No way around it, i just want to get the fastest car i can for around 7k. I have decent skills at wrenching, so anything short of swapping motor or tranny i can do.
honestly any suguestions are helpfull. Important things in this order is: Price, Speed, reliability, looks.
Current car is a 02 V6 firebird, so if i can just mod that to be faster that would be nice too.
OP here, May help to note: I live in california. Smog is a thing for me
Just get a sports bike.
Swap current car with a crate motor?
Grab a friend who has done swaps before if you don't feel confident. Read a shit ton of forum posts too.
If your goal is to go as fast as possible for as little money as possible you can't beat bikes.
3k Civic and LS swap
this
get a motorcycle
Sorry, bikes are a no-go. Dad crashed his and almost died. dude just swerved into his lane. Really dont want to do a bike.
Are swaps really that easy? from what i know it takes like days and a lot of work to do that. I also work 40 hrs a week and go to school, so any day job is like a week for me :/
Swap an LS into my firebird might be the easiest way, i mean, the body fits it cos the WS6's had an LS
Bike, for $7k you can get one faster than any car under $100k.
well because cali it hurts alot
>v6 firebird
boost it (super or turbo pic one)
v8 swap
if you didn't have a car i'd say rotary with decent compression, turbo it/tuning
fits your price, looks and speed
you can get a dirt cheap one that'll last a good while at being a rocket
but exact timeframe is a gamble with the really dirt cheap ones, a nice one will cost more, and you'd need to learn the things to look out for when buying so you don't buy one someone ruining by "only overheated a little" or something else really bad fo them
lots of v8 cars can be had cheap, the looks is subjective and everything else is met for ssure
Im not finding any turbo or super kits for less than 3k. is that what they all cost, or am i not looking in the right place?
>Swap an LS into my firebird might be the easiest way, i mean, the body fits it cos the WS6's had an LS
So did regular Trans Ams and Formula Firebirds.
So post a pic of a fucking 40K superbike...
Get a motorcycle. Your dad is a retard.
Just because once upon a time a disc harrow swallowed your drunk uncle Cletus doesn't mean you need to stay away from disc harrows.
Your best bet is to either swap a Ls OR to supercharge the 3800 that you've already got. The 3800 has a huge aftermarket for supercharging
I think im looking to super or turbo it then. (i know what the two do, dont need an explanation). Im looking for more high end power so i think ill do turbos. anywhere in specific i should look for a kit?
>want to go fast
>afraid of becoming roadkill because someone you knew 'almost' died
Reevaluate your priorities.
Find a foxbody that someone did a 351 swap on
Not op but how reliable would that be?
if you crash at 60 mph in a car or 60 mph in a bike, i bet you can guess whitch one hurts more
Truck LS engine, 4.8/5.3/6.0
TH350 or TH400
stock ECU and harness
3 bar MAP
228/230 cam
PAC 1218 springs
$400 78/75 china turbo
$90 wastegate
homemade hotside
$100 ebay intercooler + $100 piping
depending on model years, gen III motors can go up to like ~550hp without bending a rod, gen IV motors could go up to ~950hp. you could put gen IV rods in your gen III motor
good luck
also watch all of this guy's videos, his colorado and fairmont vids especially
youtube.com
The car obviously.
Dead people don't feel stuff.
Just junkyard v8 swap it OP, Ito do the emissions pass thingy you need to swap computer from the newer car and do some vin stamping shenanigans that will set you around $400-600 USD but it's doable. A complete LS swap could set you around 5k if want to DIY right, mind of doing some fabrication and welding ofc (that's the fun part). Get sturdier internals and a decent income if you plan to keep this car running for a decent amount of years :^)
>am i not looking in the right place?
ebay.com
Get your 44mm wastegate, intercooler, and piping on ebay, build your own hotside with scrap/autozone stainless
You're probably going to need like 2k for labor total so keep that in mind when swapping in an engine.
OP is better off working to pay for labor costs since he wants a smooth running car and has time obligations. As for the swap it may cost 8k but I think firebird ls swap is pretty badass.
Save yourself some trouble, sell your car and buy a Trans Am instead. If you LS swap your car you will still be limited by the T5 5 speed(assuming manual here) transmission, Trans Ams have the much beefier T56 6 speed. You can't supercharge your car without body modifications either, the engine is tucked back too far.
>Current car is a 02 V6 firebird, so if i can just mod that to be faster that would be nice too.
>3800
Nope.
If that was a 2.8, 3.1, or 3.4, you might have some decent options, but the 3.8 is a turd not worth sinking money into.
Anyways, as to fast on a budget. Look into DSMs, particularly first gen cars. You'll want a turboj model.
In case you don't know, DSMs are the 1990-1994 Plymouth Laser, 1990-1999 Eagle Talon, and 1990-1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse. First gen cars are all 1990-1994 models.
351 is a solid engine and isn't tough to swap. Just as reliable as a 302 and you can build it into a 400+ ci stroker without much problem.
You want cheap power then listen
3000$ integra
3000$ on motor + turbo + tuning
1000$ on tranny/axles
Save a lil more for street slicks
after much debate with myself, we have a winner. Ive been looking at craigslist and found at least a couple WS6's and Trans Ams in great quality and for the right price.
you are right about the autotragic, but i just got this one while i was commuting to school and didnt want to bother with a manual. definately getting one this time around. Thanks for all your help guys
if you want to go as fast as you possibly can in a straight line for as cheap as you can id say just get a civic.
shell for 500-1000$ and a full h22a or f20b swap for 1500-2500$ if you're doing it all yourself. most things bolt in so its super easy as far as engine swaps go.
You can piece together a turbo kit on the cheap that can be pretty damn reliable too for around 1500-2000 grand if you look at used parts or you can go and get a pretty complete 800ish dollar ebay turbo kit. They're actually not too bad and the cast iron manifolds can hold some decent power.
People also suggest running an oil restrictor and the ebay set ups. Getting a good tune means all the difference too, you can use stock internals dont let people fool you
also junkyard gm3800 superchargers shouldn't be hard to find. plenty of buicks had it, might even find the whole car for less than 1k local
sometimes running and crashed ls cars are on craigslist for cheap. normally they are good enough condition to drive or atleast be able to check engine health.
Turbo z friend
foxbody ls mustang with a cobra swap
1980s corvette
literally any $7000 motorcycle will always be the fastest
and seeing as how you already own a car you should really consider getting a sportbike to use in the summer time
swapping can vary, if community for the car care enough it is likely going to be easier to learn how to set it up. might be why i dont see many Ls swapped rx8s yet, but instead see swapped 240sx, r32, and rx7s more. even though people around nc seem to really hate rx8s with a passion mostly because of its engine.
he could be driving a total shitbox and not have much cash though. even then a 5k bike can be tuned to be close ish to a 6/7k bike for fairly cheap. 3k bikes like groms though id only suggest if hes learning to ride and scared of shit. even then id only say that if its used and around 2k.
SRT 4 with a tune and minor mods.
You'll need a K-member, an engine (obviously), the engine's wiring harness and computer, and possibly a trans.
Doing an LS swap into a V6 F-body isn't unheard of.