What to do with my GSX

[tenn-gsx]

Hey everyone I've been awol for quite some time. I have a 96 GSX that I spent 8 years heavily modifying.
I am currently a contractor working over seas 11 months out of the year and just don't have time to work on the car when I'm home. The thrust bearing is trashed either from te shop setting it at .07 during initial build or because of a poor adjustment on the PTT twin disk. (Probably a combination of the two)
It's a completely forged engine TRE Stage 4 trams dual fuel pump link setup. Basically the only thing stock is the body and majority of the interior.
So the car sits in my driveway under a car cover year round and I just feel sick with it sittin there doin nothing.
My wife thinks o should sell it since I now have a 2013 Mustang GT she says I don't need to have two toy cars.(I can somewhat see her point there although I can't completely agree)
So the issue is that I know I won't have time or money to do anything with the car until 2016 at the earliest.
If it was you would you sell it or would you hold on to it and wai till you can play with in ame more?

Keep in mind the Mustang will only get mild mods because it will be my daily driver for quite some time to come.
Suspension and appearance maybe a tune and a couple bolt ons but only enough t get it just over 400whp. Maybe 450-460 at the crank.

 

[motomattx]

First off, I dont see where its your wifes business, your the one that paid for the car(s). Number two a MUSTANG? really? More to your point I would hang on to the Dsm.

 

[tenn-gsx]

Yes a Mustang Really. I wanted a reliable fun fast car with a warranty that didn't cost a fortune. Bang for your buck you can't beat the GT 5.0.

As far as my wife goes she has some say in what I do and how I spend any money not needed for bills. I do weigh that opinion into my decision making. We are a team and that's just how I feel it should be done. As long as she doesn't go too far with things.

I'm inclined to agree with you on hanging on to it but it kills me knowing its sitting in the driveway doing nothing and things are degrading from just sitting.

 

[Pitstop504]

Well I can tell you from personal experience that if you don't have time to do upkeep on the car, you REALLY don't have the time to part it out. I parted out my 91 Talon TSi after my buddy totaled it and parted out my 91 Stealth RT Turbo when I spun a rod bearing and didn't have the funds to fix it at the time. Parting out cars is a lot of work and hassle. Lots of disassembly, photo taking, question answering, and shipping. Once all the performance parts are sold its hard to get rid of the bulky, non shippable stock parts unless you sell them for scrap at 8 cents a pound.

If you sell the car whole as-is you will undoubtedly not be able to build another one like it for what you sell it for, and you are likely to miss it once its gone. I agree that marriage is team work and your wife's opinion should count. If you decide to sell it I would sell it whole to a fellow DSMer on the forums. You wont get as much money as parting it out but it would be much easier and you'll feel better if you sold the car to a DSM enthusiast who would appreciate your hard work and take care of the car.

I wish I had put my Stealth under a cover for a couple years until I could afford to fix it but I really needed the money at the time. I think if I had replaced it with another cool car it wouldn't have missed it so much but finances forced me into a string of crappy pickup trucks so I never got over losing that car.

 

[henrysan]

First off, I dont see where its your wifes business, your the one that paid for the car(s). Number two a MUSTANG? really? More to your point I would hang on to the Dsm.

I would Daily driver a 2013 GT 5.0 in a heartbeat if I had the funds. And to the OP, You will feel horrible if you sell/part out the car. You being on the forums asking for opinions shows you still love the DSM!

 

[gofast63]

I would keep it. These cars seem to keep going up in value. Look at all the work you put into it. My wife thinks I should sell mine to sometimes. But when you've done all the hard work it makes it harder to let go. Plus, she changes her mind when the turbo kicks in anyway.

 

[motomattx]

Teamwork is one thing, an example of that would be what color to paint the living room or what house to buy/rent,how to pay the bills, switching jobs when it means a pay cut, having kids, etc. Selling off your spouses belongings or giving your spouse a hard time about keeping certain belongings has nothing to do with teamwork, that there is an individuals choice of what to do with something that they own outright, alot of boys were raised around fathers that were whipped or no father at all and it causes the boy to think that its normal for mommy to nag daddy into doing things that he doesnt want to do and to me thats ridiculous, if the tables were turned I doubt that she would like you making decisions like that for her. Remember cars are long term, women?...not so much.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Am I correct in understanding that your thrust play is currently .007? Your post indicates .07, which is a lot. One meets the description of "trashed" while the other is within service limit. This may or may not affect your decision.

 

[tenn-gsx]

Moto, listening to my wife's opinion is my choice. It's called respect. You you call it whipped. Fine. Don't care.
When it comes to a financial liability like a car thats nothing more than a toy and that she KNOWS I'll spend a ton of money on she certainly has a right to voice her opinion on what I should do. Particularly when she knows I am spending money modifying my new car too.
And to your point about making that type of decision for her. Your right. She didn't like it when I decided to sell her Genesis Coupe and put her in a new Durango. But she understood because we now live somewhere that snows heavily in the winter and we have children. An AWD SUV is much better for slick snow covered roads than a 350 hp sports car. That's where the team work comes in. Discussing the reasons to do something vs. the reasons not to do it.
One note about all this is that she understands that any money made from selling the Eclipse (if I sell)will be spent modifying the Mustang. So it's not like she is thinking she is going to get a bunch of money to go play with.

Pie, yes I know .007 is within spec. However it is the very edge of spec for a new assembly. Certain things should not be set on the loose side in my opinion and the end play is one of them. Particularly on an engine that has issues with crank walk. And just to be clear. The end play is huge at this point. Probably 1/4 inch or so can't remember the exact measurement. The initial measurement from assembly was .007. It's been 3+ years since I measured the current end play.

If I keep the car I'll probably try throwing a new set of mains at it first. If that does not fix it then I'll do a short block swap to a 6 bolt keeping my 7 head and intake.

 

[Eddie Tsi]

Yes a Mustang Really. I wanted a reliable fun fast car with a warranty that didn't cost a fortune. Bang for your buck you can't beat the GT 5.0.

As far as my wife goes she has some say in what I do and how I spend any money not needed for bills. I do weigh that opinion into my decision making. We are a team and that's just how I feel it should be done. As long as she doesn't go too far with things.

I'm inclined to agree with you on hanging on to it but it kills me knowing its sitting in the driveway doing nothing and things are degrading from just sitting.

Good for you, a marriage is a partnership, your wife should have her say.
My wife told me the same thing about my Talon. I convinced her that the car is my hobby and one should have to keep them sane.I say keep your Dsm, you've already done so much to it. Park it until you'll ready to play again!

 

[RamenPride]

First off, I dont see where its your wifes business, your the one that paid for the car(s).

I can tell that you're either not married or still a kid.....

I'm pretty sure the final decision is his regarding what to do with the car, but his wife has every right to voice her opinion on the matter.

Anyway, if it's just killing you that the car sits there and you have no time for it, then maybe it is time to get rid of it. You already have a replacement of sorts, and selling it will help you maintain your hobby to some degree. On the other hand, putting all that work into it already and maybe having a chance to finish it like you had planned to all along is a reason to keep it. Also, it sounds like keeping it isn't hurting you at all financially, just kind of an eyesore sitting under a cover in your driveway.

My wife has voiced her frustration several times about the car sitting undriven for the past 4-5 years. I'm in the process of getting it back on the road, but everytime I fix one thing, something else breaks. I intend on keeping it because I'm almost 99.9% certain that if I get rid of it I'll never have another sporty/sports car ever again. I'm driving one of my parent's cars and hers is 8 years old, and neither one of us is getting a new car anytime soon. If I were able to go out and buy a newer sports car/coupe/sedan I would probably sell the DSM.

 

[AlwaysSunnyOhio]

You always have to respect your wife. That being said she probably has way too many clothes and that makes perfect sense to them. The 2 cars are completely different platforms v8 and turbo 4cyl. The Mustangs are nice but these cars are a classic to me. unless you need the money for something, I would let it sit. If you ever want one again you will have to go through all the trouble finding a decent one and start all over.

 

[CrackedDSM]

My lady and I are a team as well. But we both respect each other enough to know where the line is. She's not going to constantly whine and bi*** about a car unless it gets to the point where it's damaging to my mental health, or if I'm taking money away from something important just for a toy. Which I don't do. And I don't whine or bi*** about what she has. If I ask her what she feels about it, she'll give me an honest answer...but she knows that just sitting around whining and telling me to "sell that POS" isn't going to go over well. I respect her, she respects me. I value her opinion VERY highly though so if she was to mention something about it, I'd take it seriously.



But none of that relates to the topic at hand. If you get rid of it, you're going to regret it. Especially if you plan on building it in the future anyway. Trust me, I am so glad I held onto my DSM. I almost sold it as well but very glad I held onto it. These are getting overpriced, and not to mention clean un-abused shells are getting next to impossible to find. Keep it, you'll thank yourself later.

 

[jimsgsx]

Blahbitty blah blah. Every marriage is unique in it's own way. If you want someone to push you in the right direction i'll say it then. Sell it and take your family on a mini vacation when you get home. Your family will love it. You made it pretty clear the mustang is off the table so have a little fun with the family you hardly see. Thats rough man i would hate that job, quit, and stay home with my family. Just bein real man. Family first always.

 

[gofast63]

I would keep it. These cars seem to keep going up in value. Look at all the work you put into it. My wife thinks I should sell mine to sometimes. But when you've done all the hard work it makes it harder to let go. Plus, she changes her mind when the turbo kicks in anyway.

I'm going to have to change my vote. I'm going to have to say sell it and get a different job. 11 months way from home. That's rough. I over looked that statement some how.

 

[Pitstop504]

Call me whipped but I consulted my wife before buying the 97 GSX you see in my avatar. She even helped me get the car on the trailer to get it home! This is off topic but I run a motorcycle shop and I regularly have guys ordering parts or dropping their bike off for upgrades that their wives don't know about. They tell me "don't call the house" or "I need it back by Friday or she'll notice its missing". Some of them even have "secret" credit cards. I've got no respect for those types. Just celebrated 25 years with my girl due to mutual respect. Those that are saying to ignore your wife's input just don't get it.

 

[RamenPride]

This is off topic but I run a motorcycle shop and I regularly have guys ordering parts or dropping their bike off for upgrades that their wives don't know about. They tell me "don't call the house" or "I need it back by Friday or she'll notice its missing". Some of them even have "secret" credit cards. I've got no respect for those types.

My wife knows absolutely nothing about cars, and in the beginning would question the need for any car part that the mailman/UPS/FedEx dropped off. At that point, I will admit that I started having stuff delivered to my parent's house or hiding it somewhere. Eventually, she realized that I wasn't blowing all of our money on car parts, the bills were being paid, and our cupboads and fridge weren't bare because I bought an AFPR or a wideband AFR instead of groceries. She somehow thinks that I've spent... "over $3000 in parts for a car that doesn't run/can't pass inspection.." but again, she knows nothing about cars, except you need to put gas in it and change the oil.

Now, her thing is healthy living/eating which involves buying mainly organic groceries that often run 2-3 times more than the regular/normal stuff (ie $13 for a whole organic grass fed chicken, $8 for a pound of organic grass fed ground beef, $7 for dish detergent, etc.). However, I know it makes her happy and we can afford it, so I just roll with it.

 

[rough]

If you can't put the time into the car, just part with it, don't let it sit dying a slow painful car death!
Seems the Ford has won you over, can't blame ya, they are fun at first, but that one time you pull up to a stop light and a built dsm is next to you, you will get dsm fever again while choking on his exhaust
RWD sucks balls in the winter/rain!
I drove a 383 450+ hp 3rd gen Camaro for several years through snow/rain as a daily driver, it's not fun! Ever try going up a mountain and as soon as you let off the brake your rear end is going nuts and you start sliding backwards from it on winter tires with studs....

If you want something safe you're in the wrong ball field on either car. Both are horrible in crashes.


435 horse power for the new 2015 5.0 GT
23k unloaded.
3810 Lbs!


1999 GSX
2-6k
3157 lbs

300hp Will run with the heavy 5.0

1999 GST
2-6k
2970 lbs almost 1000lbs lighter then the Mustang

Add a few grand to the GSX or GST and it will run you down if not take you.


It's all on you, do you want to be one of the few, or do you want to be like everyone else?
For reliable, I wouldn't use that and Ford in the same sentence. Yea I"m not a ford fan!!

My best friend has the 5.0, sure it's quick, but he's already had several issues from the rear end, to coil failure. Not bad for less then 8000k on the car!
I can't wait to run him on my E3 16g this spring.



For me, anyone can buy a fast car from the factory, 400hp is a nice number but at almost 4000lbs it's more or less 300ish butt horsepower at 3000lbs. I respect those who've put in the time and effort into keeping an older car on the road and making it decimate just about everything on the road at the same time.

As for the wife, i'd be like hey either I get jiggy with it on my car, or I hit up the bars with the fellas, she will always choose the car!

My final words..

Do what YOU want, regrets come from doing something someone else wants.

 

[motomattx]

Lets bottom line this. If you wanted to sell the car, this post would not exist the car would be sold. Your asking our opinions to see if your the only one feeling forced into a decision that you dont feel like making, no one wants to be alone when it comes to things like this so I understand. You can call it respect or teamwork or whatever feel good pc catch phrase that you like, it is what it is, do what you have to do, I wouldnt tolerate it, my dad wouldnt tolerate it, none of the men in my life that were good role models would have tolerated it.

 

[tenn-gsx]

Moto you are focusing on one part of my post. My wife. There are several other pieces of the puzzle. I never said my wife nags at me to sell it. She mentioned it once or twice when we're talking about finances and such.
I really don't give a rats ass what you, your dad, or some hillbilly will or will not tolerate. I have civil conversations with my wife about most everything that goes on around our house.

So bottom line is this. I don't care about your opinion on me and my wife discussing things.I asked for everyone's opinion to sell or not based on the following......


Reasons to sell

It will be 2016 or later before I can do anything with it.

I also have a Mustang for daily driving. (Fun but not the same)

The car may need a bottom end

It drives me crazy knowing that while it sits doing nothing it is slowly degrading.

Wife thinks I should



Reasons not to sell

8 years and several thousand building it.

So far most fun car I ever owned

Great sleeper

Sexy as hell

Very easy to make power.

Will probably regret it as soon as it left my driveway

If I took the DSM out right now it would out run the Stang in a straight line or on a road course without breaking a sweat.

Now the comment about the Mustang stealing my heart isn't entirely true. Yes the car is fun. Yes I plan to keep it. But it's not the same as a DSM and I will NEVER do the extreme modding to the Mustang that I have done to my DSM.

 

[RamenPride]

Reasons to sell

It will be 2016 or later before I can do anything with it.

I also have a Mustang for daily driving. (Fun but not the same)

The car may need a bottom end

It drives me crazy knowing that while it sits doing nothing it is slowly degrading.

Wife thinks I should



Reasons not to sell

8 years and several thousand building it.

So far most fun car I ever owned

Great sleeper

Sexy as hell

Very easy to make power.

Will probably regret it as soon as it left my driveway

If I took the DSM out right now it would out run the Stang in a straight line or on a road course without breaking a sweat.

Now the comment about the Mustang stealing my heart isn't entirely true. Yes the car is fun. Yes I plan to keep it. But it's not the same as a DSM and I will NEVER do the extreme modding to the Mustang that I have done to my DSM.

Well, looks like the pros outweigh the cons.

As far as the car sitting and degrading:
If the car is under a cover, the damage from being in the elements (particularly the sun) is being kept to a minimum (both the paint and interior). Your tires will likely dry rot, go flat, and need to be replaced. Any way you can roll it into the garage (if you have one) or put it in storage? Maybe put it up on jackstands to take some of the weight off of the suspension. If the car needs a rebuild/bottom end then I would just focus on preserving the rest of it since the engine is going to get ripped apart anyway.

 

[rough]

Isn't entirely true, but a little bit! I know when I got to drive my buddies, I was like man this is awesome!!
Short while later, met a fellow dsmer, took me for a ride in his GSX, made my GST feel like a N/A, not even driving it, I wanted it more

Don't let none of these guy's fool you, all men bow down to their woman at sometime or another, those who don't, not all but most end up in abusive relationships. Marriage is all about compromise and joining your two lives smoothly.
Us boys have our toys like cars, bikes, guns, and women have their toys, coach stores, clothes, makeup, QVC, spa's, ect

Do your baby a favor, fix her and driver her, and take the wife with you for a ride, make your wife fall in love with your car she will want to keep it
Made my g/f fall in love with my car, she now want's to learn how to drive a manual

I even went as far as installing purple led kick light strips for her side of the car, thoughtful, I know But little things like that help, I open the door for her every time she get's in and out, I wired in USB charger on the passenger side for her phone "hate my stick blocked by the chargers" to name a few things I"ve done for her.

 

[Torpedo]

I would keep it.

 

[tenn-gsx]

Well. I have kept it parked this long. I don't NEED the cash. Guess I'll keep it till I need the cash or till I can get it back to boosting.

 

[CrackedDSM]

Well. I have kept it parked this long. I don't NEED the cash. Guess I'll keep it till I need the cash or till I can get it back to boosting.

Best thing to do.