What it cost me to own a $500 car part 16

"StudyStudyStudy" (jesterjin) 05/05/2015 at 13:15 • Filed to: 240z, project car

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This is going to be a long one, lots of text, feel free to skip to the last paragraph if you feel so inclined.

So the car was pretty much done. It was a really nice stage one car and with the throttle fixed was pretty easy to drive. The 4.11 made it so gear changes were required every 20 mph or so and was a hoot around town at 3500 on the freeway, not so much fun. I did have to revisit the exhaust shop to add a turn down as shown in the exhaust vid because of excess fumes, and to be honest it still was pretty noticeable with the turndown.

Parents decided to sell the house I was working out of, so it was time to clean up and move out of the garage. I found a local storage place (as many of you can guess from some of the previous pictures) and stored the car there to work on a little bit here and there.

I even got a chance to autocross it. Handling wasn’t as awesome as I thought it was going to be. It understeered into corners, and a boot full of throttle made it understeer even more violently. The fuel pump wiring decided to fritz two runs in so I decided to call it off early and headed home.

I don’t know if that was the spark, but I started to not like the car. About a 1000 miles later I was feeling a bit depressed. The car really did look good, and I got lots of compliments and waves, but in truth something didn’t feel quite right. My heart was racing every time I drove it, but I couldn’t figure out if that was excitement or nervousness having done all the work myself. I convinced myself that it was just that it looked good, but it wasn’t quite what I wanted.

I had now graduated Uni and I was making more than I ever had before (not very much in the overall scheme of things) and I wanted to try and see if I could get my real dream car, an FD Rx-7. I loved all the cars from that era, the R32 GTR, the honda NSX, but really the one that always never failed to drop my jaw was the smooth lines of the RX-7.

So I did what I thought was unthinkable. I put up a for sale ad. The posting was very descriptive and I outlined all the parts that went in and put what I thought was a reasonable asking price of 13k hoping for 10k. Unfortunately what became apparent was that there were two crowds. One who had the money wanted a really nice stock example, and the other wanted their own project or would bring up other 500$ cars on the market to try and negotiate.

That was pretty infuriating, didn’t people know that the brakes alone cost upwards of 2k, the engine rebuild also in that ball park and all that steel and time. Along with all the suspension parts and the 3 sets of wheels? Just to make it worse I had a friend who heard about my plight and put up his freshly painted stock Z for shits and giggles and had several offers to buy at the 10k price, and I knew that it was in way worse condition underneath (5 different colors under the body panels surface rust, sketchy wiring <-and you saw the wiring I did and I’m calling his sketchy), but people saw the shiny paint and were sold.

I even took to the RX-7 forums in hopes for a lucky trade. I had a couple interested individuals, but the gap seemed too large and the location of the cars made it difficult to really get a solid deal in the works. Who ships first, what about the extra money on top etc etc.

I decided I would finish up little by little. I found a reply to my posting looking for a bumper and talked to the guy. Found out he had a 2jz waiting to go into his car which was running a 7m. Then it sparked. What was so good about the RX-7? The rotary is indeed unique and the body looks killer, but the 240z also looks really good. The difference was the handling and power. Power. Power. Power.

As a goodbye present to a friend moving out of state I offered to take him on the back roads and let him drive, and to my surprise the car handled great. I made a few tweaks with wider lower profile tires on new rims and installing the ST rear sway bar and tightening up some bushings and bolts. Just turns out that I was a shitty driver and pushing the car too hard and upsetting the handling, he controlled it beautifully, every time it felt like it was going to slip he would ease off the power and we had a blast. The handling wasn’t bad at all and that means the other word kept resonating, and eventually ended up into one word. Turbo.

I figured out why I was feeling the way I was, I had originally wanted a different engine, but had to compromise. Even if I got the RX-7 I was eyeing a V8 swap, and if I was going to swap an engine I might as well break my cherry on a car I knew intimately.

I called around and got some prices that seemed ridiculous, so I decided I would have to embark on this journey myself a real DIY. I called up the guy and asked what he was planning on doing with the old 7m and the mounts and we struck up a deal.

Time for a heart transplant!

Lessons learned:

If you aren’t the type to settle, build your car for what you envision from the beginning. Even if it isn’t the engine you want, build it to supply the engine you want etc.

Sit down and think of what you want, you might surprise yourself.

Craigslist giveth and it taketh away.

People who respond to a for sale price of a car of 13k for an offer of 3k or make on offer for the set of wheels have a special place reserved in hell.

Costs:

300 - enkei 92 15x7+0

200 - kumho 225/50/15

100 - mounting/balancing

200 - 280zx turbo swastika wheels

200 - st sway bar

Subtotal: 1000

Total spent: 13285

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Birddog > StudyStudyStudy 05/05/2015 at 14:42

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“Feel free to skip to the last paragraph”

Not good advice for any part of this series. You lose a lot of context.

I feel ya on Craigslist. When I was selling my SuperCoupe I’d get offers like “Got a 85 Iroc that needs bodywork and $200 U wnt 2 trade?”

If there was a way to punch people via email there’d be a lot of fat lips out there..

swaptastic > Birddog 05/05/2015 at 14:58

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That is infuriating when people offer ridiculous low-ball offers. I guess they believe if they keep trying eventually a seller will give them a deal of a lifetime.

“Would you trade me your pristine 1967 Corvette for a set of 1st generation Cavalier wheels? They are super rare and made from special racing metals!”

BarryDanger > StudyStudyStudy 05/05/2015 at 15:08

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I’m glad you decided to keep it (as far as I know lol). I especially like the part about working on a car you know inside and out.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > StudyStudyStudy 05/05/2015 at 15:46

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Project cars have to be cars you fall in love with. My MR2 is a continuing project which will never be pretty, and I’m fine with that. I had no intention of it being a project car. I was just going to enter it in LeMons events til it died, but now I’m thousands into it and am fine with that.

StudyStudyStudy > BarryDanger 05/05/2015 at 16:07

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Yes...the story continues :P.

At some point I do think you can outgrow a car depending on what you want out of it, but it is nice to know that you took the extra time to install a part correctly and don’t have to worry about previous owner’s handiwork and such.

StudyStudyStudy > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/05/2015 at 16:10

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I think you have some profound truth there. It might start as a crush or simple desire, but a real project car is one you have to fall in love with. Enjoy the ups and downs, and that you are happy to invest in and spend time with.

I’d love to see a picture, I’m a big fan of the boxy MR2’s and my friend is building the later 90’s ones so I’ve grown to like them as well.

StudyStudyStudy > swaptastic 05/05/2015 at 16:13

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The amount of offers I got for the wheels and other spare parts were silly. Or for that matter parts that would disable the car. Do you want to sell two of your wheels? How about the throttle pedal. Will you part the air cleaners?

Man....some people.

StudyStudyStudy > Birddog 05/05/2015 at 16:16

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I just felt really bad putting that wall of text up there.

Regarding craigslist, oh man, the number of people I wanted to meet just so I could kick them right between the legs.

In the for sale ad “no parting, no trades unless ____”

Replies:

I know you said no parting, but will you part out X?

How much for X?

Will you take a used 1980 honda with a sound system and rims?

Blarg, some people.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > StudyStudyStudy 05/05/2015 at 16:53

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He’s ugly, but quick. It handles like nothing else I’ve ever driven. Everyone who’s driven it loves it. I kind of like how ugly he is. People have no idea what to expect until they fling it into a corner.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > StudyStudyStudy 05/07/2015 at 16:58

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“My heart was racing every time I drove it, but I couldn’t figure out if that was excitement or nervousness having done all the work myself.”

I know that feeling. It’s the feeling that something you did a ton of work on yourself, so that it it would be done right. But upon driving it, while you’re trying to convince yourself that it is good and complete, you have that feeling of doom that you’re lying to yourself. While you thought it was going to be right and complete, you’re about to have to face up that you’re not done and it’s not quite right. And it’s also a bit of “I did something wrong/what did I do wrong?/what did I overlook?” thrown in as well.

Yeah... I’ve had that feeling before too.

StudyStudyStudy > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 05/07/2015 at 18:10

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Yea the killer was whenever I heard a rock bounce off the under carriage, or something I would be acutely aware of which bolt/nut it could be and what problems it could be. A couple of weird problems did pop up due to the huge combo of parts from other cars that also added to that feeling. Who knows if I get a few more of these builds finished maybe that feeling will go away.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > StudyStudyStudy 05/07/2015 at 19:20

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I’m not sure if the feeling will ever go away. Since you built it/rebuilt it, you know all the little things about it. So you’re hearing/feeling/seeing things that most people wouldn’t even notice.

I find with me, when I buy a car, I’m also listening and feeling for unusual things and don’t really relax with the car until I get familiar with all the normal sounds, vibrations, etc.

You have to know when to stop or you end up with a never-ending project that you never get to enjoy.

And this series makes me think of all the things I would like to get done.

With my own daily driver I’d like to:

-Fix rear hatch wiring issue

-Replace the shocks

-Work on an occasional-long-crank-when-starting issue. Replacing the spark plugs, coil springs and boots helped, but didn’t completely resolve it. Next to check... check/upgrade the ground wires, reset the ECU and maybe replace the IAC.

-Install Euro tail lights and related wiring (so I’ll have amber turn signals)

-Install better tires

-fix some minor surface rust

-Find/fix a rattle I’m hearing on the passenger side near the back

-Put in a better stereo

-Replace the PCV valve and change the oil within the next 1000km

-Clean the car inside and out thoroughly and give the carpet a deep clean

I bought the supplies to fix the rear hatch wiring issue, have the oil and filters for the next oil change, have the new PCV valve, have the rust paint... and I have decided to be firm with myself to not buy/start anything else (aside from any important maintenance/repair) until I get these things done.

And if you also have a house like me, THEN you also have things you’d like to do with the house as well. In my case:

-Fix some drywall

-Wash all the windows

-Repaint some rooms/areas.

-Fix a leak that only happened twice in the past 7 years during the spring thaw that is likely related to ice getting in somewhere and causing a leak of sorts... and fix some paint/drywall that was damaged by this very infrequent leak.

-re-shingle the garage roof (I’ve decided this MUST get done early in the summer)

-Buy/build a new shed

-Replace my old wooden porch with a new one... maybe with a brick or concrete solution.

-Tied to the front porch, install a separate entrance into the basement that would be directly below the front entrance

-Change the front stone veneer and siding with something that looks nicer

-Install a better TV antenna

-Tear down the garage and replace it with a bigger, 2 level structure that would be configured as two separate units for rental income.

-Tear down the whole fucking house and replace it with a more efficiently designed duplex or 4-plex. Each upper unit would have 3 bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs. On the main floor, kitchen, living room and small bathroom. And the roof would have grid-tied solar panels and where I park the car would be a 220V 50amp dryer outlet in the event I get an EV or I have a tenant with an EV. For a 4 plex, there would be two small bachelor apartments taking up each basement half. I would live in one unit and rent out the rest.
(note I live in the city near a college and near 24 hour public transit. There is a lot of demand for rental housing. I could make a killing in the long run with 4-6 rental units. It would only take maybe $400,000 to $600,000 in capital... which I don’t have... yet.)

And I also have my kids with me 50% of the time. And for my kids I have a to-do list too:

-Get their passports

-practice volleyball with my daughter regularly (which we’ve been doing)

-Have another 7 Go-kart races with my son (was a gift I gave him)

-Find someone to teach my daughter guitar.

-Figure out where I’m gonna go with the kids on vacation this summer.

-Enroll each of my kids in something over the summer... some kind of special interest course... something that where they learn but is also fun.

And I have a girlfriend too.

And complicating all these things I’d like to do is the fact that I need my house and my car daily and I don’t have unlimited funds.

I know I’m going to do at least some of this stuff, but I also know I’m not gonna get it all done... at least not this year. And for the house tear down and turning it into a 2/4 plex... maybe in 10 years when I’ll have enough equity in the house to draw on.

Knowing when to stop and/or decide not to take on anything new until some existing things are completed is a regular part of life.

StudyStudyStudy > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 05/07/2015 at 19:28

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That is some solid advice there, and quite a to do list.

Luckily or unluckily I haven’t moved along in other aspects of adult life, and my job is government so fixed raise and promotion schedule, so the only thing I control is the decision for further education and my car.

I know I just need to relax a bit more, the last couple of things have been pretty important though, (brake line rubbing on u-joints due to the altered brake arrangement, fuel line bouncing off the regulator, driveshaft input scraping against dust shield, rear suspension bolts coming loose from the welded diff/worn lock washers) so finding those major faults kind of rewards me for being nervous. I imagine if I sort through just enough, I can live with the odd rattle or squeak.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > StudyStudyStudy 05/07/2015 at 22:24

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Yeah... you definitely don’t want to mess around with a brake line or fuel line rubbing on anything