ishmaela

Hey Everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm going through the process of launching a build from the ground up. I'll probably start with a Dynacorn body (unless someone here has a good reason to avoid), and this is going to be a relatively long process with a relatively flexible budget. Not looking to break the bank, but I'm not gun shy, either. I want something I will be happy with long term.

Since I'm not working with a Ford body, I don't really feel the need to adhere to OEM anything (at least in my mind) unless it really makes sense to do so (replacement part availability, etc).

I've got a couple 302 blocks (one 1973 flat tappet block, one 1990 roller block) that I'm going to rebuild in the short term. I'm hoping to get something that sounds mean and will put me in my seat, but geared more towards street racing rather than drag racing. I don't have a min MPG requirement, though...Performance and reliability are king. I've thought about GT40 heads with an E-Cam. Custom ground sounds like a good idea...but not sure it is really necessary for what my goals are. Possibly do an Edelbrock EFI setup. Is EFI worth the additional expense really?

I want to greatly improve the suspension. I feel like early American muscle really dropped the ball, and I want this to handle nicely. Disc brakes, power steering, etc. Does it make sense to do a Granada spindle conversion? Should I just do a drum conversion from Summit on a standard front end? Mustang 2 front end? Rod and Custom/Dynacorn/etc full Rack and Pinion swap? Has anyone done any of these? Have opinions? I'd like to still be able to get the "disposable" parts (tie rod ends, brake discs, etc) from an auto parts store, but I wasn't sure about compatibility with some of those factory parts or if I can even have all I want with that in mind.

I also want to have a slightly aggressive stance and wasn't sure the best way to achieve that.

Those are the big questions weighing on me right now...Though obviously there is a lot more that goes into a "Ground Up" build. Any opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

HOSS429

to me the only rub against using a dynacorn body is you`re only getting a skin .. many hundreds of small parts' pieces ' screws ' nuts and bolts to come up with ..if it were me i would find a car on ebay or somewhere and even if it were a coupe you can then convert it to a fastback with some sheet metal changes ..and you`d have 90 % of a car to begin with ..