Tips & Tricks for a low budget build.

StealthFighter1

StealthFighter1

Spectator
Basically I have put together a few cars and sometimes people chime in on ways to build it as far as reliable and easy ways to do something. I have a few running projects but one might be a bit more involved and "ground up" oriented .

Are there any tips and tricks you would share to build a reliable car on a budget?

We all remember the s13 project car magazine put together and how that was kinda ....eh...

The car in question is an base 5spd S14 but some of these things can apply for an s13 or other chassis.

I have two s14 ka24de's one has a good bottom (presumably) but missing cam caps and gears , the other one threw a rod , but has a whole head .I also have an s14harness and ecu and a 5spd tranny, I have a dc header and oem exhaust , I also have an rb20 in pieces but missing tranny, ecu, harness etc, so that might not be my engine choice ,very few interior pieces , no front seats... as far as suspension goes it has kyb struts with some sort of blue aftermarket springs in the rear and stock struts up front.

share your tips & tricks and throw some advice my way , creative criticism is welcome but negative comments are preferably better in pms , so as not to clutter , this could help several people , new or not.

chassis, motor , braking , anything ....but keep in mind a small restrictive budget and improvisation, diy stuff is the key. Thanks in advance and if you think I'm dumb for needing input than so be it , use your smarts to help me out and steer me in the right direction.


hope i explained myself and people don't completely bash and hate...:ugh:
 
if you take the red pill...

don't waste your time on calipers. good fluid, pads, lines, and bmc go a LONG way.

don't take risks with knock-offs, especially safety items (seats, harnesses, etc)

focus on replacing wear items (bushings, ball joints, etc). they make or a break a reliable build. save the "mods" for later.

or take the blue pill.

sell the car and save yourself from a project that will inevitably go over budget and take up more time then was ever expected.
 
Tonymac said:
if you take the red pill...

don't waste your time on calipers. good fluid, pads, lines, and bmc go a LONG way.

don't take risks with knock-offs, especially safety items (seats, harnesses, etc)

focus on replacing wear items (bushings, ball joints, etc). they make or a break a reliable build. save the "mods" for later.

or take the blue pill.

sell the car and save yourself from a project that will inevitably go over budget and take up more time then was ever expected.
Click to expand...


im taking this approach on my s13...

good advice!
 
Don't go with out of the norm swaps. its never low budget.

Like 240sx u could do CA18,KA24E(DE)[T],SR,RB. Not engines like LSx,xJZ,13b(20b), etc
 
imo the easiest way to build a cheap drift car is to keep it as foucsed as possible. simply put if it's not going to help you drift better dont buy it, welded diff, suspention components, and mild power adders that dont sacrifce reliability should be high on the list. engine cooling and a responsive ebrake are also important. sometimes coilovers are not the solution to suspention upgrades like tonymack said, take out the slop in the chasis first. also, removing unnecessary weight will increase the performance of the car especially unsprung weight such as the rims. dont forget about upgrading the stock clutch to something that can take abuse.hopes this helps but budgets are never fun! lol
 
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You can destroy drift courses with a strong/healthy KA powered 240.
Make the whole car healthy (as Tonymac said), then get some suspension.
done.

anything more, you better have money to waste or be trying to go big. Its not worth 8k for a fun track car. You can build the above car for about 1000-1500 over purchase price of the car, and have the pleasure of learning technique as well.
 
Everyone is giving you great advice. There's no reason for an sr or rb if your on a buget. You can take the 1500 you were gonna spend on a motor and put it into your car and be happy and have just as much fun and most likely have a better car that your not as concerned about beating up.
if you blow a ka you can pick another one up for 300 bucks and you swap all the bolt ons over
 
240 budget drift car :bigthumbu

DOHC KA with single cam pistons, metal headgasket and arp studs, header, exhuast, intake, good clutch and lightened flywheel, walbro 255, welded diff, good spark plugs and wires, coilovers, tie rods, bushings, aftermarket tension rods, new ball joints, strut tower bars, good brake pads a good drivers seat and harness and a drift button maybe go as far as sway bars, toe rods, and rucas

There you go you now have a cheap reliable drift car that will be quick but not fast. If you want it faster run some cams and a stand alone
 
your build should begin with everything but the motor first (if you plan on swapping) Suspension/Brakes come first
 
Tonymac said:
if you take the red pill...

don't waste your time on calipers. good fluid, pads, lines, and bmc go a LONG way.

don't take risks with knock-offs, especially safety items (seats, harnesses, etc)

focus on replacing wear items (bushings, ball joints, etc). they make or a break a reliable build. save the "mods" for later.

or take the blue pill.

sell the car and save yourself from a project that will inevitably go over budget and take up more time then was ever expected.
Click to expand...

I think I'm addicted to the blue pill:(
 
SAS said:
240 budget drift car :bigthumbu

DOHC KA with single cam pistons, metal headgasket and arp studs, header, exhuast, intake, good clutch and lightened flywheel, walbro 255, welded diff, good spark plugs and wires, coilovers, tie rods, bushings, aftermarket tension rods, new ball joints, strut tower bars, good brake pads a good drivers seat and harness and a drift button maybe go as far as sway bars, toe rods, and rucas

There you go you now have a cheap reliable drift car that will be quick but not fast. If you want it faster run some cams and a stand alone
Click to expand...

you and me have a MUCH different definition of cheap/low budget. hahahahah.
 
i'm basically going to rebuild a ka24de out of both motors and ,since i'm uncertain of the future of it all, i'll put a mls head gasket and arp head studs as insurance . i might put in a nice clutch right off the bat , but that may be out of my budget range to get the car running and driving . I'll probably trade the rb20 for a nice bucket seat or both s14 front seats . weld my diff, redo my brakes and try to just get it running and driving as well as a daily would .

i'm still debating stripping , and all that jazz . but this is where the tips part comes in....what experience would you share as far as something you did and had to redo or wish you had done and you belive made or would make your car better all around.

i'm sure we all want a track car we could trust as a daily as far as turn-key reliability goes. that's the point of this projec i suppose but all techniques and input are welcome , most things people have said so far are very good things to consider . thanks !!!
 
I wish i had started drifting on a ka. I think that you learn more car control and push yourself more to keep up. Iv seen boxmod tear up a track ka do to expierience i get in a ka and go to enter and clutch kick and wonder what happened because i bought my car sr and immediately made 250whp and then just powered over everything.
 
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