I’m a long-time fan of Factory Five cars. I was first introduced to the brand about 15 years ago when time and money were in short supply. Now I’m in a better position to do a build but I have the following questions:
Goals: Build an MK4, 289 or Type 65 coupe with something like 400HP
Skill-level: Beginner (plan on doing the Mott build school)
Height: 6’ 4”
Quality goal: Build a nice looking car, but doesn’t need to be perfect
Question 1: Which of the three cars would fit me best given my height, or can that not an issue?
Question 2: Which of the three cars is easiest – hardest to build?
Question 3: I’m a fan of Chevy small blocks. In fact, I have a 2005 GTO that I’ve had since I bought it new. It has 150K of easy commute miles on it (it’s been my daily driver back and forth to work for 10+ years). No mods or hard driving. Back when I bought the GTO, I was thinking about buying a Mustang with the end goal of using it as a donor car at some point. At the time, however, the GTO won out and I’ve been driving it ever since—great car. I plan on buying a complete kit, regardless of which build I decide on, but need everyone’s advice about the engine. I could probably sell the GTO for $8K or $9K. Should I sell the car and then use that $$ for a new Ford engine and running gear, or attempt using the LS2 (400 HP) and tremec transmission from the GTO? I’ve read some posts on using a Chevy small block in an MK4 and most of the answers start out “it’s easy” and then there are three pages of discussion on the process.