Well I decided its much too expensive to build my IS300 for performance because even the 500-600hp IS’s are still only in the 12’s and they spent a good $10-15,000 which is rediculous. So now i’m in the market for a project car. I’m thinking about a late 80’s early 90’s mustang or a mid 90’s Camaro/Trans Am. Now the question is which one is more cost effective to build? I’ve been told that parts for the older 5.0’s are dirt cheap but what about LT1’s? Whatever car I buy the motor will be getting ripped out and completely rebuilt before the car is even driven. Now the car will be mostly for strip use because i’ll still have the IS for my DD so what should I go with Auto or Manual? Which one is stronger and more reliable when beaten on? Anything I should be looking for when shopping for these cars, and differences in the years? Thanks in advance
cheap? just a streetable drag car? fox body mustang (under 3k lbs). 5.0/5.8 (H/C/I/E), suspension, trans, rear, & slicks: ~$3k-$5k. Bottle and Your in the 10s.
slightly more expensive? decent handling street strip car? 4th gen f-body (3.5k lbs+). 383 SBC (H/C/I/E), auto, rear, slicks: ~$3k-6k. Bottle and Your in the 10s.
F-bodies and Fox bodies are stupid cheap to make fast (10’s) & reliable (tear down once a season) if it’s mainly a strip car.
Talk to Badazz (fbody) or BDR5oh (fox body)
You can spend alot of money and get fancy with boost, motor swaps (big blocks or LSx motors). But in the end You can make high 10’s relatively easy on stock shortblocks (plus pistons) & a decent set of heads w.spray. A little suspension too.
Well 10/low 11’s is the 1st goal. Interior isn’t really a big factor because most of the interior will probably be taken out since this won’t be a cruising car. I already have an NX nitrous kit that will be used on this car. I’m trying to decide between Carb’d/Injection still.
stock ecu’s on these can easily be modified… but carb is still “easiest”
I say notchback mustang (2600# full interior), 302 [cheap & plentiful] with heads/cam/intake, C4 auto, control arms & shocks/struts, cage, slicks, 100-200 shot. 10.5-10.9. Been done many, many times.
Mustangs are pretty easy to make fast, and an LT1 can play in the same bang for the buck game. 5.0 Stangs are lighter with better rear axles, LT1 fbods have better transmissions and stronger blocks. Both cars have good suspension parts available. Alot of LT1 stuff is interchangeable with any small block, its plenty cheap. There are good tuning programs out for the LT1 and the motor loves a hotlapped beating. The T56’s will take a lot of abuse and a th350 or th400 are easy swaps if you go auto. Mid 120 traps are 3/4 mods away, a weekend job. There are so many ways to make either one do what you want, I dont even know where to start.
The 5.0 is cheaper to make into a fast drag car, but a 4th gen F-body is a MUCH nicer car to drive. Markedly better handling, brakes, tighter/more rigid body. The thing is that the 4th gen is heavier, that’s the main advantage of the 5.0. Also, the LT1 top end is not directly interchangable with the standard small block Chevy stuff. And so on. But it boils down to the relative importance of driving it vs. racing it. If racing is truly the priority, get the Mustang.
Assuming that you really want a track car on the cheap, the way to do it is buy a car and not build one. And go with an auto for a track car on a budget.
Once you remove the emissions and do headers, LT1s are simple to work on. And while they are a bit heavier and a bit more expensive to start, they respond as well or better to the mods that you do. A couple years ago the 5.0 was unbeatable in bang for the buck, but with LT1 cars going for just a few grand and giving you more cubes, more torque, better brakes etc etc it evened out. And no carb means tuning from your comfortable driver seat rather than finding which damn screw to turn :lol:
light weight, parts are EVERYWHERE and can be had very cheep (I think they look a little sleaker too).
shit, a guy from another forum I post at did a budget fox-body build up for the SSHS (lincoln mark VII… same chasis as the fox stangs) and I think spent a total of like 2K, not including the car and was running 10’s with a TT 351
I’d love to own one some day… good luck with the search
go with the nova i just sold mine because of other interests but pleny of room under the hood makes it real easy to work on, you could probably pull the motor and tranny in a few hours or less
