Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 94VG30DE
A 300zx should be relatively easy to find for $6000, unless you want a twin turbo. Even then, if you are ok with having a 91 rather than a 94+ model, it still shouldn't be difficult to find. Look through the classifieds at 300zxclub.com and tt.net, and with a little patience you will find the car you want for the price you want. The price of Z32 (as well as the 350Z) has dropped significantly over the past few years, so there are plenty of decent-shape cars available. Just be ready to do the maintenance!
Yes, I want the TT. I've read the NA's are pointless to upgrade, so TT it is. I don't care the year that much, [looking mainly at 91+] but a '94 would be awesome. I've been scoping out 300zxC for a while, but no luck yet
Quote:
Originally Posted by RYNOMOTO
I have seen a few turbo Buicks go for around $6k that were nice drivers.... where do you live?
You can stay away from rust buckets for $5-8K in the Buicks...
South Florida. The Grand National was in training Day, yes?
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ItalynStylion
It may have already been said but I think the 240SX is probably the best/easiest car to mod. RWD, manual, solid engine, and a TON of aftermarket stuff out there.
Are you still looking for something?
The trannies are kinda weak though, my friend has a LS3/T-56 swapped in his 240SX..... He had a built KA motor turboed but he drifts the car and the LS3 is much more reliable...and around same weight as the 4cyl! Car only weighs 2600lbs.
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArcL100
Complete false.
You absolutely cannot beat a DSM if all you care about is straight-line speed.
You can get a 1g for $1500-3000 all day long depending on your area/market.
Simply upping the boost will get you 13 flat with a good driver.
An exhaust, race gas, more boost, and more timing will net you 12's no problem.
Add a clutch, a turbo, an ebay FMIC core, DIY ic piping, s-afc, 2g maf, 660 injectors, and you're looking at maybe $2k in parts tops for an easy mid 11 sec car.
Everyone always said 5.0 was the best bang-4-$, but not according to what I've seen. It takes at least some cheap iron heads for $650 to get you into the 12's with all the supporting mods. Slow. Also, you can probably pick up a dsm cheaper for initial purchase price. Plus, AWD absolutely rules the stoplight race.
-Jerry
Gears, exhaust, and sticky tires will net you low 13's high 12's on a DEAD stock motor in a LX 5.0 driving it like you stole it. When I was running Nitto 555R's on my 93 GT my friends Tsi only got 1 car on me from a dig so the AWD is not that huge of a deal if you have good tires, and I was on 100% stock suspension. I got a used SC for $850 and was running 12.7@111 with a heavy car (3500lbs) my friend with the same setup ran high 11's with slicks. He added h/c/i with a small Powerdyne and ripped off 10.81@126.7 with the stock bottom end, T-5, and 8.8 rear.
If you can find a RUST free 1st gen DSM thats STOCK by all means it is a great option but there are not easy to find.
There was a smoking deal on a built Galant VR4 set up for road race...can't find it..was on ebay...
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiquidClen
Yes, I want the TT. I've read the NA's are pointless to upgrade, so TT it is. I don't care the year that much, [looking mainly at 91+] but a '94 would be awesome. I've been scoping out 300zxC for a while, but no luck yet
South Florida. The Grand National was in training Day, yes?
Arc, thanks for all the info!
DOOOOD!!!
Seriously forget about the 300z twin turbo cars...... they are a literal nightmare to work on and parts are not cheap at all...... one of the tightest engine bays I have ever seen and worked around.....
if this is a learning experience car, stay away from anything this freaking complicated..... otherwise, you will be frustrated, broke, and have a broke-azz car sitting in the driveway......
stay with some of the other suggestions for cars...... PLEASE.... I don't want you to make a bad investment in something that will discourage you because of the difficulty you will face.....
a 1G DSM
FOX body mustang
Buick Grand National
Subaru WRX
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArcL100
L67 Regal or GTP. Pretty quick, super torquey, stone reliable, really cheap ($5k-6k).
Trans is the weak point and expensive for a built one (ask me how I know). The top end gaskets for the most part are crap, so with more boost, means SC gasket or intake gaskets ever few months (again, ask me how I know). Not a bad car, just not a high performance car IMO. Most on the market are high, high, tough miles. At the time I took the wife's in for the recall, her's was the lowest milage car they had seen at 87K miles. Most were 140K+.
For $10K, you could have a damn nice and quick 86/87 Turbo Buick with the car market being depressed. It's like RYNOMOTO said, cars that were going for $15-20K 2 years ago are now going for $8-14K now. I've had folks offer me stupid low-ball money for my race GN when I had it for sale.
T-Types/Turbo T's fly under everyone's radar, but just about everyone knows what a GN/GNX is. Same drivetrain, different paint and interior colors.
John
Got Ear Candy?
A pair of 87 Grand National's - 1 street machine and 1 TSM race car wanna be
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiquidClen
South Florida. The Grand National was in training Day, yes?
Nah, Monte Carlo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsblk93gt
Gears, exhaust, and sticky tires...
Fair enough. Glad that there is in fact stories like that. Everything I'd see in MM&FF was a joke.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 6APPEAL
Trans is the weak point and expensive for a built one (ask me how I know). The top end gaskets for the most part are crap, so with more boost, means SC gasket or intake gaskets ever few months (again, ask me how I know). Not a bad car, just not a high performance car IMO. Most on the market are high, high, tough miles. At the time I took the wife's in for the recall, her's was the lowest milage car they had seen at 87K miles. Most were 140K+.
*Shrug* Ex-gf had one and my buddy had one. I put a DIY intake and 3.4" on hers and for years it never had a problem up until she sold it. My buddy had some mods and did a 14.0@9x.x mph and had zero problems in the year he owned it. Also never really saw gasket problems on ClubGP or local car forum. The tranny should be solid to handle anything the M90 can throw at it.
Who wouldn't want a T-Type? I think it was in Hot Rod or something a long time ago they had a low $ shootout and it was two T-Types that had less then $2k in them to run 11's.
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 6APPEAL
For $10K, you could have a damn nice and quick 86/87 Turbo Buick with the car market being depressed. It's like RYNOMOTO said, cars that were going for $15-20K 2 years ago are now going for $8-14K now. I've had folks offer me stupid low-ball money for my race GN when I had it for sale.
Didn't see any Grand Nat'ls under $16k when I looked
Quote:
Originally Posted by RYNOMOTO
stay with some of the other suggestions for cars...... PLEASE.... I don't want you to make a bad investment in something that will discourage you because of the difficulty you will face.....
a 1G DSM
FOX body mustang
Buick Grand National
Subaru WRX
are the best suggestions in my opinion
Ok ok I'll reconsider the 300, but I think it looks 100x better than any of the other cars mentioned, with the 3000GT and 240sx being the only other cars that I don't find ugly.
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
I can get you below 10's w/ 10k on a mustang (including buying the car)
For a street/strip ride, I'd have you in 11's and pulling high 9's on a skid in a rust free/high reliabilty mustang, and I can do it with several body styles, doesn't have to be foxbodies.
Parts are so easy to find, and so cheap, that NOTHING comes close. DSM's can be made fast for very cheap, but without near the reliabilty and a higher upkeep cost.
Weakest link on a mustang is the t-5, but toploaders can be found cheap, and are an easy swap (clutch takes a little work) and they handle 500hp no problem.
Having a ford 9" can give you easy street strip swaps on gearing. You can find motors anywhere, and swapping in a 408w can be done for less the 2k.
Not too mention, just getting good iron heads can be done for mucho cheaper then $650 on the used market.
biggest question is how are you with tools, and can you fabricate?
A buddy has an old 80's dodge pos and got in the low 11's with about $1500. All it matters is how good you are.
He home built his own turbo. I personally would never set foot in the car, but hey, works for him. It won't pass a track safety test anywhere in anything more then a 3rd world country, but it runs.
also, if you are looking at a regal style car, don't forget about the early 90's t-birds. Can be found in 5l and also a supercharged v6. They can both be made fast fairly cheap, and very comfortable as well.
I had a '92 SC fully loaded, power everything and a nice comfy leather interior that ran low 13's with little money put in.
"We tried so hard to create a society that was equal, where there'd be nothing to envy your neighbor..But there's always something to envy... Something you don't have and want to appropriate. In this world-even a Soviet one-
there will always be rich and poor..."
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
FDs with LS swaps (complete or mostly completed) are almost impossible to find for under about $14,000. I know, b/c I've been looking for one for a while now. You could also LS swap into an FC (88-92 chassis), which should be cheaper.
I agree, the FD is probably not going to be reliable for someone that is just getting into wrenching, and neither is the 300zx. They are very complex cars, and they definitely have NO room in the engine bay. alternator takes ~2 hours on a lift with good tools, and about 5 hours if you are on your back in the pouring rain. As was said earlier, "ask me how I know..."
As a side note, I'm not sure we should be recommending engine swaps to a guy that is just getting into building cars. If this car is your DD and has to run every day, almost any job that takes longer than ~8 hours is a job that can not get done. LiquidClen, keep that in mind as you are looking for a car.
However, if you DO want to swap an LS into anything, Hinson Supercars is definitely the way to go, especially with the FD. They sell everything from parts to turn-key builds. That being said, can someone from Hinson please give me a discount for the shameless plug? :-)
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiquidClen
Ok ok I'll reconsider the 300, but I think it looks 100x better than any of the other cars mentioned, with the 3000GT and 240sx being the only other cars that I don't find ugly.
Modified 300ZX run for the hills, they are a great car when there kept standard as soon as you start modifying things they become time bombs just waiting to bring heartache into your life.
If you like the 240sx buy one rip out that useless KA engine, you were the only unlucky bastards to get that piece of crap engine in a silvia body, why anyone wastes there time on it I don't know. Anyway buy the 240sx and purchase a SR20DET and drop it in should be a simple and easy conversion since this is the standard engine for the car throughout the rest of the world. You'll now have an engine deserving of the chassis, and it will be much lighter, improveing the cars overall balance.
But in saying that I don't know how much a SR20det engine or half cut runs for over there, most you pay over here at the moment for a half cut is about $3000 aus ($1700-$1800 USD with current exchange rate) so there relatively cheap here.
Gradually learning to do more and more with less and less until I can do everything with nothing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chad
Standard operating procedure.. like blowjobs in porn.
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
IIRC, sr20det front clips were still running ~$3000 for a good condition motor. That is WHOLE lot of money to put into a motor that is only putting about about 215 HP/200 ft-lbf in stock form. The LS1 puts down at least 300/335 in stock form, and is a easier, more forgiving motor to learn to wrench (and drive) on. I think LS1 parts are cheaper and easier to get too.
I would assume the swap would be easier with the sr20det, but 100+ft-lbf of torque is a lot to ignore.
You could however buy a 240sx that had already been swapped to a sr20det, but just like any other previous-owner mod (swaps especially) you have to make sure the guy doing it was not a hack.
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
Your best bet for RX7s is this forum. Everything you could possibly want is there, including buyers guide, classifieds, and different sections for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gen cars, as well as a swap section. Its a really good and knowledgable community. Use it.
Also, Hinson Supercars has short buyers guides for buying a car that you want to swap an engine into. Look on their site under RX-7.
Also, here is a very thorough buyers guide if you are looking for a FD. Reading that alone will give you a lot of the information about the car and things you need to be looking for.
Also Autotrader is a good place to look for cars. You might even get lucky with eBay. Good luck. The only thing you can do is start looking, and be patient. And read everything you can about every car you are thinking about.
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
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Originally Posted by quest51210
vw bugs
Don't laugh, but in the late 80s early 90s, a friend of a friend had a Porsche 911 drive train in an old style VW bug. His parents owned a junk yard and picked up the totaled Porsche for peanuts. They also happened to have a junked VW bug that needed an engine.
It wasn't exactly a drop in fit, and he had to add a little weight to the front to keep the wheels on the ground but he got the swap done. In the end, it was worth it because the dude would smoke Mustangs, Camaros, and Vettes from that era.
2012 Subaru WRX - JL Audio C5-650s run active off a Lunar L450; Digital Designs 1508 powered by a Lunar L1500; Pioneer DEH-80PRS as the source unit.
Re: What kind of cars are recommended for "fun to work on" factor?
He had a built KA motor turboed but he drifts the car and the LS3 is much more reliable...and around same weight as the 4cyl! Car only weighs 2600lbs.
). The top end gaskets for the most part are crap, so with more boost, means SC gasket or intake gaskets ever few months (again, ask me how I know
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