Anybody care about imports?

[shaun callaway]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

imports are awesome

best bang for your buck.

[VTJUNK]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

Y'all should build a 2500.00 import... seriously. I wanna know how fast you can go for 2500.00 in an import, will be looking forward to it. I'm totally serious, and not trying to be a dick. I'm curious.

X2

What is the best, say, 5+ years old import to start off with?

[shaun callaway]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

domestic import or import import

[Teddyzee]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

Here's my favourite import:


My bro's '85 RX-7, 302/T-5... That was the project last spring.

Definately crosses the age generation gap. His crowd was raised on F&F movies. But his dad is pure Ford.

[VTJUNK]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

domestic import or import import

I guess I mean import as in not from the Big Three. Common stuff that is sold here in the States, I don't want to know about old Skylines and stuff like that, they weren't sold here.
Stuff like this:
Honda
Toyota
Nissan
Mitsubishi
Mazda
Volvo
Saab (not too much offered here)
German stuff too, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW.

[shaun callaway]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

domestic import or import import

I guess I mean import as in not from the Big Three. Common stuff that is sold here in the States, I don't want to know about old Skylines and stuff like that, they weren't sold here.
Stuff like this:
Honda
Toyota
Nissan
Mitsubishi
Mazda
Volvo
Saab (not too much offered here)
German stuff too, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW.

toyota = supra
mistubishi = eclipse gst and gsx
mazda = rx7

all turbo all have way too much potential for cheap

[milner351]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

it aint cheap - but my buddies biturbo awd audi s4 is STUPID fast - and all he did was tweak the fuel curve and boost curves - no new turbos / parts / no new injectors.

I would think one of the most logical choice as a starting point would be the RX7 - simply because those little rotaries can rev to the moon! listening to one go around a road course is flat out mind bending - they just keep revving and revving.

[VTJUNK]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

You must be talking about the late '80s versions of those cars, except the Eclipse.
I've seen some Supra Turbos for less than a grand, but they are usually automatics that need trans work.

[shaun callaway]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

are you suggesting that you buy a car and modify it for 2500 bucks to go fast????

[shaun callaway]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

ok so let me ask you can you build a car for 2500 bucks (v8 mind you) including the car in the price. the car must go faster than 12 sec. if so due tell please.

this requires to to have to purchase a car not pull one out of your back yard.

[VTJUNK]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

are you suggesting that you buy a car and modify it for 2500 bucks to go fast????

I guess either way, you're not going to get far.

$2500 isn't going to go far towards buying a car and then trying to make it fast. You buy a junker for 500-1000, it isn't going to be "fast" for the $1000-1500 you have left.

On the other hand, if you have a later Toyota Supra TT or GenIII RX-7, how far is $2500 going to go? Mods for those cars are relatively expensive.

[shaun callaway]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

no they are not, it come down to knowing whos is in your area that is in the scene because i could go down the street from me to a couple of buddies houses and pick up a turbo or two and some fuel lines or whatever they have for super cheap.

its who you know not what you know

i can get a super clean 88 rx7 running right now for 600 that leaves me 2100 to waste hmmm imports are cheap man.

[shaun callaway]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

my bad i was working and typing at the same time.

ok so how fast is fast. what are we talking in 1/4 mile times

[dieselgeek]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

A friend of mine put a $150 DSM engine into a Plymouth Colt.

It's FWD, but his total expenditure (for phase 1) was right at about $2500 - not including the labor, we had to do some rewiring, but not much - one evening's worth? First outing on street tires to the track it went 11.90 @ 129mph.


Right now he's upgrading the turbo and fuel system, it'll trap at 140+ on drag radials when he's done.

Those who think the fun-per-dollar quotient of imports is any different than a domestic, haven't done enough homework. There are a ton of swapped RX-7s here too. Nothing wrong with a domestic powerplant in a foreign chassis. Typically, the RWD domestics have WAAAAAy stronger rear ends, stiffer chassis, and better brakes - such that you don't need to upgrade those parts until you are going really fast.


Having tuned a lot of both, I'll tell you this: the import engines are built stronger, and take more power on cheap stock parts. Toyota Supra engines which you can get in great running condition from an importer for $1000-1500, can support 1000+hp on stock internals. Come with forged pistons, oil squirters, dual overhead cams, heads that flow as good as any aftermarket domestic stuff - right from the manufacturer. Same story with the 4-cylinder Mitsubishi engine. Chevy, Mopar, or Ford never made an engine that I can stick a turbo on and make 1000hp without having to take a valve cover off. It pisses a lot of domestic fans off to hear this, but it's a fact. Don't shoot the messenger.

[dieselgeek]

Re: Anybody care about imports?

Uh, 600.00 and 2100.00 = 2700... how about 600 and 1900.00. ; )

Heck ya, Rx7. That'd work. How fast will it go for 1900.00 worth of mods? I'm trying to stay out of the BS zone on parts. They'll come from ebay, craigslist, junkyard, but no 50.00 ball bearing turbo good-guy deals. Grin. What could your average joe (that'd be ME) go out and buy / build.

That'd be an import that interested me.

what the heck kind of domestic are you going to build for $2500?!?!?


the Fairmont that parish and team built for Pinks is the CHEAPEST domestic I've ever heard of, at a cost of about $4000 to duplicate using a ton of ebay parts. We're pushing the 5.3 in that engine with a turbo off a backhoe, to it's absolute max on stock parts, it's been 9.49 at the quarter mile. That's with some very careful tuning too.