by "Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
Published 02/15/2017 at 19:29
by "Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
Published 02/15/2017 at 19:29
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STARS: 2
I wasn’t joking earlier with that AE86 Initial-D-parody fox body. I might soon be trading a couple hundred dollars and some photography work for this 1986 V6 automatic notchback to replace my girlfriend’s literally-rusting-in-half 1993 Honda Civic. She hates yellow, so we’re going to get some primer flat white and make a car that will make sense to nobody. The stock powertrain is in pretty good shape, though the driver’s window has been busted out and the heater core is busted (already bypassed), a couple trips to a local junk yard can sort that out quick enough. Hopefully the 3.8 mill will prove reliable enough to get her back and forth to school this summer (and an autocross or two) until she saves up enough for something a bit more modern. With airbags.
Having money is overrated. Fuck it. Also RIP my old Civic ;_;
"Rico" (ricorich)
02/15/2017 at 19:43, STARS: 3
Bad idea all around bro
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/15/2017 at 19:44, STARS: 0
Why’s that. People are asking $1500 for similar fox bodies in worse condition with seized engines on Craigslist. For $200 and taking some photos I get one with a clean title that runs and drives.
"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
02/15/2017 at 19:51, STARS: 3
I’m pretty sure the words “Initial D Foxbody” appear in the Oppo charter somewhere. Oh, sure, they’re in crayon, but so are most things and they’re there - that’s what matters.
"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish)
02/15/2017 at 19:56, STARS: 1
A smooth ride to the head gasket store
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/15/2017 at 19:56, STARS: 0
For a cheap beater for the girlfriend it’s not bad. Especially if I can make a joke out of it.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/15/2017 at 19:58, STARS: 1
Eh. It’s an 80s Ford. Pretty sure you can do head gaskets in an evening on these. I actually believe they’ve been done recently
"Rico" (ricorich)
02/15/2017 at 20:00, STARS: 2
Save your bread to get yourself to the point where you aren’t scraping by. Every dollar you spend waste on a shitty car is one less dollar you’ll have to put towards something good.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
02/15/2017 at 20:03, STARS: 0
That’s it? You just want to paint it? No bolt-ons?
"unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)" (unclevanos)
02/15/2017 at 20:03, STARS: 1
This paint is decent and was used on my jeep:
Get primer and clear and you’ll have a decent white paint job. Home depot carries it online only too.
Please do the AE86 parody.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/15/2017 at 20:12, STARS: 0
Scraping by? I’m doing fine. The bonus I just got for getting full price on a contract more than pays for the car+registration+new window+oil change+whatever. I’m managing to stuff some money away each month and well on my way to my goals. A cheap-ass beater so my girlfriend can be happy is more than worth it. That fucking Civic is, as I said, literally rusting in half (damn New England cars) and has a super bad misfire under load that we can’t even begin to diagnose because it has 250,000 miles on it and next to no maintenence has ever been done on it. Last oil change? Nobody can remember ever doing one. Fuel filter? looks original and is solidly rusted to the fuel hardlines. Axles? Both need replaced. And huge rust holes are fucking everywhere in the bodywork and 90% of the interior is missing. It is worse than my $1 Sentra was (until a month ago when the crank decided it wanted to go for a walk).
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/15/2017 at 20:17, STARS: 0
Bolt on a new driver window.
"Rico" (ricorich)
02/15/2017 at 20:27, STARS: 0
Going by your past posts you don’t often make very sound financial decisions when it comes to cars, you often ignore many people on Oppo who actually are trying to look out for you.
And I get get it, who are we but some random internet strangers. But I promise you nobody on Oppo, especially me, is trying put you down when we say certain ideas are bad. We just don’t want to see you make a mistake you will regret later.
If you’re doing well then I recommend raising the budget and age of the cars you’re looking at, something newer and more reliable for her.
"TheJWT" (thejwt)
02/16/2017 at 11:15, STARS: 0
If you want to be my hero you’ll get Watanabes and TRD Starlet box flares for it
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/16/2017 at 11:26, STARS: 0
hm.
"CobraJoe" (cobrajoe)
02/16/2017 at 11:42, STARS: 0
Is it CFI? Overdrive trans or 3 speed?
I owned an ‘84 V6 with the CFI 3.8L and the C5 3speed trans back in high school. It wasn’t fast but it wasn’t depressingly slow and had plenty of torque for a weak engine. I remember the trans being pretty good match for the engine, quick lockup to make use of all that torque (205 ft-lbs!).
Biggest worries are rust, body squeaks (bolt in subframes help a lot), electronics (80's sensors tend to go out due to age, and the CFI system was a bit odd, but should be able to swap to carb in case of utter system failure). I don’t believe headgaskets are as big of a worry on the early 3.8s, they had less cylinder pressures and less RPMs to deal with, but be sure not to overheat the engine because warped or cracked heads are still a possibility. Also, considering the age of the plastics inside, be prepared to always be needing to replace something.
Best advice I can give: Don’t expect it to be a muscle car, or to become a muscle car without an engine swap. There’s not a lot of parts out there for the 3.8, and what is out there is expensive. Plus the brakes are undersized (smaller than the GT’s undersized brakes), the rear end is a 7.5in instead of the stronger 8.8in, and the front springs are also lighter than the GT springs. Just enjoy it for what it is and save up for a stockish V8 version if you like it.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/16/2017 at 11:58, STARS: 0
Is it CFI? Overdrive trans or 3 speed?
It’s honestly been two years since I laid hands on the damn thing and I really don’t remember.
It wasn’t fast but it wasn’t depressingly slow and had plenty of torque for a weak engine. I remember the trans being pretty good match for the engine, quick lockup to make use of all that torque (205 ft-lbs!).
The way I remember it driving was more or less like an American automatic Miata but with a way nicer trans. Was certainly faster/more fun than the LeSabre or Civic was that I had at the time were.
I don’t believe headgaskets are as big of a worry on the early 3.8s
This is what I figured. I do wonder if a Thunderbird Super Coupe blower would bolt on? :P
I’m expecting it to last through the summer on the stock drivetrain. If/when something significant breaks it’ll probably become an engine swap candidate.
"TheJWT" (thejwt)
02/16/2017 at 12:03, STARS: 0
"CobraJoe" (cobrajoe)
02/16/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 1
I had the 1st/reverse band go out in my ‘84, but we actually cracked the trans open and replaced the band ourselves. (I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who isn’t experienced with complex mechanisms). That was the only major component to break though. Everything else was just little sensors or thermostat at most (I really don’t remember fixing on it much, but was only a 15 year old car when I bought it) Calling it an American Automatic Miata is about as close as you can get to describing it.
Honest answer about the SC supercharger: Probably not easy. However, I have heard about people building a
“stroker” 3.8 by using a crank from a 4.3L V6
. Probably cheaper to just put in a used 5.0 though....
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/16/2017 at 13:42, STARS: 0
I can’t imagine a carb’d Windsor is all that expensive. Wonder how difficult such a thing would be.
"CobraJoe" (cobrajoe)
02/16/2017 at 13:58, STARS: 1
I’m sure there’s a how to written out there somewhere, but I bet it shouldn’t be that hard. The 3.8 is mostly a short 302 anyways, and I believe it has the same bellhousing bolt pattern as a windsor, so the C5 should work as well (which is pretty much just a C4 with a lockup converter), and the 7.5in rear should hold up well under anything less than slicks. Heck, even the stock brakes will work for a while (but plan ahead when it comes to braking).
There’s other annoyances though, like the trans crossmemeber that will need to be swapped for a “double hump” if you want run dual exhaust.
"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
02/16/2017 at 14:12, STARS: 0
That’s awesome. So even the motor mounts should be fine? I can make a custom exhaust with no issue, and if I did a V8 you bet your bottoms it would be getting custom side-exits.
"CobraJoe" (cobrajoe)
02/16/2017 at 15:20, STARS: 1
Not sure on the motor mounts, and you probably want to double check me before collecting parts, it has been over 15 years since I’ve owned that car.