What was your first project car?

[Rymanrph]

My first project went from this:

to this:

to this:

and finally this:

I miss it a lot, but the money I got from selling it has allowed me to build up my Comanche.

[HOrnbrod]

:thwak: Meanwhile back on topic , 1st project , '53 Ford with a de-stroked Edsel /Tri-power carbs / Fender exit headers ( w/quick release dump-caps ) / 9" locker / Model A straight front axel . .....High school hot rods were all the rage in 1965 :thumbsup:

 

Same car vaquaro, but with a different setup was my first. 53 Ford Victoria w. a 58 Olds J2 tri-power engine, headers w. dump caps, STOCK axle. Called it the Snapper because of the ease it broke rear axles. Never did upgrade the axle, and sold it for a 36 Ford 5-window with a 327 and Muncie.

 

Back then the US and Canadian Fords and GMs had different trim treatments, mostly on the front ends. I always thought the Canadian versions looked better. :Canadaflag:

[dasbulliwagen]

OHHHHHH! Ghia's! Always wanted one!

Speaking of VW's, a guy I graduated with went to work for the VW/Porsche dealership in town. In the 1970's he built a VW with every trick you could think of, and with a jazz of the throttle would hit 8 grand and back to a 1.5 grand idle in about a second! Wheelied in three gears! Ate 327's, 396's, and even a few 440's for breakfast! What a screamer! Little white VW gutted of all unnecessary weight with flames on the side, cheater slicks on the back, and narrow parelli's on the front, sitting about two inches lower in the front! Wicked! Those weber downdrafts coming up through the "bonnet" in the back were really cool looking! If unsure, consider hp to weight ratio! 250 hp in a 4 cyl was like 600 in a normal sized Muscle car of that era!

 

 

I don't have any pics of my Ghias, but I do have one of my old personalized plates, seen below. I even named my daughter GHIA. Didnt take much convincing for my wife to agree to it either!

 

I didnt have huge powerplants in any of my bugs or Ghias, but in my 59 Microbus, I had a built 1776cc CBPerformance motor with dual 2 barrel 48mm throttle bodies port fuel injection, serpentine pulley system, ported and polished big valve heads, cam, HEI ignition, and header with stinger and supertrapp muffler, with the R+P geared at 4:37 in an IRS type one trans with Type 1 IRS conversion kit, and dropped front spindles, with 5 spoke Empi wheels and 195/45R15 Yokohama tires. That thing would SCREAM! Anyways.... :shake:

[deziped]

Speaking of Ghia's, I still have one from years ago still sitting in the far corner of a circle irrigation field (Alfalfa). Haven't looked at it in several years,but, I suspect it is eaten up inside and shot full of holes by now. The way they rust it could be level with the ground by now.

[87Warrior]

Never owned a vehicle that wasn't a Jeep.

Me either... well, there was 6 months I owned a Miata.

 

My first was this beauty:

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Salvage Title, 4.2L, Nuttered, 2.5" Skyjacker, Bestop Top, Bestop Seats, Bestop Console. Her name was Christine.

[Dirteatr717]

My dad and I stripped his 62' suburban to just the Frame, steering column and 232 corette motor, a 5 speed school bus tranny then left the axles and wheels alone.... Then put a full cage on it built a firewall... Added a winch bucket seats and lights and it goes ANYWHERE hahah

My first project is my 88 iroc that has drained my wallet and still needs more :rant:

To the VW guys I have a chop top Carmen ghia with snow tires on it and it goes places most people wouldn't believe hah

[jpnjim]

Everything I've ever owned has been a 'project vehicle' :doh:

 

 

 

(warning 10,000 pictures below :waving: )

 

 

 

Since this thread has switched to 'project Jeeps'......

 

My first project Jeep (paid $500 in 1993):

 

 

 

My first project XJ (was $1500 in 1994):

 

 

 

This is the only pic I have online of (what was left of) my first MJ:

 

 

so here's my second one:($500 in 98')

 

 

Current trail MJ went from this ($500 in 03')

to (05')

 

 

 

and back to cars....

 

 

had a bunch of these (5 were daily drivers)

this one was $900 in 1990,

(first pic from 1991, second 18 years later):

 

 

 

Also have a soft spot for first gen GSXR's :

my first is on the right, an 86' bought in 1990:

 

 

sorry for clogging the thread :thwak:

[brdhntr]

first was a 76 chevy chevelle malibu, my first car. but the one that i would call a projetc, or that was bought as a project, was a 80 honda accord coupe. it was from california and some dealership or possibly honda did some performance mods to it and called it a "rally special". the car was lower and had a stiff suspension that handled geat. some performance things in the engine bay, and a performance exhaust. the thing went through exhaust like crazy. i kept having them done the way they were on the car when i got it and they'd last a year at most. i never did find out why. trying to figure out what to do withsuspension parts could be a pain. the thing was fun to drive and really handled great

[brdhntr]

1988 XJ Laredo, 4.0/Pukey/231/D30/35.

 

Guy wanted $1800, but took $1200 since he got his turbines back.

 

 

The thing was an oil dumping POS. But I freaking loved that thing. I really regret having to scrap it (pre-CC)

 

 

 

so anyone else notice the motorcycle laying on the ground in the pic? what's up with that? :dunno:

[kyleag89]

jpnjim do you do all your MJ work at your house in Boston? I am from Walpole, MA.

[jpnjim]

jpnjim do you do all your MJ work at your house in Boston? I am from Walpole, MA.

 

Yep,

in the bare, open, sometimes snow filled driveway. :doh:

 

my 'shop':

 

and dedicated shop assistant. :yes:

[Pete M]

I'm bummed that I don't have some cool old cars in my repertoire. :( my first ride was a hand-me-down 85 1/2 Escort with a stickshift and the "bigger" engine. but I didn't modify it much so it doesn't really count as a "project". that makes my first project ride my 88 MJ. still an on-going project of course.

 

 

 

[Geonovast]

so anyone else notice the motorcycle laying on the ground in the pic? what's up with that? :dunno:

 

It was a 70s something Honda whatever. I think we got it for free when a neighbor moved and then sold it for $75. It was in pieces and didn't run. Nobody in the family was motorcycle savvy or definitely not a Honda fan, so it went away.

[GreenF350]

Everything Ive had has been some sort of project, but the 1st was a 71 340 Plymouth Duster. Hemi orange with a black gut and 340 stripe, wing, etc. It was basically a 30 over 340, heads cam intake etc. with a 6pt cage. Made for a Badass high school car. Since then Ive fallen into 5.0 mustangs, and am on my 11 or 12th ( i think ) Ive also had a few diesel trucks, but for some reason, I keep going back to my $600 jeep :nuts:

[mjeff87]

'72 Nova, 305/TH350, was my mom's old car....got rearended in a minimart parking lot during a snowstorm one winter and buckled the frame above the rear axle so it went to the junkyard :shake:

 

If I knew then what I know now I'd still have it. I've been half-seriously looking for a shell Nova for the last couple years to rebuild and recapture my youth :D All I want/need is a fairly straight body and good frame and glass (cause everything else is gonna go anyway) but can't seem to find anything even remotely in my price range....

[dakal]

1939 ford convertible. took the motor apart. had a box , small box of parts left over. still ran. i was 13. :clapping:

[terrawombat]

First: 1989 Jeep Wrangler YJ w/2.5L and 5-speed. It was first bought by my brother, then sold to my cousin who beat her up pretty bad and somehow managed to catch a pile of leaves in the engine bay on fire. It was then given to me in 2001 and I stripped it down to the frame and had a family friend with a body shop paint everything. Looked real sharp, but I was young and dumb and wanted something faster so I sold it for a 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 in 2002 and that became my second project (still have that car too).

 

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it. I think digital cameras were just starting to become mainstream back then and I didn't have one.

[streetjeep2.5]

1939 ford convertible. took the motor apart. had a box , small box of parts left over. still ran. i was 13. :clapping:

Flathead V8?? I love the sound of a flathead! Worked at a ford dealership from 67-68 then got drafted and went back to work there from 70 to 79. Service manager had a 46 ford convert with a flathead with offenhauser heads and dual carbs. OHHHHH! Such a sweet sound! I think better than any overhead V8!

[comanche12]

first car and "project" 07 subaru impreza 2.5i

before

after

 

second project for real-my 87 MJ! :banana:

 

even I still have both my car :thumbsup:

 

most jeep project I had been worked is my brother's 02 jeep wrangler

before

after

its supposed to have stinger bumper but can't find pic. oh well