Time to ditch my FC???
 

Well I have a 88 GTU and it is barely pulling a 16.9.
I am getting pretty mad at civics beating me.
I am thinking of getting a newer car.

I don't want to get a TII cause they are hard to find with low miles and if you do find one they are either falling apart or are too much money.

I am thinking of either a FD or mid 90's Z28 Camaro(body style before current).

I've seen FD's going for anywhere between 13 and 22k for good ones.

I don't remember what the Z's went for.

I want something that is going to be reliable and f"ing fast.

I know FD's can do 13's and so can Z28's.
The one thing that makes me want a z28 more is the fact that it will be easier to fix stuff on them since me and my friends have work on 350' many times and it's easier and cheaper to get parts.

What do semi-low mileage FD's go for and what should I lookout for?

Please keep me from going to the Dark side.

I remember my father having a 95ish Z28 and damn that thing was fun.

16.9?! Hmmmmm I know that N/A's arn't the fastest things out there, but thats pretty slow, don't they do like 15 stock? Anyways, My friend just bought a 92 z28 and it costed him 6 grand canadian. Its fast but the handling is nowhere near your rx and the gas milage sucks 2!

Well the 16.9 is an estimate after my cat back and filter and efan. It has ran a 17.1 but I need to get my 60 ft down a little more.
My 88 SE ran a 17.4 at the very best.
I am screwed when it comes to cars.

Yeah it won't be as good for handling but I can always improve that.

No they didnt run anywhere near 15 stock.

What are your 60 fts? I bet you are way up there with like 2.6 or something. 0.5 off the 60ft = a full second off the final time.

Whats the condidtion of your car? Miles, orig. engine? Your motor might just be tired...I'm getting read to get my streetported pineapple..

-2.5 full exhaust
-rb header and presilencer
-filter (make my own cold air box)
-ported manifolds
-no p/s, air pump, egr
-CM stage 1 clutch n pressure plate

I better hit WAY better times than that........fingers are crossed!

this is on my s4 too...estimate on what ill run? no s5 rotors or anything...just a Pineapple Racing s4 rebuild with there streetport and the other mods i listed.

well my 60ft when i did a 17.1 was somehting like 2.5.
That was the second run I had made with the car.
I got my 88 SE to do a 2.4 and it ran 17.4.
I don't think it will go lower than a 2.4 60ft.

I haven't had the chance to go to the track lately since my 2nd gear synco is going and my clutch is going.

The engine has 83k on it and runs great. The clutch will still hold it just can't do a burnout(I was one of the idiots sitting there in thw waterbox saying bye bye to my clutch and not tires).
The 2nd gear just started to grind. I can still slam it in gear but it will grind like a
mo-fo.
Slow shifts and double clutching on downshifts are helping me now.

Why not consider putting a V8 small block in your FC if you want to be fast in the drag races? V8s are pretty much the cheapest way to make an FC fast, and that is probably why the idea gets no support on these boards. You will still have a lot of the sweet handling of the original FC but with more torque and LOTS of bolt-ons available if you want to enhance the engine's power levels, which are a lot more than 145 horsepower in stock form :)

I had a friend doing this to his FC when I lived in Mesa a few months ago. I don't have his contact info but it seems pretty simple if you buy the subframe kit and get the appropriate tranny.

If I wanted to do that I could have installed it in my 77 Chevy LUV and pulled low 12's to 11's.
I want a reliable already assembled car. It will have to be my daily driver and I don't have a place to work on it.

I think you need a CRX with a V8 in it(and RWD). match 400 hp with 1800 pounds, that'd be pretty fast.

Have you had a tune-up lately?? Are your 5&6 ports working correctly?

TIIs harder to find than FDs? That's just silly.

What are you looking for out of the car? You want a straight line car? RX-7s may not be the cars for you. I still think you get very good bang for the buck out of a TII in a straight line, but maybe something else would be better for you. If you want a car that is capable at everything and unique then RX-7s are for you.

Re: Time to ditch my FC???
 

Boy did you pick the wrong two cars if you wanted reliable...

If you want reliable stick with your 88 GTU

13K would easily cover a rebuild and a tII swap and nice mods for a 12 second daily driver, 13K if you already have the car can make a KILLER FC

Hey man you dont need a v-8 or rwd I know a guy that ran a 11.9 on stock tires and the only mods he had were intake exhaust and lots of stickers!:eek: (every one adds 5hp and 4ftlb of tq, v-tech adds 10 to each);) lol
gotta love the bragen ricers!:)

oh, forgot about stickers;) but I heard they add at least 12whp. maybe thats just the type-R ones though:D

Well I definitely don't have 13k and don't have the experience or place to install stuff.

About FD's being easier to find. It has been true for my area. I have seen over 50 FD ads in the phoenix autotrader and 1-2 TII ads.

I have done a pretty good tune up. The only thing I haven't done yet is check timing and do tranny fluid.
Yes the 5/6 ports work perfectly.

As reliablilty comes. I know Z28's my father owned one. Besides I can fix Chevy 350's easy. I don't know about reliablity of FD's and I would asssume they would be $$ to fix. My friends are all chevy freaks so I have more knowledge to fix a piston engine over rotary.

As for handling. I live in Phoenix Arizona. I take 90 degree left and right turns all day. There are a couple winding roads here but you have to drive near the desert to get to them. So I want some good straight line but would also like to get into turns.

I think you need a chevy then.;)

reliability of FDs is no good

If you're only ever in the straights, then a Z28 will do ya' good. And given that you're surrounded by boinger-heads, well... it would seem to be the logical choice, too, yes? ;) And despite what anyone else here will ever say, with careful component selection, the Fbodies can be made to handle reasonably well for anything you'll encounter.

Brandon

many, many of my friends own f-bodies. To date their cars have been a lot more reliable than the t2. Maybe I just got a lemon of a car :Shrug: but I would glady own a lt1 z28, they are very solid fun cars. Off idle torque is such a beautiful thing ;)

I would reccomned the lt1 over the fd

Yes, MUCH harder.

Per year, I probably see at most, 5 TurboII's worth buying, on the other hand, there are at least 20 FDs in the area for sale at the moment, a few of them at least should be in good shape.

I have seen blown stock motors, wasted trannys (one split wide open with a 1/2 crack running down the middle of the case), even lame stuff like headlights stuck down on F bodies with less than 30K miles on them... Or the GM brakes that every 20K miles need the rotor and pads replaced...well alone the rattles.

Hell my 14 year old 'vert doesn't rattle as much as an F body with 30k miles on it. Hell it doesn’t even rattle as much as my in-laws Caddy Eldo does with only 25K on it.

Sorry I have worked on too many GM products to ever consider owning one.

On your friends "reliable" ones, are they also 11+ years old??? I doubt it.

As too the FD, I have not seen anything major happen fewer than 60K miles, unless the car has been modded, but that is typical of the FC as well. But the 13BT FC will run to 120K (twice that for a NA) if they have been maintained without any major problems (unless again Joe amateur has modded them).

Either way, if you looking between a FC, FD or F body, the FC will be without any doubts more reliable than any of those three.

Ask a GM mechanic about the F bodies.

and too Digi7ech's comment:


And the “all my friends and family know how to work on them” is lame no matter what car. So every time you blow a gasket or seal, you take it over to your Dad’s house (or whoever) and say, “Please help me fix it”. HMMM that’s gonna get old really quick. I know I have talked people into selling their cars after the third or 4th time they come over asking for help because something else broke. If you learn the rotary, you will know how to fix it as well... sorta like , hmmm do I want to learn new things??? or be stuck knowing what my friends and family know???

But it's your choice's and despite your posting here asking if it is a good idea on something you have already decided.

I don't really drag race but it would seem to me that a tranny in need of work and a clutch that won't grab hard and could slip at high RPM could drastically affect yer times.

my 89 N/A has 175k on the original engine and slightly low compression and i have no problem spinnin my rear wheels at a standstill.

i'd build the FC

thats just me tho.

I agree.

Sounds to me like you have already made up your mind on getting rid of your 7. I love the way FD’s look but I will never buy one (unless I become a millionaire). They are sweet cars but just huge money pits. A Chevy is a choice for ya. They are cheap and plentiful. Get a summit racing catalog and look up the prices of Ford and Chevy parts. BIG difference. But I am not sure how you pulled a 17.1 stock when my stock 1986GXL ¾ tank of gas pulled a 16.683. Sall good.