Battle of the Rollers: 2007 Saturn Sky vs 1970 Jensen Interceptor

Picture this; you are stuck at home under stay-at-home orders and you need something to occupy your time since your internet connection is dead.  What you need is an engine and a vehicle that needs an engine.  Then you just need a few wrenches, some zip ties, a welder, and some fresh 5w30 oil.  The only question is -- which do you get, do you get a 2007 Saturn Sky setup for LS1 swap offered for $2500 or do you get an powertrain-less 1970 Jensen Interceptor offered for $3995, both are offered on Los Angeles craigslist.

Korvmaro Kustom: 1963 Chevrolet Corvair V8

The Corvair is one of the few aircooled classics from the 60s that you can buy for a reasonable amount of money and drive around everyday (helps if you live in a place that is easy on weather.)  It had an advanced independent rear suspension under that aircooled engine out back...but today everything is amok and this Corvair is powered by a front mounted small block V8 and features a stick beam rear axle!! I don't know if this is an upgrade or downgrade. Find this 1963 Chevrolet Corvair V8 offered for $16,500 in Longview, CA via craigslist.

KA24DE Swapped: 1970 Datsun 510

This next car comes as a tip from Erik202 who writes: I know good 510s are more common in the southern states but here in Canada they are pretty rare. This is probably one of the nicer ones I’ve ever seen listed locally.  Find this 1970 Datsun 510 offered for $16,500 CAD ($12,643 USD) via Kijiji.ca in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

B18 Swapped: 1988 Honda CRX

The Honda CRX was an interesting two-seat front-drive economy sports car that really shook up the market when it was introduced in 1983.  There were few other cars on the road that could be optioned to get 40mpg city/50mpg highway (in the CRX HF) or provide an exhilarating driving experience (CRX Si).  Today's example has the volume turned up to 11 with a "teggy" swap...which is the B18 non-VTEC equipped 4-banger from a '95 Integra good for around 140 horsepower.  While we'd prefer the zippy VTEC zoom factor of a B18C, this thing is a considerable torque upgrade from the original and should be very lively.  Find this 1988 Honda CRX offered for $3700 in San Jose, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

BAR Legal Hammer: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 400CE

The Mercedes-Benz W124 E-class platform was used to build a number of vehicles from 1984-1995, including the W124 sedan, S124 estate, C124 coupe (coupé if you please), A124 convertible, and V124 long wheelbase limousine.  Power came from a variety of inline-4, inline-5 (diesel baby!) inline-6, and V8 motors, but what was interesting is that you could only get the V8 in 4-door sedan/saloons.  This means if you want one of the cool looking CE coupes, you'd need to settle for a big inline-6...or swap in a V8 like this next guy.  Find this 1992 Mercedes-Benz 400CE offered for $9000 in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

Grand National Turbo V6 Powered: 1981 Chevrolet Malibu

This next car comes as a tip from Jeff G who writes: I know the price is a bit high for DT, but this one is interesting. An early 80's Malibu aint the first platform that comes to mind when thinking about what should be deserving of Grand National awesomeness, BUT he did do a pretty sweet job with the look & feel of the car + the Yenko thing was a nice touch. Like it or not, it's unique and the likelihood of seeing anything like this pull up next to you on the road is about as likely as any of the DT regulars getting their ride hand waxed by a nekkid Adriana Lima. Find this 1981 Chevrolet Malibu offered for $24,000 in Jacksonville, FL via craigslist.

Sheep In A Wolf's Hoodie: 1966 Land Rover Defender on Pontiac Grand Prix Chassis

If you've ever spent time under a car, you know what you can get with a little hard work and a pair of donor cars.  All manner of crazy beasts start with a simple thought from some a mad scientist...but this next car is so perplexing that I'm going to have to give it the official Bearded Spock award and just hope it gets swallowed up in the next black hole to dimension Z.  Find this 1966 Land Rover Defender on a Pontiac Grand Prix Chassis offered for $2,500 in Taunton, MA via craigslist. Tip from Gregg. 

V8 Mid Engine Custom: 1966 Chevrolet Corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair was a world changing car when introduced in 1960.  Its combination of subtle styling, aircooled alloy flat-6 out back and unibody construction was a fantastic machine that was the unfortunate recipient of the attention of a savvy young lawyer/politician named Ralph Nader who needed to make a name for himself.  But if a stock Corvair caused Mr Nader to write a book and then sue GM, then this next modified mid-engine V8 Corvair would have caused him to crapped his pants and run screaming for mommy. Find this 1966 Chevrolet Corvair offered for $10,000 in Fountain Hills, AZ via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Eye of the Tiger: 1982 Austin Mini VTEC

This next car pushes the acceptable limit of money you'd want to spend on a modified car...but it does offer a certain degree of classic charm, modern powerplant, and wheel roasting potential.  The best part is that nobody will expect you are driving something from the year that Survivor had their break out hit Eye of the Tiger.  Find this 1982 Austin Mini offered for $20,500 somewhere near Worcester, MA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

AWD Subaru Swapped: 1973 Ford Courier

The worst thing about a 2 wheel drive pickup is that they have no traction in the wet...or maybe that is the best thing about a 2WD pickup (depending on how you drive...but I digress).  The Ford Courier pickup was actually a Mazda B-series that was available over the years with a number of small powerplants, including a Wankel, but today's example has been converted into a boxer-4 powered all-wheel-drive custom.  Find this 1973 Ford Courier offered for $7500 in Salinas, CA via craigslist. Tip from Safety Fast.

Where's The Corinthian Leather? 1976 Chrysler Cordoba Racer

This next car is something of an oddity.  I love the concept of a malaise era cruiser turned into a high speed road racer or Silver State Classic runner...but I'm not sure if I'd have removed all of that rich Corinthian leather. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that whatever anemic smog restricted V8 is long gone and this thing has a 600 horsepower Mopar 400 big block stuffed under the yellow hood...but...I think it needs an 8-track and a chandelier or something to class it up a bit. Find this 1976 Chrysler Cordoba offered for $20,000 in Emmett, ID via craigslist. Tip from Johnny Bouncewell.

Widebody Wagon: 2000 BMW 540i 6-Speed

Take a normal car and turning it into a custom widebody can result in a cool ride or a total pile of ugg, depending on the skill and vision of the fabricator. Another consideration is that most widebody vehicles are two-door coupes, but occasionally you'll see some fender flares on a sedan and today we see them on a wagon.  Find this 2000 BMW 540i 6-Speed offered for $7,900 here on eBay buy-it-now or make-offer located in Tampa, FL.

900T Engine Swapped: 1975 Saab 99

It is always Thorsday here at DT, but today is also All Saints Day, so you might expect the next car to be a Volvo P1800...but SURPRISE, it isn't.  It is, however, powered by a later model turbo engine and in serious need of a coat of paint that doesn't look like a used piece of chewing gum and a set of shoes with an appropriate offset. Find this 1975 Saab 99 here on eBay bidding for $2499 CAD ($1910 USD) with 4 days to go, located in North York, Ontario, Canada. Tip from Bill.

SSix SSpeed SSwap: 1995 Chevrolet Impala SS

GM wasn't messing around when the seventh generation Impala was launched in 1994 because it was only available as the SS version which meant power from a 260 horsepower LT1 borrowed from the Corvette.  Unfortunately the Impala SS didn't come with a manual gearbox and was only available with GM's 4-speed 4L60E slushbox, but that is something that can be fixed with the remnants of a wrecked Camaro, an afternoon, a good buddy named Fred, and a case of Coors. Find this 1995 Chevrolet Impala SS 6-Speed offered for $6900 in Seattle, WA via craigslist.

E39 M5 Power: 1995 BMW 540i E34 S52 Swap

The trick of doing a good engine swap is simple...just follow these two rules: (1) pick a sweet vehicle with plenty of street cred, but maybe down a few ponies on power & (2) juice it up with something that keeps alive the spirit of the original automobile, but turns the dial up to 11. (3...wait...3?) Bonus points if the swap involves complex alpha-numerics that nobody except real fanboys understand -- yo dawg, is that a Z15N? No quite, its a Z15N-GT...dude, straight GDM man. Hawt. I think that shoving an S62 V8 from a later M5 into a E34 5-series meets both of those rules. Find this 1995 BMW 540i E34 S52 Swap offered for $12000 in Fresno, CA via craigslist. Tip from Sean.

Yamaha V-Twin Powered: 1923 Ford T Bucket Replica

The typical vintage T-Bucket replica goes like this; off-the-shelf tube axle front end kit, bucket of fiberglass, Ford 9-inch rear end, TH350 slushbox, Chevy 350 small bloc---whoa...who put that Chebby part in my Ford?  Thems' fightin' words. The only non Ford power I'll put in a T-Bucket is something from a long-time Ford partner...like Lincoln, Jaguar, or Yamaha.  Yeah.  A V-Twin from a chopper will do nicely. Find this 1923 Ford T Bucket Replica offered for $2250 in Oxnard, CA via craigslist. Tip from Sean S.

SR20DET Powered: 1997 Subaru Impreza GC8

This next car comes as a tip from Art C who writes: Haha, a Nibaru? Sussan? Any way you put it, I bet it'll be fast and very sideways with a  little work. Assume around 275whp with the SR20 at reasonable boost levels, and about 2700 lbs on the GC8 with the AWD hardware removed, and probably pretty close to 50/50 weight distribution and you have a nice track toy. Find this 1997 Subaru Impreza offered for $5000 in Hartford, CT via craigslist.