Malne

So I've been looking around and reading the FAQ and just wanted to get a consensus on the best version of the car to get if I wanted to go racing (aka stripped out with a cage and an LS1 swap later or shell + ls1 now). So far it looks like the TII would do well because it's a) 5 lug and b) LSD equipped. However, its also pretty heavy, 300lbs more than an '86. Would buying an 86 coupe and doing a 5 lug conversion be cheaper than a TII i.e. how much are axles going for and how intensive is the process? Can I do it with hand tools and some jackstands?

ddub

S4 Sport model with TII diff.

yusoslo

thats what I have. But it was fully turbo swapped. I tried to get the lightest chassis I could. Only way mine would have been better is with a RE swap. Should have saved more!

NZConvertible

Most of that extra weight is the stronger driveline and suspension components. If you plan to use this for racing, particularly with a V8, you will need those stronger components.

The weight the car starts at is a non-issue. All the shells weight about the same no matter what year, model or engine.

snowball

turbo II or sport.

slpin

iTrader: (9)

i really like the s4 sport model... it looks so good...

lastphaseofthis

iTrader: (8)

is no one going to steering him away from the LS1, i mean for racing espessally, unles its drag racing...

Black91n/a

What type of racing are you talking about? What class will you be running in? That has a very stong influence over what's "best".There aren't many places/classes that will allow you to race with that kind of a swap. Once you tell us what class you're in then more suggestions can be made based on what the rules allow.

If you're talking about road racing, then SCCA ITS class is a good place to start, and there the car must be completely NA, no TII stuff at all. Then many people reccomend an S5 for it's better engine, and the extra weight isn't an issue, as ballast is needed in most cases.

Wankel7

Which one came with out the sunroofs?

Malne

I'm not really looking to be competitive as I'm still a relatively new driver with only a few autocrosses under my belt. Racing would be autocrosses and track days, just looking for the experience, and the ultimate goal is a v8 which I'm sure will be totally outclassed in the classes it will end up in.

fcdrifter13

88gtu

nukeall

yup me in the 88 gtu yay!!

arghx

iTrader: (3)

I love my 88 GTU, but it's got powersteering and sunroof. 86 sport is what you want

Andrew.

iTrader: (4)

Sport model without sunroof, I sold my 88 gtu and my 87 sport with sunroof for mine

wrankin

Like someone pointed out earlier, the year doesn't really matter if you are going to be stripping it down. All the raw chassis are basically the same weight. Try and find a clean and straight chassis with no rust and no sunroof. Pick up a beat up TII for the diff/driveline and 5-lugs.

-bill

Jager

iTrader: (10)

Ls1's don't weight alot more then a 13B.

I think a Sport model FC would do just fine.

KeloidJonesJr.

iTrader: (8)

S4 Gxl.

DaveTurnerMotorsports

89 GTUs, no sunroof/power options, aluminum hood, TII brakes, VLSD.

But why tear apart a "rare" car to throw a V8 in it? Depends on what kind of "racing" you will be doing.

-JW
'89 GTUs, 2470lbs with full interior, stock seats, 2+2.

socalrotor

iTrader: (1)

Sport models also have the best areo package with the tire deflectors and the decklid wing.

arghx

iTrader: (3)

if by best you mean worst looking then I concur wholeheartedly

Black91n/a

Best = best aerodynamically. That's the same as what I've heard. Apparently it reduces the CD by about 0.02, which is a significant drop (from 0.30 to 0.28 IIRC).

I'd suggest maybe a good clean S5 TII, as it's more likely that you'll find one in good condition (rust and accident free), but then again, they're much rarer and more expensive. You'll definetely want the turbo model for the stronger driveline. If you can get one with a blown motor you'll get a better deal, and then sell off all the good engine related stuff that you don't need for the swap. That'll be the cheapest way to go probably. You should try to get one with an aluminum hood, as it's significantly lighter than the steel hood.

Really though, any straight, rust free chassis will work, no sunroof will be better, but you can weld in a panel in it's place anyway, it's just more work. For a full on race car starting with a bare shell is a good way to go, but is lots of work, and will probably cost more if you don't have a donor for the rest of the parts.

It's ALWAYS cheaper to get an already built and sorted car though.

Maybe you can pick up an ITS car then you can swap in the motor and be done. Just a thought.

Andrew.

iTrader: (4)

Also, I think the s4 sport was the fastest NA made, it was faster than the GTUs with the 4.3 and the 88 GTU, I also think it was just 1/2 second or so slower then the TII in 0-60 times, anyone want to confirm that?

ddub

I'll confirm its incorrect. Average stock n/a ran a 16.5, average stock TII ran a 15.2, no way a sport ran ~15.3

Sport was probably close to the fastest N/A made, when it had zero options. Why do you think it's so much faster? Same engine and everything, just a tad lighter and same gearing except for the auto or GTUs

Andrew.

iTrader: (4)

I was talking about 0-60 times, I never mentioned 1/4 mile. As for everything being the same, the sport did have a aero package.

It's looking like the sport is the fastest NA, GTUs did a 7.8 from car and driver, and sport did a 7.6 according to Icemark

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p....6#post1373093

Also looks like I was wrong on 0-60, the sport was actually 4/5ths of a second slower than the TII which is still good for a NA

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p....6#post1564514

ddub

Missed the 0-60 part, sorry.