Draglist.com Drag Racing

I think you know which one I'm partial to...but that Hornet sure sounds tempting...

Yeah, the Hornet is less than five feet away from that Jegster chassis but my love/hate relationship with that car won't let me even take the car cover off it lately although I did peel it back a little for the photo. Maybe even less than 5 feet - I was sitting on the front tire of the chassis when I took that shot. Like a dummy I still keep looking for another body every day - today I looked at an early Cavalier(1991), a 1995 Grand Am, a 1997 Sunfire, a 2000 Cavalier and a 1997 Monte Carlo. All of them less than $500 too.

The $400 1991 Cavalier has the best body and the worst floor but that doesn't matter if it's getting a tube chassis, the Grand Am is only $200 but needs a windshield, the Monte Carlo at $500 is almost mint and might be one of those "too good to be true" stories(the owner wasn't home) The 1997 Sunfire had an engine fire and needs a hood, headlights and maybe a front bumper but is a freebie 'cause it's in a friend's salvage yard. The 2000 Cavalier is $400, no engine, body is mint but it's the ugliest dark green you ever saw.

As for the Hornet? It's very tempting to start hacking out the floor and firewall and unless the "perfect" late model body comes along at a riduclously low price it might just happen. If so there's absolutely no question of how it HAS TO look........

For the one without a windshield....keep in mind...THAT is why the racing gods invented Lexan

Been an interesting day here.............

10:00AM - Today I'm gonna get inside the VW Golf with the Jegster's main hoop, halo bar and front downtubes to see how it all fits. Since the Hornet already has a 6 point rollbar I'm just going to try the halo bar and downtubes in it.

2:00PM - Put the chassis on the stand and sorted through the roll cage tubes for the halo and down tubes.



4:00PM - Test fitting yielded a few surprises. Turns out the Golf would only need longer down tubes because of the upright windshield angle but the rest of the cage fits like a glove. The Hornet(below) already has a six point and might be just as easy to adapt to that chassis. So in the end all that fitting didn't help me one bit with the choice of body style. Depending on how you arrange the down tubes and the standoffs it seems like that Jegster cage will fit almost anything with wheels which makes the acceptable body list a lot longer.

Close your eyes and recite...."eeney, meeney, miney, moe..."

I think my search is over - Look at what I found for $200 - A 1996 Cavalier with the fuel pump gone, body and glass really good, interior even decent. It's blue too even though it doesn't match the truck. I'm hoping using the body as is will save on bodywork and paint expenses. I figure $200 wouldn't buy enough MIG wire, body filler, primer and paint for any of the other cars we have on hand. Heck, if we can get it to run I might even consider racing it in the Sportsman class this year instead of my old(and tired) VW Golf. We can chop the bottom out of it and drop it on the Jegster chassis when the season is over.

That is amazing that you got it for $200! I suppose I could look it up online but I'll ask, what kind of engine and drivetrain does it have? FWD? Good catch, Don! WC1

Yes, it is a FWD, Cat...Great little grocery getter...pretty slick body lines. Make pretty good P/S cars too, from what I hear

I think the biggest challenge with this build will be to keep the stock appearance(similar to a SS/GT car). No hood scoop, no wing, no lexan, etc. When it's finished I want it to look exactly the same as it does now except for a set of 14X32s out back.

Finally got the Cavalier home thanks to my pal Albert who loaned me his trailer(again) - Borrowed it before to bring the chassis home.



Off the trailer and parked in front of the garage door. Can't put it inside until we move the Hornet out.



The car is in amazing shape for a $200 find - hopefully this is the view everyone will see the most LOL



Hood and all the body will stay as it is - no scoop or lexan, etc. Maybe a few decals?

This is going to be one heck of a sleeper! And yes, it is in amazing shape, for $200! Good luck on this, keep the pics coming! Cheers, WC1