Sleepers! Anybody into sleepers here?

Depending on what it sounds like, thats pretty sleepy. Street rod usually equals victim. I always figured the best way to get into guys wallets would be to build what I called the inverse sleeper. Built a car thats REALLY fast, but disguise it not by trying to make it look stock, but by hanging all kinds of dumb-ass flash crap off it. Cheesy chrome side pipes, a chrome rear end cover, a tunnel-ram with a fake hilborn scoop, bunch of Taiwan chrome under the hood, sun super tach, a wing on the trunk lid, really ugly wheels. The "hide in plain sight" approach. Never had the guts to do it though. but I'd bet you wouldn't have ANY trouble finding victims, they would be lining up to get at you.

 

You need to go back on your meds.....

 

My bro had a ratty GMC like that complete with a Vette 327 and that granny-gear 4 speed. I used to cringe when he dumped the clutch at some ungodly RPM.. and it launched like a pro stock.. good times.

Bob

 

See, it WORKS!

 

amazing isn't it? they are a 4000 lb brick.

I had this one one the road about a week before the muscle car crowd would hunt me down. I was hauling a block and crank up to the machine shop and this fella in this '70s style Firebird was fartin around. I rolled up on them at a stop sign and his girl says "Wow nice truck." I'm not sure it was a compliment.

Anyways he points up the road so when the light turned green I nailed it. I was waiting for him at the next light. He followed me to the shop and as I'm unloading he says man what you got in that thing? So I said you know a 283 block, a crank some pistons . . .

 

^^^ Nice car......but definitely NOT a sleeper. Anybody that didn't want their ass handed to them, wouldn't try to take on a GTO.

 

kind of like like the thinking that says a hemi car with dog-dish hubcaps is a sleeper...yea, maybe if you are brain dead...

 

I always considered my old Studebaker a sleeper! I installed a 327/th350 with a B+M shift kit and it would really cook! With the shift kit it would easily snatch second gear rubber!

 

Now THAT is a sleeper.......

 

If the hemi car is a '68 valient 4 door I guess.

When I worked for Coletti Chrysler Plymouth (not to be confused with Connie Kallita) in Hillsborro they had a factory dark green 4 door Valient with a 2x4 426 under the hood. It looked like an old lady car if you didn't notice the 4 exahust pipes under the rear bumper or the wide ovals. There was no way to disguise it when it was running. They wanted 3K for it and said they could finance it for me.

Luckily I thought that was way more than a car is worth. We're talking one dead tennie bopper here, without a doubt.

 

Beaner, Hillsboro Oregon? If so, WTF are you doing in Misery?

 

OK The OKC Farm Truck is my new fav sleeper!! Holy Crap i want to build one now!

 

Living in Exile.

Did the majority of my growing up between San Francisco and Portland. Somehow I landed back here in the '70s. I have been home to live a time or two. Haven't actually lived in Oregon since I left.

 

This one he had scaled in at around 3650 lbs and was used to haul scrap iron most of the time. It had the torque arm, full floating rear, but it hooked up. Super ugly, fenders flapping, the cab sag, etc. I was with him once when he dusted off a '68 GTO, gearbox howling all the way. I should slap one of those together, at least I'd piss off the neighbors.

Bob

 

Heres my Hamb friendly sleeper . Its got a BBC 454 and turbo 400 with a chevy truck 12 bolt 3.42 rear . it goes like hell

 

My neighbor retired from GM the fairfax plant. I never weighed this one but he said that factory fresh with a tank of gas they were supposed to weigh 4,000 to 4,200 depending on the options. They may have had a fat assembly line worker in the seat when they figured the weight.

Anyway I always figured 4K. These bodies or this body style is rweal common back here. I got a '62 Ton that this engine tranny combo is slated for. My buddy now has this body, we figure between us we have 6 of these in various states of disrepair. pretty good old trucks and can be made real nice of someone is a mind to.

Well hell this is about sleepers sorry to get so damned wordy fellas.

Any more sleepers out there?

 

Bitchin' Caddy......

 

When my brother used to go out "hunting" in his '74, he always used to stand a shovel up in one of the stake pockets. Always thought that was a nice touch...

 

My best sleeper was the car I learned to drive on, 1966 Plymouth Fury, 383 4bbl., 4- speed. Beat many "fast" cars with it.

 

Love the okc truck...
This was in a magazine a few years back... Ive got a soft spot for ugly green novas..

http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0611_72_nova_w2w/photo_15.html

Also remember reading about an 80ish corvette that had all kinds of tricks done to it. wicked fast.

Is there a website dedicated to sleepers?

 

Ok here is mine...sleeper or not- you decide. The wheels were old chrome reversed with baby moons, they were in the bed in the pic, had been at the track the night before. The engine was a 396 with a muncie M21 4speed out of a '66 chevelle, the rear was stock with 3.30 gears on a limited slip set up...stock for the original 6 and 3 speed....IIRC It was a lot of fun around town...really wish I never sold that car....but it funded my dart, that ended up funding my VW that funded '70 dodge truck, that funded my '64 dodge...etc etc etc....never ended line of cars.

 

Here is my sleeper.



here is a pic in primer

 

Check this sleeper out






http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vUZvDpJfaR0

 

theres a early 80's surpa in my area that has a big block mopar in it...stupid stealth.....when it came from california , it had a 500+ " keith black rb motor in it with twin turbos......built in the early 90's. the previous owner was along th lines of "rocket scientist" material.....

 

Uh, with decals all over it, you really think THAT is a "sleeper"....fast maybe, but it is not a sleeper. A sleeper is a wolf in grandma's clothing to coin an old fairy tale....non-descript on the outside, and rips your heart out with what it has inside.

Chevelles, Camaros etc. are not sleepers, you'd expect them to be fast.....

 

ive considered building one of those. according to some website's they only weigh around 2600lbs with a v8. cool car!

 

the okc farm truck was well thought out. not only do the mud flaps look sleeper, they hide the width of the rear tires. it also has a rollbar running thru the back of the cab. but, the camper hides it and makes it look more sleepy. cool truck!

 

Nice caprice wagon sleeper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_23grZOtPw&feature=related

 

Back in High School in '59 a guy put a hot 283 in his Grandmother's Rambler 4 door. Now that was a Sleeper, but it "slept" most of the time as nothing mechanical (Trans, Rear end, Brakes,etc.)held up to the abuse. Have you ever looked at AMCs front end parts (also used in Bricklins)!! The tie rods, drag links, etc. are about as big around as your little finger! That car should have been the original "Unsafe at any Speed" by Ralph Nader before the Corvair.