what to do w/ this wagon. that's where you guys come in w/ your expertise and experience...
backstory:
i wasn't looking for this car, just found it by chance on craigslist last december while shopping for a replacement vehicle for my wife. trying to avoid a minivan and not wanting to spend much money, i stumbled across this '85 colony park for $850. it seats 8 (now technically 7, since i pulled the front/center lap-belt to replace the broken driver's receptacle) and runs strong. body was sideswiped however and subsequently a poor repair job was half-assed it appears. since i have a long-term goal to "someday" build a hot rod w/ my sons, i figured i could pick up this car and get a few years out of it as a kid hauler, then, potentially yank the 302 to build up for something else. was also intrigued by the long wheelbase and body-on-frame, as thoughts of using the chassis maybe for some rat rod-type project.
long story short, even after only a few months this ol' car is kinda growing on me, and my kids are young enough to not be embarrassed by riding in it yet-- in fact they think it is the coolest car around because of the jump seats. so now i'm thinking, hmmm, maybe i should fixerup a little... it would give me an excuse to learn some bodywork (turns out my new neighbor in the 'hood does this for a living) and (maybe) be a cheap-ish motor project to cut my teeth on before jumping into something more souped up later.
* * *
goals:
if i'm gonna drive a wagon w/ a V8, i'd like more "oomph" in it when i push the go-pedal. so why not take the extra effort and make it just a tad more fun to drive. for example, i've got a mostly one-lane highway commute home (55 mph), but there are two short 2-lane sections; of course, all the i'm-busier-and-more-important-than-you folks use those opportunities to race ahead and pass as many cars as possible-- even if traffic is flowing fine at 65 mph. i'm not looking for sustained high-speed efforts, i'd just like the option of occasionally going WOT on someone as they attempt to pass an old brady-bunch wagon and then be surprised when i pull away up the hill.
what i want:
what i've got:
'85 merc gm colony park ls, which, apparently is probably the worst year of all for the 302 (D'OH!). CFI/TBI (i've seen it referred to as both). 85K miles. runs great, i have to say. i'm sure i could tune it up (plugs/wires/filter) and call it good and we'd get our money's worth just fine if i didn't have this wild idea to build it up.
what i've learned so far:
sounds like, motor swap aside, the two ways to go are explorer parts or mustang HO parts, which, if i understand, means primarily heads and the cam for this motor. due to emissions laws i can't revert to carb'd, so i either keep CFI, or convert to SEFI. read somewhere on this forum that my '85 block may or may not support roller cam.
questions (lots) i have (...in no particular order):
i think that should get us started for now... time for bed anyway.
i appreciate any advice from the experts. like i said, this car has grown on me, and i think it would be a fun project (even if my better judgment says just drive it into the ground as-is and save the money... but where's the fun in that?).
thanks in advance. :3gears:
backstory:
i wasn't looking for this car, just found it by chance on craigslist last december while shopping for a replacement vehicle for my wife. trying to avoid a minivan and not wanting to spend much money, i stumbled across this '85 colony park for $850. it seats 8 (now technically 7, since i pulled the front/center lap-belt to replace the broken driver's receptacle) and runs strong. body was sideswiped however and subsequently a poor repair job was half-assed it appears. since i have a long-term goal to "someday" build a hot rod w/ my sons, i figured i could pick up this car and get a few years out of it as a kid hauler, then, potentially yank the 302 to build up for something else. was also intrigued by the long wheelbase and body-on-frame, as thoughts of using the chassis maybe for some rat rod-type project.
long story short, even after only a few months this ol' car is kinda growing on me, and my kids are young enough to not be embarrassed by riding in it yet-- in fact they think it is the coolest car around because of the jump seats. so now i'm thinking, hmmm, maybe i should fixerup a little... it would give me an excuse to learn some bodywork (turns out my new neighbor in the 'hood does this for a living) and (maybe) be a cheap-ish motor project to cut my teeth on before jumping into something more souped up later.
* * *
goals:
if i'm gonna drive a wagon w/ a V8, i'd like more "oomph" in it when i push the go-pedal. so why not take the extra effort and make it just a tad more fun to drive. for example, i've got a mostly one-lane highway commute home (55 mph), but there are two short 2-lane sections; of course, all the i'm-busier-and-more-important-than-you folks use those opportunities to race ahead and pass as many cars as possible-- even if traffic is flowing fine at 65 mph. i'm not looking for sustained high-speed efforts, i'd just like the option of occasionally going WOT on someone as they attempt to pass an old brady-bunch wagon and then be surprised when i pull away up the hill.
what i want:
- definitely want to go dual exhaust, headers, to get that SBF growl that i haven't heard since my first love ('65 'stang)... fwiw, my daily driver is a lifted jeep w/ a 4.0 inline 6 so i've got dreams of a throaty V8 w/ flowmasters (or the like).
- i think i want it lowered a tad.
- i want more horsepower.
- i want a sleeper car, just to keep the import sedan guys on their toes.
- bonus points if i could smoke the tires from a light a couple of times a year as warranted.
what i've got:
'85 merc gm colony park ls, which, apparently is probably the worst year of all for the 302 (D'OH!). CFI/TBI (i've seen it referred to as both). 85K miles. runs great, i have to say. i'm sure i could tune it up (plugs/wires/filter) and call it good and we'd get our money's worth just fine if i didn't have this wild idea to build it up.
what i've learned so far:
sounds like, motor swap aside, the two ways to go are explorer parts or mustang HO parts, which, if i understand, means primarily heads and the cam for this motor. due to emissions laws i can't revert to carb'd, so i either keep CFI, or convert to SEFI. read somewhere on this forum that my '85 block may or may not support roller cam.
questions (lots) i have (...in no particular order):
- can i build an HO motor to meet my expectations, above, using CFI?
- due to finances, i'm sure i'll have to do this in phases... if i have to go SEFI, should i do that first, then worry about cam/heads, or do the valvetrain first and then dump the TBI?
- will my current fuel pump suffice for SEFI?
- w/ only 85K miles, could i get by leaving bottom alone (i.e. no machining) and just build up the top?
- will the AOD support this kind of HP upgrade?
- what non-motor upgrades should i consider, and in what order of priority? (i.e. better brakes? stall converter? shift kit? gears?)
i think that should get us started for now... time for bed anyway.
i appreciate any advice from the experts. like i said, this car has grown on me, and i think it would be a fun project (even if my better judgment says just drive it into the ground as-is and save the money... but where's the fun in that?).
thanks in advance. :3gears:
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