so i bought this s14 project car for pretty cheap, but its in terrible shape. both rockers need to be replaced, both quarter panels need to be replaced, and there are some (but not TOO many) holes near and around the wheel well and floor that came from the rust spreading from quarters / rockers. the front end is busted and the tranny or torque converter or something is fucked so the engine doesn’t rev over 2000 rpm.
the good part is, the rails are in good shape, the floor is mostly okay, front strut towers are pretty good, trunk liner is perfect, and all pillars / roof / trunk are good.
so let me explain what my problem is. my goal is to make this into a sr + kouki DD. i’ve wanted to learn how to weld for a while now, and one of my friends and i are going to go in on a welder soon. is it worth keeping this piece of junk and slowly start completely stripping it apart and start fixing the rust myself, and learn to be comfortable with the welder? i need to start somewhere, and i feel like this would be the perfect project to get some welding experience. or am i just wasting my time, should i just get rid of it and buy something thats in good condition later on?
i could use one of my friends garage to store this so i would have sufficient space to store shit and work on it indoors.
what should i do??
Hey man everyone has to start somewhere.Find yourself a motor and tranny somewhere on here(they are reasonable $) and if you have the time, space and initiative then go for it. I just got an s14 myself and it too needs rockers, but it too is structurally decent.At the end of the day build what YOU yourself will be happy on your own budget.Dont expect to turn and sell it for profit because cars are a labour of love and work-not profit.There are people who will bash and say your an idiot and probably tell me I am too, but in all reality I am probably 20 years older and more mature so FUCK them.POINT-start will solid foundations and have fun-let me know if I can help somehow after all thats what this forum is all about.Good Luck
Id say if u have the time and dedication to try this go for it. If you realistically cant see yourself spending hours in a garage working on this over the next year or so them maybe its not the project for you. I love doing mods to a car but honestly I dont think I would ever have the patients for a major major project. But that is totally up to you and your priorities right now and for the next year or so
it really depends on how far you were planning on going. If I were you, I would set a budget, and goal(s) for a finished product and then figure out whether or not it’s a road you want to go down.
If I were you, and I am in a similar position, i would keep it, but not invest anything into the drivetrain til the body is done. It will be a good piece to learn on, especially if you don’t really care about the body right now. Start by pricing out the patch panels you need, and figure out what ones aren’t there that you will need to get. See if that falls within your budget.
If you are going to start buying motor parts as well or first, i would probably sell and buy another. No sense spreading your money thin right now trying to do both, and then not finish either.
I wouldn’t put that kind of time into that car. That’s a lot of work - maybe more than you think - and your return on investment won’t be very high. It looks like every body panel on that car, minus the roof and maybe the doors, need work or replacement.
Wanting to learn to weld is great, but repairing that car’s issues is just not worth your time. Be realistic with your goals.
thanks for the replies guys, i agree, i am a little overwhelmed by this project, and i had the feeling i might have been able to handle it, but maybe im just getting ahead of myself. i’ll invest some time in finding a decent shell (because the engine on this car only has 212xxx kms and is still running fine) or just a better condition car all together for a more reasonable project.
Get a kouki front end $1200
Get side skirts $100-400
get rear over fenders $120-$350
drop a $1500 dollar sr
beat the fuck out of it, part it out when your done… let the chassis rust and break
plus, learning how to weld on your project car is the worse idea in the world.
yay look at my 200$ patch panel
wait what, I’m not a certified welder because I bought a hobart? why did I just burn holes thru this panel? why is it warped? do I really have to buy it again AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Yeah, buy a tempo and learn to weld on that, youve got a ton of practice before you can even think about doing rocker replacements let alone 1/4 panels
i’ve thought about covering the rust with sideskirts and overfenders and dropping an engine to beat till the thing falls apart, but i dont expect it to be able to drive for very long. i’ll probably run into suspension problems and have to start replacing shit like LCAs, ball joints, bearings, etccc
ask your self this… how much of your blood are you willing to spill for this car?
there are two kinds of car people. ones that love the car, but it it wrecks they buy another one, no probs
and the other fixes the wreaked car because they have connected to that car personally.
