What project do you want to start?

[Senor_Taylor]

We all do it, you get the itch to start something new. It may never happen, but for the next 2 weeks you're going to prowl craigslist and check out prices on parts. Frothing at the mouth and fantasizing of a new project. Who knows, maybe one day it'll actually happen! ... probably not. I'm curious to see what's on everyone's mind and who might actually go through with it. Most likely, this thread will be a place for the projects you think would be cool, but not worth it.



I'll start. The other day I rode in a wrangler for the first time. My girlfriend's sister has a beautiful red TJ X. 6 speed manual with the AMC straight 6 4 liter and minty. We went topless to downtown Roanoke and riding in the back seat was fantastically frightening. I absolutely love how simple they are (besides endless electrical nightmares in JKs). I mean it's just a frame, two solid axles, an engine, and some seats with 4 speakers. It actually rode very well too. Now I've been poking around CL looking for cheap ones and fantasizing about grabbing one on the cheap and throwing some 33's on it.


Edit: Lol, checked prices on a TJ Rubicon and they're ~15k for average mileage on an 11 year old car at the newest. M tax? Meet Jeep tax.

[*insertusernamehere*]

I found the old thread in the lounge that I apparently started that's more or less this. Guess you could say I have a new fantasy build every week.

Last week I really wanted an old f150 swapped with the new f250 frame and drivetrain. Don't ask me details.

[Senor_Taylor]

Similar, yes. The same? No. This thread is for things that might actually happen, not some fantasy made up car What would you do with some extra cash and a day on Craigslist.


Also, don't tell me not to ask details. I want details.

[Apoc]

What would you do with some extra cash and a day on Craigslist.

[Senor_Taylor]

I'd rather not pay to disappoint women. I disappoint my current woman for free.

[Apoc]

You pay so you don't have to worry about disappointing them. It's hush money.

[RawrImAMonster]

This is more of a fantasy build than anything, but an N54 swapped into an E46 M3 would be just about the perfect street car I think. Don't get me wrong, the S54 is a great motor for what it's meant to do, but it's not the best street motor in the world since you have to rev the shit out of it to get moving. With the n54 you can just slowly roll into the throttle in whatever gear and it will take off. A 400 to 450whp n54 build would be just lovely in an e46 m3 shell. Although, the poor subframe mounts might not be able to take any real amount of torque. You'd probably have to beef that up a lot more than what I've done to mine.

More realistically, I still want a s52 swapped E30 at some point. Maybe once I'm done with most of the major mods/fixes to the m3 (coilovers, rod bearings, wheels/tires, vanos).

[SlimKlim]

An N54 swapped into an E46 M3 would be just about the perfect street car I think.

You were literally a limited slip away from this with your 135i. :dunno:

I'm all for franken BMW's but takin' an S54 out of an E46 ain't right. M3s aren't supposed to have usable torque.

[RawrImAMonster]

I just don't really like the way 135i's look that much and you can't easily fit enough tire under them to support the torque they make when modded. I would have loved to buy a 1M, but of course BMW decided to make next to none of them.

E46M's are the best looking car BMW has made in my opinion. Having two of them with completely different motors would be just fine with me.

As as side note, the guy the bought my 135i texts me from time to time. He put a limited slip in it and full bolt-ons. I think he said he has gotten 2 reckless driving tickets with it already.

[JPolen01]

I'm all for franken BMW's but takin' an S54 out of an E46 ain't right.

:thumbup:

[V1GiLaNtE]

Realistically?

Once I get the 4runner sorted (suspension, tires) I'd like to revamp the XJ. I'm pretty limited by space, but in a perfect world I'd park it on jack stands and strip it down to the unibody, clean, rust prevention, and then build it back up replacing worn out bushings, etc.

Long shot? Ford 8.8, regear, lockers, axle truss, frame stiffeners, outboarded shocks, 35s. Sigh.

[WRXtranceformed]

If we're playing what ifs, one day it would be awesome to have a GC8 Impreza with a full STI swap with proper engine beefing and mild tuning / water injection. It's probably more "project" than I would want to build from the ground up, so I would probably look for one with most of the work already done and just tweak it how I would want it.

It's gonna be a long time until I have another fun car / project car though so this isn't really realistic. I could see myself in an F-Type before I would take on a franken-car.

[Senor_Taylor]

Realistically?

Once I get the 4runner sorted (suspension, tires) I'd like to revamp the XJ. I'm pretty limited by space, but in a perfect world I'd park it on jack stands and strip it down to the unibody, clean, rust prevention, and then build it back up replacing worn out bushings, etc.

Long shot? Ford 8.8, regear, lockers, axle truss, frame stiffeners, outboarded shocks, 35s. Sigh.

You're MUCH closer to all of this with the 4Runner now.

[Jake]

I want a Grand Wagoneer, with a modern drivetrain that doesn't suck, big brakes, a bitchin' sound system, and no rust.

[SlimKlim]

I'm sure I've posted all of these ideas elsewhere on the forum but:


Most Recent: A Maserati V8 + 6 speed in an E36 coupe, because LS swaps are played out and it'd piss off so many Ferrari people.

Most Persistent: A resto-modded E31 8-series (or E38 7-series) with an S85 V10 + 6 speed (or LSx variant), Airride suspension, electronic exhaust cuttouts, really, really well done interior etc. I've literally been fantasizing about building something like that for years now. I want to do the build more than I even want the car, too bad I don't have any rich co-workers with similar automotive fetishes so I could help them waste their money on one.

Most Unrealistic I've always wanted to take a Series III E-type 2+2 coupe, strip it down to bare metal, chop the roof, simplify the styling, swap in a built BMW S38 (similar in spirit to the original motor, but better), modernize the brakes and suspension as much as possible, etc. It'd be a perfect "poor man's" Eagle Speedster, in that you might be able to get it done for like $150k instead of $500k+

[V1GiLaNtE]

Realistically?

Once I get the 4runner sorted (suspension, tires) I'd like to revamp the XJ. I'm pretty limited by space, but in a perfect world I'd park it on jack stands and strip it down to the unibody, clean, rust prevention, and then build it back up replacing worn out bushings, etc.

Long shot? Ford 8.8, regear, lockers, axle truss, frame stiffeners, outboarded shocks, 35s. Sigh.

You're MUCH closer to all of this with the 4Runner now.

Not sure how the HOA would feel about this in our apt.. Also, another realistic project possibility is of the two wheeled variety. Either dual sport or SV650.

[.RJ]

Cafe racer-ized Honda CB350. Maybe when cost of donor bikes returns to a sane level.

K24/K20 swapped 4th gen prelude or ITR track car. Dont ask, honda-tard for life.

[ScottyB]

not sure if this counts, but its a wheeled thing so....teardrop camp trailer, to pull behind the RS or our xterra. 5x8 trailer base, 4' high, interior loft for the kid and super basic fans/lighting.

already have 90% of the tools bought, will have the trailer base this fall. hoping to build slowly over winter and have it ready by next year at this time for a maiden fall voyage on the parkway. project thread to come.

i need it to happen. got the adventure itch bad and we're finally mobile enough with my son's age that its time to get the hell out, and this is our mechanism to do it.

[CaptainHenreh]

About every third week I get an itch:



My mom had a grey first gen liftback Celica, and there are pictures of it before I was born. I kind of want to get one, put a Taco 2.7l in it, and go brum brum-ing around town. It would be efficient and nimble and stylish without the absurd "muscle car" tax on every goddam firebird and mustang that ever existed.

I need to find the one the old lady had and "Oh dear I haven't driven that since 1992, just after my husband died, please give me 500 doll hairs for it".

*sigh* All of them here are rustbuckets.

[SlimKlim]

Oh I forgot about another one. Quite a few people have managed to drop an Impreza 2.0T drivetrain into a Porsche 914.

It's a good bit of fabrication, considering you have to find a place for a radiator in a car that wasn't designed for one, but the result is ~200-250hp in a 2000lb car mid-engined car. Pretty much the ideal autocross toy right thur.