Good mid-1970s A-bodies aren’t going to be cheap much longer. Granted, the market has been slow to pick up on the Colonnade-era cars, but mark my words, the second that California bumps their smog check standards up to 1983 (which is being discussed right now) you will see prices rise, you will see more Cutlasses and Can Ams being restored or built up, and you will be kicking yourself in the hind quarters over not pulling the trigger on one yourself when you had the opportunity. The cars are creeping closer and closer to that magical 50-year-old mark, too. Just some food for thought when you are trolling through the variety of marketplaces available to the shopper, looking for your next cause for draining your bank account.
Our mark today is a 1975 Chevrolet Laguna Type S-3, the one with the sloped nosecone and the slatted quarter window, and the one where the taillight pan is still vertical and the taillight is a simple rectangle. It’s worn, it’s aged, but it isn’t bad…more like “typical for a car this old”. It’s the kind of car that’s more than deserving of a restoration, but can be driven before it’s time to blow everything apart for the re-do. Underhood: typical small-block 350. Transmission? Yep. Wheels, tires, seats, everything you need to cruise down the road? Looks to be present. How would we do it up? You’ve seen the original Cannonball Run, right? We might skip out on the Hawaiian Tropic livery, but otherwise…yeah, spot on. $3,200 takes it home, leaving you with enough money to start that big-block build.
$3200 is a steal …
5.3 LS 4l80e fix the A/C drive the snot out of it
Stick to your Mercurys.
How about an over the top touring car build with a all new low slung chassis, 6 point ChroMo cage, poly body mounts, mini tubbed and clearance to fit 345 rear tires and 315 front tires on either 18 or 19 inch wheels. Detroit speed suspension, adjustable coilovers, big disc brakes, c5 spindles, quick change rearend, and to lighten the car swap in an aluminum ls3 427 N/A build making about 550 to the wheels mated to a t56 magnum 6 speed. Lighten the body with the use of a carbon fiber hood, CF front fenders, CF slantnose cone, CF doors, and CF trunk lid. To weight balance better move the engine back about 2″ from Stock location (firewall should allow for this with the LS engine since no distributor in the way) relocate battery to the trunk. Inside, a set of wildwood pedal with hydraulics for brakes and clutch, sparco seats, Holley digital dash, radio deletes with bluetooth receiver hidden for tunes. Standard speaker sizes with no sub.
Stick a set of Aero 15X10 all around, drop it a few inches, and then it will look good!