I need some Challenge ideas

rcutclif wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: I like that OP specified 4 cylinder, and got nothing but spinning triangles and V6s in response. I'll pile on the V6 one more time. If you go V6, go Isuzu V6. Stupid light, stupid cheap, good power, and uses GM 60 degree bolt pattern for all the transmission options. Ok, now on to 4 bangers. Mazda is going to be your huckleberry. Mazda BP (1.8 4 banger, miata/escort gt/protege LX/tracer LT-S/Kia Sephia) "Mazda" FE3 (2.0 out of 1st gen Kia Sportage. It's like a BP, but bigger and MUCH stronger.) Since you're starting from nothing, i'd say go with the Sportage motor. It's bombproof, and nobody is looking for them, so you shouldn't have any problem finding one for $150 or so. (I can pull them all day with manual trans attached here for well under $400.)

How is the trans on the Sportage? Is it like the miata? or does the miata trans bolt up? EDIT: plus, I need to stop reading your posts about FE3s from Sportages. Every time I do, I get closer to buying one.

The trans in the Sportage should hold some power, i'd expect it to be as strong as a Miata 5spd, but it's not bulletproof.

The Miata 6spd bolts up after about 30 minutes of work.

In reply to JohnRW1621:

want

everytime i see a post about the sportage im sad i junked one.

The FE3 in the sportage is an awesome engine, the Kia Sportage was unbeatable in its class in the Baja 1000 and the FE3 had everything to do with that.

Resurrecting this for a couple of questions.......
Does the Mazda RX-8 transmission have the same bell housing bolt pattern as the Miata or Sportage transmissions?
Would an F2T bolt up to the Sportage, Miata, or RX-8 transmissions?
What clutch/pressure plate/flywheel combo would be best?
Why the questions, you ask. I've found an F2T, an RX-8 transmission and a Sportage engine and manual 2wd transmission,all within my budget constraints.

I have no help for your questions but will bump your thread with these visions on Challenge "mind candy"...

I am out of town and generally have had little free time recently but I need to start low-balling this seller here in my home town.
http://sandusky.craigslist.org/cto/4954506392.html

I think I may have been the first person to ever bring an Infiniti to The Challenge.
What other brands have never been brought before?
I think this could rank up there with a BiTurbo.
I watched but could not be there for the auction end as this exact car was on ebay and claims to have sold for $1k. Since the same person is selling it, still, my guess is that $1k was a "shill bid" from the seller.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151610547092?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Current CL:
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/4915356372.html

I am unsure how many rules of safe drag racing this would violate:
http://toledo.craigslist.org/cto/4946148039.html

missed this thread the first time around...

You mention that you want to autocross this car after the challenge. Since that's a long term goal, why are you looking at any other engine besides a Toyota engine?

Any non-corporate swap will put you immediately into the Mod catagory (probably EM). Which mean you will run by yourself most of the time, and will have a very poor correction factor if one is used to normalize all of the classes.

Whereas a Toyota engine you can be in a more used class- like Steet Mod- which is kinda like street prepared but with engine swaps.

Being that I was dressed down for thinking that an early Toyota swap into a Spider was a bad idea, since many think that the yota engine is far better than the Alfa- seems like there are a lot of go fast options staying with Toyota power.

alfadriver wrote: Any non-corporate swap will put you immediately into the Mod catagory (probably EM). Which mean you will run by yourself most of the time, and will have a very poor correction factor if one is used to normalize all of the classes.

Good point. You might land in X-prepared as well (not much better). in XP you either run by yourself, or against carbon-fiber-body lotus elises.

Autocross classification wouldn't bother me much. I'd more likely use it for track days (it's got a cage) or rallycross. That's a secondary consideration anyway. I bought it to take to the Challenge, so a non-corporate engine doesn't matter much. A cheap one does, and one that had the potential to be increased in power does,too. I can see myself going the first year with a 4 cylinder that I get cheap, and hopefully a second year with some sort of power adder, budget permitting. To Swank's point, Sportage stuff can be found cheap, as well as 1st generation Probe GTs. A turbo Mazda motor could work, but so could any engine /trans combo I stumble across that will physically fit in the Corolla's engine compartment. I'm just looking at options so that I can pull the trigger when the right stuff comes along.

DeadSkunk wrote: Resurrecting this for a couple of questions....... Does the Mazda RX-8 transmission have the same bell housing bolt pattern as the Miata or Sportage transmissions? Nope Would an F2T bolt up to the Sportage, Miata, or RX-8 transmissions? Possibly Sportage transmission, not a 5spd miata transmission, Miata 6spd with small work, not RX-8 What clutch/pressure plate/flywheel combo would be best? Depends... Kia FE3 forces you to use Sportage flywheel, then depending on transmission choice, you can use a miata clutch setup with the Miata 6spd Why the questions, you ask. I've found an F2T, an RX-8 transmission and a Sportage engine and manual 2wd transmission,all within my budget constraints.

I think the best bet out of what you've got is just straight Sportage stuff.

Miata headers bolt up to the Kia FE3 btw. Budget about 10 minutes for drilling/port matching.

Swank Force One wrote: Miata headers bolt up to the Kia FE3 btw. Budget about 10 minutes for drilling/port matching.

That's handy to know. Does the Probe exhaust manifold and turbo happen to bolt up to the FE3 DOHC head, or am I not that lucky?

VG30ET

DeadSkunk wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: Miata headers bolt up to the Kia FE3 btw. Budget about 10 minutes for drilling/port matching.

That's handy to know. Does the Probe exhaust manifold and turbo happen to bolt up to the FE3 DOHC head, or am I not that lucky?

You're not that lucky, port spacing is wildly different. KA24E (SOHC) exhaust port spacing is identical to F2T, though.

Buy a rotted out S10 with the V6 and harvest the axle, the engine, the gearbox, the rad and the electronics to control the engine. Drive-shaft will only require shortening to tie the package together. Camaro V6 will also work.

NOHOME wrote: Buy a rotted out S10 with the V6 and harvest the axle, the engine, the gearbox, the rad and the electronics to control the engine. Drive-shaft will only require shortening to tie the package together. Camaro V6 will also work.

this but if your still debating carbs find an old 4.3 astro. complete with factory high rise intake and 4 barrel!

there's a supercharged cobalt ecotec motor on cleveland craigslist for $600 right now that has a holy piston but has the harness and ecu. mate to a sky/solstice 5 speed for rwd fun.