ok heres the deal, starving student here.

looking to build up either a s4 or s5

question is, whats the goin rate for a rolling chassis

deccent body, deccent frame, little rust?

perferably a ex-turbo one?

also, any help locating one in the ohio area would be SUPER

check the cars for sale section

short answer: it is cheaper to buy a running car. As a starvign student that implies no facilities for storage or working on your project. Imposing a long term project on friends/relatives is a sure way to lose them

It is hard if your a student to have a project car, but if you've got the resources to do so...I'd look to spend about $1K to $2K for a clean non-running S4 and about $2500+ for a clean non-running S5. If your willing to leave Ohio to get the car, try to get a car from PA, MD or VA..less rust. My family lives in Ohio and the cars I see up there rust out REALLY quick...but thats northern ohio,lol.



Also, if your just looking for a fun car..stay NA..a turbo one will drain your wallet quicker...

i just saw 2 buddies do a similar build up to what i planed, neither spent over 750 bucks, and have good strong running cars.

space and faciliteis is no problem and i have the time to do this.

maybe just save up for about another year and do it then?

$750 to "build up" an fc, starting with a motorless car? congratulations, youve discovered something no one here ever has apparently. Hell mine's probably over $15k, and my car came with a motor and its not even finished.



kevin.

wow, that would be a steal at 750. but that was them, this is you. you are comparing apples to oranges. you are better off buying a running car, with a good compression motor.



you can even find one with body damage, and not running correctly due to a small problem, for 500-1000. somebody at work just picked up a running GXL with 121k on the motor, and the motor has compression. just won't run long.



good luck. rotaries are expensive, hell any build up of a car is expensive.

i never said my buddies built up fc's.

both were 240sx's

i wouldnt think it'd be THAT expensive to build/buy a N/A

Ok, if you want to play....



Whats your budget?

Whats your goal?

apparently his budget is $750, his goal is a built n/a fc.



kevin.

Well what do you mean by build? Most people here hear "build" and think of extensive modding. If you just want to swap a motor into a shell, you could do something for maybe $1500. Hell i got an 88 s4 n/a, with a reman motor with 17k on it, trans with new clutch, pp, and lightweight flywheel all with 5k miles on it, all that for $500, just needed a driveshaft originally (i messed it up while towing it somehow)



kevin.

Dude, that is a 240. This an RX-7. Again, apples to oranges. Good luck man, good luck.



A rebuilt N/A motor can cost you over 1k. These hobbies are not cheap, and remember, these are imports. It is not a Chevy or Ford with over 100 years of usuable parts at your fingertips.



Does'nt Mazda only make parts for a certain car for 20 years? Or is it 15 years?



You need to make your budget a little bit higher, or not even set a budget sometimes. You will be quickly dissapointed when you set an unreasonable budget. Especially on a car like a few members have here.



Good luck.

Peripheral Ports for $200, Alex

So that would be just the templates correct? https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...IR#>/blink.png

the extent of the project would be, sticking a stock motor, into a used chassis, i never set my budget at 750, but a grand or so. i was looking at spending a coupple hundred on a chassis, and another coupple hundred on a motor, and the rest on various maentience parts bringing the car back to spec.

nothing extrem is to be expected from this, future mods might include a spec-built turbo motor, but not nessicarly.

just basic power bolt ons, and mild brake and suspension upgrades are further down the line after the inital build up.

i was looking for a used turbo chassis, cause the N/A's had open dif's which nobodys wants.

all and any input is apperciated.

this is mainly gonna be a wekend autocross car.

Some models of NA's had Clutch type diffs. you need to do some more research. What class autocross are you planning on competing in?



Are you staring with a 4 lug or 5 lug car?

GXL, and I BELIEVE GTU had clutch type diff's. And that is just a differential, it is not a crushing blow to a car. We here like RX-7's for the engines, not the differentials.



Again, you need to sit down, and thorougly think this out. First get the chassis, make sure it is a clear title, and search for a used motor. But if I had a good compression used N/A motor, I would CERTAINLY not let it go for less than 800 bucks.

the differental isnt the most important part of the car, its just that its one of the things id rather not hafta spend extra money on.

i hadnt realized that the 13b's were that expensive.

im thinking about just continuing to save up and buy a used running one instead then.

common problems to look for in either a N/A or turbo model?

There are no templates for peripheral ports, you're not removing steel from an iron like a template. And peripheral porting isn't as expensive as you are leading on...

Uhh he's autocrossing the car, the clutch type diff is important for autocrossing. There is a BIG handling difference between open diff and the S4 clutch type. IMO, don't waste your time buying anything other than an S4 chassis with a clutch type 4.1 final or the GTUs clutch type 4.3 final. Trust me as far as handling, and rear end control, it makes a HUGE difference. Just don't forget the LSD additive, unless you want the clutches to have NO slip, in which case the car will be totally out of control during autocrosses.

You do have a strong point Colin. I never really thought of that.



And I was just joking about the peri-port thing, I KNOW there is no templates out there. You just put big holes into the housings. Sort of.

Colin: How many P-Ports have you built? Its not the actual porting thats expensive, its all the supporting modifications in order to use the power you have created.

thanks for all the advice.

im gonna be checking around sometime this weekend, but im not gonna rush it and just buy the first 7 i see, being as that i dont expect it to be running till next spring.

Gotboostvr: Where are you located?

Forget I metioned it https://www.nopistons.com/forums/pub...1047683358.gif









I was referring to having housings machined and pressed

central ohio, just about 10 minutes souf of columbus.

far enough from the city so that i can drive back roads to my hearts content, but close enough that im a short drive from civilization.



its perfect.