Please Help Me Choose A Project Car

[NZM.031]

Hey all...

since buying a house in may... i have my very own garage... where i can set up my tools, set up my work space, and not have to worry about packing it all up to move in a year.

ive always wanted to build something.... or restore something... completly strip it back and watch a scraper come back to life.. i enjoy the build more than the drive i think.

with the house, the budget has taken a beating.. time and labour arent an issue, ill potter with it till its done, purchase parts when it suits, and get it going when i see fit. my biggest fear is taking on something too big, that i cant afford to finish and sits there for too long, wondering if it will get finished and when.. an R32 GTR was on the cards, but the initial purchase price for a cheap one is too much at the moment, and parts are a bit too much aswell..

so here are some of my ideas for a cheap build

1. AE86... im leaning towards this as you can pick up an ADM one for a few g... modifications have been tried and tested and money spent will be worth it in the end... massive range of a/m and 2nd hand parts available.

2. R31 Skyline, can be picked up for a few g... easy to mod, but few have been pushed to the limits of the AE86 and results vary, some handle like dogs, some are ok.. dont want to spend money on it to find out it doesnt perform, but ive always always wanted to go a little nuts on an r31... just because not many people do and theyve been a favourite car of mine for years.

3. Subaru Liberty, early model, fit a WRX engine and drivetrain.. has the ability to perform like a wrx, but may not be worth the time or money.

i know for the end price, i could just buy an r32 gtr, or a later model wrx... but this is about the build.

whatever the car is... it will have a mild performance mods and exterior mods... but excellent handling and weight distribution, interior will be stripped as necessary... im going for street/putty rd monster... not all out power. i want to change through the gears and still be under the speed limit... not blow my licence in 2nd gear. driveabilty, comfort, and fuel economy are not an issue.... it will be purely a toy... come out every now and then for a thrash.. then reside back to the garage

anyone got any other ideas for a neat little build up?? or pros and cons of the above?? the car has to be able to be picked up cheap.. and be worth the work and money.. so that rules restoring and modifying a sigma out.

cheers

Linton

[Deano 1]

id go the 31, you can self mod them easy, S13 struts and r33 brakes what 5 stud almost bolt on im pritty sure, and you could build yourself a nice 25/30 Na or turbo to bolt into it. Parts new and used are dim a dozen, so u can buy everything you need cheap as

Cheers

[E-Z]

agreed, r31

[Duncan]

even better......stagea driveline into a r31 wagon

[r32line]

with the house, the budget has taken a beating..

an R32 GTR was on the cards, but the initial purchase price for a cheap one is too much at the moment, and parts are a bit too much aswell..

With a low budget you can just forget about the GTR. Even doing lots of labour yourself, if you buy one that is cheap and need to fix a lot of things you will be in for serious coin!

Out of your remaining list i would go the AE86. They have the biggest cult status, would be a fun car and would hold its value the best imo.

If you wanted some inspiration then refer below:

[scathing]

240Z

[r32-25t]

i would go a 32 gtst theyr going real cheap at the moment

[NZM.031]

got a 32 gtst in the garage at the moment.. agreed... good project... but its not a gtr, will always be a gtst. out of those models above... none have a superior model.. noone will be asking "is it a gtr?? no.. oh, ok".. also, i have a loan over my head for the 32... and i dont want that..

240z is coming into the age of the prices skyrocketing.

yes stagea driveline into r31 wagon would be good... dont know about the wagon though.. im not a fan of the seperate spring/shock combo.

my head is saying go the hachi, but my heart is saying go the 31.. ive always wanted to do a NA RB30/26 combo with trumpets and big big cams.. add some bolt on flares and 15x9"-5 rims and its almost JDM.

but the hachi is a top little car... the 4age is a brilliant engine and sounds fantastic.. smaller things are generally less expensive, like tyres.

my old boy is telling me i should get a mustang... but that would be toooo much time and money and not enough fun at the end of the day... i want something i can chuck on the trailer and take it too the track.. it will be tidy... but not so tidy that im too scared to thrash it.

cheers

Linton

[Turk1]

That AE86 which was posted above is HOT! I would head into that direction, things are lightt as and will probably be the most fun

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

i'm building my ke70 skid rig at the moment.....

i'd go that or a hachi...

the parts are cheap and readily available, the 4age is exceptionally simple to work on, and easy to source if you kill it...

gearboxes, diff's, engine mods etc are cheap as chips...

also a jdm style ke70/hachi will be worth more in a year or 2 with the cult status growing day by day

[joeyjoejoejuniorshabadoo]

dont get me wrong.... you wont MAKE money off it, you'll just lose less than many other cars

[cereal]

Pretty hard to beat one of these for a track car: http://www.swaptastic.net/

[NZM.031]

dont get me wrong.... you wont MAKE money off it, you'll just lose less than many other cars

my thoughts exactly.. a well planned and built hachi, keeping with the cult status... will be able to be resold when the time comes..

an r31 built to my liking and mine alone, will only be worth something to me.. which is fine... until the time comes when i want a GTR to occupy the garage space..

[gotRICE?]

86 with F20c conversion is amazing. If you know how to get handy with a welder and fabricating etc, then its a dam fun car.

If you can find a good F20c conversion kit for a good price that is And what do you define as a "low budget"? Something you will spend XX amount over XX years? Or are you talking about a 12 month thing?

My friend in NZ did his own 86 with F20c conversion, that thing hauled some serious ass around a racetrack. Absolute bullet around corners and in a straight line.

Did 12's down the 1/4 with i/h/e and semi slicks.

That, and like the above pic, you can get fantastic kits and rims for them.

So if you were interested in that kinda thing:

http://nzhondas.com/forum/build-threads/66...suspension.html

Its a large thread, but the 1st post is documented with links etc.

Edited August 26, 2009 by gotRICE?

[Mohsen]

240Z

+1

[32TZR]

out of your choices the AE86 would be the best and most fun car to play with imo.

[NZM.031]

the 4age will stay.. and it will remain NA, i love the sound of them, they are cheap, and parts are cheap and plentiful

i dont care how much it will cost over time... it may be done for 10g, it may run into 20g... who knows... but 20g is affordable over time, with the enjoyment of seeing it come together.. but it has to be acheivable in a short time if need be... maybe 12-24 months.. i dont want to get fed up with it because its taking too long, or lose interest in it and have it sit there.. most of the parts will be sourced from ebay and the like.. done as cheaply as possible but everything micky mouse and lots of care taken to keep it to a high standard of neat.

if i got a gtr, i'd get frustrated with having to save for soooo long to buy one thing.. the idea is to buy a few small things each month, clean them, paint them, fit them, move on to the next bit.

im open to more options for cars though.. just has to cheapish to buy, small and light, rwd, japanese, brilliant handling and point to point driving.. would prefer NA just to save on the expense of turbos, much less parts involved..

[NZM.031]

86 with F20c conversion is amazing. If you know how to get handy with a welder and fabricating etc, then its a dam fun car.

If you can find a good F20c conversion kit for a good price that is And what do you define as a "low budget"? Something you will spend XX amount over XX years? Or are you talking about a 12 month thing?

My friend in NZ did his own 86 with F20c conversion, that thing hauled some serious ass around a racetrack. Absolute bullet around corners and in a straight line.

Did 12's down the 1/4 with i/h/e and semi slicks.

That, and like the above pic, you can get fantastic kits and rims for them.

So if you were interested in that kinda thing:

http://nzhondas.com/forum/build-threads/66...suspension.html

Its a large thread, but the 1st post is documented with links etc.

YEH BABY!!!!! thats ftmfw!!! thats what i want... 50page build up... tidy as.. not so much the f20c... but thats a top build up... thats what its about... mates, garages, beer, and friendships.. that car is not just his, but belongs to alot of people on that forum that have seen it from day dot.

[KezR33]

What about an S13 with the whole NA RB25/30 build? Would be a little whippet.

Some other options:

Rotaries.

Other old school Corollas.

JZA70 Supra.

[NZM.031]

What about an S13 with the whole NA RB25/30 build? Would be a little whippet.

Some other options:

Rotaries.

Other old school Corollas.

JZA70 Supra.

im not one for engine swaps/conversions.. an rb in a silvia just doesnt sit right with me, the extra weight over the front will make a difference, especially if it doesnt have the boost to make up for it.

an sr20 in an r31 however... slung really low and far back may be a different story... but putting a 4 cyl in a skyline, doesnt sit real well... and neither does owning a pintara.

i dont want something that requires explaining, like jeremy clarkson says "if take someone out on a date, and you have to explain to them why they are inside a birdcage with plastic windows, then that makes it uncool and it goes on the uncool wall"

an fc Rx7 would be good... but a bit expensive still. and im not a rotor boy... its hard enough to break into the hachi crowd.. let alone the rotor fellas.

checked out a early 90's supra... had the 7mgte though, so it would require a 1jz at least... then it would need a to4 kit... and the money would add up from there.