WEEKEND WARRIOR

You Too Can Build a Great Car Like This ’64 Oldsmobile and Still Have Money Left for Gas.

- Tim Bernsau

Steve Strope spotted this 1964 Oldsmobile while driving down the main drag in Simi Valley, California. It was parked in front of a local motorcycle dealership. Stopping to look, Steve found out the car was for sale, and ended up buying it for $3,000. He knew that the completely stock F85 Cutlass, with a 330ci engine and two-speed automatic transmission, was the perfect starting point for a simple, low-budget build-up that he had been thinking about. He already had a name in mind: Project Long Weekend.

Steve had two reasons for building Project Long Weekend. The first was to have a great-looking, low-buck street machine he could be proud of and drive wherever and whenever he wanted. The second reason was to prove a point. Steve happens to own Pure Vision, the well-known shop that has turned out dozens of top-shelf, no-expense-spared street machines, such as the “Overbuilt” 1971 Pontiac GTO, the T-5R Martini Racing 1966 Ford Mustang, and the Charles Schwab Challenge 1973 Dodge Challenger, many of which you’ve seen in HOT ROD. Even with so many high-end cars to his credit, Steve remains a staunch advocate for the idea that a great car can be built by a do-it-yourself enthusiast on a real-world budget.