The 86 hatch might be for sale afterall! It is a sexy car, I admit... and it has enormous potential. However, the time and money to do what I want to it is hard to come by. I want something that either comes with a stock turbo, or can have a turbo engine dropped into it. I would prefer RWD or AWD, but a REALLY lightweight FWD car that can be made fast for very little money would work!
Here are some of the ideas I've been playing with. AccordWarrior, you know all about my ponderances on these!
Mitsubishi Starion / Chrysler Conquest - BEAUTIFUL cars... RWD, turbo (220hp) stock widebody... Simply amazing. The downside to them is that they are heavy as hell, and pretty expensive. It's also hard to find a good one, and even harder to find parts.. They don't use a 4G63 engine like the Eclipse. Because of that, I have decided against one of these (unless one falls in my lap!)
DSM (E/T/L) - They look cool, and have a great aftermarket. The 1G 4G63 is one of the toughest engines out there. The bad part about these cars is that about 99% of them were beaten like redheaded stepchildren by kids that didn't know any better. The few that ARE in good shape are out of my price range. A mint 91 Talon TSi AWD has been known to sell for $6500! Plus, they are "sports" cars... I like sleepers!
Galant VR4 (not really a DSM, though some argue that it is) - Simply amazing car. 4WD. turbo. 4ws... It has a similar appearance to the CB7, so that's cool. However, they are VERY rare, and they go for a lot of money. There is one near me that I might drop a card on, saying "If you ever want to sell, I want to buy!"... Still, they can go for $4000 easily.
Pontiac Fiero - Cheap, RWD, and they can make use of Firebird and Camaro parts as upgrades (and you know how easy they are to come by!). The body is plastic, so rust isn't much of a threat. The engine is also rear-mounted, which is pretty hot. They can accept a number of engines, including the Grand National engine and a Cadillac Northstar... It's not too cheap to do those conversions though. The Fiero just seems like too much work, and it's a Domestic, which doesn't thrill me!
Nissan Skyline GTS-T - Saw one for $2200 FOB (to the shipper). However, it wouldn't get through customs here until it was contracted by a Registered Importer to do THOUSANDS of dollars worth of modifications before I could actually take it home... Maybe someday, but not today!
Nissan 240SX - RWD is cool. SR20DET is cool with mods... RB26DET is even cooler! BUT... they're "the new Civic" these days, and the prices for aftermarket parts have skyrocketed. Plus, they're just way too common for my liking anymore!
Merkur Xr4ti - Cool, but pretty rare around here... and it's a Ford product. That kills it for me!
Mazda RX7 FC - too expensive for the turbo models. Heat problems. Great car, but not for me.
SO! What have I decided on? Well, nothing for sure yet, but there is one platform I have yet to research to my liking. So far, every bit of research I've done has been positive.
The car I'm leaning towards is a hatchback.
It weighs 2040lbs without weight reduction.
Is IS FWD, but seeing as it's so light I think I can overlook that (and an AWD conversion is possible, I just don't know if it's within my means).
I could find the car for under $1000
The car can accept a 4G63t with surprisingly few modifications (mounts from a stock car would work, so nothing custom fabbed!)
The car is:
1990-1994 Hyundai Excel
I know there was a vid posted on here a while back that showed a 4G63 powered Excel tearing it up... I never thought it would be an easy swap! Apparently a few motor mounts from an Elantra are all I need to drop the thing in there. I'm still trying to find info on the ECU wiring. I could get an Excel cheap as hell I'm sure, and a 4G63 isn't all that expensive either.
Discuss
Here are some of the ideas I've been playing with. AccordWarrior, you know all about my ponderances on these!
Mitsubishi Starion / Chrysler Conquest - BEAUTIFUL cars... RWD, turbo (220hp) stock widebody... Simply amazing. The downside to them is that they are heavy as hell, and pretty expensive. It's also hard to find a good one, and even harder to find parts.. They don't use a 4G63 engine like the Eclipse. Because of that, I have decided against one of these (unless one falls in my lap!)
DSM (E/T/L) - They look cool, and have a great aftermarket. The 1G 4G63 is one of the toughest engines out there. The bad part about these cars is that about 99% of them were beaten like redheaded stepchildren by kids that didn't know any better. The few that ARE in good shape are out of my price range. A mint 91 Talon TSi AWD has been known to sell for $6500! Plus, they are "sports" cars... I like sleepers!
Galant VR4 (not really a DSM, though some argue that it is) - Simply amazing car. 4WD. turbo. 4ws... It has a similar appearance to the CB7, so that's cool. However, they are VERY rare, and they go for a lot of money. There is one near me that I might drop a card on, saying "If you ever want to sell, I want to buy!"... Still, they can go for $4000 easily.
Pontiac Fiero - Cheap, RWD, and they can make use of Firebird and Camaro parts as upgrades (and you know how easy they are to come by!). The body is plastic, so rust isn't much of a threat. The engine is also rear-mounted, which is pretty hot. They can accept a number of engines, including the Grand National engine and a Cadillac Northstar... It's not too cheap to do those conversions though. The Fiero just seems like too much work, and it's a Domestic, which doesn't thrill me!
Nissan Skyline GTS-T - Saw one for $2200 FOB (to the shipper). However, it wouldn't get through customs here until it was contracted by a Registered Importer to do THOUSANDS of dollars worth of modifications before I could actually take it home... Maybe someday, but not today!
Nissan 240SX - RWD is cool. SR20DET is cool with mods... RB26DET is even cooler! BUT... they're "the new Civic" these days, and the prices for aftermarket parts have skyrocketed. Plus, they're just way too common for my liking anymore!
Merkur Xr4ti - Cool, but pretty rare around here... and it's a Ford product. That kills it for me!
Mazda RX7 FC - too expensive for the turbo models. Heat problems. Great car, but not for me.
SO! What have I decided on? Well, nothing for sure yet, but there is one platform I have yet to research to my liking. So far, every bit of research I've done has been positive.
The car I'm leaning towards is a hatchback.
It weighs 2040lbs without weight reduction.
Is IS FWD, but seeing as it's so light I think I can overlook that (and an AWD conversion is possible, I just don't know if it's within my means).
I could find the car for under $1000
The car can accept a 4G63t with surprisingly few modifications (mounts from a stock car would work, so nothing custom fabbed!)
The car is:
1990-1994 Hyundai Excel
I know there was a vid posted on here a while back that showed a 4G63 powered Excel tearing it up... I never thought it would be an easy swap! Apparently a few motor mounts from an Elantra are all I need to drop the thing in there. I'm still trying to find info on the ECU wiring. I could get an Excel cheap as hell I'm sure, and a 4G63 isn't all that expensive either.
Discuss
Deev told me about it on AIM. Anyways, I say stick w/ the Hyundai idea and drop that 4g63t into that thing. I wouldn't do any exterior mods at all, keep it total sleep and beat up on some B series Hondas that think they are invincible.
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