I'm torn between a 914 and a 240sx...

It's a good point. I think even with 1 bar of intercooled boost, we'd be talking a max of 400~BHP, which it would probably hold ok. An E85 Z TT Z Motor could hold more boost and power right out of the gate . . . I think.

Options have been updated to reflect additional possibilities. The electric drag car has been removed because it's probably "The Bridge Too Far" for a first effort.

I don't think that you will likely blow that L83. I'd be willing to bet that the diff/ trans would go on any car before that motor would.

The turbo V6 would be cool, especially if we went with a 240SX. But as Ben said, a bit pricey for the return. I'll be we'd see only 300whp after a couple grand even.

I'd go with Ben's L83. Pull the heads off, and bolt on some cheap used overly ported E-Bay heads. Lots of guys will port their heads too much, and the motor will run like crap, so they try to ditch them on E-Bay as having "special race porting." But for a drag/ track only car, who cares how well the motor behaves? It will always be up in the high rpm anyways. If we could score some tall gears and a manual gear box, then it would be even better for a peaky power band.

Then, score the biggest used solid flat tappet cam that we can (matched to the heads of course) with a 110-114 (preferably 114) lsa, try to keep the compression between 7.5 & 8.5:1. Then bolt on a big 6-71 or an 8-71 used, from an old GM diesel. Top it off with a used, possibly donated, or loaned, Holley... And that's all she wrote. I'll bet you could score the H&C&SC for a grand.

Or, used H&C& Big Nitrous Kit.

I'm voting for the 240sx or the RX7 with a blown sbc.

Why Buy One when you Can Buy Two?
 

Check it out. I learned from my Vette project, that if your' going to replace large amounts of stuff, there ain't too much point in spending $$ on a "good" car to begin with.

If we did something crazy like this, we could turn the 280 into a drag car with the blown SBC and the 240 into a street car with the TT V6 (no smog probelms).

Someone actually paid me to wrench on their 914 before. I didn't like the car, it was poorly made. And there would be NO room to work with a SBC in that car. As cool as a SBC in a 914 is, I wouldn't want to put it together or even work on it. Furthermore, the transaxle will likely have to be upgraded to handle the power, and a beefed up prosche transaxle will likely be more expensive than a traditional diff/ trans in most other cars.

Also, as a drag car, we'd have to worry about the CV joints breaking (or whatever they use).

Smog will not be a problem either way, if it's registered as a show car, it will not have to smog and it will be allowed to drive on the road, to and from automotive events/ shows. Which I suspect is all that the car would be doing.

And I hate to rain on your parade even more, but CARB components for the TTV6 wouldn't be very cost effective. ...Stick with one car for now.

If I were you, I'd either win the auction, or watch it CLOSELY and let it time out, then submit an offer. Turn around and sell the orange one, and keep the parts car for the project. IMHO.

Actually, we should make a plaster mold of the orange hood before you sell it. Then lay one out in fiberglass for the other car. Also, take the pass seat out of the blue one and put it in the orange one to up the resale.

Duly noted.

I'd like to get some other folks to chime in, but at least on the surface a running 240 and parts 280 for $800~, even in the condition they're in seems like something that should be kept a close eye in in the next day or so, since the auction times out on the 31st.

I know you got law school and all that, but would have some time for body and paint, nothing so extravagant, once you finish the Vette?

BTW, I thought that you were talking about this 240sx.



If it's between the Datsun Z and the RX7, I'd change my vote to the RX7. Sexier body lines.

But the car itself really isn't that important either way. Seeing as how it will just be a shell.