Yup, I am now a 100% certified wagon nut.
Here are some pics from tonight's delivery all the way from Wichita, KS. And believe it or not there isn't an engine or transmission in this car - damn it is low! Overall it is very clean and should make for a great basis for a new project car: a family war wagon.
The plan as of right now:
Aluminum block LS-something, I want light weight. It could be the LS1/4L60E out of Natasha's Camaro if it doesn't sell soon, or I'd prefer a 6.2L/6L80E combo with much lower mileage. The LS1 would need some parts thrown at it to freshen it up (how much I won't know until I open it up) cam, springs, lifters, rocker arm trunnion upgrade, oil pump, and maybe new better flowing heads. Originally I want to build a high-horsepower blown beast, but have since realized that would miss the purpose of the car - so I am going to exercise some restraint... for now.
There is an advantage to using the Camaro for parts as it has everything I need to do a complete swap (less the motor mount brackets and some fuel system parts and fittings). Plus, I can snag the disc brakes (front and rear), cruise control, A/C parts and so on. The disadvantage is that I may end up stuck with a rolling chassis until someone comes to buy it.
Another downside is that I will always be limited to a 4LX0E transmission (or a standalone controller for another tranny = mega $$$) or a 6 speed manual conversion (which I truly want); the latter means Natasha has to learn to drive stick - which isn't a bad thing (at least until something doesn't go her way). This also means that the rearend ratio has to remain conservative as I want good mileage out of this car - it currently has 3.73s in a 7.625" 10-bolt.
Currently the car is riding on what looks like a set of 15x7 and 15x5 set of Weld Rod Lites, and worn 255s and 205s respectively. I think I'd like to keep these wheels for now IF I can fit them over the LS1 brakes. I'd also like to go to at least a 275/60R15 in the back (295s would be cooler, but might bulge too much on the 7" wide wheel) and 195s up front for some pseudo big and little action. However, I can still do a big tire and wheel combo if I want, as I have a set of C6 ZO6 wheels sitting in the garage - it just means more cutting in the rear (not that I am shy about cutting up a car to make an impression/point).
Exhaust is currently an aluminized crush bent dual 2.5" system with some Flowmasters, in relatively good condition - it also has some electric cutouts built into it. I figure this will be fine for now, but I am sure I'll end up building a dual stainless 3" system for it down the road.
Suspension is up in the air, and will probably be dictated by the tire and wheel combo.
Other than that it needs some minor cosmetic work (like tinting the rear hatch), and replacing some seals/weather stripping (although much of it is in great condition).
