cheapest way to go fast?

[Carrera Kid]

OK, here is a little background on this. We have a competition where I work every year. We take our cars to the local drag strip and have a bracket-race day. Of course being bracket racing, it's consistency that's important, not how fast you can do the 1/4 mi. But bragging rights do come with having the fastest car.

So if you were staring from scratch (having no car to start with), what would you do to get the lowest 1/4 mi time for the least amount of money. Here are a few rules:

-car must be street legal (mufflers, drag radials, etc)
-if it is an '88 or newer, it must be emissions legal

That's about it for the rules. I had ideas like an engine swap, just to make it more of a fun project (V-8 into an RX7?). The most popular idea seems to be to get a cheap 5.0L Mustang and put nitrous on it.

Any other ideas?

Rick

[id10t]

Put a 454 into the front end of a MG or Austin Healey... Or a 3.2/3.6 911 engine in a 914, 356, or VW bus

[widebody911]

Why 1988?

What are the rules? If they say it's a 'vehicle' and has to be 'smog legal' then why not a sport bike?

[Jims5543]

Do like everyone else and buy something with a LS1 and through a 300 shot on it.

The V-8 in the RX-7 would be fast, light chassis then add in lots of N2O and you'll probably have a 11 second car maybe a 10 second, how big of a shot do you want to run?

[Moses]

In the 1/4 mile, it's all about big rubber. Adding nitrous to a big V8 in a lightweight car is a great start, but you'll need the widest rears you can find. I have a sedan that runs 0-60 in 4.3. The limitation is trying to reduce wheelspin at launch.

[Carrera Kid]

A little more clarification on the rules.

The reason for the emissions rule is that I'm in Ontario, Canada. The current rule is that anything older than a model year 1988 is emission exempt. Anything newer will have to pass smog test to drive it in the road.

As for the motorcycles, no, they aren't allowed in the competition due to the obvious advantage.

While I like the idea of a big block engine in a small/light car, as pointed our, traction is a problem. I like the V-8 Miata (though I don't think it would be particularly cheap to do) I think traction is a problem. I don't know of any running low 12's. Oh, by the way, that would be the current goal with this vehicle since that's the current record in this competition (12.60 @ 112mph).

I had a Cobra replica with a basically stock 5.0L that ran 12.89. The second one I built had about 80 more HP, roughly the same weight, and ran 13.25; traction was a serious problem.

I think it was Hot Rod magazine a while back that had an article about stuffing a 500ci Caddy engine in a Chevette. Now that was nice!

Rick

[deathpunk dan]

Cheap speed?
-5.0 fox body stang, no doubt. Junkyard parts can yield a beast.
-1st gen DSM AWD car...I've personally seen a 91 eclipse gsx run 12's for under $1800 in mods.
-turbo dodge from the 80's ie shelby omni etc

There's a guy near me with a Triumph TR8 with a late model range rover 4.6 in it...runs 10's.

[pwd72s]

"There is no substitute for cubic inches." -Stroker McGurk

[asphaltgambler]

Car Craft Mag/Rag did excactly this a few years back. They took a chevette and stuffed a caddy 501CI v-8 and trans into it. They had to change the rear because of the torque tube set-up. I believe they used a mustang II rear because of the width. All the pieces were out of the junkyard and they were able to get that thing way into the 12's....... all stock junk.

There is a shop in Kali that is called cadillac perfomance dot com. They had all sorts of bolt-on goodies for a caddy v-8

They did some research and found that the chevette was about the lightest / lowest cost car to start with plus they are plentifull. Caddy engine/trans combos are still fairly easy to find as well.. An alternate combo would be a 455 olds/trans in the same car.

Lots-o-possibilities on the cheap if your sole purpose is to go fast / drag race.

[Mr_Wizard]

HE HE HE!!!!

[RANDY P]

I'd find an early Chevy station wagon, gut it out, and hot rod the motor. Problem solved.

rjp

[masraum]

Miata with a 5.0 mustang engine. It's a common swap, there are kits. You can get miata really cheap, you can get 5.0 engines pretty cheap. The only potential week spot will be the drive train. Trying to drag launch a miata with a torquey V-8 and the standard tranny and diff will only work if really careful. Someone did this same thing for the GRM magazine $2000 shootout a few years back.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Get a sport bike and stick two training wheels on it to make it a "car".

[JeremyD]

For the 1/4 mile hard to beat a fox body or honda hatch with a turbo/nitrous.

[yellowline]

May I suggest a Civic with a Vornado and lots of stickers?

[TerryBPP]

I would say a 80's IROC (LOL) with a blown motor and drop a 454 with about a 250 shot of NOS. The car can be had for pennies, because nobody wants them, unlike fox bodies. Motor will cost you a $1k max and will most likely mount to the camaro's TH350 tranny. Use a big carb and a single plate for the NOS. With the auto you can can bracket it a little easier. Throw on some slicks for good measure and let it rip. You be a whitetrash god with a 11 sec beast. Might cost you $4k tops.

1 80's IROC $500
1 454 LS-5 $1000
1 Holley Blue pump w/lines $250
1 NOS fogger wet system $600
4 used Mickey slicks and steelies $1000
Misc. Crap $1650

[Jims5543]

Originally posted by masraum
Miata with a 5.0 mustang engine. It's a common swap, there are kits. You can get miata really cheap, you can get 5.0 engines pretty cheap. The only potential week spot will be the drive train. Trying to drag launch a miata with a torquey V-8 and the standard tranny and diff will only work if really careful. Someone did this same thing for the GRM magazine $2000 shootout a few years back.

Well there you go!! A 12 second car for $2000 proven by the GRM Shootout.

[vash]

for the cheap, i would find something with a big block and make it light as hell.

damn glad i dont work where you work. i would be broke.

[MichiganMat]

V-Dub? Represent Deutschland!

[Don Plumley]

The cheapest way to go fast? Probably a $79 super saver fare on Southwest.