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newdefault
Posted on 2001.06.14 at 18:03
Music: radio.dk
for kevin's benefit:

potential cars eventually destined for miki include:
1989-1991 mazda rx7 convertible
1990-1992 nissan 300zx 2-seater t-top
1992-1994 nissan 240sx convertible (imagine it with this bodykit)
(and just for good measure, i'm gonna throw in:)
1991-1995 toyota mr2 non-turbo - definitely easy to find in the right price range, definitely a good platform for fun visual mods (especially the trd wide body kit), and apparently not too hard to swap MR2 turbo parts onto according to this page.

no, neither of the first two (or #4) will be the turbo model. i need to be able to afford to insure whatever this thing ends up being :P

however, if door #3 ends up being the one taken, an SR20DET (japanese silvia- think turbo se-r motor) swap will probably be the end result.

hopefully i'll be able to find one of the above for between $5-10k in decent shape...
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Comments:

.:diva.miki:.
hokulani at 2001-06-14 20:49 (UTC) (Link)

oOoOoOoh...

marshal just told me to read yer lj...

i like door #3 almost better than the rx7...

*smooch*

--can't wait to see you tomorrow
(Reply) (Thread)
betternewthings at 2001-06-15 01:44 (UTC) (Link)

no boost?

boost! it does a body good!

I note that there is a strong tendency towards convertibles. May I suggest something Bavarian? the E30 325i convertibles are easily chipped to the mid 170hp for relatively cheap, are really bulletproof, and make really neat-o straight six noises.

That being said, I have a fear of convertibles - less structural stability, more darwin-factor when rubber-side up, unless you've got a good four or six point bar, and those may foul the top.

Nowadays you can get some seriously potent hardware for the 5-10 range - I've been considering an Audi or Volvo turbo wagon - beige, baby on board sticker, 20psi of boost!
(Reply) (Thread)
Generation Y's Howard Beale
dk at 2001-06-15 13:03 (UTC) (Link)

Re: no boost?

yeah, i know, boost good, which is why i'm keeping the idea of the SR20DET swap a possibility with the 240sx convertible. i just don't wanna pay for insurance on a turbo car- and the VG30DE and 13B motors are pretty damned good in and of themselves...

as far as the bimmer- yes, very nice idea, those things can be made M3-fast easily w/ a few upgrades... find me one between 5 and 10k at a dealership and i'm sure miki will thank you for it, but i haven't had much luck yet.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
betternewthings at 2001-06-15 14:18 (UTC) (Link)

Re: no boost?

Eeeek! Stealerships are evil.
http://www.traderonline.com - find a car you like, have the owner take it to a good shop, and split the cost of the bill of health.

Every time I've been to a car dealer I've been told the most absurd fairy tales, except for the days when I walk in with my Skip Barber Racing School sweatshirt, at which point they figure I know what's going on - and ignore me, because they don't think they can make any money off me.

BTW, are you sure you're willing to deal with the low top speeds, high darwin factor, and loose handling of the soft-tops?
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
Generation Y's Howard Beale
dk at 2001-06-15 14:59 (UTC) (Link)

Re: no boost?

unfortunately, i have to go to a dealership, because the whole point of this exercise is lowering my debt level by trading in my GTI-VR6.

low top speed is OK. i've seen the far side of 150mph, and don't think i'm going back anytime soon... since i wrapped one of my older GTI's around a tree at 120mph the internal "chicken" (or maybe "sanity" is a better word?) alarm kicks in whenever i break 110 or so.

(luckily, that doesn't stop me from keeping up with rustang 5.0's on the freeway like i did last night- i love that "why the fuck can't i lose this hatchback?!" look on the drivers' faces ;)

high darwin factor will be taken care of by a roll bar ASAP *if* a convertible is purchased.

& yeah, frame flex in a convertible is something of an issue, but there are ways of addressing that.

but honestly, i'm leaning hardest towards the mr2 at this point... that wide-body kit is all fiberglass, with the omission of that nasty rear wing, a carbon-fiber hood, and the usual weight reduction tricks, i think it'd be possible to shave as much as 200lbs from the car.

do that and the fact that you only start with about ~140hp makes a lot less difference... & the lego-mentality with which toyota builds their cars means it'd be easy to run a conservative 200hp turbo setup on the car using factory parts... (mr2 turbo exhaust manifold & intercooler all bolt up using stock mounting points)

that in a 2500-lb RWD car would be a fun and fairly simple project, since almost all of the parts would come directly from Toyota.
(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)
betternewthings at 2001-06-16 19:04 (UTC) (Link)

neat-o

the bavarian offerings are rather nice, although you do have to pay bmw prices on service, if you know the right people it's not that bad.

i do love the mr2's, but i prefer the older ones due to light weight. the 3s-gte motor is amazing, but it's always seemed like a rally car motor to me, and i want something really small that revs like a motorcycle.

then again, my commitment to Going Really Fast (TM) is pretty far out there.
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