Leftyzrevenge

I am looking for a RWD to mod. I don't want to spend a ton of money on the initial purchase. I thought about a Mustang or a Lightning.I would really like to find a 4 or 6 cyl. RWD ....

What are your suggestions for say $8000.00 or less...

Any responses appreciated.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

What do you want from your car? Straightline vs Handling

My choice would be Miata.

SpiderX1016

5.0 Foxbody for a couple of grand and you have a ton of money to put on the powertrain and suspension.

I'd boost it or use nitrous. That's what I would do.

Costco

Yeah, mod for what exactly? And are you keeping your CL-S or will this car be your daily driver?

Friend of mine has an S14 (95-98) 240SX, I think he got an SR20DET (turbocharged engine) + transmission for only $3k. You could get an S13 (89-94) for quite cheap. Assuming you do all the work yourself you could easily get an S13 and swap in the SR20 for less than $8k.

Leftyzrevenge

I am keeping the CL S for my daily driver. I plan to mod the CL lightly. (CAI, Headers, Exaust, Maybe a SC) I hate to kill the CL by modding too heavily. I am thinking about a car to play around town as well as at the track. Maybe be in the high 10's or low 11's. I have had Mustangs and other V8's. I am kindof wanting to do it this time around in a 4 or 6 cyl.

I have some money coming this summer and wanted to see what kind of toys to be looking around for. Thanks for all the responses so far.

Shotgun3131

For a dedicated track car a 240SX would be a no brainer if that track contained any amount of turns.

teranfon

Are you looking for a domestic or an import? I've never modified an import, but I've always been interested in a 240. There seems to be quite the aftermarket support for them.

I've owned several Mustangs and two Lightnings, and would recommend somewhat to stay away from the Lightning. Modifications are available, but the 5.4 is rather expensive to modify and finicky to respond. I've pushed out spark plugs on my modified Lightnings, as well as experiencing other mechanical maladies.

Have you ever considered a 1986-1987 Turbo Regal? The basic package is pretty stout, and they respond very favourably to modifications. There are also a number of vendors which support the car as well.



Terry

Rick_TL-S

A 4 cylinder in the 11s & 10s is doable, but it won't be long til' you start hitting the car's limits unless you plan to go full NHRA on it. The other issue is that there aren't a lot of RWD 4-cylinders left anymore & 240s running those times seem to be very few & far. Can't really think of any RWD 4-cylinders hitting those times off the top of my head.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

240 x3

Osamu

sc300

I've thought a lot about buying an MR2 or Miata as a fun car, but it sounds like you're looking for more power.

as a drag car, I'd want a turbo regal, but it might be a little older, and a bigger project.

SpiderX1016

E36 m3?

Aretardedorange

iTrader: (2)

^+1.

E36 M3 or E39 540i? Yes I know the 540i is a 4.4 V8 but it would be great to mod. If not 540i check out the 530i.

If you weren't looking for RWD only I would suggest the Audi S4 or A6 with the TT engine. Even if you chip it and install a intake it will fly! To squeeze even more power out of it upgrade to the K04 turbos. Endless options with those cars.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

:duh: forgot 240

cheap to mod

Leftyzrevenge

I will have to check on the 240 thing... I had not given that much thought to one of those. I am getting alot of feedback on this thread. Thanks for all your responses so far

stangg172004

Miata.... cheap to mod too....

VQPower37

240 sx

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

especially with the availability of supra 2jz parts.... (car itself may be cheap though, but not so much parts though


anyways OP. maybe a 2g RX-7

csmeance

V8 Miata, what was it an LS2?

Aman

I think if you're putting any LS into a Miata, your face will get ripped off no matter what. Differences between them will be relatively academic. You won't care how far back you have to walk to pick up your face.

OP, what about a 300ZX? Turbos came with 300 horsepower from the factory.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

does not really matter what type of LS motor, they all interchange as far as mounts and bellhousings are concerned

maintence whores, and not cheap to mod...

AARONSredTYPE-S

240sx really is your only decent route for 8k, and it still wouldnt be close to finished.
the 95-96 model that is (swapped) would be a good starter, but untuned and unmodded would be slower than your cl-s by far. unless you came across an rb25t (250hp) swapped one, now that is good rather than the sr20det (205hp)
look on .com, there are plenty of cars on there for sale.
a turbo sc300 would be real cool, or a stock 93 mazda rx-7....gl

AARONSredTYPE-S

here ya go.
a 1jz turbo swapped 96 240sx on tampa racing dot com
go to classifieds, then cars for sale..

http://www..com/forums/cars-sale-wan...lean-fast.html

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Im with Terry, look at some Turbo Regals, or any other G body since they can be had for little to no money.

My friend has a built Grand National. That thing is a beast.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

yes a beast when built, but GL trying to find one.... let alone being on the cheaper side to buy too (a regular G body would not be much of an hassle though)

Nick983Point0

Miata/s2000

Leftyzrevenge

The Regal idea is cool. So is the 240, I want a car that will produce say...

11's in the 1/4 mile and handle well enough to play on the road.

I am a pretty good sized guy, 6'03" 225. So I want a car big enough for me.

I would love to have a S2K. I just don't know that I will be able to afford one. I really don't care to have a payment on my toy. It will slow the mod process to a crawl.

I have always loved a V8.... With that said, they just seem a little... I don't know. Like easy way out kinda thing, if you get what I am saying.

I built a 85 Mustang with a 2.3l 4cyl. We shaved the head .080 and put a custom cam in it. Modified a Pontiac 2.5l intake for it and got CRAZY power from it. Wound up pulling the motor and putting it in a Chevy Luv. GREAT for a straight line. Not so much in the turns. lol

I looked around at some 240's. People seem to have fun with these little cars. Never been into the drifting thing, but who knows.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

96 Impala SS
The Miata with a 5.0 swap is a killer car I hear
I've seen a sc300 hit 12's at the track. No idea what was done to it

Leftyzrevenge

The plug deal on the Lightning seems to be an issue. I know of several people that have plug issues on them.


A buddy of mine has a Lightning and a 95 Cobra and a 94 GT the list just goes on and on. What he does not have is a family.... A little easier to afford toys that way. lol
He would let me have one of the heard as he calls it pretty cheap. All of his cars are nicer than average. But at the end of the day I would still just have one of his cars that he pretty much built. Not really my thing. I have built many cars and Jeeps and 4x4's of all shapes and sizes. The CL really put me back into the mood to build a 4 or 6cyl. I love my CL. It is one of the favorites among a long list of automobiles that I have owned. It would be a lot closer to the top if I could get about 3 little things fixed on it. lol

Leftyzrevenge

I have another 2.3l sitting around... Might be cool to build it and stick it into a Miata.

I also like the idea of the sc300.

MarbleGT

Grassroots Motorsports FAQ:

"1) Most of the answers to your questions will be Miata."

-grassrootsmotorsports.com

If you are looking for quarter mile times, Miata would not be a good choice. Remember a 15sec MX5 could potentially smoke a 600hp Corvette around a twisty track.

If you are looking to:

1) Not spend a lot of money
2) Have tons of cheap mods available from several different countries
3) Have giant internet forum communites dedicated to the car
4) Go to an AutoX/Road Course and not only have a perfectly suited track car, but be able to drive it home (not on a trailer)
5) Good economy (even with the 5.0)

...then it would be an option to look into.

Check out:

clubroadster.net
flyinmiata.com
good-win-racing.com
SCCA.com
miata.net
grassrootsmotorsports.com

Those will get you started.

Good luck.

TRIUMPHT

iTrader: (1)

as costco said ...and some others ....240SX...is a hell of a car...had one......if you go closer to the 8K the G35 coupe is a hell of a buy also ...and in the same family....or you could look into a 350Z ......keep the ZINE posted though.......

Leftyzrevenge

See my wife wants a toy... I could kinda let it be her car at first... I wouldn't be able to mod it as heavily but I could get it started and get her another one and take the first one over and finish modding it to my needs. She is on me now to mod her V6 Honda. She bought it to drive back and forth to work. Couldn't really pass it up. 2000 Model 3.0 with 45000 miles for $4500.00. That way she could save the miles on her other car. Which she has now sold.... She likes the Honda better.

The G35 of 350 sounds like a car for her and then Me.
AFTER it gets paid off. BY HER

Really she is cool about my hobbies.

For the initial investment on a toy for me, the 240's seem to be able to be found really cheap. Miata's too.

Again, I really appreciate all the input. Your responses have brought up a lot of points I had not thought about.

Leftyzrevenge

Thanks for all the links. I am checking them out now.

MarbleGT

No problem. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Homebuilds are always the most interesting. No matter what you get, im sure it will turn out great.

Rockstar21

iTrader: (1)

i vote for a 240.

we have a local guy who DD's his. (it looks like complete dog shit) but he built it on a budget and he has it running 11's.

most of the work is done by him at home though, thats were the savings pour in.

teranfon

Elevens with a Turbo Regal is easily attainable. Not too expensive either. The issue is that TRs are increasing in value. Grand Nationals are generally much more expensive, and TRs have the same powertrain. And handling with both is purely theoretical.

If you do decide to modify a 5.0 Mustang, make sure it's a 1989 or later. The earlier cars used a speed density sensor, which limits modification. I'd say around 30-40 horsepower before the electronics need to be changed. The 1989 and later models use a mass air sensor, which basically allows for unlimited changes.




Terry

ThermonMermon

sc300

im over on Club Lex** often. My installer (see pic below), among a few other friends, have been running SC300s pushing 600-800 whp on pump gas. they are pretty bulletproof - a tuners dream car.




its basically a supra in lexus clothing. same block, same tranny. except, you could find SC300s much more easily than Supras, w/o the inflated price. plus the SC is a sleeper.

SC300s come in manual, or you could easily swap the tranny.

so, find some grandma selling her unadulterated SC300, dump about 10k, and you got a pretty quick car - maybe not 600 whp, haha, but quick enough. (could even be daily driven). the design is ageless, similar to the 2nd gen legend coupe...unlike some shitbox 240

ThermonMermon

here you go, lol

black label

Since V8 miatas have been thrown into the mix, may I suggest a V8 powered Porsche 914? You can also go with the newer Subaru turbo powered 914. The mid engine design leads to a great handling car and having two or three times the hp as stock doesn't hurt. Equally potent on the autocross track and the dragstrip. Google "renegade hybrids" for more info.

MarbleGT

The SC sure is a pretty car....well from the front.