Making a car

[chickenmanq]

K, I've got my idea, and I'm gonna stick with it.  I'm eventually going to drag a 71ish Toyota Corolla, with truck frame, out of the junkyard for like 200 bucks, or find one cheaper.

Going to gut everything out so it's just frame and body.

Going to add suspension, I'm thinking from a Miata or metro or something, 'cause I'm not going to have the car over 2000-2200 pounds when I'm done with it.  

Going to add engine and tranny.  Here's the question.

I would like to stick the SR20DET in, but am not sure if it's enough hp.  205?  I also would really like a 6 speed tranny.  I'm planning on getting this remodeled 71 Corolla up to 180 mph before it can't go any faster.

Which Nissan engine and tranny should I use?  I'd prefer something cheap like the KA24DE, but I want stock hp, not modified.  That'll come later.

The goal is to have a nice 71ish Corolla that handles like a dream, and beats Porsches.  (3.6 0-60)

Any ideas y'all have would be great.

And yes, if I could find a 510, I'd use it instead.  Does anyone know if it has a real frame (truck frame)?

[crazycuban]

why nissan?  the 13b would be perfect, and its been done many times b4, so u'd prolly be able to find kits or people with experience.
as far as nissan, i'd go with either the FJ to keep the old school appeal, or the RB if ur willing to pay.  or for inline-6 on the cheap, how bout an L28 turbo?

hmmmm put in a 350 chevy v8 <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'> o0o too heavy..... 2.0 outta a s2000.... no wait too expensive..... o0o a h22.... no not enough power..... hmmm o0o sr20det from an s-15!!!! thats the ticket 250 horsepower should get u right where u want to be

[Drifting Ricer]

Rotary rotary. If you do that will be one crazy ass car and loud too. &nbsp;I love those crazy little things :biggrin:

[chickenmanq]

Yeah, I'd like a rotary, but I'd rather have an extra rx-7 sitting around. &nbsp;This one's going to have to be normal combustion. &nbsp;Lot easier to build a car around a piston engine. &nbsp;Hey, the SR20DET makes 250? &nbsp;How much is it for a used, say under 60,000 one of those? &nbsp;With tranny of course? &nbsp;Actually, and rearend. &nbsp;Have to have a custom driveshaft due to shortened vehicle length.

probably in the neighborhood of 5grand

[chickenmanq]

Do I have to import those from Japan, or are they easily found here? &nbsp;(SR20DET)

i think someone has the engine here u could ask him im not sure tho.... i think he got it imported

[chickenmanq]

And how are they for lifespan and daily driving? &nbsp;Although my definition of daily driving is racing every single vehicle at every stop light regardless if they're racing or not.

its a nissan engine so i should think pretty reliable

[crazycuban]

yeah, that'd be pretty expensive considering the custom work you'd need. &nbsp;
the stock 3T-C or 2T-C are both very stout, and are commonly used in drag racing in puerto rico. &nbsp;they have a huge aftermarket, and there are a couple using those motors in the 9's and 8's, maybe even 7's though i'm not sure. &nbsp;parts are cheap, and very available. &nbsp;####, i cant think of why i didnt say this before. &nbsp;that motor is hella strong, and in my opnion at least one of the best motors ever built - what other 70's motor, besides v-8's, still powers such nasty fast cars today?

[Drifting Ricer]

You race in you're truck? I still like those crazy puerto ricans with rotary powered starlets.

what engine crazy?

[crazycuban]

the toyota 2t-c and 3t-c were stock in 70's corollas. &nbsp;they're an old design - iron, pushrod. &nbsp;to give u an idea of their potential, though, i was reading an article a couple months ago in SCC, about a battle of the imports between puerto rico and the U.S., and the only car that touched the rican rotary corollas, R100's, RX-2's, and RX-3's was a 3T-C powered corolla. &nbsp;it'd be a crime if he sold that motor.

very interesting.

[chickenmanq]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Quote: from Drifting Ricer on 8:59 pm on Dec. 6, 2001
You race in you're truck? I still like those crazy puerto ricans with rotary powered starlets.
</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Man, I do everything in my truck. &nbsp;It's just not as fast as I want it to be. &nbsp;I'm inquiring about the SR20DET for the car I'm going to build, hopefully starting within a year. &nbsp;I've already scoped out the wreck I want, but the junkyard wants to much for it. &nbsp;More about it's in the &quot;Making a Car&quot; thread.

[chickenmanq]

Can the 3T-c get up to 250 hp? &nbsp;The one I'm looking at does have an engine, but I forget exactly what year it is. &nbsp;I was planning on doing all the work myself, but that means redesigning the entire car.

now how hard would it be to retro-fit this?

[chickenmanq]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Quote: from nismos14 on 9:15 pm on Dec. 6, 2001
now how hard would it be to retro-fit this?</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

Which one? &nbsp;I'll be tearing the car off the frame, and doing extensive custom work anyway, so fitting and stuff isn't going to be a problem. &nbsp;Sawzall and a welder, and I'll be set.

i forgot that ur gonna be striping the whole thing down.... so nevermind lol

[chickenmanq]

okie dokie then. &nbsp;Hey, check it out, I finally got my third wheel!!

[crazycuban]

still looking around...the 3tc is the best candidate. check this, a n/a 10 sec. 3tc powered truck http://www.divisionone.org/inside/samuri/samuri.html ...1.8 liters, comes in 1981 corollas...looked at a site that sells em rebuilt for 1000 bucks...

(Edited by crazycuban at 9:32 pm on Dec. 6, 2001)

[chickenmanq]

What site is that? &nbsp;I'm still not sure if it's enough horses. &nbsp;That gutted sammy (which I love, but for 4x4ing only) only weighed 1400 pounds. &nbsp;Mine's going to be 2000-2200 pounds. &nbsp;But I like the idea of building the 1.8.

[crazycuban]

heres a 9 second 71 corolla with a turbo 3tc...look how short the mod list is... <a href="http://www.sdsefi.com/features/dec99toy.htm" target='_blank'>http://www.sdsefi.com/features/dec99toy.htm</a>

[chickenmanq]

HOLY SHIT!! &nbsp;I LOVE THAT!! &nbsp;Maybe that wreck out at the yard is worth 450. &nbsp;No tranny, but I imagine those would be easy to find. &nbsp;Don't even know if the engine is trashed. &nbsp;Looks okay, actually. &nbsp;I thought it might run. &nbsp;No huge oil splatters or visible holes.

[HippoSleek]

roflmao!!!

As soon as I saw the topic, I knew this was going to turn into a showcase of Borequan technology <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

chicken hasn't seen those things living out west, but I can assure you that they are fast, loud, and impossible to imagine until you see them. &nbsp;I agree that if you want a fast as ####, low-buck project, that is the way to go (although I still prefer a rotary).

[chickenmanq]

Hipposleek, where are you from? &nbsp;I had no idea those little Corolla engines could be built up. &nbsp;I can't believe I haven't heard about it before. &nbsp;All: &nbsp;How easy is it to get a tranny to go with it? &nbsp;Where are these easily available parts? &nbsp;Do I search junkyards, or can I get it from Toyota, or what?

[HippoSleek]

I'm from the LA area, but have lived in San Diego, Houston, Tempe/Scottsdale, Maryland, Tuscon, Atlanta, DC, and now Northern VA (I work in DC). Anyway, I've been back out there for short periods after the import craze hit, but I've only seen those old little race cars out here. You will notice that many of the car owners have latino sir names - its a total carribean thing... and since there are so few in the west, it just doesn't travel. Fortunately, we have loco Cubano (I hope that that is not insulting... I'm just patching stuff together :o) and drifting Dominican to alert you to what is out there. I can tell you - I've always been a car nut, but honestly had no idea until I went to a Battle of the Imports race that they even existed! Adam Suhuwatari (sp?) my ass - you just can't front on an RX-3.

I don't know too much about the parts - I'd look at the sites of those cars and see what the brands are, then get to searching. I've got a feeling fabrication plays a big role in it all.

(Edited by HippoSleek at 7:44 am on Dec. 7, 2001)

[Drifting Ricer]

Hippo thanks for the screen name I should of used. Anyway I never believed in the Rotary powered corolla untill I went to drag event this Fall. Most of the Ricans had corollas. &nbsp;One of them could of run nines but it was too much power and he banged the wall. So the 3tc is the stock motor? Which rotary engine they stick in their? Those things can break you're hears off tha's how loud they are. Good project you're taking up (If you pull through).

[chickenmanq]

Yeah, I'm sure as #### gonna try. &nbsp;Got the car staked out. &nbsp;Just a matter of funds. &nbsp;Gimme a year or two. &nbsp;I'll probably send a big thread when I get the car back to my place.

[alchemist]

Why not get a welder and weld yourself a frame? &nbsp;And build up around that

[chickenmanq]

I may do that. &nbsp;The stock frame looks in good condition, though. &nbsp;Most of the paint is still on it. &nbsp;I'll have to check it for stress cracks and go from there.

[mistert]

chicken heres my suggestion for suspension: use the suspension from a 2nd gen rx7 (FC3S). it uses an independant rear axle (not actively controlled like hicas, it just inreases cornering performance at any speed and stabilizes the car rather than inducing understeer at high speeds). this same suspension is also used on 3rd and i believ also 4th gen honda civics (the shocks and struts and what not are interchangable, and alot of the hondas at the time were also four wheel steering). busted FC's arne tht athard to find at your local junkyards, and the high interchangability works in your favour.

i do think it'd be really cool to use a 3 rotor 20b engine from a cosmo though, single or twin turbo, they're capable of bolton high 400hp and torque....think feels like a small block v8 off the line, with all the top end of the 13b out of an rx7. you can get a complete 20b and engine domestically reasonably cheap. 20bre = single twin-scroll turbo, 20brew=sequential twin turbo system and larger intake/exhaust ports

If you were to build &nbsp;a car stictly for straight line racing, you really should go with an american engline like a 350 or something. &nbsp;They are a lot of horsepower for the engine, you can make those things crazy fast.

chance

[crazycuban]

the 3TC comes in corollas, but NOT the 71 corolla. &nbsp;there were two types of 71 corollas - the KE-27 and TE-27. &nbsp;the KE had an 1100cc power plant, which is worthless. &nbsp;the TE had a 1.6 called the 2TC. &nbsp;
3TCs came in corollas in the very beginning of the 80s. &nbsp;they share the same all-iron pushrod design as the 2TC, but with an added 400cc to bring it to 2.0 liters. &nbsp;keep in mind this is an all new motor - its not a stroked 2TC. &nbsp;In fact, while the 2TC is close to square, the 3TC has a much bigger bore than stroke - better for revs. &nbsp;the one year im sure it came in was 1981. &nbsp;3TCs are cheap, like i said, 1000 for a long-block, and thats REBUILT.
2TCs are still very capable motors, and for a budget racer (and I'm not the expert, check up on some old-school corolla sites) can bring about big horsepower. &nbsp;3TCs have the bigger aftermarket though (but you will have no trouble finding parts for the 2TC - its a pretty big aftermarket too). &nbsp;
both are carburated, and thats a blessing if u know cars - its much more easily tunable. &nbsp;if you want more technology, another big rican drag motor is the 3TG, which is the 3TC with DOHC heads. &nbsp;
its times like this i wish i lived out west - this is like one of my dream projects - a rican racer. &nbsp;you gotta respect a motor/car combo that bests the most highly tuned supra, yet was developed in the 70s. &nbsp; &nbsp;

[crazycuban]

btw, if u want a drag racer, have a chassis shop put on a ford 8 or 9 inch rear end. &nbsp;that'll solve the traction problems that independent rear suspension cars have in drag racing (u ever wonder why supras with 1300 hp havent broken into the 7's, but domestics with far less hp can beat it?) &nbsp;

[Drifting Ricer]

I'm not expert but the Domestic are only good at straight line sh*t. They been doing this for a longer time. I really don't care for dragging my car, &nbsp;too much $$$. I rather autocross or track race it. All those engines aren't rotaries? WoW.

[crazycuban]

yeah, they're only good straight line, but i think thats what this project is for. &nbsp;besides, maybe i'm wrong, but this car won't be autocrossed, will it? &nbsp;solid beam rear axles are more than competent for normal driving. &nbsp;
btw, forgot to say b4, yes, any rwd corolla engine will fit any rwd corolla. &nbsp;this includes everything from the early k series motors to the 4age. &nbsp;the T series engines can also use the same tranny. &nbsp;so u can use the 2TC tranny, and directly drop in the 3TC. &nbsp;

[chickenmanq]

Crazycuban, thanks for the info. &nbsp;Just need to get this project off the ground. &nbsp;No, it actually won't be used mainly for drags. &nbsp;I hate strictly straight line. &nbsp;I want the thing to corner decently, so I can swing it around the curvy roads in Idaho. &nbsp;Basically, I want to make a cheap race car capable of toasting those schmucks with their fast as shit stock WRX's. &nbsp;I like the idea of Mazda suspension. &nbsp;It'll be a while, but I'm developing more plans in my brain all the time.

[chickenmanq]

Oh yeah, and this is just a thought I had after getting my speeding ticket at 4 am this morning. &nbsp;I'm going to have a police scanner, and a computer with all the roads of wherever I'm living. &nbsp;(Onstar like), and hopefully something that can jam radio and radar. &nbsp;I know an open spark jams radar, but does it do radio too? &nbsp;And how far? &nbsp;In any case, I'm going to try to make the thing corner like a dream and still do 12-13 quarters. &nbsp;And when a cop comes after me, I'm going to leave him in the dust, and drive around the radio. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'> &nbsp;I think I'm going to concentrate on the car first, though.

[alchemist]

Not to be mean, but i'd laugh my ass off when the cops catch up to you.....in some states its a crime to have a scanner in a vehicle. &nbsp;Also the FCC fines are pretty hefty for radio jamming (you'd need a pretty big assed spark to do anything) &nbsp;Just remember cops have good memories when it comes to a car burning them, and its not like your car would ever blend into a crowd

[drift freaq]

ok someone mentioned the 3TG &nbsp;Toyota also had the 2TG the engine came in Japan in the late 70's corolla's . Twin cam dual solex engine now thats some breathing. I use to bring those engines in back in the 80's <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

[mistert]

in addition to the multilink rear suspension, make it so you can raise the sucker from the cockpit, and just jack it up a good 6&quot; when you want to get out in the dirt. this could be especially useful for leaving the haters behind

[Sway500]

i say go with a 3 rotor. &nbsp;I heard something about it getting 500hp with the stock turbos? &nbsp;Im not sure but thats what i heard.

[crazycuban]

####, why is every1 so obsessed with 3 rotors...yeah, 3 rotors are cool, but for a street car u can accomplish more than what u want with a 2 rotor (i'd only take a 3 over a 2 in a drag car). &nbsp;plus, i know i havent, but have u ever seen ONE part advertised for the 20B (3 rotor)? &nbsp;it may sound cool to say that ur engine is the equivalent of 9 cylinders, and has 3 rotors, but the 13B-REW (2 rotor) is one of the best motors around, and its MUCH cheaper (trust me, Ive looked at price differences between the 13B and 20B for a 240Z project i was gonna do).