Hello everyone , so sated in the name in this topic i have a question which is , what car should i use as a project car ?

im planning on making a Completely custom car but i cant decide on what to use .
i am a part time mechanic and i have a pretty penny saved up but i don't wanna spend that much

ive considered a diahatsu midgetII because id stick a diahatsu charde engine a wheelie bars on it ( dont ask but it would be the best car at the drag strip i know )
but im also looking at old fords and datsuns

anyone got any reasonable suggestions

*note im not a ricer nor a speed freek im just a customisier *

Heres' a challenge; fit a large V8 into an old mini. Wide tires, upgraded suspension, fender flares and a rollcage. See how fast it can go without becoming suicidally unstable.

A 4WD Locost?
EDIT : Maybe even make a granny car mid-engined with something utterly silly like a stupid V8

Quote from MAGGOT :

Heres' a challenge; fit a large V8 into an old mini. Wide tires, upgraded suspension, fender flares and a rollcage. See how fast it can go without becoming suicidally unstable.

You have got to do this, its great. My mate had one, the first and only time I have been scared in a car!

For me it would be some rwd thing from the 80s.

Quote from The General Lee :

You have got to do this, its great. My mate had one, the first and only time I have been scared in a car!

At some point in the future, I will be doing this. Replacing the back seats with a V8 (or V10 if I can stuff it in there) would be so cool.

I'd go for a Smart Roadster Coupe and put a turbocharged 1.6L inline 4 into it. As far as I can see the result would be both sensible and fun. But I didn't get a chance to look at the chassis to see what fits and what doesn't.

Vain

I thought I read in another thread that you had a BMW you were restoring? Or am I mistaken for somebody else?

I suggest an old mini - Easy cars to work on, and can be made to look nice and go like stink.

Quote from MAGGOT :

Heres' a challenge; fit a large V8 into an old mini. Wide tires, upgraded suspension, fender flares and a rollcage. See how fast it can go without becoming suicidally unstable.

Why does that sound quite similar to a UFR, without the V8?

Make a real life LFS car. XRT should be easy enough. Starion, smooth it over, engine transplant, suspension, transmission, would be fantastic.

Of course you would need the devs permission unless you wanna risk being sued. Although it could be used to advertise LFS too?

Quote from dawesdust_12 :

Why does that sound quite similar to a UFR, without the V8?

Well, IIRC the UFR is front engined, and front wheel drive. My monstrosity will be mid engined, and rear wheel drive. Similar, indeed.

We all know the UFR is fun

A bit unclear whether you're just heavily modifying the car or using it as a donor for something totally new. If you're looking for donor running gear then a Sierra is the most common choice in RWD or 4WD form

If you're looking to create a basic but fun field car rather than a sophisticated track or road car then you could try what my Dutch friend is trying which is mating a FWD engine and subframe (in his case an old automatic Honda Civic) to your own spaceframe and find another subframe for use on the front, a RWD cars would probably make life easier (he's using an Opel Mantas) it all sounds like a death trap to me so I'm looking forward to a trip to Holland when he's done

If I was using a mini as a donor car, I'd be tempted to go down the rear mounted bike engine route. I know there are companies that'll do it for your, but I'm sure it'd be cheaper and more fun to do yourself. And the result would be an absolute rocket

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/board/index.php

These guys are what your all about

how about a 71 celica with a S2000 motor all in a Very slick finish:

http://grassrootsmotorsports.c ... rd/viewtopic.php?id=26285


good luck and keep us posted!

Quote from MAGGOT :

Heres' a challenge; fit a large V8 into an old mini. Wide tires, upgraded suspension, fender flares and a rollcage. See how fast it can go without becoming suicidally unstable.

Like this one... http://www.geocities.com/jharkola/Viku2.html

See, you can fit a 3.5ltr V8 lump in a mini

Whatver you do, if it doesn't look like the donor car take loads of photos, take it to a rolling road and send all the info to Scawen

A mechanically-minded friend of mine is currently making an old Ford Anglia into a dragstrip car... New brakes, suspension, gearbox etc and is planning to put a V8 in it. And of course, shiny wheels and a respray.

my uncle used to drive a volvo something (old shitty one) with a ford transit engine and some other gearbox in it. the sump used to be really low. infact it was in line with the lowest point of the wheel trim. lol. so speed humps and rough roads werent brilliant for it.

but i think you should use a rover metro for something. :P

How about trying a Hayabusa engine (or two! ) in a Citroen 2CV? It would certainly be different!

Quote from mattupson :

I thought I read in another thread that you had a BMW you were restoring? Or am I mistaken for somebody else?

I suggest an old mini - Easy cars to work on, and can be made to look nice and go like stink.

nah dont have tthe money to fix hence why i said in some other topic " i dont have the money to fix it so its gone to another home "

Quote from Vain :

I'd go for a Smart Roadster Coupe and put a turbocharged 1.6L inline 4 into it. As far as I can see the result would be both sensible and fun. But I didn't get a chance to look at the chassis to see what fits and what doesn't.

Vain

lol im not spending 35,000 on a p.o.s british banger just so i can run 16 secs 1/4 mile

... keeping on topic ive been talking to mechcanic friends and im going to have a look at a rs1600 escourt ( mkII version ofcourse :P) an opel manta and a volvo 240 estate ( the volvo would make a super dooper mim monester truck or just a low rider : )

ill keep ya'll posted

ok.. today i checked out coutless abouts of "differant" cars and well tbo there all either on there last legs or not even worth wasting my time look at :S

No shit. You can be looking for months to find a good/worthwhile condition old car, and I do mean that, literally.
(Also I know for a fact if you cant afford to fix your beemer, you can't afford a good condition rs1600).

The smart roadster is not British, its German - and its very light and would go VERY well with a turboed 4 banger in it.

I suggest you actually do some research before ridiculing people's suggestions.

That Celica looks amazing.

If your looking for a FWD and are over 24 ship an SRT-4 over from the states, with money saved by buying everything in the states you could have a wicked car for cheap..ish. You could get a 100HP plus turbo kit for under 2k pounds, putting you in the 350's. With the torque these engines make and with the addition of a factory LSD these are great for drag racing. My SRT is stock and I run 13.7's in the 1/4. All for less than 8k pounds if you include shipping to Ireland.

OT: Viper, I quite often hear you saying how your car handles well and has plenty of power - I can't remember how much, in the 200s? And I always think meh I could build a quicker car for the money.. BUT they seem to have a really impressive spec, and the price, even when imported, is outstanding.

13.7s is impressive for a fwd for that money, and I bet it goes round corners great too.

Anyway I havn't had enough coffee to function properly yet this morning, so I'll stop rambling. I'm sure its a really fun car though, I can see why you got it brough over here with you