Newbie engine planning help

[chasingomas]

Hey y'all,

Finally got my car a couple months ago! A 5-speed 1999 mustang gt. So far I've swapped the suspension in both the front and rear, done basic maintenance to the engine, and stripped and cleaned the interior behind the front seats. My plan for next month is to finally get into my 302 5.0l (F4ZE) and give it some slight upgrades before swapping it into the '99.

I have the SA "How to rebuild the small block ford" book, which I read, but I have a couple questions, and since I can't ask the book, I'm here to consult the oracles lol

My plan is to get a more aggressive cam and improved valve, valve springs, rocker arms, and lifters. The goal is to build it for street use and keep it NA for as long as possible with machining before eventually supercharging it. the goal for now is to build a good foundation for that. I really want high responsiveness, torque, and the ability to beat on it without worry other than good maintenance.

I'm mostly wondering if this is an ok plan, and asking for any constructive criticism/tips on planning. I was going to go with a combination from the book ( I can put in comments to not drag this on anymore), but if y'all have lived experience building these and tried a bunch of combinations, I'd love to hear that as well. Thank you so much!

P.S I am on disability, so the budget is pretty tight. I do want quality parts though, so i'd rather get something that I won't have to replace and go a little slower on the rebuild.

 

[duh09]

Swapping a 302 into a 99 GT will be a ton of work - doable, but for someone on a tight budget, seems like an odd choice rather than starting with a 94/95 car or working with the 2V in the car. You'll be swapping engines, trans, wiring, the fuel systems are different between a SN95 and a New Edge I think, K-member, etc. Unless you have an entire parts car to swap into a New Edge shell, it'll add up quickly.

What heads are on the motor you have? F4ZE doesn't really tell us anything. Putting different valves and valve springs in a set of stock E7 heads would be a complete waste of time and energy over swapping to a different set of heads.

I'm not sure what all you're wanting to get into with "machining". Machine shops aren't cheap and finding a good one, that will do a proper job is getting harder and harder so I tend to do anything I can to avoid them at this point.

If the goal is to blow a blower on the car, why not start there with the build versus dumping money on building the motor first? A used S-Trim on a stock 302 with supporting fuel mods could be done cheaper than a top end with the right deals and be more power. I snagged a full Vortech pulled off of a running car for like $1800 a couple years ago. Also, a great N/A combo won't always translate to a great supercharger combo. A blower cam profile will be different than one you want for a N/A car - there are compromises everywhere that would work fine for both.

 

[shovel]

ability to beat on it

P.S I am on disability, so the budget is pretty tight.

Tight budgets and "beating on it" is not a recipe for success.

 

[RAU03MACH]

a roller 302 takes a bit to get horse power out of it
if you still have the 4.6 i would stick with it
as mentioned it takes some money to swap

 

[chasingomas]

a roller 302 takes a bit to get horse power out of it
if you still have the 4.6 i would stick with it
as mentioned it takes some money to swap

Hey! yea I have done research on parts and building, I do understand. And I still want to do it, thats why I came here for help. I have a 302, the original car I was building was a 1995, and I like it, so it's worth the effort to me. I'm not scared of time and labor to get what I want haha and that's what I want. I appreciate you at least being kind lol

 

[chasingomas]

Swapping a 302 into a 99 GT will be a ton of work - doable, but for someone on a tight budget, seems like an odd choice rather than starting with a 94/95 car or working with the 2V in the car. You'll be swapping engines, trans, wiring, the fuel systems are different between a SN95 and a New Edge I think, K-member, etc. Unless you have an entire parts car to swap into a New Edge shell, it'll add up quickly.

What heads are on the motor you have? F4ZE doesn't really tell us anything. Putting different valves and valve springs in a set of stock E7 heads would be a complete waste of time and energy over swapping to a different set of heads.

I'm not sure what all you're wanting to get into with "machining". Machine shops aren't cheap and finding a good one, that will do a proper job is getting harder and harder so I tend to do anything I can to avoid them at this point.

If the goal is to blow a blower on the car, why not start there with the build versus dumping money on building the motor first? A used S-Trim on a stock 302 with supporting fuel mods could be done cheaper than a top end with the right deals and be more power. I snagged a full Vortech pulled off of a running car for like $1800 a couple years ago. Also, a great N/A combo won't always translate to a great supercharger combo. A blower cam profile will be different than one you want for a N/A car - there are compromises everywhere that would work fine for both.

I was building a 1995! Thats why I have the engine, k-member, etc haha. I do know the accessories I need, it's more on, how do I even sit down and plan. The book doesn't really help with that haha it's just like, "Know what your goals and go from there, here are parts and steps to build". thank you for that info on machining. Again, I wanted to set a good foundation of parts so I can get it stroked when I have the money. I want naturally aspirated because I like it. The thought of the car being pushed to its absolute limits without forced induction is really satisfying to me, especially being the one to build it myself. Thank you so much for the information on N/A combos vs. Supercharged, that is something I didn't know. I just assumed you added stronger bolts n stuff when you added forced induction. and I'll look for the head forge codes, but its a stock engine, 5.0l H.O, out of a 1995 mustang gt so I'm assuming E7? Did they come with other heads? sorry, My knowledge is exclusively out of the book and my own research, I appreciate your help so much. and just to put it out there, theres time and theres money. I have not a lot of money and I have what feels like infinite amount of time. I'm extremely determined and hardworking, so if I'm asking for something stupid, unless it's going to explode, just humor me please haha I'm just trying to build exactly what I want, even if it's less efficient, or there are better ways to get power, etc. If I wanted easy power I'd get an LS. I like personality, and my lil 302 makes me happy.

 

[duh09]

I was building a 1995! Thats why I have the engine, k-member, etc haha. I do know the accessories I need, it's more on, how do I even sit down and plan. The book doesn't really help with that haha it's just like, "Know what your goals and go from there, here are parts and steps to build". thank you for that info on machining. Again, I wanted to set a good foundation of parts so I can get it stroked when I have the money. I want naturally aspirated because I like it. The thought of the car being pushed to its absolute limits without forced induction is really satisfying to me, especially being the one to build it myself. Thank you so much for the information on N/A combos vs. Supercharged, that is something I didn't know. I just assumed you added stronger bolts n stuff when you added forced induction. and I'll look for the head forge codes, but its a stock engine, 5.0l H.O, out of a 1995 mustang gt so I'm assuming E7? Did they come with other heads? sorry, My knowledge is exclusively out of the book and my own research, I appreciate your help so much. and just to put it out there, theres time and theres money. I have not a lot of money and I have what feels like infinite amount of time. I'm extremely determined and hardworking, so if I'm asking for something stupid, unless it's going to explode, just humor me please haha I'm just trying to build exactly what I want, even if it's less efficient, or there are better ways to get power, etc. If I wanted easy power I'd get an LS. I like personality, and my lil 302 makes me happy.

Well you're talking about 3 different paths.

A stock bottom end N/A setup would be different than a stroked bottom end N/A build would be different than a stock boosted build would be different than a stroked boosted build. The cam you'd put in a stock 302 is going to be different than a 347 S/C setup, so you need to have a firm grasp of what you want to do from the get-go before throwing money at parts.

Generally you'd want bigger heads on a stroked motor vs a 302. Your cam profile is going to be determined by a number of factors, but N/A vs Boosted is going to prefer different things.

What is your power goal? What are you doing with the car, strip focused, street car, autocross? What would the short term and long term budget be? You can look through the Build-Ups section and see a handful of different SBF combos, but they're all tailored to what they're doing.

 

[RAU03MACH]

if your going that way
i would say do a 351w roller
it will come out a little more out of pocket you will have a few more ponies

 

[chasingomas]

Well you're talking about 3 different paths.

A stock bottom end N/A setup would be different than a stroked bottom end N/A build would be different than a stock boosted build would be different than a stroked boosted build. The cam you'd put in a stock 302 is going to be different than a 347 S/C setup, so you need to have a firm grasp of what you want to do from the get-go before throwing money at parts.

Generally you'd want bigger heads on a stroked motor vs a 302. Your cam profile is going to be determined by a number of factors, but N/A vs Boosted is going to prefer different things.

What is your power goal? What are you doing with the car, strip focused, street car, autocross? What would the short term and long term budget be? You can look through the Build-Ups section and see a handful of different SBF combos, but they're all tailored to what they're doing.

Thank you so much. This is exactly the help I need.

What I want to build towards is a 347 N/A. I can see you shaking your head haha

It's a stripped street car built for drifting. The idea is drive to the track and drive home. I know the stock trans isn't a great, but that's an issue I can deal with later since I know what I'm looking for on that end.

the eventual goal would be 400 horsepower, but it's going to take a while to go there and I'm fine with that. For drifting, I'm looking for responsiveness, torque, and reliability from the engine.

gonna spend some time looking at the build up section. I actually just found an old thread where you responded in 2010 to a similar question haha i was 13. Thank you for taking the time to pass down your knowledge.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

Thank you so much. This is exactly the help I need.

What I want to build towards is a 347 N/A. I can see you shaking your head haha

It's a stripped street car built for drifting. The idea is drive to the track and drive home. I know the stock trans isn't a great, but that's an issue I can deal with later since I know what I'm looking for on that end.

the eventual goal would be 400 horsepower, but it's going to take a while to go there and I'm fine with that. For drifting, I'm looking for responsiveness, torque, and reliability from the engine.

gonna spend some time looking at the build up section. I actually just found an old thread where you responded in 2010 to a similar question haha i was 13. Thank you for taking the time to pass down your knowledge.

400 horsepower (especially out of a 347) is not a very reliable engine if it is gonna be beaten on often like I assume you are going to do. The main caps chatter and if your tune isn’t on point and you get some detonation (you don’t always hear it, especially with an exhaust), you will crack the block down the lifter valley. I don’t mean to be rude whatsoever as I myself have had many ideas that were just not realistic in regards to a lot of things, not only cars, but what you are thinking of doing just won’t work in the way you want it to. Stick with a stock stroke. It is really the only way to keep a stock block 302 reliable in a competition setting at high load and RPM. I wouldn’t spin it past 6500 RPM, especially for long periods of time.

I like N/A as well, and if you want to go drifting, you don’t need that much power. I would say just get some decent heads and an intake for your motor, cam is completely optional as the stock HO cam should support about 300 WHP, and just take care of the suspension. Taking some weight out couldn’t hurt either, I myself have about 170 pounds out of my car (all of which for free, I only spent a little money on a cool lithium ATV battery to prove to my friends that it is possible), and you can’t even tell. Rear seats, full interior, trunk isn’t gutted, and fully street legal.

If you are willing to go all out and have the car as mostly a competition vehicle, you could drop your car to under 3000 pounds or more for pretty much free and with minimum effort.

The stock T5 should hold up fine for quite a while with around 300 WHP (we will use this number as a more realistic example for now), especially in a drifting environment, as the tires are not hooking. Just make sure you have the endplay set correctly. It is important for strength. A lightweight flywheel would make the motor feel so much more lively and responsive too. I have a slightly lighter one than factory (18.75 pounds on the website), and the car still drives, shifts, and feels stock, just revs a little faster, which is what I was going for. It would also make it easier on the transmission if you clutch kick it, as there is less rotating weight and shock that the transmission has to absorb.

 

[duh09]

Thank you so much. This is exactly the help I need.

What I want to build towards is a 347 N/A. I can see you shaking your head haha

It's a stripped street car built for drifting. The idea is drive to the track and drive home. I know the stock trans isn't a great, but that's an issue I can deal with later since I know what I'm looking for on that end.

the eventual goal would be 400 horsepower, but it's going to take a while to go there and I'm fine with that. For drifting, I'm looking for responsiveness, torque, and reliability from the engine.

gonna spend some time looking at the build up section. I actually just found an old thread where you responded in 2010 to a similar question haha i was 13. Thank you for taking the time to pass down your knowledge.

You can get over 400 crank hp on a stock bottom end, a stroker isn't required for that. There are a handful of 11R headed combos out there making 360-370whp, which would be at or above 400 crank hp. 190 11R, custom cam, Holley Systemax 2 intake and supporting mods - been done a handful of times, plenty of dyno graphs out there. You could grow with those heads a bit too, if you are dead set on a 347, but the 205 version of the heads would probably match the bigger cubes a little better.

Personally, I'm all about doing as much as possible with a stock bottom end. Something comes apart on a stock bottom end - yeah it sucks, but we're talking about finding another $500 motor and slapping the top end back on it vs the thousands in machine work that is hopefully done correctly and starting again. KISS- Keep it simple stupid. Now, I've also been a bit tainted by having not the best luck with machine shops, but maybe you've got some better ones in your area so don't let me negative ass sway you on that if that's what you're set on.

T5's aren't the strongest but they're also not as bad as folks make them out to be. Don't overclutch it and don't power shift them and they'll hold up a lot more than folks give them credit for.

Have you spent much time drifting yet?

 

[chasingomas]

400 horsepower (especially out of a 347) is not a very reliable engine if it is gonna be beaten on often like I assume you are going to do. The main caps chatter and if your tune isn’t on point and you get some detonation (you don’t always hear it, especially with an exhaust), you will crack the block down the lifter valley. I don’t mean to be rude whatsoever as I myself have had many ideas that were just not realistic in regards to a lot of things, not only cars, but what you are thinking of doing just won’t work in the way you want it to. Stick with a stock stroke. It is really the only way to keep a stock block 302 reliable in a competition setting at high load and RPM. I wouldn’t spin it past 6500 RPM, especially for long periods of time.

I like N/A as well, and if you want to go drifting, you don’t need that much power. I would say just get some decent heads and an intake for your motor, cam is completely optional as the stock HO cam should support about 300 WHP, and just take care of the suspension. Taking some weight out couldn’t hurt either, I myself have about 170 pounds out of my car (all of which for free, I only spent a little money on a cool lithium ATV battery to prove to my friends that it is possible), and you can’t even tell. Rear seats, full interior, trunk isn’t gutted, and fully street legal.

If you are willing to go all out and have the car as mostly a competition vehicle, you could drop your car to under 3000 pounds or more for pretty much free and with minimum effort.

The stock T5 should hold up fine for quite a while with around 300 WHP (we will use this number as a more realistic example for now), especially in a drifting environment, as the tires are not hooking. Just make sure you have the endplay set correctly. It is important for strength. A lightweight flywheel would make the motor feel so much more lively and responsive too. I have a slightly lighter one than factory (18.75 pounds on the website), and the car still drives, shifts, and feels stock, just revs a little faster, which is what I was going for. It would also make it easier on the transmission if you clutch kick it, as there is less rotating weight and shock that the transmission has to absorb.

Thank you so much for the information. I know I keep saying it to y'all but I'm so thankful. I hear you and you're explaining how to do what I want in a way that won't explode, and I love not exploding. I thought the only way to achieve what I wanted was by stroking/forced induction.

I'm so thankful you said that because tore everything out behind the front seats and swapped in new suspension on the front and rear. It does feel hilariously faster than it first was. Light weight Battery is a great idea too. I'm going to try and take out the old sound deadening next. I can attach some pictures.

Awesome info about the T5 and flywheel. I was just worried because I prefer to clutch kick, and I wanted to go the buy once, cry once route, but again, I'm going off what I've read and trying to plan around that. Learning all of this makes things a lot clearer. This is exactly the help I hoped I would get.

 

[chasingomas]

You can get over 400 crank hp on a stock bottom end, a stroker isn't required for that. There are a handful of 11R headed combos out there making 360-370whp, which would be at or above 400 crank hp. 190 11R, custom cam, Holley Systemax 2 intake and supporting mods - been done a handful of times, plenty of dyno graphs out there. You could grow with those heads a bit too, if you are dead set on a 347, but the 205 version of the heads would probably match the bigger cubes a little better.

Personally, I'm all about doing as much as possible with a stock bottom end. Something comes apart on a stock bottom end - yeah it sucks, but we're talking about finding another $500 motor and slapping the top end back on it vs the thousands in machine work that is hopefully done correctly and starting again. KISS- Keep it simple stupid. Now, I've also been a bit tainted by having not the best luck with machine shops, but maybe you've got some better ones in your area so don't let me negative ass sway you on that if that's what you're set on.

T5's aren't the strongest but they're also not as bad as folks make them out to be. Don't overclutch it and don't power shift them and they'll hold up a lot more than folks give them credit for.

Have you spent much time drifting yet?

Ahh I had such a bad fucking night and to wake up to all this changed my mood up completely. KISS. My new gospel.

That is a great way to think about engine building. stick with stock bottom end as much as possible.

Honestly, I haven't had a great time finding people to do quality work with things in general, so I think I'll stay away from machine shops until I have the money for fuck-ups.

And that's great news. A lot of places online make the T5 seem flimsy as shit and that was making me nervous.

In terms of drifting, not much, especially this car. Lots of Power oversteer on the families 2017 auto cadillac...I'm trying not to overdo the build for this engine. I just want to set a good foundation and get it in the car. Best way to get better is seat time, and for the engine, the best ability is availability.

Also, I'm scared of breaking the 2v 4.6 in the car currently while I build the 302 because my ability to drive is the only freedom I have. I'm really passionate about race car vehicle dynamics though, which is why I feel confident in saying what I want. It's the path to getting there that's less clear.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

Thank you so much for the information. I know I keep saying it to y'all but I'm so thankful. I hear you and you're explaining how to do what I want in a way that won't explode, and I love not exploding. I thought the only way to achieve what I wanted was by stroking/forced induction.

I'm so thankful you said that because tore everything out behind the front seats and swapped in new suspension on the front and rear. It does feel hilariously faster than it first was. Light weight Battery is a great idea too. I'm going to try and take out the old sound deadening next. I can attach some pictures.

Awesome info about the T5 and flywheel. I was just worried because I prefer to clutch kick, and I wanted to go the buy once, cry once route, but again, I'm going off what I've read and trying to plan around that. Learning all of this makes things a lot clearer. This is exactly the help I hoped I would get.

Awesome, you already got it going real good. Don’t mess with the crash bars, airbags, or bumper supports though. If this car is going to be driven on the street, it is a very good idea to keep all of that. Insurance will really appreciate it and might actually pay you if you get in an accident instead of denying your claim, plus your car won’t get wrecked in just a minor fender bender.

A couple good ideas for dropping weight if you are really serious about it:

1. Lightweight battery - I wanted to prove my friends wrong about the lawnmower batteries, and the one I got was significantly cheaper than a car battery, but you should start it every week or two or it will go flat. If your car is mostly a track car this should be ok.

2. A/C and smog delete - smog was gone from my car when I got it, the A/C system wasn’t working and was empty, and I never use A/C as I grew up in beaters. Removing the condenser also allows the car to run noticeably cooler, which is gonna be really helpful in your case. Also leaves a lot more room in the engine bay to work.

3. Gut the trunk - since your car is not gonna see much time on the road and more at the track, gutting the trunk is a great idea. Should make the rear end a little more tail happy which is what you want when drifting right?

4. Radio, speaker, tweeter and amp rack delete - I originally wanted to take out just the amp rack and run a factory radio, but after seeing in what condition the previous owner left the harness in, I took everything out.

5. Cats - they’re heavy, and without them the car sounds better. I only have two of the four gone.

6. Black boxes behind rear wheels - this one won’t save you weight but they fill with dirt and rust out the trunk area. That is what happened with my car. I am going to cut it out and seal it sometime. Take them out.

7. Firewall mat - if you ever take the dash out, there is a big black mat behind the firewall. It has some heft. Take it out.

8. Metal plate under steering wheel - it’s for the dumb people that love to smash their knees every time they get in or out of their car. If you are not one of those people, take it out. Haha

9: Clutch fork weight - if your clutch was installed properly and the throw out bearing is properly preloaded, you shouldn’t have any vibration, weight or no weight. Take it out.

That should be about 160 pounds right there, and nobody would be able to tell (other than a missing radio). Now imagine how much you can take out if you don’t mind people being able to tell!

I would take the dogbone out too but be ready to put it back on in case you get a significant vibration, most notable at 80 MPH.

Racing seats, running a dumped exhaust, and fully gutting the car I believe can get you under 3000 pounds. It’s all a matter of how much you are willing to do, and tolerate. I know for a fact that you can get these cars under 3000 pounds for pretty much free and with minimal effort. Might not be street legal in the end though.

 

[duh09]

Ahh I had such a bad fucking night and to wake up to all this changed my mood up completely. KISS. My new gospel.

That is a great way to think about engine building. stick with stock bottom end as much as possible.

Honestly, I haven't had a great time finding people to do quality work with things in general, so I think I'll stay away from machine shops until I have the money for fuck-ups.

And that's great news. A lot of places online make the T5 seem flimsy as shit and that was making me nervous.

In terms of drifting, not much, especially this car. Lots of Power oversteer on the families 2017 auto cadillac...I'm trying not to overdo the build for this engine. I just want to set a good foundation and get it in the car. Best way to get better is seat time, and for the engine, the best ability is availability.

Also, I'm scared of breaking the 2v 4.6 in the car currently while I build the 302 because my ability to drive is the only freedom I have. I'm really passionate about race car vehicle dynamics though, which is why I feel confident in saying what I want. It's the path to getting there that's less clear.

Go spend some time at a few drift days. I'm not sure what events are like near you, but we've got "big" events which are pretty pricey, and then there are some just fun day events which are pretty cheap and feel almost like a test and tune at a local drag strip... and just watch.

Drifting is a ton of fun, but going and actually doing it is very hard on vehicles - chassis's are almost considered a consumable like a oil filter or brake pads or tires because they're going to get trashed. There are very very very few folks that are going to be showing up, sliding all day, and then driving that car back home. Not saying it isn't doable, but if this is your only vehicle, and being able to get out and drive is that important, drifting may not be the sport for you at this time. Proper drift spec alignments are going to be very aggressive on tires on the street and clearly, burning them off all day is also going to be pretty aggressive. I've got a close friend that drifts a LS swapped 350Z and it's not uncommon for him to go through 2 sets of rear tires in a good weekend session - and he is not drifting competitively, just running fun events and at shows. That car was ran for about 2 years before he got it and I think he's got 3 years of drifting it and he's getting ready to swap everything into a fresh G35 because this car is toast.

Have you looked at autocross any? It's about the only automotive competitive sport where the vast majority of folks are driving their dailys to the event, running them, and driving them home.

Also, why you worried about the 2V? Those things routinely go 200-300k miles without a hiccup.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

Go spend some time at a few drift days. I'm not sure what events are like near you, but we've got "big" events which are pretty pricey, and then there are some just fun day events which are pretty cheap and feel almost like a test and tune at a local drag strip... and just watch.

Drifting is a ton of fun, but going and actually doing it is very hard on vehicles - chassis's are almost considered a consumable like a oil filter or brake pads or tires because they're going to get trashed. There are very very very few folks that are going to be showing up, sliding all day, and then driving that car back home. Not saying it isn't doable, but if this is your only vehicle, and being able to get out and drive is that important, drifting may not be the sport for you at this time. Proper drift spec alignments are going to be very aggressive on tires on the street and clearly, burning them off all day is also going to be pretty aggressive. I've got a close friend that drifts a LS swapped 350Z and it's not uncommon for him to go through 2 sets of rear tires in a good weekend session - and he is not drifting competitively, just running fun events and at shows. That car was ran for about 2 years before he got it and I think he's got 3 years of drifting it and he's getting ready to swap everything into a fresh G35 because this car is toast.

Have you looked at autocross any? It's about the only automotive competitive sport where the vast majority of folks are driving their dailys to the event, running them, and driving them home.

Also, why you worried about the 2V? Those things routinely go 200-300k miles without a hiccup.

I agree one hundred percent. When you say that your friends 350Z was toast, what do you mean? Did it get crashed?

 

[duh09]

I agree one hundred percent. When you say that your friends 350Z was toast, what do you mean? Did it get crashed?

Not full on wrecked, but plenty of love taps, plenty of coming off track, just years of getting the shit beat out of it. Typical drift car things.

 

[chasingomas]

Awesome, you already got it going real good. Don’t mess with the crash bars, airbags, or bumper supports though. If this car is going to be driven on the street, it is a very good idea to keep all of that. Insurance will really appreciate it and might actually pay you if you get in an accident instead of denying your claim, plus your car won’t get wrecked in just a minor fender bender.

A couple good ideas for dropping weight if you are really serious about it:

1. Lightweight battery - I wanted to prove my friends wrong about the lawnmower batteries, and the one I got was significantly cheaper than a car battery, but you should start it every week or two or it will go flat. If your car is mostly a track car this should be ok.

2. A/C and smog delete - smog was gone from my car when I got it, the A/C system wasn’t working and was empty, and I never use A/C as I grew up in beaters. Removing the condenser also allows the car to run noticeably cooler, which is gonna be really helpful in your case. Also leaves a lot more room in the engine bay to work.

3. Gut the trunk - since your car is not gonna see much time on the road and more at the track, gutting the trunk is a great idea. Should make the rear end a little more tail happy which is what you want when drifting right?

4. Radio, speaker, tweeter and amp rack delete - I originally wanted to take out just the amp rack and run a factory radio, but after seeing in what condition the previous owner left the harness in, I took everything out.

5. Cats - they’re heavy, and without them the car sounds better. I only have two of the four gone.

6. Black boxes behind rear wheels - this one won’t save you weight but they fill with dirt and rust out the trunk area. That is what happened with my car. I am going to cut it out and seal it sometime. Take them out.

7. Firewall mat - if you ever take the dash out, there is a big black mat behind the firewall. It has some heft. Take it out.

8. Metal plate under steering wheel - it’s for the dumb people that love to smash their knees every time they get in or out of their car. If you are not one of those people, take it out. Haha

9: Clutch fork weight - if your clutch was installed properly and the throw out bearing is properly preloaded, you shouldn’t have any vibration, weight or no weight. Take it out.

That should be about 160 pounds right there, and nobody would be able to tell (other than a missing radio). Now imagine how much you can take out if you don’t mind people being able to tell!

I would take the dogbone out too but be ready to put it back on in case you get a significant vibration, most notable at 80 MPH.

Racing seats, running a dumped exhaust, and fully gutting the car I believe can get you under 3000 pounds. It’s all a matter of how much you are willing to do, and tolerate. I know for a fact that you can get these cars under 3000 pounds for pretty much free and with minimal effort. Might not be street legal in the end though.

fuck yes haha

I was planning on making custom bash bars for the front and rear, but keeping stock until then. Seat belts stay until the 4-pt is bought and installed, then I can go harness.

As for weight savings, everything you said except radio and a/c. The condenser leeches some cooling capabilities from the engine though? I didn't know that. I believe I'm going to have to splice the 302 harness into the car, so I was planning on simplifying the harness and removing shit/cleaning it up. Thank you so much for all these options. Lightweight battery sounds great.

I'm honestly willing to tolerate a lot, but I still want some creature comforts, like heat and a/c, radio, fully carpet in front and dash, power windows, etc. And SOME sound deadening haha

 

[chasingomas]

Go spend some time at a few drift days. I'm not sure what events are like near you, but we've got "big" events which are pretty pricey, and then there are some just fun day events which are pretty cheap and feel almost like a test and tune at a local drag strip... and just watch.

Drifting is a ton of fun, but going and actually doing it is very hard on vehicles - chassis's are almost considered a consumable like a oil filter or brake pads or tires because they're going to get trashed. There are very very very few folks that are going to be showing up, sliding all day, and then driving that car back home. Not saying it isn't doable, but if this is your only vehicle, and being able to get out and drive is that important, drifting may not be the sport for you at this time. Proper drift spec alignments are going to be very aggressive on tires on the street and clearly, burning them off all day is also going to be pretty aggressive. I've got a close friend that drifts a LS swapped 350Z and it's not uncommon for him to go through 2 sets of rear tires in a good weekend session - and he is not drifting competitively, just running fun events and at shows. That car was ran for about 2 years before he got it and I think he's got 3 years of drifting it and he's getting ready to swap everything into a fresh G35 because this car is toast.

Have you looked at autocross any? It's about the only automotive competitive sport where the vast majority of folks are driving their dailys to the event, running them, and driving them home.

Also, why you worried about the 2V? Those things routinely go 200-300k miles without a hiccup.

There aren't that many, we only have one race track around me, but I think with it being summer, there should be some more events hopefully.

I totally hear you, especially the tires. I was planning on using used tires and having a dedicated budget per month once the build is at a stable place; but until then, I haven't thought about autocross much to be honest. I'm not against it at all. I got into cars a lot through rally, and autocross feels like the attainable version of that. Suspension set up is relatively similar to drifting, just on the other side of grip. That's actually a great idea thank you.

And it's mostly just clinical anxiety to be honest, but also this is the first machine I've cared for. I grew up in sports, and I do fashion as my "job". This is all completely brand new to me, I've even gotten my sewing machine serviced by a shop because I've been scared haha every time I service the engine, or swap suspension components, I'm surprised it's worked even though I followed all the steps and checked bolts like a million times. I just need more time with things working the way they're supposed to to feel comfortable.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

fuck yes haha

I was planning on making custom bash bars for the front and rear, but keeping stock until then. Seat belts stay until the 4-pt is bought and installed, then I can go harness.

As for weight savings, everything you said except radio and a/c. The condenser leeches some cooling capabilities from the engine though? I didn't know that. I believe I'm going to have to splice the 302 harness into the car, so I was planning on simplifying the harness and removing shit/cleaning it up. Thank you so much for all these options. Lightweight battery sounds great.

I'm honestly willing to tolerate a lot, but I still want some creature comforts, like heat and a/c, radio, fully carpet in front and dash, power windows, etc. And SOME sound deadening haha

The condenser is placed in front of the radiator so yes it would impede airflow. I wouldn’t touch the bumper supports (or bash bar as you call them), even a modified or custom support will not make insurance happy.

I know, it’s tempting, but know this. You aren’t gonna go THAT much faster with taking weight out of the car. I knew this before I started, and it was just something I did to keep myself busy during my off time. All in all, I feel with how much I have taken out, the car is a little faster. But then again I have my body weight and then a little out of the car, and I’m like 170 pounds. So to do all that and keep the car looking and driving like stock, is kinda cool I suppose.