Hey all,

I just bought my first RX-7 about a week ago.
It's a white '81 beater. Doesn't run, and there's rust all over the body. Not a great specimen, but it's workable.

The reason I bought the car was to enter in the $2008 Grassroots Challenge.

Here's a link to the writeup of last year's competition.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/new...007-challenge/

The cars are judged in an autocross, a drag race, and a concourse. So basically, the winner will be the best all-around car.

Basically, I need to build this car in exactly $2008.00 or less. I spent $200 on the car so far, which means I've got $1808.00 left to work with (I was about to pick up a non-running 1st gen for free, but somebody beat me to it. Apparently the guy who picked it up has nine 1st gens). I want to do an engine swap, among many other things to the platform.

I was just wondering if you guys had any input on how to make an awesome car for real cheap.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

ReSpeed coilovers $160 with 375lbs springs
175lb dead coil rear springs $150
Tokico shocks $369 Illumina or $184 HP (Sometimes they have good one used)
Control arm bushings $10
Stay rod bushings $15
Rear control arm bushings $60
RB front sway bar $128 (Can find used) $742
13x7 wheels $300
Kumho V710 $700 (Try to find nice used tires)
Sterling carb $380
Fuel pump + fuel pressure regulator + fuel pressure gauge(find used)

 

If you have room in the budget I would start with the suspension by replacing all the bushings and the shocks. Do you know what you need to get it to run? If you need some replacement parts for it I will donate them to you for the cause. Thats pending if I have what you need. You just have to pay the shipping cost.

 

Maryland is waaaaay far man. And shipping costs are included in the $2008 budget. Ouch. Thanks for the offer, though.

Hey justint5387, those are good ideas, but I don't have a working engine, so I'm going to have to make room in the budget for that. And since drag race is worth 1/3 of the points, I want lots of power. Leads me to believe I should swap a different motor in.............

 

I also found this, if any of you are interested.

$50 paint job:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2551599

It links to a few other forums, but take a poke through 'em. This is how I plan to paint my car. Any suggestions for color/paint scheme?

 

good luck! sounds like way fun!!

 

Find a junk second gen for free or cheap and put the 13B in your FB. Sell your running 12A motor to pay for the second gen purchase. You can get $300 or more for a running 12A. Part out what's left of the second gen and put that money towards the FB if that's allowed. You may even make money there if you do it right.

Look into doing the Kia rear end swap for a shorter gearing. There are lots of writeups on here. Tokico HPs can be had on ebay for $184. I just got mine yesterday, brand new. Sterling carb is also recommended. PM Sterling on the forum. He's very busy, but makes a MEAN Nikki.

Good wheels and tires. Gut the car and sell all the good parts that are left. Take out AC if you've got it. Remove the sound deadening. Lexan rear window? Free flowing exhaust made from stock tubing? Do you need lights? If not then I'd take out the headlight motors. They are pretty heavy.

Might want to check into getting the energysuspension bushing kit too. I got my whole bushing kit for $160. Nice cheap upgrade.

Just some suggestions.

Jamie

 

IIRC you're allowed to recoup up to 50% of the purchase price by selling unneeded parts off the car.

Since he only paid $200, that leaves only $100 to be claimed by selling parts.

 

Glazedham, thanks for the advice. However, there is no way that I could make money off the car for the competition.

"16) Parts that are not used may be traded or sold up to the initial cost of the car or parts deal. In other words, if you buy a $500 Challenge car, you can recoup up to $500 of your budget by selling parts... Once the recouperation limit has been reached on a car or parts deals, trading is not allowed."

I will post up pictures of my car as soon as I am able to get them.

Keep the ideas coming!

 

as much as i'd love to see a "rotary" Rx-7 win one of these things, i think you just painted yourself into a corner with your choice. pray that you can score a turbo 13B car for little to nothing so you can pillage everything as a system. otherwise, you'll probably have to look to getting something cheap ... with pistons. considering you haven't touched the chassis yet, $2008 is not a lot of money if you can't build stuff for yourself.

 

Well, that's not too bad then. It looks like you can buy a parts car, keep the bits you like, sell the rest and have a zero cost result. Note that it doesn't say that you cannot sell the remaining parts past the initial investment, just that you can't count it towards discounting the $2008 total.

Good luck,

-bill

 

find a turbo 2 motor on ebay and drop it in.. i don't know if it fits.. but it's your best bet..

1300 for the motor 300 for shipping and use the rest for block off plates and a new exhuast with down pipe

 

Are you suggesting a v8 swap?

 

P.S.

Whats a block off plate?

And the parts car idea I like...

 

You don't know what a block off plate is, and you're trying to build a race car?

....well, good luck :p

You need a race seat, harness (and preferably a roll bar), and some race tires. That's what you start with.

 

i have been researching building for the GRMS challenge for a while and one of the keys ot the competition that you have to remember is that anything you sell out of the car up to the price of the vehicle, you get to take back out of the budget...so if you bought the car for 200 bucks, and you sell the wheels and tires off of it for 200 bucks, you now still have your whole budget to deal with again.

 

I don't know what on this car would be worth $200, but I'll put some ads up on craigslist and the forums.

Right now the pictures are too big. I'll have to resize them...

 

Find a small block to drop in it. Our old friend Blake Q has done the challenge a few times in first gens and he got his A$$ handed to him each time. You have competitors that run V8's in everything. Maybe even a V6.

Find a 5.0 mustang and use the trans and engine. They are cheap on Craigslist and Ebay.

 

I tell you what. If you enter, I'll do the decals for your car for FREE. If you run some advertising for me, I'll do it just for the exposure. I'll be happy to do it.

An FB owner helping an FB owner. If I have to charge you (per the rules), how about $0.02.

http://www.trackdecal.com

And I agree, most of the winners are v8 swaps. If you find an old Mustang, the 5.0 will fit in there. I've got a friend in NASA who ran that setup with a Miata IRS for road racing. Fast as hell car! I'll be glad to get you some info if you want.

 

A nice running used 12A longblock can get you about $200. Post it in the for sale section.

 

dont flame me but get a 2.3l tubro motor from a mustang/capri/tbird/ they make 200 to 220 stock you can get the motor from a junk yard ect cheap. iam a mustang guy and a rx guy. it comes stock with a garret t3. go to ebay buy a cheap t3/t4 for 200 bucks it will last awhile with no problems. will make boost up to 30 pounds no problem. so you can get around a custome tune, go to http://www.esslingeracing.com/ and buy the plate to mount a carb to the lower mani, and go blow thru setup.

i have seen a stock block with a blow thru carb and t3/t4 turbo running 30 pounds of boost make 400+hp to the rear wheels. if you can afford (150 junk yard) it get the volvo 2.3l 16v dohc head from a junk yard and throw it on the ford 2.3 block you only need to get a freind to tig weld a block of metal to the back of the head and with a dermale tool slot a few oil holes.

this head on a na stock block adds around 100hp.

theres a stock 2.3 turbo block that all the guy did was the volvo swap, ran the stock t3 at like 20 to 25 pounds and was make 500+hp to the rear wheels

 

So... I'm going to have to learn a lot about v8's in the next couple of months.

Also, if I'm to sell my 12A, I'll first have to get it running again. Which means I'll also have to learn quite a bit about rotaries...

I think the V-8 ideas are sexy. Lots o power! Lots o torque! The only reason I would hesitate is because I like my cars to have close to 50/50 weight distribution and a low polar moment. I prefer driving the mountain roads over driving the drag strip. I plan on keeping this car for a while after the competition (before I start my next project), so it'll be my daily driver.

 

Pshhh 1st gens suck, this car sucks, it'll never get off the ground

 

^ you suck, how many autocross events have you been to?

 

trust me and save the money and just get a turbo 2.3l ford motor stock makes more power then the 5.0 v8 hit me up ill help you get parts ect.