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Words: Tommy Parry
As this was Grant’s first full build, he was faced with no shortage of hurdles to surmount. Trying to purchase the desired parts on a limited budget forced him to become creative and use a combination of new, old and refurbished original parts. By keeping a close watch on his receipts, he alloted the most money for the important parts of the build - namely, those involved in the suspension. With this sensible approach to building a daily driver that could hold its own on the track, he managed to turn a tarnished relic into a modern muscle car for a reasonable cost.
Fortunately, the car had very little rust, so there was no need for sheetmetal replacement. With a quick clean and a coat of the underside, he was ready to start tweaking the front suspension. An odd but effective concoction of parts helped him achieve the agility he was after. Included in this short list are QA1 coilovers, big brakes from Right Stuff Detailing, a Grand Cherokee’s steering box, a Summit sway bar and non-branded control arms from eBay with tall ball joints.
At the rear, another collection of easily sourced parts provided the traction and stability needed for peanuts. Included in the short list are Bilstein shocks, Hotchkis springs, Spohn control arms and, once again, another Summit sway bar.
Grant then swapped a local engine builder his busted Pontiac 400 plus $600 for a freshly rebuilt, perfectly tuned unit. He mated the new 400 to a Bowtie 200-4R. With a Pypes 2.5” stainless system and an x-pipe, his neighbors were regularly reminded that the build was truly underway.
With the powerplant and the footwork sorted out, he turned his attention to the aging exterior. While he’d drained a good portion of his resources in acquiring the aforementioned parts, he had plenty of time to dedicate to buffing, stripping, sanding and generally prepping for a coat of GM Cyber Grey.
The trim pieces, wrapped in gloss black vinyl, provided the perfect amount of contrast and saved him a few shekels. When Grant performed a bit of automotive rhinoplasty by adding a ‘68 nose, the ensemble was complete. It’s hard not to appreciate the level of beauty on display here.
Inside, the simple interior was improved by a layer of sound deadener as well as a set of supportive JEGS Pro Universal seats which matched the classic aesthetic. To keep everything looking resto-mod accurate, he installed a set of refurbished gauges and a crack-free dash.
The last touches made a remarkable amount of difference. No longer a raked drag car on cheap rollers, the Custom S sported a set of Foose Legends on Mickey Thompson Street Comps. It finally had that athletic stance it deserved.
Once all the final adjustments and shakedowns are complete, Craig plans on running autocross at several events this summer and fall. When the initial build is done and he’s able to enjoy it for a bit, he’s planning on adding fully sequential fuel injection to the Pontiac engine, along with air conditioning and new set of gears.
He’s proven that ingenuity and creativity go a long way — and that high-dollar parts aren’t necessary to build a gorgeous car. To keep tabs on the progress of his build, you can follow the thread here.
