Project car?

[djsusm]

Hi folks,

A buddy and I are thinking of getting a project car just to tinker around with on the weekends. I was wondering if you all had any thoughts about what would be a good beginner's car. The end goal would be either a fun AutoX car that we could race with, or a fun ride for the weekends (or both!)

Option 1: German car - probably an old e30 m3. This option isn't as attractive because parts for old german cars can get to be very expensive. Also, the work on these isn't as straight forward - especially for beginners.

Option 2: Japanese - something like an early 90s miata - easy to work on, cheap parts, lots of aftermarket stuff.

Option 3: Classic american - a stingray maybe? I know some people who restore classic cars for a living, so we could probably get some help from them with their connections if we go this route. I know that well kept warm climate cars with no rot can get to be around 20,000 but that's a bit too much right now for the first project car.

My overall budget is a couple of grand for the inital car, and then putting in more as we go along (as and when the cash becomes available).

TIA!

[BigJon]

Go easy...go civic.

[johnnymk]

What kind of skills do you guys have? Mechanical, bodywork, welding, interior, electrical?

Forget any year StingRay..the very minimum for an early Corvette which needs major major major (redundant...I know) is $20K. Add at least $10-15K if you do all of the work yourself.

If you want to go racing, it can become expensive in a short period of time unless it's parking lot racing.

With only 2K to invest, you are extremely limited as to what you can accomplish unless everyone of you are experienced in all of the above.

Before tackling a project car, be very specific as to what you want to do, find as much information about the cost of parts and how much labor will be involved to finish it. Then see if you can find enough time and have enough disposable cash to finish the project.

This is not something you do on a whim.

[Bires]

If I had a couple grand and the time to build an auto-X car, I'd build it on the late-eighties integra. They're light, have a low center of gravity, can take large wheels/tires, and have a HUGE engine bay under the hood.

[mechmike0034]

Follow some of the formulas here: http://www.grmotorsports.com/news/category/2006-challenge/

(Racecars - Autocross/drag/concours for $2K)

Grassroots Motorsports is a great magazine, if you're not already familiar with it.

Here's what I am itching to build, but it is above your budget:

http://www.stalkerv6.com

[kimchicowboy]

one of my dreams is to buy an old austin mini, rebuild the engine, interior, etc. and then race it in the gumball 3000. :D

[djsusm]

Thanks for the tips everyone. An Integra/Civic or other japanese seems like the way to go.

MechMike, those links are awesome - how much does the stalker kit come out to be? I couldn't find a price on the sites.

We don't plan on putting this car on the track... just Auto-crossing on weekends. I know track racing can get expensive - and lots more maintainance for the car.

Johnnymk - I've heard the same cost estimates for vettes, esp. if the fiberglass is cracked and needs to be restored. We'll be staying away from those for a few years ;) As for skills, we've got some experience with mechanical stuff and we have many contacts who can help us out in that department. Also, the folks that I know who restore cars for a living can probably give us good contacts for anything we can't do ourselves. We just want to take a couple of years and get to know a car inside-out...

I'll be doing a lot more research before buy the car so if you all have more resources, please let me know!

Thx

[djsusm]

one of my dreams is to buy an old austin mini, rebuild the engine, interior, etc. and then race it in the gumball 3000. :D

Oh yea... the Gumball 3000 would be a great goal!!!

[johnnymk]

MechMike, those links are awesome - how much does the stalker kit come out to be? I couldn't find a price on the sites.
Thx

I had a hard time locating the price on the site, too. It looks like the base price is $7500..total estimated finished price.. $15,000???

Personally, if I were building a kit car, it would be a replica Cobra from Factory 5, which could be finished for about $20,000. It could also be driven on the street and would be quite valuable after it is built.

[mechmike0034]

MechMike, those links are awesome - how much does the stalker kit come out to be? I couldn't find a price on the sites.

Yeah, like Johnny said, probably $7500 or so for the chassis/body. The running gear would be cheap, tho, and it'd go like hell.

I want to do the SuperStalker with the GM supercharged 3800. That engine is cheap used, anvil-reliable, and makes a ton of power. Be a good substitute for when I finally get too old and creaky to ride my motorcycle.

A supercharged 3800 backed with a Camaro or S-10 five speed and a limited-slip diff in a 240/260/280Z would be a killer combo. Roomy, great handling, light, and cheap.

5.0 Mustangs and 5.0/5.7 third-gen (1982-1993) Camaros/Firebirds could fit the bill for what you want to do - fast, cheap, fun - if you're inclined to go that route.

[bachviet]

240SX then transform it into a Silvia. :D

[djsusm]

Oh wow.. an FFR kit is looking very tempting right now. This is getting more confusing (and exciting)!

[SmokeyDP]

If you think that autocross will put less strain on your car than racing at a track you are mistaken. Autocross is one of the most grueling races you can put your car through.

That being said I went to my first one with my 97 M3 with 160K miles on it. It was a BMWCCA auto-x and there was quite a few high mileage(200K+) BMWs there. The owners said they held up excellent and from pricing out parts for a E30 and E36 they are not very expensive at all. I just bought a new plastic fender liner for $29, a water pump for $80 from the dealership.

[djsusm]

If you think that autocross will put less strain on your car than racing at a track you are mistaken. Autocross is one of the most grueling races you can put your car through.

That being said I went to my first one with my 97 M3 with 160K miles on it. It was a BMWCCA auto-x and there was quite a few high mileage(200K+) BMWs there. The owners said they held up excellent and from pricing out parts for a E30 and E36 they are not very expensive at all. I just bought a new plastic fender liner for $29, a water pump for $80 from the dealership.

Thanks Smokey, I'll put the e30 back on the list. I'm sure AutoXing is demanding on the car - the buddy I'm gonna work on the car with used to autocross a lot with is e36 and ended up putting a decent amount of money into the car. I just heard that racing on the track puts more pressure on the cars, to the point where you have to change tires/breakpads after each weekend of racing. :confused:

We're still researching the possible cars - hope to have something picked out soon!

[SmokeyDP]

Most people at the BMWCCA Autocross had their daily driver tires and brake pads on the car. You only need to get a track set if you are really into it and want to buy an extra set of rims and pads.

[thresher]

miata. strip it and race it. watch the early fuel injection.