Cheapest cars to make fast? (sorta-poll)

[(goldfish)]

toyota cressida

sadly i forget which years had the 7mg

[Tim240z]

Chevy Chevette...2 door hatch, rwd, and cheap as hell (from all aspects)

[Deep]

FB RX7 + 302

TE72 Corolla + 3TC

KP61 Starlet + 3TC

Datsun 510 + KA24DE

MGB + Olds 215 V8

MK I/MK II VW Golf + 1.8T

Hyundai Sonata + EJ20

MX6 GT + 20G turbo upgrade

...

[drzed]

I think the best bang for the buck has to be 70-78 Z cars.

 

If you can fabricate a little and are a bit of a scrounge you can make these cars do almost anything! Now, having said this, I am finding that it is getting harder to do it on the cheap as these car get even older - a few years ago good parts cars were pretty cheap and lots of used speed parts could be had this way. Lately I've had a harder time finding good deals but they are still out there.

 

My latest project (the 260Z in my signature) was a Washington State parts car that was just too good to part out. I cleaned it up and dropped in an '82 280zx turbo drivetrain with a junkyard turbo and intercooler. Added some custom piping and other fabbed up pcs and it now runs 11's and is still fairly streetable. All this for about $3000 CAN$ including the price of the car. At least it was $3000 until I decided that it was just a little rough looking for me so I decided to paint it - I have NOT perfected the cheap (or fast) paint job! Judging by how long it took and how much it cost I never will.

 

I also like the suggestion above about the RX3's but older Mazda parts seem so hard to get here.

[rudypoochris]

OOOO i got ideas can you kinda make a "budget" for the total project like i don't know $3000 for the car and $2000 for upgrades. Just give me a price for the car That way it wont be like okay i got a ferrari ill just add nos thats less than $2k vs i got a jetta $2k in turbo..... Okay bad example just what type of car can we start with. Used? New?

 

any way cars that can be had for "cheap":

 

old miata

old sentra

 

a little more $$:

 

90's rx-7

late 80's m3

90-96 300zx tt or n/a

 

how about an old hyundai

[Guest bastaad525]

I'm thinking even cheaper... I guess I'm probably being unrealistic, but again, I'm just thinking about that competition they have in Grassroots Motorsports... don't they always build some stupid-fast cars for like $2000??

 

Well I guess anything that you could buy and build for anywhere from $2000 to $5000 tops. That's cost of car plus whatever it would take to make it run at least 13's, which is the slowest thing I would consider 'fast'.

 

 

I'm VERY seriously considering throwing a 50 shot of nitrous in my Sentra.... it's so damn light... 50 shot probably put me at low 14's.

 

What the heck is a Monza you guys keep mentioning?? Okay okay... I'll do a search

 

And about the Cressida... you know I almost bought one of these from the same dealership that I bought my Sentra from... the Cressida was the exact same price, I forget what year. My eyes bugged out of my head when they popped the hood and what's hiding in there but a Supra motor.... WTF!! I would have bought it but the AC wasn't working and I promised myself whatever car I bought would have working AC.

 

Ironically, the AC on the Sentra stopped working within a week due to leak I have not yet found. Shoulda bought the Cressida

 

EDIT: okay... found out what a Monza is... I'm intrigued... so what's so great about those cars that two or three of you listed them for the purpose of this poll? I'm assuming it's super easy to stuff a 350 in there or something? Are they very light?

[rudypoochris]

HOLY CRAP with a supra motor... wait the 7m or the 2jz, wait does it matter. Thats ridiculously trick, i didn't know they were rear wheel. But that is super sleeper. How much was it?

[Guest bastaad525]

Well it's the N/A Supra motor of course, but you probably already figured that out. I'm thinking it was the 7m? if only because it was an older car, late 80's or early 90's I don't remember.

 

You could pick one up pretty cheap I'm sure, maybe around $1000-2000?

[Eric]

i hear ppl sayin fox body, what about the GM F-bodies? is this with stock engines? my vote, with stock engines:

 

f-body

fox body

Silvia RSX(fj20 powered rwd 200sx)

FC and FD RX-7

4G63 powered DSM

 

also, Fiero suspension bolts right up to the Chevette. u can go fast in a strait line, and turn!

 

oh and bastaad525 and rudypoochris, the 7M is the MKiii Supra motor.

[Guest bastaad525]

I'm 95% sure that it's a 7M in the Cressida then. I'll have to look that up. Sure looked like a Supra when they popped the hood, had the intake pipe that crosses over the top of the valve cover.

 

 

Eric - Okay I'll bite, how much you want for the 200SX you're selling and is there anywhere I can get more info about it (Cardomain website etc.)?

 

 

I don't tend to consider F-bodies if only because they tend to be pricey compared to the Mustangs. They do seem to be better performers 'out of the box' though. Mustangs really have gotten pretty cheap....

[Dave88SS]

That may be' date=' but VR6s have way too many problems.

On a lighter note, my friend has a Jetta GL that might be dipping into the mid 13s on motor.[/quote']

 

1.8t's have waaay more problems (the early AEB engines are the best, they also have bigger valves), also the VR6 is a much easier swap into a light A2 chassis. One of my friends bought a 90 jetta for $100 and swapped a VR6 for under $2k. Another $2-3k for a turbo setup and he'll be ready to start breaking transmissions like every other high-hp VW does...

[rustrocket]

The Cressida has the 7m motor, and they pull pretty good too. The only issue is that they're really hard to find with a 5 speed stock. Anyhow, a buddy of mine is doing a 1jz swap into his, should be fun.

[Eric]

Eric - Okay I'll bite, how much you want for the 200SX you're selling and is there anywhere I can get more info about it (Cardomain website etc.)?

well just to make sure u'r not missunderstanding what i have, my 200 is ca18et powered, not fj20. the fj20 was never offered in the states. the RSX was the fj car. i've herd of guys down under runnin 13's with little more than fmic and more boost. the ca18et is a good engine, but starts blowin head gaskets around 300hp. but 300hp will put the s12 into the high 13's. and i currently have someone lookin at the car. heres the link, theirs 3 ppl on wait tho. http://www.club-s12.org/board/showthread.php?t=9785&highlight=turbonotch

 

srry for the slight thread jackin.

[ULISES]

If i had that se-r,I would drop an sr20det with some mods.

Its funny on how we own a car and we are always looking for something diferent.You won't spend $4k to make that sentra run at least low 13's.

I have always wanted one of those to do this swap.

[datsunlover]

Well shoot.. I've DONE this.. 86 RX7 with Chev 350 TBI. TOTAL cost right now, I'm sitting at just under $2000 canadian. There's a bit mroe 'stuff' I'll want to do, but basicaly, it's together and roasting tires for under your 2K mark... I havn't run it yet, but I'm hoping for mid 13's once it's tuned up properly. The RX7's are amazing cars (well designed, strong, decent looking) and you can get the 1st and 2nd gens DIRT cheep, as the rotary is ussualy exploded by now... and I bought a whole car for my engine/tranny/wiring (ex police cruiser) dirt cheep too.

[rustrocket]

Also, i think that triumph spitfires are cheap cars, as long as you have decent fabrication skills and the know how. I'm very close to finishing a toyota 3tc motor swap into my 78. The most expensive part so far has been the engine rebuild, which came in at $1000. I've got about $3k into the car including suspension, paint, mostly new interior, and engine + trans, and this thing is going to run like a raped ape.

[(goldfish)]

The Cressida has the 7m motor, and they pull pretty good too. The only issue is that they're really hard to find with a 5 speed stock. Anyhow, a buddy of mine is doing a 1jz swap into his, should be fun.

 

Earlier ones had the 5m, but I'm forgeting the years. If i only had the space, my brother let his go. I bet I could find the junkyard if you want, and live in Mn.

[Guest bastaad525]

This thread really turning out to be pretty sweet, thanks for all the oppinions guys

 

 

 

Eric - don't worry about 'thread jacking'... heh I did start the thread anyways and I'm the one asking and yeah I saw it was the CA18DET. I've always liked the older 200SX's, they dont' seem to get much appreciation around here even with the recent interest in drifting and older japanese RWD cars (like the 240sx which it seems all the kids are trading up their hondas for). Well I'll check that link out but sounds like it's gonna already be sold. I'd love to have one of those turbocharged.

 

 

ULISES - yeah of course I would love to drop a turbo motor in my Sentra, but for one I am thinking that this car has some problems already, nothing keeping me from driving it, but I think it's time may be limited. I really need to get down and really inspect it, see what needs work/replacing and such. I am VERY hesitant to drop any money in this car though... I bought it to be a daily driver, a beater, but also because I wanted somethign at least SORTA fun to drive when I wasn't driving my Z. I actually almost sold my Z to buy an already-done turbocharged Sentra that looked exactly like the one I already have, same year, color, same everthing. But was talked out of it Also the sentra is my daily driver... I don't really have a convenient way to just stop driving it while it's getting a motor swap. I dunno there are a lot of options open to me right now... keep putting money in the Z, or start putting money in the Sentra, or get another car.... I have a lot of free time to daydream at work usually so just spend that time thinking about and posting about different things I could/should/would do. By the way, I really do want to keep up on your Festiva swap... I'd really dig if you took my email adress and kept me updated on it. It's bast525@hotmail.com.

[ULISES]

^^^I try to go to the shop every friday to check what s new.I will be there tomorrow,Hope its almost done.The guy said 2 weeks,One week has gone by.Hopefully he has done lots of other things to the car.He was having issues fitting the radiator.You know its a small engine bay!

I will keep you updated, You can alway go to the cardomain page.I won't have close up pictures of the engine though.

 

I will tell you why.There is a website fordfestiva dot com.I has lots of info on this swap,But some of the guy there are not very friendly.My brother asked one of them for info and he denied to share any.I'm paying a profesional to do this swap and i don't want them getting ideas.If you want to do the swap later on i can give you all the info needed.And i could send you pictures as long as you don't post them on the internet.I have some of the engine/tranny mounts.I think i'm going to have to take some more this friday.

[Guest bastaad525]

heh well... I doubt I'd ever actually get around to doing one myself, but you never know. Given the potential low price and total sleeper factor it would definately rate high on my list of cars I'd like to do. So thanks for the offer I may take you up on it one day.

 

I get you on what you're saying about guys who hang out on OTHER forums or stuff like that... we do have a really great community here at HybridZ but unfortunately very few other places are like that... it really sucks. Even the Sentra SE-R boards I hang out at every so often... a real bunch of jerks on that forum let me tell you. Anyone who complains here about guys getting on people for not using the search... heh you don't know how bad it can really be some other places, I suggest you go check them out and see if someone here telling you to do a search is really a good reason to complain.