Cheapest Cars to Build?

[theFordguy]

I'm a fox chassis Mustang proponent, but the recommendations on this thread are getting a bit rose colored. You can do a lot to a fox chassis Mustang for not much, but limitations and difficulties exist.

To address a question above, you're basically limited to a 245mm wide tire up front if you're not cutting up the fenders. Running 245/40/17's on my Mustang resulted in slightly reduced steering angle with the inside of the 8x17" wheel hitting the anti-roll bar. I think with the amount of camber I was running, I could have fit 9" wheels and maybe a 265mm tire with absolutely perfect offset and a bit less steering angle . . . which was already insufficient in stock trim for making tight u-turns. Yes, I had rolled the fenders out.



The 4 link rear, despite being "triangulated", has trouble controlling lateral movement of the rear beam axle. The fox chassis is ridiculously floppy without a cage or bracing. Once I started getting my car dialed in, I kept chasing alignment settings as the car would just flex more with more grip.

A '94-'95 Mustang is a much better starting point for a build concerned with handling. You get a stiffer chassis, 5 lug hubs, bigger front brakes, and rear disc brakes. Another option is to cannibalize an early SN95 and put the parts on your fox while adding a cage or other bracing. I would love to go back and do this to a notchback car. It really is nice having access to so many cheap used aftermarket parts on craigslist. My '87 GT sourced almost every upgraded part from Craigslist.



I'm not saying any of this to be discouraging, but just realize that there are hurdles with the fox platform. Once you get to a certain performance level with a fox Mustang, it makes more economic sense to just start with a more capable platform. Economic sense isn't the whole story though . . . otherwise I'd not be into the pro-touring scene.


Here's a picture of my car from a couple of years ago.

I understand what youre saying entirely and I know that you are not trying to be discouraging.
What would be a better platform than a Fox Body?

[bryant]

with your desire to fabricate, i would suggest building your own subframe connectors, strut tower brace, and rear control arms for your current mustang.
consider that it will make your daily driver that much more fun to drive every day.
i think the 4 cylinder foxs used a smaller front anti sway bar than the v8s, and dont have one on the rear. you should be able to go to the salvage yards and get the v8 anti sway bars.
i would suggest getting the global west front control arm bushings for the stock control arms, and some polyurethane rack and pinion bushings.
then switching to the sn95 spindles, brakes and rear diff will give you 5 lug and 4 wheel disk brakes. chances are you can find a sn95 8.8 diff with a lower gear already.
also the 4 cylinder is lighter weight than a v8 so you will have a lighter weight front end to work with.
down the road when you want more power the options are endless. you can swap an ls or a 5.0 windsor or coyote, or anything else that you can get a hold of.
its cheapest to work with what you have.

[srh3trinity]

I would start with a G-body or an lsx powered Camaro or firebird. You never mentioned a price range, but those f bodies have been getting cheaper and cheaper

[1965gp]

Can you give some clarification on what you want? Let's look at the goal and we can try to find something that fits. For example- you may feel like you need a classic muscle car- or it may be a requirement that it run a certain 1/4, or it may need to hold its own on an auto cross.

We all remember being where you are- I would say most of us went through this from 16-20 yrs of age.

Unlike the others I say leave the fox body alone- it's a 4cylinder and will never be extremely fun unless you swap a SBF or turbo it- and then you run the risk of blowing up your daily driver. Then you have a problem and your dad will be pissed. It's a nice car now- I would leave it as is.

[theFordguy]

Can you give some clarification on what you want? Let's look at the goal and we can try to find something that fits. For example- you may feel like you need a classic muscle car- or it may be a requirement that it run a certain 1/4, or it may need to hold its own on an auto cross.

We all remember being where you are- I would say most of us went through this from 16-20 yrs of age.

Unlike the others I say leave the fox body alone- it's a 4cylinder and will never be extremely fun unless you swap a SBF or turbo it- and then you run the risk of blowing up your daily driver. Then you have a problem and your dad will be pissed. It's a nice car now- I would leave it as is.

Im not so sure what I want exactly, I mean I have a pretty good idea, but I just like them all, its hard to choose.
Im not too picky on what Im looking for, i just want some form of car pre-1974, I dont want to have to deal with emissions crap.
I just want a project and to test what knowledge I have and learn from the experience.

No matter what vehicle i find, whether it be a Falcon, a Fairlane, a Wagon, a Nova, etc, I would like to build something that I can drive any day I want, rain or shine, and just enjoy it when i feel like driving it and I would also like to try to auto cross it.

[Tomswheels]

In that case, I'd go 65-66 Mustang. At least they are light..

[1965gp]

That's good info- makes a difference and in my opinion a good choice. There are several options - let's see what everyone suggests.

[theFordguy]

Thank you for your help, I appreciate it.

I have a ton of ideas for different cars and what I would do.
I just dont know whats out there thats easy to work on due to my lack of experience.
I was thinking of building a truck, but then I realized that it would be difficult for an inexperienced 17 yr old to try and make a truck handle and compete in autocross, so I scrapped that idea, but I do have many more for various vehicles.
Thinking of cars is what I do when I have nothing to do lol.

[Finch]

My advice would be to spend a little bit more initially and pick up an early SN197 Mustang GT (2005). Many great suspension options out there and you can fit a 315/30/18 on all 4 corners with no cutting of the factory sheet metal. Can be built to do both autocross and road course very well and is a good daily driver to top it off.

[1965gp]

If you want something pre 74 (or that era) you should look at cars that are not mainstream. Instead of a nova maybe look at a Buick Apollo, Olds Omega or Pontiac Ventura. All of the suspension will interchange with a 2nd gen F body. You can put pretty much any motor in it with almost no modification. Same goes with GM A bodies- off brands are cheaper but prices are still kind of high unless you look at the 73-77 cars. For Fords you could look at a Falcon, Ranchero, Comet or Maverick.

I would think you would want to look at cars that have a large aftermarket and have a large selection of used parts. For example- you wouldn't have any problem finding drop spindles or a clean set of 17's for next to nothing on this site. Most of the heavy hitters here are beyond 17's and tubular control arms- all of which you should be able to get used at a very reasonable cost.

Right now you don't need to re-invent the wheel. Go with proven (possibly dated) combos and you will be able to build a nice cruiser that will be a blast to drive. No need to be on the edge of technology if your budget won't allow it. People have been modifying these cars for 40 years and there are a lot of good tricks.

Hope this helps- it would have helped me when I was 17.

[06RangerSTX]

I would recommend a 1970-1972 Ford Maverick, Mustang parts and there is actually a aftermarket for this car! or a Chevy Vega GT, I have always wanted to build a Ford Courier or a Opel GT... All of these cars can be bought as a solid roller or running car for $3,000 or less...

[octane speed shop]

Fox body mustang is the best bang for the buck. what about a 1973-1987 chevy c10 square body, i found them around my area for about $1200-$2000. They won't take much more than drop spindles+springs, rear flip kit, and steel cragar soft 8 17's.

[79-TA]

I understand what youre saying entirely and I know that you are not trying to be discouraging.
What would be a better platform than a Fox Body?

A '94-'95 Mustang is a better starting point, but lacks some of the character of a fox.

The 245mm tire limitation isn't all bad. When you run enough events tires don't last very long. Having a common size like that makes finding new (or even used) tires a much more affordable experience. I tried all kinds of tires on the Fox . . . RS-3's, Star Specs, 615's, Ecsta XS's, etc. You can even sell your worn out tires to drift guys with a size like 245 40 17. From the standpoint of running costs and seat time, 245's are awesome.

A fox can be taken to that next level, at least in pure race car form. Look at Maier's national championship winning CP car or Ryan Walton's NASA AIX race car for good examples. Maybe getting big fender flares isn't such a big deal. I just never wanted to do it to my car.



Right now, I have probably the worst example of a 6 speed LT1 C4 Corvette that I can't recommend anyone buy. I haven't done enough with it to come to any solid overall conclusions.

In theory, the C4 has a lot going for it:
- well-designed suspension all around
- ability to fit big tires on all 4 corners
- decent power
- good ZF transmission
- low prices due to living in the shadow of the C5 and C6 while not yet being a classic

The major drawbacks of the C4 platform are very frustrating:
- bad ergonomics
- heavier than my fox Mustang
- bad visibility over the fenders/nose (this coming from a 2nd gen Trans Am owner)
- bad serviceability - you can never just access a given part without un-burying it out from under other parts. Currently, I'm angry with the clutch slave cylinder location and design.

I'll just say it was a lot more fun to have a reliably functioning Mustang than it is to have a potentially quick car that something is always wrong with . . . and then not fun to fix.


E36 M3's are also limited by tire width, but are a good budget candidate.

Occasionally, manual S197 Mustang GT's sell for less than 9k and would be a pretty good deal. You hit the $10k mark really quickly with something like that though.

[nekkidhillbilly]

80s b body gm is another cheapie. i got the one i had free and seeing the shared everything with a 2nd gen a body frame up wise parts are easy to come by. they arent real heavy either for a full size car. think mine weighed very little more than my 66 skylark. the best to build is a late 80s caprice. has the 8.5 rear 700r4 and a 350. they are factory 4 link rears also. finding 2 door ones are kinda tough though if it has to be 2 doors. but it is just as capable as a 70 chevelle when built up.

[wimsattk]

Volkswagans are by far the cheapest to build/rebuild

[BMR Sales]

Volkswagons are by far the cheapest to build/rebuild

Depends on which one

[dontlifttoshift]

pssshhh! There are two kinds of VWs, ones with the check engine light on and the ones with the bulb burned out.

Trying to go fast in an old beetle seems like an exercise in futility.

[BMR Sales]

pssshhh! There are two kinds of VWs, ones with the check engine light on and the ones with the bulb burned out.

Trying to go fast in an old beetle seems like an exercise in futility.

lol - spot-on