Projects Thoughts on building a 62 Lancer Wagon

Found a dirt cheap 62 Lancer Wagon and was wondering about getting to someday make it into a gasser. Anyone done it or have pictures? Thoughts?

 

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Interesting styling on those, personally I'd just lower it a bit and add some nice wheels.

Although here are a couple pix of a pretty crazy Valiant (similar body style) altered from back in the day.

 

Lancers are cool and really ugly. My Dad had two '62s when I was in HS in the 90's. One had the aluminum 225 slant six in it. Post some pics of your wagon. Not many of those have survived.

 

View attachment 2834117 Here's what I'm looking at

 

Yea they did have a kind of a toad thing goin' on. Not that a toad things is a bad thing.

Never built a gas class wagon out of one my self but I can see it in my head. 426 max wedge, an air cleaner on either side of the hood just kind of piking through there. Tall skinny slicks on steelies and early American 5 spoke pie cutters. Gold and green call it the Horney Toad.

 

Turning a car into a gasser involve a high performance engine, trans, rear, suspension...in other words, thousands of dollars. Seems to me picking a car because it is cheap is a false economy. With the cost of the vehicle being a small part of the overall product, why not spend the bucks up front to start with something you really desire? If a Lancer wagon is it, go for it, it's one of those so ugly it's cool things. Personally I'd go for a radical custom job, because that is one car it would be hard not to improve upon.

 

I think that car would be cool slammed with a crazy paneled paint job.

 

I see lots of potential in that little wagon but gasser style doesn't enter my mind.
Stock body (it's wild already), nice paint & interior with upgraded mechanicals, lowered a bit with nice wheels would make a great little driver guaranteed to draw attention every time you stopped somewhere. FWIW my wife's daily is a Dodge wagon (a little newer but still a 4 door wagon), bone stock except a set of polished torque thrusts, healthy sounding exhaust and tinted windows. We get just as many thumbs ups and people that HAVE to talk about it as much as any hot rod I've owned.
Same thing with my brothers 59 Rambler wagon, bone stock restored and draws a crowd every cruise night. Wagons can be cool!
If you wanted to get creative and put some work into it lengthen the front doors and convert it to a 2 door or even better, lot's of work and make it a 2 door hardtop wagon!

 

This is another example of where my first post would be.....I bought this 62 Lancer Wagon, show me some idea of what others have done to them.

If you can find a cheap 61-62 Lancer anything, you don't ask if you should, you ask if they will give you 15 minutes to get to the bank.

 

I vote with the lower/panel paint/nice wheels group. The world has enough fake "gassers"

 

Like others have said, a "gasser" back in the day was an all out performance machine, so unless you really are going to go all out with the drivetrain, just skip it. Nothing worse than a straight axle mean looking car limping down the road with a nearly stock engine.

Those cars had, um, unique styling, and it would look great with a stock body and some quality paint. Just throw some chrome reverse wheels on it, lower it, and enjoy.

 

Define this gasser look. Way up high/street freak or moderate nose w/a tad lift in the rear? Competition era (mid-'60's max) look would be refreshing to some. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark

 

Hmmmmn I thought jumping the shark was an Evel Knievel thing.

 

I'm liking all these ideas. In the past I'd never have considered it but I'm growing fond of the ugly ducklings and other overlooked children.

 

Those sixes can be built to run pretty strong and terrorize a lot of V8's.

 

I have a '61 wagon and I would think the entire front end would have to be replaced and the inner fenders cut to fit a V8 in it. It has a torsion bar front end in it and they prolly are not heavy enough for a v8 as well as the stock engine compartment not being wide enough or tall enough. If you were going to run a hood. I have been considering selling mine to pay for a banger engine in my coupe project.

 

If you do buy it and decide to take the trim off of it I would be interested in buying some of it.

 

Binger, that's a very cool wagon...

 

It was my first paint job and body work. It was my daily for several years. unfortunately there is rust coming back out here and there. Novice work and salty streets in the winter have taken a bit of a toll. I rebuilt the slant 6 and torque flight. Its mostly stock. could never find all the trim for it. Still looking. just not that hard.

 

I think this is an illustration by Dave Hill in an old Street Rodder magazine

 

Sometimes a odd ball car can be cool and there is no doubt that wagons are enjoying a major resurgence in popularity,In all honesty I think it would be a nice driver. HRP

 

Cool as the bottom side of a pillow. Ugly as a man's butt.

 

The anti-Nomad.

 

No, the 'Auntie' Nomad!

Seriously, a hot slant six, early 60s wheel and a subtle lowering would be much more interesting.

 

Love the red accent on that white one.

 

I'm impressed with the number of lancer wagon pics you guys have. Lancers were only made for 2 years and the wagons must be the rarest body style.

They look like a Valiant but most of the exterior body panels are different. When you compare them, hardly anything is the same.

The slant 6 is a fooler, Smokey Yunick said they respond to a few simple modifications, more than any other engine he ever saw. A hot slant six in a light car will go pretty good and won't eat up too much gas.

A nice paint job and some wheels and tires will make it stand out. You don't need to do much when you have a car that rare and unusual.

 

Well, I can't win em all. Couldn't skip out on work and someone else got it. Hope they do something cool with it.