$10,000 and a 1gen. What should I buy?

[hybridmitsu]

So basically I've had my 1st gen GSX as a project car for almost two years now. During the time that I've owned it, it has never ran or moved from its spot in the garage.

Recently I've decided to take a loan out for $10,000 to finish it. But going over my list of mods that I want to do, it looks like even that won't be enough. I've already spent a few thousand dollars on it so far and maybe you guys can help me out on deciding what to get next.

My mod list as it stands right now:

6 bolt block-
1g rods
2g pistons
Clevite rod bearings (soon to get mains as well)
Arp mains (going to buy the rod bolts soon)
Balance shafts removed
New front case w/oil pump gears
All new timing components w/a new kevlar timing belt
New alternator

1g Head-
Mild street port
HKS 272's w/adjustable cam gears
Crower valves w/1mm over black nitrated exhaust valves
Titanium retainers
Crower single valve springs
Cometic Metal Head Gasket

Fuel-
-6an fuel line. Both feed and return.
Aeromotive AFPR w/liquid filled gauge
Powder coated fuel rail
3"GM Maf w/translator

Other parts-
New slave cylinder
Two new slim line fans 1200cfm each
New knock and O2 sensors
New foward facing oil filter housing
External Oil cooler
Polyurethane motor mounts
-----------------------------------------------------

List of stuff that I want to get-

Hotbits Coilovers
Camber kit
Shep Tranny
SBR Clutch 3500 or 4000
SBR Flywheel
Two Seats
Two Harnesses
Gauges
Quaife Front Diff
Cusco Center Diff
4bolt Rear End (?)
Kaaz Rear Diff
Fluidyne Radiator
Tubular O2 Housing
Big Brakes
SBR GT-11 Turbo
SBR Cast Exhaust Manifold
Wheels/Tires
SBR 1g Race FMIC
Magnus Intake Manifold
Fidanza Front Left/Front Right Axles
650cc or 750cc Injectors
DSM Link
Short Shifter
Bride Steering Wheel Off Ebay
Fuel Filter
3" exhaust
-----------------------------------------------------

From the list of stuff that I want to get I would've already spent my 10,000 and would still need more money. Unless of course all of you guys could steer me in the right direction or at least suggest some parts that I should or should not buy from my list.

I want my car to produce about 400 hp no more no less. I want the car to accelerate fast, (hence the BB turbo from Slow Boy) and have a very strong midrange. Handling is very important to me, as I am very much interested in road racing over drag racing. So as long as it's nimble and corners flat I'll be happy.

Based on my parts that I have and the parts that I want to buy, could any of you help me out as to what my next move for my car should be.

Thanks everbody, I appreciate any help I can get.

 

[awdtalontsi1992]

With all those parts and money if you don't make 400hp you would be an idiot. You could probably make that kind of power for alot less than $10,000. You have a good base setup. I would loose those expensive LSDs. They are nice but at the horsepower level you want they are definately not necessary. Put the money somewhere else. Also you might want to consider switching those 272s for a set of 264s. Would definately help with the midrange you want. Have you thought about poly bushings for your car? Upgraded Sway bars? Good luck and let us all know how it turns out.

 

[hybridmitsu]

I wanted the cusco diff to help throw the ass end out in corners. Hopefully to combat understeer and aid in faster corner exits. I know its not needed but Im hoping to be able to afford it.

 

[gthompson97]

I think some of the stuff you are buying wouldn't be *needed* to make it to 400hp, but will definitely give you that extra insurance. For example, you probably don't NEED a new radiator, but it will help keep the car cool. And you can get a good Ebay core intercooler and a piping kit and save yourself probably $500 on just the intercooler.

Instead of completely switching the 272's for 264, you could go with the 264/272 combo. It's a good combo for a higher hp street car.

 

[hybridmitsu]

I think some of the stuff you are buying wouldn't be *needed* to make it to 400hp, but will definitely give you that extra insurance. For example, you probably don't NEED a new radiator, but it will help keep the car cool. And you can get a good Ebay core intercooler and a piping kit and save yourself probably $500 on just the intercooler.

I agree. I think its the same way with a lot of the things on my list, however I will be driving this car around as my daily so I want to make sure that I choose parts that will add to the longevity of the vehicle.

 

[Dark_Horse]

If you're going for a lot of mid range power, stick with the 1G intake manifold. It beats out every other SMIM in the mid range dept by a long shot. See the thread on the intake shootout test.

And you definitely don't need a 4 bolt rear end with 400hp.

I just saved you about $800.

 

[EvolvingGST]

Lose all the diffs, get a shep rebuild w/ torsen style center diff. AND YOU DO NOT NEED ANY TUBULAR CRAP.

Consider another turbo, something smaller and not ball bearing. I would ask people about spooling characteristics of other turbos before getting raped on a ball bearing turbo.

I would also tell you keep the 272s and that is life. also you will need a 255 lph fuel pump.

Gauges to get, Boost, EGT, and Oil Pressure

 

[LinuxWarDriver]

Hey...I know high preformance cars are cool and all but you are breaking the number 1 rule. If you can't pay cash you can't play the game....

High-preformance cars are a great hobby but a poor master.

Don't take the loan... continue to piece your car together with cash. It will mean more to you and you won't hate it once you are done paying off the loan 20 years from now (at min. payments with 10% intrest will end up costing you around $14800) Not to mention by the time 20 years goes by....the car will probably be wrecked in a scrap yard somewhere if it hasn't been crushed and turned into a toaster by then.

I know I sound like a stick in the mud. But it sounds like you are trying to let this car define you. Your car doesn't define you but rather it expresses a part of you. So I'm all for having a hot rod import...just pay cash for it. Then it will be yours and not the bank's.

just my 2 cents.

 

[90dsm]

Hey...I know high preformance cars are cool and all but you are breaking the number 1 rule. If you can't pay cash you can't play the game....

High-preformance cars are a great hobby but a poor master.

Don't take the loan... continue to piece your car together with cash. It will mean more to you and you won't hate it once you are done paying off the loan 20 years from now (at min. payments with 10% intrest will end up costing you around $14800) Not to mention by the time 20 years goes by....the car will probably be wrecked in a scrap yard somewhere if it hasn't been crushed and turned into a toaster by then.

I know I sound like a stick in the mud. But it sounds like you are trying to let this car define you. Your car doesn't define you but rather it expresses a part of you. So I'm all for having a hot rod import...just pay cash for it. Then it will be yours and not the bank's.

just my 2 cents.

I would have to agree with this.
The car will mean so much more to you if you spend YOUR hard earned money on it. Would you rather drive the car out of your driveway the first time and think " damn that was worth the hard work" or " when is my next payment do?"
Ive done both and i like the first one (hard work and your cash) much better.

 

[boostedinaz]

Hey...I know high preformance cars are cool and all but you are breaking the number 1 rule. If you can't pay cash you can't play the game....

High-preformance cars are a great hobby but a poor master.

Don't take the loan... continue to piece your car together with cash. It will mean more to you and you won't hate it once you are done paying off the loan 20 years from now (at min. payments with 10% intrest will end up costing you around $14800) Not to mention by the time 20 years goes by....the car will probably be wrecked in a scrap yard somewhere if it hasn't been crushed and turned into a toaster by then.

I know I sound like a stick in the mud. But it sounds like you are trying to let this car define you. Your car doesn't define you but rather it expresses a part of you. So I'm all for having a hot rod import...just pay cash for it. Then it will be yours and not the bank's.

just my 2 cents.

You are no stick in the mud just the bringer of truth.

Do not take a loan to modify your car, it will be the dumbest thing you could do.

No matter how you look at it you just don't have the money to mod so why screw yourself now? On top of this most lending institutions won't just lend someone 10K they have to have collateral or if they do a siganture loan, no collateral, then the rates are very high and the approval minimums are a lot higher.


Again, this is a bad idea and not recommended.

 

[endlessMyk]

Loan to buy upgrades for car..... bad idea. No more needs to be said.

 

[slugsgomoo]

yeah, save the money, and do it when you own it. What's worse than owing money on something, than owing money on something that is broken, or you wreck, and can't use.

On the other hand...

I'd go with an FP turbo, personally-


For your setup, get some hotbits, 9:1 pistons or a cyclone manifold, a 20g, a nice fmic, and some 720's. Then spend a bit on poly bushings, a rear sway, and some nice tires.

You'll have chopped your budget in half, and attain the goals you have.

 

[Booster-Shot]

Hmmm with 10k and a 1g you should buy......


a 2nd gen.

 

[JDNSBR]

I agree, modding your car should be a hobby. Loans should be used for either new cars or for a house. Only take them when you need them. No sense is taking one out and paying on it with interest just get something you want and don't necessarily need. Also, if for some reason something happens and you can't make payments then your credit is screwed for the future things like I already mentioned. No need to do that for the craving of going fast.

 

[EvolvingGST]

I agree, modding your car should be a hobby. Loans should be used for either new cars or for a house. Only take them when you need them. No sense is taking one out and paying on it with interest just get something you want and don't necessarily need. Also, if for some reason something happens and you can't make payments then your credit is screwed for the future things like I already mentioned. No need to do that for the craving of going fast.

Shhhh you are taking money out of Slowboy's pocket... j/k...

Well there you have it from everyone, including a vendor. I think you need to reevaluate what you are doing with your car... You seem to need to think about your mods again. Not to be an ass about this but you named a lot of crap you didn't need and you are spending the money friviously, especially since you DONT have the money.

Think about your next move... What should you buy? If it was me..

Turboback you can get one for like 600 if you dont want the brand names like HKS or APEX
Megan Racing make a great catback from what I heard for little money... (You will be surprised the ammount of HP you get from eliminating all exhaust restrictions)

Then I think you need to save up money and get some stuff.

FMIC $800
Injectors $280
Fuel Pump $100
Turbo 16g $500, 20G $1050, FPGreen $1350
DSMLink $600

Get the tranny rebuild when you need it or can afford it, you don't have to do it now. So that will help you on your way. And you can do small stuff like short shifters but please don't include stuff like seats and harnesses in your estimates until you have actually reached other goals. You can either spend your money on making your car look fast or being fast is what I am saying I guess.

 

[orangedsm]

You are going about this all wrong.

Rebuild the car back to semi-stock form and get it reliable. Forget all the differentials and coil-overs right now. If you want to be fast at the track the most important thing is seat time. You may not realize this now, but by throwing all that money at the car you are just increasing your learning curve to nearly unmanageable levels.

The driver is the limiting factor 90% of the time. Once your driving skills are beyond that of the car, and only then, is when you start upgrading parts.

If you are set on getting the loan (which is a bad idea) spend the money on track time and tires. That's all you need to worry about right now. Or you could just buy a used EVO VIII and have a faster, better handling, more reliable car from the get-go.

 

[hybridmitsu]

Wow... All this definitely puts things in perspective for me. I see how this whole car situation has been getting out of hand for a while now. Since I've gotten it, I have had to adjust my lifestyle and many other things in hopes of seeing this project come to fruition.

I may not get the loan, but I will definitely tone down my 'want list' and buy just the bare essentials to get this car running.

Thank you all for helping me out with this decision.

By the way, I think i see a TD05 20g in my future also. They spool fast and it would bring me to my goal of 400 hp on my setup if tuned correctly... Right? I forgot to add to my list that I have a Walbro 255 (high pressure) fuel pump as well.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

Just don't sell it if you throw another $10,000 at it... You would basically hafto keep it forever, Or lose out on ALOT of money!

 

[garrett21]

Couple of things i didn't see in your list are an AFC, also a wide band air/fuel gadge.
Also with 400hp, and making it your daily driver you don't need a super strong clutch, and you will thank yourself when you are stuck in traffic.

 

[PaulN]

I agree. Get the car running good on a stock setup first.

You said you haven't had the car running in 2 years but you want to throw all these modifcations at it? That could get very complicated when things aren't working right after having all this new stuff on it and it still won't run. It's easy to troubleshoot on a stock build (you have the DSM sites and the FSM's) but when you have a complicated setup that doesn't run you may end up spending even more to get a professional tuner to sew it all up and finally get it running.

Slow and steady wins the race which is what everyone is trying to tell yah. Spend what you can when you can and give yourself time to make sure every piece works with your current setup before moving onto the next item in your recipe. You'll end up with a much better running car and greater satisfaction when it's all said and done and not in bankruptcy over a toy.

Good luck.

 

[fourreGsixty3]

I would have to agree with most of the people on here. Getting a loan would be the worst idea for you because you dont have the $$$, and if you sell the car you would still be in-debt.So, I would start out with smaller more realistic goals as some people have told me. Save some $$$ on the side and pay for things such as a stock 14B since you dont have one at all or an evo3 16G if you really want, turbo-back exhaust, and something like an act 2600 or 2100 clutch kit they are in the 400$ range. So set small goals for yourself, and go from there. Also I dont remember who said it but megan racing makes a great exhaust for the price, less constriction then the apexi n1's also. Oh yeah, visit the tech guides for Hp increase of 1Gs, and follow the steps that they show you such as starting with the software for your power gains in the future, and the stock 14B can see 12s on the track with the proper tuning so upgrading your turbo doesnt have to be the first thing you do.
G'luck
I forgot to mention...search around for the best prices on the parts you want and make sure that the parts you are buying will work well together.

 

[hybridmitsu]

Just don't sell it if you throw another $10,000 at it... You would basically hafto keep it forever, Or lose out on ALOT of money!

Hehehe.. I hadn't planned on selling it. If I get it done the way I wan't eventually, I wouldn't mind keeping it in a garage for my son some day.

The problem that remains though is that I still have a ways to go. And I don't know if I can wait long enough..

I still have no turbo, no exhaust manifold, no FMIC, no seats, no seat belts, no wheels, no exhaust, no intake manifold... Im getting very upset just thinking about it. I don't even know if this project is worth doing. It doesn't seem like I will ever get it running. I don't know what to do now.

 

[fourreGsixty3]

Hehehe.. I hadn't planned on selling it. If I get it done the way I wan't eventually, I wouldn't mind keeping it in a garage for my son some day.

The problem that remains though is that I still have a ways to go. And I don't know if I can wait long enough..

I still have no turbo, no exhaust manifold, no FMIC, no seats, no seat belts, no wheels, no exhaust, no intake manifold... Im getting very upset just thinking about it. I don't even know if this project is worth doing. It doesn't seem like I will ever get it running. I don't know what to do now.

Im sure we have all felt like this one time while we have been modding our DSMs. Perhaps you should save your $$$ and get an awd 1g for round 2k that runs then start from there. Just a suggestion.
Good Luck

 

[PaulN]

I agree. You may be better off keeping this one for parts and finding a nice, running car as a good platform to build off of.

I know how you feel though. Sucks having something so fun sitting in the garage with no end in sight. I feel for yah.

 

[Zero Bar]

Your in the same situation my friend is in, he's had his car for 2 years now and never driven it. Don't go into debt for your car like that, if you wreck it a week after you finally get it together you're screwed. Take your time, pay cash, and do it right.
You have some good ideas for what you want to do with your car, as for the suspension...the Ground Control coilovers are inexpensive and would do just fine for road racing to strart out. I just purchased a custom made seat for my big a$$ for $500 from Butler Racing, their standard size seats are only $200 which is a lot less than a MOMO or Sparco.
Look around hard enough and you can reach your goals for the money you want to spend.