Whats up guys, im goign to be dropping alot of money in my 83 GSL. What i was wondering was if i should stay with teh 12a and just go nuts with performance on that, or drop something else in it??? and if so what? I would liek to get a BRAND NEW engine and not a rebuild for it if its possible. A piston engine isnt an option ... Also liek every other 1st gen i have rotting through the control arm brackets and rotted rite through the storage bins. What should i do about that?

 

it all depends on what you want the car for....... i am a beiever in the 12a myself and thats what im goign to stick with inless i ever find a 4rotor lol woot

 

The body needs to be addressed first. Usually by the time the control arm brackets are rusted out, the wheel wells and rockers are gone too. At that point I will scrap a car out for parts. If you have the time, talent, tools or financial resources to do the body repair, go for it. Keep in mind it will cost you more to do this than the car is worth, and you haven't even gotten to the paint, engine or interior yet.

You can buy all new engine components, piece by piece. Having an engine built with all new parts can cost you over 5k. Is that really worth it?

What you are proposing could easily run you 15k, if you cannot do all of the work yourself. When you're done, you will have a car that's worth 2-5k to someone else.

Not trying to sound harsh here, just a reality check. If you can do the work yourself, you will find a great deal of satisfaction when the project is completed. If you have to outsource much of the work at all, you will be "In debt up to your eyeballs", to quote a most irritating commercial.

 

I agree with trochoid that the body integrity should be addressed first. JIMMY54 can attest to the pain of having to scrap a fine looking car after much was invested, due to the rust problems.