If you were building a budget drag car
- Thread starter Finn McCool
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The drags are bigger than the streets.
There are plenty of flooded cars in SE louisiana (where I am) and GC mississippi. May be a cheap way to crank up a race car project.
There are plenty of flooded cars in SE louisiana (where I am) and GC mississippi. May be a cheap way to crank up a race car project.
jackchan
New Member
rd
Founding Member
I have been going the low buck route with my 82 for 8 years....
It first went down the track as a 255 two barrel with a slipping C4 running through 2.73 gears. Rompin stomping 16.76 was its best. On 10 year old MT Indy SS tires on 10 holes, with TRX skinnies on front. Had $750 in it. Pitted next to a guy with a 351 Fairmont that only had $450 in his car! On a borrowed trailer towed with his company's truck.
It's now into the 12's with some more work. The car was actually a $50 parts car that I got, and it was running with just parts from a $450 donor car.
Up to a couple grand in it now. Has homemade subframes, 90k mile leftover shortblock, used Lightning heads, homerebuilt C4, home welded boxed control arms, $20 electric fan, etc.
It can be done, if you are not in a hurry.
It first went down the track as a 255 two barrel with a slipping C4 running through 2.73 gears. Rompin stomping 16.76 was its best. On 10 year old MT Indy SS tires on 10 holes, with TRX skinnies on front. Had $750 in it. Pitted next to a guy with a 351 Fairmont that only had $450 in his car! On a borrowed trailer towed with his company's truck.
It's now into the 12's with some more work. The car was actually a $50 parts car that I got, and it was running with just parts from a $450 donor car.
Up to a couple grand in it now. Has homemade subframes, 90k mile leftover shortblock, used Lightning heads, homerebuilt C4, home welded boxed control arms, $20 electric fan, etc.
It can be done, if you are not in a hurry.
if the motor is old and you are going through it anyway, i say do some research and port the stock intake and heads! many, many people have gained .6 in the quarter just from this and its tons of fun to build your own HP, and virtually free with an old car if you have the tools since you will most likely have to go through it anyway a bit, or you could also wait until you break it,
i say:
buy a 5.0
rip out everything you dont need
some gears
et streets
as much nitrous as you feel safe with:>
i say:
buy a 5.0
rip out everything you dont need
some gears
et streets
as much nitrous as you feel safe with:>
rd
Founding Member
For a track oriented car, I would stay with the 4 cyl brakes. I have 79 V8 style brakes. I had a parts car with the really tiny 79 four cyl brakes, and they looked much lighter, kinda wish I had used them. The most load they will see is a burnout, and if they lock the wheels, you have enough.
For pure budget, there's two ways. The buy a bunch of leftover stuff method, like I did, or the buy a complete 5.0 car method. Diffenent benefits to both.
The compete 5.0 route gets you going sooner, and I had been wishing that I went that route. Until I realized that from this point on, I will use very little leftover stock stuff of any kind, so it would not have been useful in the long term.
The buy a cheap shell is the best way to get to a more serious car.
For pure budget, there's two ways. The buy a bunch of leftover stuff method, like I did, or the buy a complete 5.0 car method. Diffenent benefits to both.
The compete 5.0 route gets you going sooner, and I had been wishing that I went that route. Until I realized that from this point on, I will use very little leftover stock stuff of any kind, so it would not have been useful in the long term.
The buy a cheap shell is the best way to get to a more serious car.
I'm thinking of probably buying a 2-3k fox, I prefer the later body style to the earlier models. Which method is better for my goals, carbed or fuel injected?
I haven't put together a budget for mods yet. I'm in the process of buying a new car right now so it'll be a while before I can drop the money for a drag car.
I haven't put together a budget for mods yet. I'm in the process of buying a new car right now so it'll be a while before I can drop the money for a drag car.
QDRHRSE
New Member
I don't know to what extent you really plan to race. In this case everybody is a little off the mark- not because they are wrong but because they are not thinking out of the box. The thing that you can do, that will save you thousands, is buy something turn key. The more high dollar the set up is- the steeper the discount. If you are careful you can get a 30k+ car for less than $10,000. I know a lot of the stangnet guys will hem and ha over what I am proposing but it's the truth. Thats what I do. I found my current car on EBAY. It was listed locally so I went out to see it, brought cash.....the auction ended by the time I left his house. He had well over 20k sunk (maybe even approaching 25K) into it and I drove it home for 7K.
Anyway, if you are on a budget, spending more up front is usually the best way to go. Sometimes it's worth buying a whole car just for parts.
Anyway, if you are on a budget, spending more up front is usually the best way to go. Sometimes it's worth buying a whole car just for parts.
darthcual
Member
Michael Yount said:
Well i'm using it with no problems hows that?
Edit- Let me rephrase. Use the housing from the cougar and your electronics from your 5.0. Basically your going from 53mm to 65mm plus its aluminum for weight savings. Want me to post a pic?
jackchan said:
Thankfully I am one of the few that has everything. Job, House, and cars all still in tact.
