Posted by Dan Shockley on Friday, December 26, 2003 at 3:12PM :
If you do a complete body transplant you will have a vehicle a minimal resale value. I think that with out saving the original axles and the very critical look of the budd wheels, you will destroy the essence of the ffpw look. If you must forego an original resotration, I would recommend updating the axles with available: disc brakes, higher gearing (4.89's), lockers, and other upgrades. At this point, you can get creative with the drivetrain as long as you don't have to change the exterior experience. Any combination of diesel, v-8, auto, 4/5/6 speed, overdrive, etc can be chosen. I think that one person that has really mastered this approach is Paul (In Ny). By maintaining the exterior experience, your modifications will have more universal appeal!
Good luck with your project,
Dan
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