10 k drag car

[marT350T]

I would like to start drag racing and use a jap car. Over the past few years I have had a supra and a skyline before swapping to a tvr. I loved the new car to bits but everyone knows that they are not the most reliable cars hence wanting another jap car.

My aim would be to fully strip the car out and just use it for drag racing. It would be an ongoing project but I need a car to start .

What would you recomend and why ?

TIA

[koh]

top two choices has to be a gtr or an evo of some description

[slinky]

Try adding a post to the drag racing section for discussion as well chap..

slinky

[elster]

Or stick a 2jz into a little car?

Friend of mine put a impreza engine into a Golf Mark I, does get a respectable time doing the 1/4 mile and is a totally standard engine.

[marT350T]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am quite limited to garage space thats the worry so I was thinking alomg the lines of a pulsar gtir which can be bought for peanuts these days and spending about 7/8K on engine transmission mods.

I think that would get me about 350 bhp. With this power and totally stripped what 1/4 mile times do uou think it would set.

[vixpy1]

Supra, I had one on stock internals do 675bhp yesterday.. however, they are fairly heavy.

[wadeski]

sad to say it, but go American. an LS1 camaro is just designed to go fast down a drag strip, day after day, 1/4 mile after 1/4 mile. Heads, cam, intake can get you up to 400rwhp alone. add nitrous, drag radials, and you can run 11s all day long.

an 11 second jap car is a lot more likely to go expensively "bang"....especially with AWD (clutches become as consumable as petrol...) and red hot turbos.

In japan they drag them very effectively because teh bits are so much cheaper! i know a guy who had a 400+bhp 180sx out in japan and everytime it broke he could get bits of auctions and friends. The T04R turbo he had on it must have made it ineteresting to drive!!!

if you like hte japanese style, by all means do it, but if you want to get really fast, i would go Yank....

If you do go japanese, try looking for an imported SR20DET 180sx - light, and the SR20 can make silly power if you dont care about driveability.

[marT350T]

[quote=wadeski]sad to say it, but go American. an LS1 camaro is just designed to go fast down a drag strip, day after day, 1/4 mile after 1/4 mile. Heads, cam, intake can get you up to 400rwhp alone. add nitrous, drag radials, and you can run 11s all day long.

If you do go japanese, try looking for an imported SR20DET 180sx - light, and the SR20 can make silly power if you dont care about driveability.

That does make sence. Thanks

[R1 GTR]

vixpy1 said:

Supra, I had one on stock internals do 675bhp yesterday.. however, they are fairly heavy.

Strip it?

[steve bowen]

MR2 Turbo, in japan they run in the 4wd class as traction is so good.

This is my old 270bhp ones speedo from a sidestepp clutch standing start :-

www.steve-bowen.co.uk/MR2/0-80.mpeg

I take it you've seen that there are plenty of FAST MR2's about :-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0AExBn-8sE


1. Go buy a cracked ringland rev2 for £1000
2. Get engine rebuilt with forged items £4000 all in
3. Buy one of TB dev GT ballbearing kits with a BIG turbo GT35 ish £2400 ish
4. Buy a LINK XLEM or similar and get mapped £1600
5. ATS racing CV joint things £200
6. Strip the car out
7. Spend the change on odds and sods you'll find you need to make it work
8. Have fun in an extremely fast car.

Edited by steve bowen on Thursday 19th April 21:37

[The GMan]

Get a GTiR stick most of it in a Micra. Think it's been done before, I reckon it would be great fun.

Obviously it not as easy as just throwing the engine in.

Edited by The GMan on Friday 20th April 13:25

[slinky]

It's worth considering what series you intend on racing the car in.. If it's an MSA regulated series you will need to consider all of the mandated safety aspects.

[marT350T]

Gazboy said:

I assume the £10k is all in- the car and mods? If so I think Steve is on the money with the MR2.

Yes 10k is car and mods

Why would you recomend a MR2 over a Pulsar ?

I must admit a micra with gtir running gear and motor would be nice.

My intentions would just use if for RWYB for the first year and then maybe go into a series after that. The only problem being I work offshore so would not be able to attend all the events.

[hodgy587]

Do you want to keep it road legal?
Its funny slinky and myself had a brief conversation about building a jap drag racer earlier this week.
How about an old school supra and transplant a small block chevy into it. easily done for under 10k. this would leave you with a nice starter set up that you could develop if you wanted to race seriously later on.

www.587racing.com
www.myspace.com/587racing

Edited by hodgy587 on Friday 20th April 17:06

[marT350T]

Not bothered about it being road legal. I would like some reliability though, not after something that is going to brake down after every run ( I have the TVR for that !)

[hodgy587]

Gazboy said:

hodgy587 said:

Do you want to keep it road legal?
Its funny slinky and myself had a brief conversation about building a jap drag racer earlier this week.
How about an old school supra and transplant a small block chevy into it. easily done for under 10k. this would leave you with a nice starter setup that you could develope if you wanted to race seriously later on.

www.587racing.com

At this price bracket the chevy engine has nothing to offer over the 1jz or 7M Supra engine, infact £ per bhp it may well go in favour of the Supra engine anyway.

disagree my 383 sbc cost £2500 and that was with all brand new parts, its about 520 bhp and has a torque curve flatter than a witches tit, goes above 400 ftlb at 2500rpm and doesnt drop below 400 ftlb until 6600rpm i think 9.6 second quarter at 140 mph speaks for itself

Edited by hodgy587 on Friday 20th April 17:24

[hodgy587]

As an average working bloke on a budget I had to research a lot into our racecar and found out its very easy to throw a lot of money at an engine that could be easily built yourself. we bought all the parts from the states (gota love that $2 to the £ exchange) and assembled it ourselves and anybody with basic mechanical skills could do the same as the engines are so basic. Its also worth considering you can purchase a gearbox that would take 850 bhp for the equivalent of £800

[hodgy587]

Gazboy said:

Er, where did you get that 500bhp 383 from for £2.5k? I can't find anything even close for sale, at anywhere near that price, never mind sales tax, import tax, shipping etc... cheapest so far is a 383 450bhp engine for $6400.

My out house, sorry engine shop with a little help from jegs.com

[wadeski]

im sorry, a Camaro WILL make a better drag car than an MR2...and the faster you want to go, the more the Camaro's advantage will be evident. i.e. when you fancy turbocharging the LT1/LS1, the sheer power (700bhp or so) will outstrip the weight advantage of the MR2. Start with more...end with more. 2L vs 5.7L!

www.pistonheads.com/sales/141658.htm

there's your LT1, for just £6000!

now if you cant put it into the 11s for £4000, you can batter me with a con-rod.

heads/cam/breathing/nitrous is one route, with some drag radials.

intercooled Procharger and drag radials is another...

probably not enough in the budget for a full on Turbo setup, but that could be next years project, when you get a cage and aim for low 10s

[turbo-tastic]

200SX with either an RB25/26 DET(T) or a 2JZGTE in it

You can get a good shell/donor for as little as £300, and putting either engine in is well documented on tinterweb, and kits are available.

Then the rest of your budget will easily see very, very good power, and with proper stripping/strengthening of the the shell you'd get very god times indeed