Alright, here's the deal, and I know there'll be 4000 opinions, but gotta ask anyways since i'm new to all this. i'm wanting to buy a car (yall tell me what kind) that's essentially stock, used, and something i can fairly easily turn into a fast as **** monster.
i don't know much about working on cars, so this project is gonna be alot of learning, but i'm basically gonna try to put in new crate engine (again, not sure where to even start), tranny, rear end, etc..
are there certain types of cars that are "easy" to build up into really badass drag cars? i like the looks of the 01-02 TA. the gf hates mustangs, so that's out of the question.
I don't want to buy a $70k car (i already have a 07 z06). i want to buy a $10-20k car and put in $30k or so.
Thanks for any help!!

 

I hate you. GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!
Are you looking for a track monster? Or a highway roll/street monster?

 

Fox body 5.0 Mustang

 

no twisties, got a gix1k for that. i want to be able to get in the 8s or so on a strip, but keep it street legal (is that possible?)
no mustangs, gf hates em. and i'm kinda whipped

 

Its possible. I'd get a c5 vette and go from there, F/I with a big motor.

 

Honestly, if you are looking for something easy and just wanting to drop a crate motor in than I would go old-school. Depending on the make and model, some of the later fuel injected motors can get complicated with the computer, tuning, etc.

It don't get much easier than a simple push-rod small block (which yes I do know that is basically what an LS1 is) with a four-barrel carb on top

I think you will get some better responses in the racers lounge.

 

I had a 2003 Cobra w/ boltons for about two months and I loved it. Of course you want 8 second timeslips, not 11 second ones as you already have something capable of that.

Buy a 99 Z28 roller, get yourself a big cube motor, a TH400 and spray it. Don't forget your safety equipment (cage, parachute, Depends). You doing the work yourself or having it done?

Keeping it street legal? That's totally subjective to your meaning, and whether or not emissions requirements are an issue. And your tolerance for noise.

 

ur not kidding u are but i think a TT T/A would be pretty sick, could get u into 9s, streetable, and could fit into that budget

 

8's - foxbody. period. too expensive with f-body, vette, terminators, etc.

 

Grand National...

Well you want a pure track car so rule out anything with IRS stick to the solid axle cars. Fox-body really would be the cheapest route to trunk popping, dead-hooking 8's. It wouldn't be that much harder to do it with an F-body though. Get an old LT1 F-body, gut it, cage it, you could go for an LSX block boosted into oblivion with an auto and full spool. Don't forget to calculate in the cost of the fuel system, machine work for the motor, conversion parts for the turbo/TH trans, etc.

Then again if you are set on the LS1 T/A body style you could get a firebird pretty cheap and ditch the V6 in it since everything else is gonna go anyway.

Just throwing out ideas. I prefer the look of the base firebird/formula body style for a drag car anyway. It looks less flashy and more down to business.

 

for 30K your could have a bad *** 3rd gen camaro!! i have a 86Z with about 15-18k in it and am running low 5 second 1/8th mile passes. it is a drag car but could be turned into a street car with a lil effort and still run its *** off. it was running 5.9s-6.2s before i took it off the street. even if you were to put a modern LSX motor in the car to have the good drivability you wouldnt have to pay much for the car 2-5k tops for a good condition 3rd gen leaving you a hell of a lot more go fast money.

 

whos paying for this? i say build what you want.

 

 

I can second that. And tell your girl to behave or she's outta' there. You can't be a winner at life or the track if you're a pushover...

 

NOVA!! NOVA!! NOVA!! haha, but seriously, with a $30k budget, you could buy an old school ride, like a nova, chevelle, etc, and turn the thing into a beast, or pick up a GN for 7 or 8k and put the rest into the motor/tranny/suspension

 

Old school, more go-fast parts at low prices. Depending on where you live, emissions testing wont be a problem with a pre '75 chassis. Big cube + spray would get you to your goal, but forced induction would also be within the $30K budget.

 

get an ls1 camaro/firebird/trans am

Speedinc's shop car is completely street legal and streetable, and it went high 8's. this is with a 370 cubic inch iron motor, single turbo, hydraulic cam, and all pretty much off the shelf engine parts such as heads, and intake with a near stock raceweight.

www.ls1speed.com ... they get my vote for customer service combined with the know how to get you to where you want to be with the car.

nothing too race car about it.