Alright, I've debated for awhile about documenting this build online or not. I figure I should, as a big part of the fun is in the build and why not share it. I just realized how long this "intro" is getting... feel free to skip it if you wish, I will have pictures over time to feed those with the semi-shorter attention spans ;)
A hair of background first. I've been helping work on Gutty (chalkboard CRX in 2007, cream colored in 2008) for the last two years. Nothing more fun than working on a car with buddies. Heck, still working on it in an attempt to make it even better somehow.
I'll try to layout the initial car, plans etc. as best I can... bear with me. I'll include a few pictures... and add more as I make progress (after I buy a new camera as my old one went kaboom recently).
Anyways... I no longer drive to work, haven't for awhile (train commuter now). So my main "A to B" car has spent most of its last few years just sitting. Since I finished the majority of my turbo miata project for track fun, I just use it when I can't borrow the wifes car. So with the "A to B" car sitting around... I found a guy I've known for a few years with a car that sounded like something new and fun to get into. A 1989 240sx with a swap and lots of other random parts on it. Normally it would out value my "A to B" car... but it had died and never run again on him and the previous owner. 3 owners ago had mucked with the swap wiring and really messed something up. He (along with the last) had given up on trying to figure it out. And during the last few owners... it succumbed to the midwest cancer... frame rails were practically falling off the car.
So... we traded cars. A running 1991 junkyard turbo honda civic hatchback with a wonderfully flat black front end... for a non-running RUSTY 240sx with an rb20det (for those unfamiliar... 2L turbo inline 6). He has my old '91 hatch up for sale now, about 10 months later for 2,500 with some interest but 0 buyers. From tallying up market prices and the cost of parts into the car... we figured out its worth about 2k (at the time of trade). Considering how it hasn't sold, we were on target. So that gives me a tight starting point if I want to build a car... vs. just fix/drive one.
After having spent so much time helping on Gutty... I figured I would attempt to build this to GRM specs. The value was on target with making a GRM car, if I could recoup enough to get it running. At WORST... I end up with a tiny budget (happy wife)... lots of wrench time and a cool car in the end. At best (and i'm still on target), I end up with a entry for the 2009 Challenge... or 2010....
Soon after I bought the car and had gone through my grand plans for patching the rust on the car. I realized the rust overwhelmed the sheet metal. Frames were rotted out, seams were no longer seams... they were open points on the car. When you closed the doors, the quarterpanel behind the door would wobble. This chassis was a lost cause. I forget the exact path of logic/luck/friends that found this for me... but I found a shell through a short chain of people that was 10 miles from my house... stripped and rust FREE! Guy had bought it to rebuild... salvage/rebuild title... aborted paint job attempt... but it was from the south and... I'll say it again.. rust FREE! I can't tell you how lucky that is up here. So when a friend of mine came up north to help me get a bunch of lumber for a housing project of mine... we swung by Home Depot for the moldings/base boards etc... and loaded the shell onto the trailer enroute. About 20 minutes later... I had my Actual challenge car home. Oh... and it was 100 bucks. He had sold mostly everything off the car, even when I came to get it... someone was there taking parts off it.... but as he recouped his costs and made some money, I got a deal :)
Pushed it into the garage... jacked it up and pushed it to the side... and it's sat there since last summer.
To me... the first thing was to strip the donor car and recoup as much as I can. The car came with almost new (not shiny due to sitting out 2 winters not running and the salt gobbling into the polished metal) set of Ruff 279s (18x8.5 and 18x9.5) and tires with a few thousand miles on them. It also had a 5lug conversion. To me... they were nice and desirable to many with a 240sx... if they were just building a personal car. Since I am not... they were my BIG recoup parts. I managed to sell the after market 5lug conversion almost immediately at the beginning of winter (when I started the donor demolition). The wheels took a lot longer as I wasn't motivated to polish them up first... but finally (just this weekend) someone came and bought them. With that, I was able to get 1k back into the budget. So parts with a few thousand miles on them... that were worth ~1700 new... took a nice hit, but got funds into the build account!
Now I have a garage and basement(finished... wife is super happy about that)... full of 240sx parts. Not to mention what I still have to pull off the real build car (sub frames, partial interior). Since its just gotten above freezing here in Chicago... I'll get into the garage and start working on cleaning each and every part up. I've bagged all the bolts I could, I've tried to organize the chaos...
Lots of plans to the car chassis itself and lots of cleanup/enhancement/power attempts in the plans.
Will I manage to pull it off?... we'll just have to see :)
And... pictures to get the ball rolling.
Thank you Mom/Glenn for keeping me on your guys AAA+ and the 100miles free towing... (if this really really doesn't fall into legal transportation for budget and I have to tally it... someone please let me know, it seriously was free.. but I want to have 100% transparency)
Donor car home and pushed in. The track toy miata hanging out.
Donor and build car hanging out as demolition begins.
Last picture I have before I finished the strip job and found someone to take the shell away for free. I kept EVERYTHING from the donor... I figured I have no clue yet what is wrong/good/bad with the build car... so I'd cover my bases.
More to come, once I get a new camera or answer any questions.
Looking forward to at worst, attending this year with Team Gutty and buddies. At best... with my own car to enter :)
-Dave "splitime"
) Challenge issue!!!
Still need 2 more 16s so I can use the free hoosiers i'm being given though.
Guy that gave me his throw-aways even mounted up a pair since I have 2 wheels so far.
