Yea they'er a little skinnier than I thought they'd be.
If it starts to push, ya just turn on the power and bring the back around.
Just a toy for my son and I to ride around in.
Kinda of a half assed hotrod thing.
My boy is only 8 yrs old so he dosen't know any better.
V8 lots of noise, big back tires ( later) he thinks it's fun.
Father/son project.

If the end product is intended to be Pro 'Street' then I would suggest that you think long & hard about the V8 thing.

They are generally a bit too large & heavy for any kind of practical application on the street in a 1200 & the excessive weight over the front, combined with the skinny tyres can have all sorts of implications in the wet.

History has shown us that much more performance & a much better balanced car overall is obtained with a 4 cylinder transplant or a ro.... ro... rot... [I'm trying to spit it out here, but I'm gagging] ro... rotormotor.
They don't have the V8 throb that we love so much but many a V8 car has been shut down most severely in both the straight & the twisties by a little 2 litre [122 cubic inches] four with whizwheel compressor. [turbo] Wiping the smug look from the face of some jock in a hot Camero or Mustang with a paltry 2 litres must be a particularly satisfying feeling.

You can still keep the Pro look & have a really hot little rocket without the need to butcher a perfectly serviceable 1200 coupe bodyshell.

Sounds like you have a lucky son.
Should be plenty of fun for you both.

Yea, I know I could have a better all around performer with a smaller tubro motor. I had a Yam Vmax with a tubro, it's was just over 220hp. Put a turbo on a 77 Ford full size 4x4 van of all things, it had a 460.
This really is just to keep my son off the back of my bike. Most of the crap I do for fun is motorcyle stuff. But I can't bring my kid along, so we got the car. It's just a toy we can both have fun with.
It's not a real drag racer and not a total prostreet thing. It's just for fun. The motor should come in at 300lbs, make maybe 200hp, sound nice and still get ok milage. Some of the new stock cars will walk away from this when it's done, but they don't give my son that smile. He loves this car, knows all about it and will tell anyone around whats going to happen to it. Thats what it's all about, just me having fun with my kid. Should hear him tell people what a bad ass car it's going to be ( we all know the real deal ), don't we?
Ya know ?, nothing sounds like a 4 cyl two stroke 500 on the pipe and nothing sounds like a big nasty V8 ( just don't tell my boy. It's not so big and not really very nasty.)
So it's for the WOW factor, the sound and the 'no ones got one' thing.
So when it rolls up to a stop light and it's got that deep rumble and the dorks in the Honda car with a fart can hangin off it, look right past the little Datsun it to find the car making all that noise, thats the fun part.
It's not always how fast you CAN go or how much power it makes, some times it's just having a cool toy to go play with your kid in.

even though i like my cars to handle i can understand the fun factor that a car like this would have. would look ten times better if it was low as well. you're going to go from the high pitched scream of the 2stroke to the deep burble of a v8.

i want your wheels, very nice

To Dodgeman.

I'm not too worried about the wet, it never rains hear in the NW.
Thats one reason I'm going with a 5spd. EZer to controll grip.
I'm more concerned about the rain coming up through the rust holes in the floor.
It looks better in the pix than in person.