What's a car i can put an LS1 into that's cheap on insurance?
05-02-2006, 12:49 PM
#41
Originally Posted by Oscar Will
....hey, I bet Pat's Stude isn't too expensive to insure either. It's quite a bit sleeker than my "aerodynamically challenged" old Ford sedan!
A great choice is an older pickup, they make great hot rods, can definitely be done "cool" and can be made to handle. I don't know if you are in a Smog **** state, but older cars often have some attractive exemptions that way too.
Pat
05-02-2006, 02:46 PM
#42
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A chevy Tracker. I'm seriously considering once I get my wife another vehicle. LS1, slammed, 325's in the read. They are already setup for rear wheel drive and theres is quite a bit of room under the hood, I dont think it would be much of an issue. Would be a cool sleeper.
05-11-2006, 01:17 AM
#47
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05-12-2006, 06:05 PM
#53
A 2nd generation RX-7 ('86-91) is about the best bang for the buck IMO. The GXL model has the TurboII 5 lug brakes, vented rotors, 4 pistons alum caliper front brakes, single piston rear calipers and vented rotors. It has a 7" LSD rear end; however the 8" LSD TurboII rear end with halfshafts can easily be swapped in.
You can pick these cars up with blown motors and really nice paint/interior for well under $1500. If you want to buy a complete roach they can be had for under $500.... sometimes a few hundred bucks.
Install new Energy Suspension or similar polyeurathane suspension bushings $100, rear toe eliminator bushings $50, and some new shocks/springs with caster/camber plates and you will have a little go kart. These cars didn't win 8 years+ of IMSA GTU road racing on accident.
Also some better than stock brake pads (around $100) and braided steel brake lines $99 will allow the stock brakes to work great.
Some models (convertibles) have aluminum hoods and most T2 hood are also aluminum. They save an easy 25lbs over the stock steel unit. '86-88 hardtop cars weigh around 150-200lbs less due to less internal door bracing, behind the dash bracing, and no automatic seat belts. Sunroofs add about 30-40lbs also. Rollup windows only save a few pounds per side and honestly I'd rather have automatic windows.
If you get coilover suspension you can run stock '93-95 RX-7 16x8 rims (16lbs) with hubcentric spacers and 245/45/16's all around. That would be a great bang for the buck combo.
I roadraced a 100% stock 13B engine '87 RX-7 with Toyo 235/17 RA-1's, coilovers, HP+ pads and was catching EVERYONE in the corners including '04 Porsche, STi, Evo, M3.... everything I was on their ***. In the straightaways with a 160K mile 138hp I was getting pulled pretty hard; however caught back up in the twisties.
My newer RX-7 with 285/30/18's all around and a 440rwhp LS1/T56 setup is an absolute animal on the road race courses. 49.5% front weight and 50.5% rear weighting.. the crossweights are within 1lb of each other with me in the car!!!! 13" AP Racing brakes with Alcon rotors (Champ car) certainly stop any hint of brake fade. I have manual steering and don't miss it one bit.
Get an RX-7 and redo the suspension... they are great cars. You can have a 10 second car that drives perfectly stock due to the low weight of these cars.
Good luck,
-Mark
You can pick these cars up with blown motors and really nice paint/interior for well under $1500. If you want to buy a complete roach they can be had for under $500.... sometimes a few hundred bucks.
Install new Energy Suspension or similar polyeurathane suspension bushings $100, rear toe eliminator bushings $50, and some new shocks/springs with caster/camber plates and you will have a little go kart. These cars didn't win 8 years+ of IMSA GTU road racing on accident.
Also some better than stock brake pads (around $100) and braided steel brake lines $99 will allow the stock brakes to work great.
Some models (convertibles) have aluminum hoods and most T2 hood are also aluminum. They save an easy 25lbs over the stock steel unit. '86-88 hardtop cars weigh around 150-200lbs less due to less internal door bracing, behind the dash bracing, and no automatic seat belts. Sunroofs add about 30-40lbs also. Rollup windows only save a few pounds per side and honestly I'd rather have automatic windows.
If you get coilover suspension you can run stock '93-95 RX-7 16x8 rims (16lbs) with hubcentric spacers and 245/45/16's all around. That would be a great bang for the buck combo.
I roadraced a 100% stock 13B engine '87 RX-7 with Toyo 235/17 RA-1's, coilovers, HP+ pads and was catching EVERYONE in the corners including '04 Porsche, STi, Evo, M3.... everything I was on their ***. In the straightaways with a 160K mile 138hp I was getting pulled pretty hard; however caught back up in the twisties.
My newer RX-7 with 285/30/18's all around and a 440rwhp LS1/T56 setup is an absolute animal on the road race courses. 49.5% front weight and 50.5% rear weighting.. the crossweights are within 1lb of each other with me in the car!!!! 13" AP Racing brakes with Alcon rotors (Champ car) certainly stop any hint of brake fade. I have manual steering and don't miss it one bit.
Get an RX-7 and redo the suspension... they are great cars. You can have a 10 second car that drives perfectly stock due to the low weight of these cars.
Good luck,
-Mark
Last edited by gnx7; 05-12-2006 at 06:17 PM.
05-14-2006, 02:07 AM
#56
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2nd gen Supra, you'd save weight, they're cheap, handle well and there are plenty of parts for them. I'm putting a LS1 into a celica and the engine bay is pretty tight, you wouldn't have any problems with a supra though because of the longer nose. Oh yeah, the supra also can fit 245s in front and 275s in back and comes stock with a 4.10 or 4.30 LSD.
05-14-2006, 07:53 PM
#57
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definately a mazda miata i got to drive a full drift mazda miata the other day and it was so nice and if you put some of the exterior mods on and so forth with some jdm wheels they look pretty badass for a miata... this is my next project when i move out. there also the lightest car out there for a rear wheel drive setup
10-01-2006, 07:00 PM
#59
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I'm gonna bring this old thread back and ask about the last generation of the chevy caprices. Anyone know how much it takes just to swap in the LS1 and leave the stock trans? It would be a 9C1 caprice.
10-02-2006, 03:23 PM
#60
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1986-1991 rx7 for sure.
cheap, fast, good looking with the right wheels and tires.
but there is a downside to your plan...
with most companies, cheap means insurance is also bad because you wont be able to insure it for full value of your swap so if it gets stolen or wrecked your S.O.L.
but you can make something that looks like these-
http://homepage.mac.com/owen_the_soy...toAlbum52.html
http://homepage.mac.com/owen_the_soy...toAlbum53.html
http://homepage.mac.com/owen_the_soy...toAlbum54.html
for pretty damn cheap with an LS1T56 swap thanks to www.hinsonsupercars.com and then picking up a nice set of coilovers and some 17"x8", 9" or 10" wheels.
oh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah....
cheap, fast, good looking with the right wheels and tires.
but there is a downside to your plan...
with most companies, cheap means insurance is also bad because you wont be able to insure it for full value of your swap so if it gets stolen or wrecked your S.O.L.
but you can make something that looks like these-
http://homepage.mac.com/owen_the_soy...toAlbum52.html
http://homepage.mac.com/owen_the_soy...toAlbum53.html
http://homepage.mac.com/owen_the_soy...toAlbum54.html
for pretty damn cheap with an LS1T56 swap thanks to www.hinsonsupercars.com and then picking up a nice set of coilovers and some 17"x8", 9" or 10" wheels.
oh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah....