How many $ should I sink...
 

into my '72 1.7? It will be a track car. I have already done the SCCA race thing with a Nissan for several years, and track days seem more attractive. The '72 seems to have decent longs and floor pans, the right console is ok, both trunks are solid, but the rockers are the ABS replacements and the jack sockets are gone. The motor would need going through, it is weak and pushrod seals are leaking, and since the motor is out the trans should probably be looked at.

It will cost the same for cage, header, seats, belts, etc for either car.

When does it become cost effective to find a much better car, hopefully with a sound motor and trans? What is my break point?

Figure about $3500-6000 to have a good running minimal-rust car shipped to you from California. Depending on what kind of deals you can find. Figure closer to the top end if someone else is doing the finding for you.

--DD

I'd recommend waiting a couple of months and then the race cars will be coming up for sale as the season will wind down. The engine/tranny will probably have to be done in what ever car you get, but things like cage, seats, etc will have all been done and blessed by the race organizations.

I have seen 1.7/1.8 longblocks advertised for $1,900. What is the going rate to freshen a race motor?

And to go through a race box, assuming no breakage, just worn parts?

thanks for the response

Someone said yesterday that their 1.8 @ 185hp runs around $10,000.

Here's the bottom line: Cores cost a couple hundred dollars, and rebuilt motors are around $5500 (stock) with around 40 hours of labor.

A *built* gearbox is around $4,000-$5,000, with a rebuilt (stock) being around $2,500, cores are a couple hundred bucks. Individual gears run in the .5k range.


M

Sounds like he already has the car.

How much and when do you break even or cross over the point of buying a car vs. building it? On a budget, I have $10,000 in a 914 inclucing the original $500 for the car. But everything is new and has a fairly long anticpated service life. Used race cars are simply that, used. So, much will need attention and rebuilding. A roller could be a good bet and you put in your motor/trans. But I opted not to pay the prices I saw for used race stock. BTW, I don't count my labor in the 10K and I've got well over a 1000 hrs. in it.

This board gives me technical advice, sources for parts and a great place to catch a laugh. You guys are too much.

OK! Forget the race car, forget the track car. Now I am back to a 914 that won't go blooee pulling away from the next stop light and won't crack in the middle the next time I drive across a dip in the road.

Looks like I am looking for a good running minimal rust California car for $3500. Whose got one?

Almost full circle!

(vapor lock)

-shucks!-


M

The best advice is to save/beg/borrow/steal until you have enough cash to buy an already-built car that is as close as humanly possible to what you want to end up with.

Of course...none of us 914 wackos seem to follow that advice ;)

What I did is buy a car that had recent - documented - extensive and expensive work done AND happened to also come with a bunch of spares and pristine original trim & interior parts that I would not be using. So I sold and traded all of that extra stuff immediately and at that point had a very nice starting point for maybe $3500-4000. Fully drivable and track ready, but not terribly competitive or safe at that point.

At that short moment in time I had "bought" a car that had probably $20K put into it in the last few years for around $4K. And it was significantly upgraded in power and handling compared to a stock 2.0.

So much for that...of course I dumped a whole boatload more time and money into it over the next year...but at all times it was "incremental" stuff, and the car was never undrivable for more than a week or so. That is what I wanted with this current car. I do not have the time, money or patience anymore to do the 1-3 year ground up builds, even though they can be fun and rewarding.

sccaracer is gonna throw in the towel? What kind of racer are you?

You comming to CA to pick up the "CA" car? We've always got one in the recycler.com

"Cost" is funny thing to try and quantify when it comes to race cars. Also Donald is trying to do the same thing with the military, but that is another issue!!?? If you wanted to race and not have a car of your own, for example you can rent a vintage NASCAR W/C car for about $4000 per race weekend (assuming you don't break or wreck) and over the course of a year do 6 races, that is around $24,000 or so. If you did this for several years, the cost adds up, but in the end you do not have a car to go and sell if you want or to work on in the evening or on weekends. The last time I checked, a shrink is about the same per year and I don't know if the benefits are as good as having a race car to play with at night to get rid of the stress from work, etc. So for spending $$$$, go ahead and do it if you want to since someday you'll be old and say to yourself, dammn I wish I had bought that race car!!

Yup, I got that. It was a reference point for "how much $$ do I sink into this one"? If the car needs $4500 of stuff before it is a suitable starting point for a race car, and he can get a solid driver that only needs $500 of stuff for $3500, he comes out ahead.

Then again, he probably comes out further ahead by looking for a car that is set up close to the way he wants the car to be.

Ahh, F-production motors are nifty. $10K+ for 160-195 HP (depending on the motor and whose power figures you believe) out of a 1.8L with a lifespan measured in hours. :) Truly wicked little powerplants!! Too bad they are completely un-streetable...

--DD