Jason Line's Biscayne Blog (1/12/2010)

Editor's note: Jason Line is transforming a 1968 Chevy Biscayne station wagon into an 800+ horsepower, grocery-grabbing beast. Jason will detail the build in a series of blogs, including this initial installment which outlines the acquisition of the Biscayne and the very early planning stages.

It’s hard to say how this whole project got started, but about a year-and-a-half ago I was looking for something to do in the limited spare time I have away from our Summit Racing team.  Being a car guy, that naturally meant finding a project car.  I’m a big fan of muscle cars, particularly those made by GM in the 60’s and early 70’s, because they have a lot of character.  Back then, you could order something from the factory that would be different, unlike today, where everyone seems to drive the same car.   

Although I ended up buying it, it was completely rusted out and beyond repair, so I set out to find another wagon with a rust-free body into which I could drop the drive train.  Funnily enough, it didn’t take that long to find what I was looking for.  I went to all the usual places, the papers, Craigslist and E-bay, checking twice a day to see what I could find. I even tried to enlist the help of NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart at the Winternationals, as he lives in Arizona. 

I was able to locate several potential vehicles, but the one that caught my eye was the one I found in Tucson.  As an Arizona car, it would have little or no rust. Ironically, it was about five minutes from Alan’s house, and even though I somehow found it first, he did eventually help by checking out the car, doing a great job of negotiating the purchase and driving it to Las Vegas for me.  After that, with the help of my Summit Racing teammates Rob Downing and Pat Topolinski, we drove the car home to North Carolina.

However, almost immediately after I got the Arizona car home the entire approach to the build quickly changed, something I believe many of you who have tackled similar projects can identify with.  In my next blog installment , I'll talk about my new approach to the project and share some more details on the build plan.

Editor's note: You can find an up-to-date photo gallery of the Biscayne build here.