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I have $6,000 for a drag car...what would you buy?

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<< ... you want real power, buy a factory turbocar. A GNX is a good bet.

 >>



Yeah, for about $40,000. A GNX is not a Grand National. It's a GNX. There were like 700 of them.
 
I have to vote f bodu as well...hard to go wrong with a camaro and small block chevy parts are almost as common as water
exhaust, maybe intake, some nice tires..yeah.....good stuff 🙂
 
<<Why first generation Camaro? A 1990 Camaro IROC Z is dirt cheap. Are they not as buildable? >>

No, they're not. Nor are they as light as the first gens., either. You probably could find a late 80's, early 90's rolling chassis and drop a hot engine in it, as long as you're not worried about keeping is street legal.
 
A decent Fox body mustang can be had for 3000. Do a tuneup, throw on a supercharger and you're running mid 12's (that's what a friend of mine did at least).

You can also go for anything that you can drop a Chevy 350 or a 426 into. My personal favorite is a 1968-72 Firebird. A $2500 build can have a 400 making 450hp and ~500 lb-ft of torque. Mmm, torque.
 
'89 240SX ---> $1500USD in decent condition
SR20DET with tranny, IC, and other needed stuff --> $4000
Rest goes into misc stuff such as bigger turbos, plumbing, etc..
 
Any old GM - Camaro, Chevelle, Nova, Impala, etc... with a rebuild small block V8. Then juice it or blow it. Yeah baby!! 😀
 
'88 Trans Am
427 big block
fiberglass mods to make it look like KITT
subframe connectors to strenthgen chassis

it complements your 240sx perfectly.
 
88-91 Civic Crx ~2000 lbs + 220 hp j-spec h22 (prelude engine) = fast

Then you can turbocharge it or supercharge it and all that stuff, mustangs and civics both give about equal upgradability for they both have lots and lots of parts out there. All you people ragging on imports have to realize the advantage of being really light-weight, you don't need much displacement at all, just hp. If I had a little more cash than 6k I'd shoot for the big money, ls/vtec turbo. Whoever said that their friend had the ls/vtec turbo and only ran 12s than I have to ask if he's a good driver because that could be one of the only explanations for such slow times?
 


<< '89 240SX ---> $1500USD in decent condition
SR20DET with tranny, IC, and other needed stuff --> $4000
Rest goes into misc stuff such as bigger turbos, plumbing, etc.. >>



And that will let you run around mid-high 13s in a gutted car... that's far too much $$ and work for a "stock car"
You can buy a 90-94 AWD Eclipse/Talon for about $2k and change leaving almost 4K for mods... that can buy you new turbo, FMIC, etc.etc.etc. and prolly run into the 11s. DSMs are incredibly dominant in import drag as well... (albeit, people break trannys a lot)

Sure, the light CRX & H22A combo is fast... but you'll have zippo left over, have a tendency to break and will be outrun by well-tuned Neons in all-motor... ask Scott Mohler. You might even squeeze enough $$ for a turbo'ed Neon under the budget.
 
Asking for advice on what drag car to get on a computer website's message board is like asking what files should be in your /etc/fstab directory on the messageboard of the NHRA site 🙂
 
It won't make you very unique, but for 6000, a fox body is hard to beat.

I'm not a huge fan of the 80s/early 90s mustangs, but they are cheap and plentiful, as are the aftermarket parts. And with a torque peak of 3000rpm the 5.0L makes a nice drag engine (HP peak is at 4000revs if you're counting, but it's torque that will give you the launch). Also the RWD is nice.

You can make some nice drag cars out of imports, but that's usually pretty pricey.

Edit: Note, AWD is actually really good for launches to, but keep in mind it adds some weight. But AWD is great for launches and rolling starts.
 
I still believe my Ford Fairmont is one of the best deals you are going to run across, the work is already done for you. When I say turn key I mean turn key. I could use a new set of slicks though😉 This car and the chevette have been avertised in National Dragster before I believe.
 


<< Asking for advice on what drag car to get on a computer website's message board is like asking what files should be in your /etc/fstab directory on the messageboard of the NHRA site 🙂 >>



LOL! that's pretty funny..wonder if anyone would actually do that...
 
You want a turnkey setup for $6000?!?! Back in my racing days, (70's) I built engines that cost more than that!

A real sneaky little car that was fast stock, was an 88 Mustang LX 5.0L notchback. I'm sure there are plenty of those around at a low price these days. The list of ready to bolt on
gear is pretty impressive too. They're kind of light in the ass end though.
 


<< Why first generation Camaro? A 1990 Camaro IROC Z is dirt cheap. Are they not as buildable? >>




oh sure.. its a matter of personal taste I guess.. if I had the same "problem I would pick up a 93 Z28 and put a blower, head, cam, nitrous
 
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