Planning out my build/restoration. Looking for a specific "feel."
I'm trying to accomplish a specific goal with my 1985 GT Convertible. When I was a kid, my older cousin had an 86 5.0 hatchback that I just thought was the coolest car in the world. It definitely shaped my perception of cars in general and made me fall in love with muscle cars. What I remember the most about it was how violent and snappy it felt. The car was a 306 with GT40 top end, 3.55 gears, and was generally pretty mild by the standards of some of the cars that we see today. I think it may have been a high 12, low 13 sec car on slicks. It's the way the power was delivered that I found addictive. It accelerated with drama.
Since then I've had a pretty heavily modified 2000 GT, with a vortech blower, cams, built motor, 3.73s, etc. It was way faster on paper and on the track than my cousin's car but it didn't have the same "feel." At its peak it dynoed 450rwhp. But that car was a bit too much for the street. Even with 315 drag radials, traction was non existent in 1st and 2nd gear and the complexity of the blower meant that there was always a gremlin or funny smell that freaked me out.
For my 85, my goal is a weekend cruiser that I can take my family for ice cream with the top down, but I also want to be able to scare them a little. The car will never see a track, I don't care about peak numbers or gas mileage. I want it to be reliable with a fat powerband and a similar feel to my cousin's 86.
This car is an AOD with CFI. I picked it up because it had no rust and only 35k miles on the odo (no one who has seen the car suspects the odo rolled over). So my first step is to swap to manual and the car is getting a performer rpm intake and conversion to holley 4barrel carb in the next week or 2 (will also include HEI and fuel system mods). Then the manual swap and I already purchased an 8.8 rear that I'm going to rebuild with 3.73s and a fresh set of clutches/bearings etc. Beyond that, a set of aluminum heads (I'm thinking the SVE 170s), a roller cam, and exhaust work should wrap it up. Is this a good plan for my intended goal? I'm not interested in any power adders. What would you do different?
Thanks, just sitting here planning out the build and hoping to achieve the outcome I'm after.