Greetings from Tennessee!
I'm originally from Minnesota. And if there were some way I could get up there in time for the Fair, I would absolutely be there. The $1-all-you-can-drink milk bar is beyond compare.
Back in the day a magazine took it upon itself to mod a Pinto for economy and for some reason their efforts only yielded mileage in the upper teens. That never made sense to me.
I'd like to take a brief moment aside to point out that if you're not willing to put your wee bairn in the back of the Saturn, you probably won't let her within 50 feet of a Pinto. Seriously, a Saturn is a pretty good choice in my opinion - unless it's the wonky 3rd door that's giving you fits and not a crash rating.
The Chevette is capable of amazing numbers. Its acceleration is already amazing, in that it has any at all. Nonturbo smog-strangled diesel = molasses in January.
Minnesota January, at that. But dropping a newer diesel into a 'Vette could be hella fun.
That front engine/rear drive layout makes it a lot easier to do, too - less stuff going on under the hood, more room to move. Do like
Planejob with his dieselated Metro, drop in a modest three-cylinder Kubota mill and laugh past all the gas stations. No one will expect it to be fast so there's one performance aspect you don't have to worry about. Just make it work, upgrade to newer equipment, etc.