Learn me: discarded NASCAR chassis

Where do these get sold? What does one look for when selecting a chassis? I have this crazy idea of welding an outdated NASCAR chassis under a rusted out 65 Mustang shell and DOMINATING Lemons. C'mon fellow enablers, help me make this wacky idea a reality

Unless they go to an entirely new car, they keep resuing them. And if they are bad enough to discard, it's likely bent beyond usable. We destroyed a couple and simply tossed them to the curb. If they are good and demeed not useful, chances are it can sold as an entire car. Guys in and around the major shops in NC might can shed more light if some are sold, but that was not my experience.

Keep in mind they generally are much wider than the Mustang anyway, so it's gonna be a difficult task. I think you'd be better off designing and building your own chassis specifically for that task. They are also VERY heavy. A friend did a project exactly like that. He build a frame, and then cut up an old '65 fastback shell and mated them together for a customer. In the end, it was a seriously fast track car, but not an inexpensive project.

You also have to change some suspension members to even out the wheel placement unless you like your cornering heavily left-biased.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

I expect to have to do that.

Is it just me, or did I just stumble upon the cheapest way to build a Pro Touring car?

In reply to M030:

Been done before, and with a 65 Mustang fastback shell even. It wasn't a Cup car, it might have been an ARCA chassis or something. It was in PHR and Hot Rod within the last 18 months. Same guy is now building a 68 AMX on a homebuilt chassis.

In reply to Javelin:

Cool!

If you figure out which issue, please let me know. I'd really like to read about that.

Not NASCAR grade but back in the day (60s-70s) Late and SL Model stock cars were built this way. I remember one local '67 Mustang fastback body dropped on a T-bird? frame w/ cage added, full floater truck rear, a-arms etc.

This neighborhood garage car even had hand cranks w/ u-joints from the driver seat to each corner w/ screw jacks to weight jack during racing. Kinda crazy lookin' but it worked.

There's one in Hot Rod's latest issue - a '64 Pontiac or something. It used a COT chassis, which is surplus now IIRC.

Keith Tanner wrote: There's one in Hot Rod's latest issue - a '64 Pontiac or something. It used a COT chassis, which is surplus now IIRC.

64 Plymouth Belvedere. Just got that issue yesterday in the mail....Plus it was nice to see a decent nonglossed over article on painting you hooptie....

Keith Tanner wrote: There's one in Hot Rod's latest issue - a '64 Pontiac or something. It used a COT chassis, which is surplus now IIRC.

The latest one I have is March, and it isn't in there.

EDIT: treed on the response, I haven't gotten the latest. Is the car they painted an Impala? If so then I saw that on Hot Rod Unlimited on youtube

My April HRM showed up today, and that 64 Belvedere is exactly along the lines of what I had in mind. Everything except the 18" wheels, that is. There's a 66 Mustang coupecoupe locally that's rusted beyond belief & I can have it , free for the asking.

Keith Tanner wrote: There's one in Hot Rod's latest issue - a '64 Pontiac or something. It used a COT chassis, which is surplus now IIRC.

didn't read the issue but just saying '64 Pontiac reminds me of a Herb Adams road race build w/ a '64 Poncho

back then obviously not COT

In reply to M030:

I probably have the issue laying around still. I'm a car mag hoarder. I'll try and find it. His build thread is on lateral-g.

There's a build thread over at corner-carvers of a guy doing this with a 69 Chevelle (well, except for the lemons racing). He found his on racingjunk.com.

corner carvers thread

I've been toying with exactly the same thing, except it wouldn't be LeMons or Chump legal. I want to drape a body over it to get a VIN and make it the world's nastiest street car.

Cup chassis are heavy and the wheelbase is wrong for the Mustang. That chassis would work better with one of the 70's personal luxury cars like a Torino or Monte Carlo, which would be equally awesome.

I think the way to go would be an ASA style chassis. There's a guy who pops up here from time to time with V8 stockcar updates who could probably be very helpful. The ASA cars are either designed as a roadrace chassis or are very easily converted. They're much lighter than a cup car and have the right 108 (if memory serves) wheel base for an early mustang.

I carried the thought process through to the point where I was ready to start contacting people to fill in what I couldn't search for when my wallet explained to me that it wouldn't have any part of it.

http://www.racingjunk.com/NASCAR-ARCA-ASA-HOOTERS/181712072/pathfinder-race-car-.html

http://www.racingjunk.com/NASCAR-ARCA-ASA-HOOTERS/2927849/Late-Model-Dodge-Charger..html

http://www.racingjunk.com/NASCAR-ARCA-ASA-HOOTERS/2916439/arca-cra-super-series-car-hamke-.html

http://www.racingjunk.com/NASCAR-ARCA-ASA-HOOTERS/2904216/SUPERCUP-STOCKCAR.html

Prices seem to range from Very Very cheap to more than I would want to be in the whole project for. I think I could be driving at about $10k.

Schmidlap wrote: There's a build thread over at corner-carvers of a guy doing this with a 69 Chevelle (well, except for the lemons racing). He found his on racingjunk.com. corner carvers thread

This is a very good thread. There's a ton to know about these frames, and some are way better than others for what you have in mind.

M030 wrote: Is it just me, or did I just stumble upon the cheapest way to build a Pro Touring car?

it's just you.

I could see doing this to an ugly, Starsky & Hutch era Torino or a 71-4 Charger. Or even a Cordoba-Magnum.