Sleeper cars

[89Daytona]

Second try....

Here is a really nice omni (I think it had a Porsche drivetrain transplant)

Originally Posted by Fergie - "To me, a sleeper is anything you dont expect, be it a minivan, or a de-badged M5."

So these are all sleepers then....

 

[Beej]

No, those aren't sleepers, those are just stupid.

casm, there are several old Rover P6's in town (Victoria, BC) as this is a big time old British town. In fact there are dozens of weird old European and British cars around town. I'm going downtown in a few hours here, I'll see if I can get a pic of a P6 or something similar. A real sleeper I'm aware of in town here is a 1973 MGB with a 1976 Rover SD1's 3.5 V8 swapped in. It looks totally stock but disappears into the horizon pretty quickly.

A semi-sleeper I'd love to have is an early 90's Nissan Skyline GT-R. They can be had up here for less than ten grand. My brother and I are seriously considering picking one up. I know they aren't a sleeper to anyone who knows that car, but not very many people do. They really just look like an early 90's sedan with the steering wheel on the wrong side...

 

[casm]

No, those aren't sleepers, those are just stupid.

And the scary part is that someone, somewhere, probably considers them to be the coolest thing ever.

casm, there are several old Rover P6's in town (Victoria, BC) as this is a big time old British town.

Funny you should mention that - last time I was in that neck of the woods (2003), I saw a couple running around and one parked out front of some shops.

In fact there are dozens of weird old European and British cars around town. I'm going downtown in a few hours here, I'll see if I can get a pic of a P6 or something similar. A real sleeper I'm aware of in town here is a 1973 MGB with a 1976 Rover SD1's 3.5 V8 swapped in. It looks totally stock but disappears into the horizon pretty quickly.

If you could get some photos, that would be awesome. I had a P6 in college for a while, and really loved that car. I know where there're a few around here needing attention; if only I had parking I'd be doing the Range Rover / Morgan V8 swap.

That MGB's running what also used to be a popular Land-Rover swap - P6 or SD1 V8, SD1 5-speed and rear axle (IIRC). Made for some seriously grunty Series IIIs; going 110mph in one is frightening.

 

[Beej]

What a gloomy day. I didn't see a single nice old restored car, but I stopped by my mechanic's to check out what he's working on right now. Here are a few shots...

 

[TRSCobra]

I'd go for the 89-95 Taurus SHO 5 speed. (I have a 93)

Here's a vid from one of the guys on SHOForum.com

http://videos.streetfire.net/search/sho/3/bdce5075-516c-4619-bdf8-c8021e1cd78c.htm

This is from over a year ago, he recently re did the whole turbo setup.

 

[Root Moose]

No, those aren't sleepers, those are just stupid.

Kinda dig the cow pattern Nissan - about what it takes to make a Nissan appeal to me I guess.

A real sleeper I'm aware of in town here is a 1973 MGB with a 1976 Rover SD1's 3.5 V8 swapped in. It looks totally stock but disappears into the horizon pretty quickly.

the hot setup these days seems to be a SBF (302) w/ T5. Check mgbexperience.com if you are serious. 3800cc is popular too. I was thinking about a MGB before I remembered that I hate doing bodywork.

 

[Root Moose]

Man those are fugly.

 

[ROOK1]

Man those are fugly.

Wht did you expect? They are in Canada.

Although I like the Jag.

 

[motorcityxj]

Second try....

Here is a really nice omni (I think it had a Porsche drivetrain transplant)

looks sweet with that tire rim combo. Curious what you know about it, a porsche drivetrain swap? I have seen chrylser LHS with an second engine in the trunk so anything is possible, what did he swap. A 928-944 in front and made a rwd omni?

 

[XJCasper]

Looks like a GLH/S

Usually these owners don't go Porsche parts, so I doubt it.

But there are alot of transplanted engines in Omnis. Usually 2.2 or 2.5 Turbo from other chrysler cars into standard Omnis.

There are a couple owners that have gone to a SRT-4 engine in the mid-80's Chrysler bodies.

 

[89Daytona]

looks sweet with that tire rim combo. Curious what you know about it, a porsche drivetrain swap? I have seen chrylser LHS with an second engine in the trunk so anything is possible, what did he swap. A 928-944 in front and made a rwd omni?

It was like 5 years ago when I found that info, I can't seem to find it again on the web.... But VW did buy the molds for the omni, so it seems reasonable that VW/porsche parts would fit although a rwd conversion would take some fab work. http://www.allpar.com/omni/omni.html

You can get rear wheel drive conversion parts ( http://www.exlinecustomauto.com/Daytona.htm ) for Dodge Daytonas, the parts should be easily adaptable to other kcar variants or you could base your own work on their design.

Kinda dig the cow pattern Nissan - about what it takes to make a Nissan appeal to me I guess.

Thats a 1986 Nissan 300zx, v6, rear wheel drive, 4 wheel disc brakes, t-tops.... fun car, and all the girls like it.

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Ok, All of my Sleeper cars have been mentioned.

Little more detail:
1989 and 1990 Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan had a 2.5 T1 option. Awesome sleeper, but not what this guy is looking for.

Since no one has posted pics of the GLH/S, here we go:

My cousin's GLHS next to my GLH. Daily drivers.

You and you cousins are two lucky sonsof*******. Take care of those beautiful L-bodies - they're rare and wonderful cars. (and to find a couple of DDs in that kind of condition is especially wondrous) Did you know that Edmunds named the Omni one of the 40 most significant vehicles of the last 40 years? If anyone's a subscriber to the Rockford Register Star, look to Alex Gary's column next weekend (1/8/07) - I'll be in it, representing the L-Bodies.

For those of you that aren't yet schooled on the "Goes Like Hell" and "Goes Like Hell S'more", here's an article on a GT350 getting owned by a GLHS, courtesy of Hot Rod Magazine:

http://www.carmemories.com/cgi-bin/viewexperience.cgi?experience_id=113

Surely this cements the Omni GLH/GLHT/GLHS as one of the ultimate sleepers.

 

[casm]

Man those are fugly.

I'll admit that I'm probably in the minority who actually likes the styling of the P6 (and remember - this is a car that first entered production in 1963), but either way you've got to admit that that makes it perfect for a sleeper: old, unusual, and kind of funny-looking. Nobody would ever expect it to turn a 12-second quarter-mile

 

[Root Moose]

I kinda dig the look of them EXCEPT for the drop in the roof-line from the B-pillar on back - reminds me too much of a similar vintage Citroen.

The grille and turn indicators are fugly in a cool way.

Reality is that with wide enough tires/wheels any car looks good.

 

[Root Moose]

What is this POS? It is kinda cool looking too.

 

[XJCasper]

(and to find a couple of DDs in that kind of condition is especially wondrous)

My cousin did a Butt load of work to get both cars to their current conditions. I think both cars still have a "To Do" list. My cousins is closer to "finished", if there is such a thing.

 

[casm]

I kinda dig the look of them EXCEPT for the drop in the roof-line from the B-pillar on back - reminds me too much of a similar vintage Citroen.

Funny you should mention that - the styling was largely based on the Citroen DS, hence the roofline. Of course, I also think the DS is the most beautiful car ever made and I am a massive Citroen bigot, so take that for what you will

The grille and turn indicators are fugly in a cool way.

The non-US-spec cars were better looking, IMHO - except for the US-spec V8s, which got the triple-scoop hood. Gave them a nicely mean air, kind of like a bulldog with a monocle.

 

[casm]

What is this POS? It is kinda cool looking too.

It's a Rover P5. This is the earlier 6-cylinder model (pre-Rover/Buick V8, aka the P5B), identifiable by the higher roofline and slats across the taillights. Good cars, built like tanks (much like the P6), but not imbued with much in the way of urgency.

 

[churky89]

My favorite was an early sixties, Valiant station wagon, flat and peeling red paint, four door, with a built Hemi, load flite manual shift auto tranny and a 4.88 Dana rear (full floating axles ). A conservative estimate of 400 HP, which wasn't the whole story, the torque that sucker produced was awesome. The body would flex and the tail gate would pop open. 10.50/16 Town and Country snow treads, aired down to about 15 PSI (they actually lauched really well). The tires would regularly disintigrate, but they were a large part of the fun. Tire chunks pelting the poor sap behind me. Had a sign on the door (hand painted) that said "Need your pipes cleaned" call Chuck.
It has too look anything but quick, with a large surprise factor, to be any fun.

That my freinds is a true "SLEEPER"...Back in the "MUSCLE CAR"days...I knew several people who would do things like the above mentioned "VALANT"...seen it done with Mustangs....Cameros...Ford Galaxies...most were what we called "Mom and Pop Cars" just plain Jane on the outside....but under the hood was a different story

 

[bjoehandley]

Probably one of the best things to keep in mind when it comes to a sleeper's appearance is "If you do it right, it's like you've done nothing at all" (now let's see who knows where I got that phrase from )