slowbird said:Perhaps a Miata body kit is something to look into...maybe not this one though
I actually LIKE that. What is it?
slowbird said:Perhaps a Miata body kit is something to look into...maybe not this one though
I actually LIKE that. What is it?
Avi said:Hi im the guy looking to buy the car. Wife doesn't like the look of the TR7 or the miata. I'm looking to get in to a car for hopefully around 2k. Mostly I want to do an engine swap I want a project to do. But I don't have any fabrication skills so the car has to have a kit available. So that takes out the spitfire as I could not find a kit for that.
If you're patient & willing to JUMP at a moments notice (with cash in hand), you can still find good vintage British tin for that amount. I bought my '65 TR4 for $2k a few years back. I'm going to LS V-8 swap it on a challenge budget. I don't yet have the fabrication skills to pull if off, but with the help of this community here on GRM, I'll learn as I go. You can follow along with my build thread here.
It won't be a super nice example, but your goals are achievable (within your budget) if you adopt a "can do" attitude, scrounge for parts, and do the fabrication work yourself (even if it means you have to learn the skills as you go along)
In reply to Avi :
You should spend a little time researching what a $2k British sports car tends to need to be roadworthy upon being dragged home. You can do it, but you should recognize that A) the engine swap is not going to be covered in all its details by any kit and B) the engine swap is probably not going to be the biggest part of the total job.
In reply to Ransom :
You'd be a pretty good welder afterwards though, unless you buy a Southwestern car.
I think the big question for the OP is - do you want to buy a project that may or may not get finished ina few years, or are you looking to start with a decent-ish driving car and go from there?
I second the Fiat 124.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
At least 124 with a Miata turbo motor!
No, I mean the real 124, thanks.
In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
Me too! Miata engine swap into MGBs is a thing so why not the 124 too
the neo 124 has a proper modern fiat motor in it but hey theres an idea. Might kill the budget but it would sound great
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
S2 Racing front end they call it, I found it here. They also have another, slightly different style.
In reply to cdeforrest :
Swap the modern 124 engine into a first-gen Miata, then customize the original 124 body panels onto that. the ultimate WTF build.
cdeforrest said:In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :
Me too! Miata engine swap into MGBs is a thing so why not the 124 too
the neo 124 has a proper modern fiat motor in it but hey theres an idea. Might kill the budget but it would sound great
Honestly though, the Fiat 124/125/132 series engine is close enough to being modern that it can take a 16v head from a later 90s fiat to make it completely modern.
I don't know whether any Big Healey body/chassis can be considered "cheap" anymore, but how about a engine swap from a 240-260Z? I hear it's very close to a bolt-in, since things like motor mounts line-up... I assume it is due to engines built by Datsun under-license from Austin/BMC.
https://bringatrailer.com/2012/07/12/reliable-blasphemy-nissan-powered-1963-austin-healey-3000/
https://www.zcar.com/forum/10-70-83-tech-discussion-forum/302470-austin-healey.html
Does it have to be British? These come up once in a while....
ooo.. I always wanted a Beta coupe'. I would really prefer an HPE
In reply to keithedwards :
Considering what a nice big Healey goes for these days, engine swapping it would be like burning your money.
The Healey six is about as reliable as gravity and made around 150hp stock and 200 in racing trim. Yes, it's lighter than the Datsun lump but it seems like a sideways move.
Yeah, I know of a Datsun roadster 1600 that could be bought cheap (less than 2k). One of the regular challengers is trying to sell it. Not sure if he sold it yet or not. It would be perfect for a drivetrain swap, but I think it's missing much of the interior so there would be work to source all that stuff.
MGBs are quite common in nice condition for $2k or less. They sit in garages and the points corrode or the gas goes bad, so then they sit 5-10-15-20 more years before the owners decide to let them go. Non running of course but not too much work to bring back. Perfect drivetrain swap candidates. I almost bought a really nice 75 last fall for $1500. Just across the neighborhood from me. But since I don't need a fifteenth car and I see no real flip value, I didn't pull the trigger. I bet the car is sold now but it wasn't as of this spring.
Lol nope, it's still for sale. Next door to some of my kids friends from school.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/cto/d/flossmoor-1976-mg-mgb/6937415469.html
Robbie said:Lol nope, it's still for sale. Next door to some of my kids friends from school.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/cto/d/flossmoor-1976-mg-mgb/6937415469.html
that is actually on my watch list.
Any chance you took a real good look at it? or would be willing to?
We want to know just how "minimal" the rust is.
In reply to Brian :
https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/389064311960240/?ref=browse_tab
here’s as good as it will ever get.
In reply to _ :
looks like a good deal, if it wasn't for shipping it back to chicago.
My brother may end up spending more and getting one from the southwest that he can drive back.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/pts/d/lyndon-station-1970-mg-midget-rolling/6941715150.html
It has an F20C in it... $2100 without engine.
Brian said:Robbie said:Lol nope, it's still for sale. Next door to some of my kids friends from school.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/cto/d/flossmoor-1976-mg-mgb/6937415469.html
that is actually on my watch list.
Any chance you took a real good look at it? or would be willing to?
We want to know just how "minimal" the rust is.
It really is quite solid. I brought a magnet in a sock and couldn't find Bondo either. One of the doglegs was repaired with fiberglass but underneath was very nice. I'm not sure if the dogleg thing was rust or if the guy hit something. Can't remember. I might be able to dig up the thread I made here.
He does take horrible pictures. It's a nice car. I don't think it was running last summer, maybe 2-3 summers ago. I offered to help him get it running to help sell it, but he turned me down.
What about a Mercedes SL, and skip the engine swap? I've been seeing the 70-80s ones pretty regularly for under 5k.
MotorsportsGordon said:Probably could find some decent prices on the rubber bumper mgb and midgets.
but you can find cheap it’s just what type of shape you are alright with.
But they are far worse cars than the early versions. You need to spend a bunch of money on springs sway bars, and lowering to get an RBB back to where the chrome bumper car starts out.
The swap of a GM 3.4 V6 is a well documented one for which several kits are available. F body 1993 era cars (Camaro, Firebird) are the source for engines and trans. You could go earlier (3.1 and 2.8) but cost isn't much different and the 3.4 is by far the best.
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