Cheapest car to build?

I finally manned up and started using the PowerMIG 210 I bought in February.

I'm learning stick and will eventually start practicing mig (when I get some gas). I know it will take lots of practice and reading until I can build a frame, for now I will start doing projects like off road bumpers and what not.

My question is, iffen I have this skill, what would be the cheapest way to build my own tube car? VW Bug donor? I was thinking building a Locost with D21 as donor since there are no Miatas or old 240's/Supras/RX7s here in Mexico where I live. It would be heavy, but it would be, and that's what matters.

What's your opinion? What's the cheapest drivetrain for me to start a project without "it's too expensive" excuses?

Thanks for your input!

Old sandrail frames are pretty cheap and can be hacked apart and changed as needed. Most in this area are set up for air cooled vw power.

VW aircooled power plants are super easy to come by and parts are dirt cheap. That also eliminates a lot of the complexities associated with cooling the thing.

I suspect you could find a 2.2L ecotech pretty cheap too since they went in pretty much everything GM made there for a while.

The old standby is the GM small block 350 they're also pretty easy to get a hold of but the packaging is going to be a bit more challenging.

D21 as in Nissan truck? (I had to google it) Doesn't seem like that would be crazy heavy for the parts you'd use...

It seems like part of what's cheap is baked into what's available, and it sounds like you don't have a lot of the same stuff lying around. Probably totally a different region, but my one trip to Mexico was stiff with Nissan Sentras (sold as a Tsuru there, I think?). Seems like that'd make a fine donor for a mid-engine Locost type thing (google Midlana if you're not familiar) if they're common around you.

What else is common there?

In reply to Ransom:

Man, I actually also am considering a Tsuru and am familiar with Midlana. The thing that appeals the most is parts are super cheap as well as maintenance. D21 as in truck, yeah. They are plentiful too and it's the cheapest RWD platform that comes to mind.

I'm thinking of selling my Volvo T4 since it's frustrating me and expensive to fix as a project and just buying a Tsuru, bug or D21 donor. The upside is that I can also sell the rest of the car in parts super quick. A stolen Tsuru probably becomes parts in less than 24 hours around here haha

So I would probably have a free drivetrain that way, no?

2.slow A4 Jettas are plentiful too. The most common cars are all FWD btw, but building a mid engine car seems daunting :/

We also have plenty of Opel Corsas (labeled as Chevy here) and things like Ford Rangers.

I was thinking - get a donor 5.0 Mustang gets you an easy to tweak/upgrade powerful engine, trans, rear, front suspension, popular steering set up for kit cars - Factory Five etc went this route for a reason

Then either work up a tube frame from plans online or buy some else's unfinished or old project.

I second a vw bug build for a first attempt...plentiful in your area, simple drive train and ancillary systems. Build something mimicking or patterned after a porsche 550 spyder...easy to build mid engine w flipped vw transaxle Could easily build a fun toy weighing less than 700kg and even with small engine could be quick even with simple torsion bar suspension from donor.

In reply to dropstep:

That's what I'm aiming for but with a more seven-esque look. But the frames are not cheap around here usually, so probably better to build my own.

I'll still give your idea a try because it's very good advice tho, maybe I luck out and find a complete sand rail I can modify to take on the twisties instead of the dunes? Thanks a lot!

In reply to Agent98:

One of my ideas was using a Ford Explorer as a donor, crazy? Mustangs are not cheap here, sadly. It would stay automatic to simplify the build though, but wouldn't it be a handful of a car? Not that I'm complaining haha...

My dad has a '99 Explorer V8 and I actually beat a Polo 1.2 TSI. Not a big deal of a car but these thing weights almost 2.5 tons, awesome engine.

PS Any way to quote more than one reply in the same post?

In reply to The0retical:

I'm trying to stay away from turbo drivetrains, but a Chevy 350 sounds good. It sounds a bit of budget, sadly :/

Maybe a trip to the USA to find a cheap 350 would make this a possibility.

What is planned use for this build?

If you just want to build a cheap sports car then shortening a bug pan and welding a cage to it is probably as cheap as you can go in Mexico (if my assumptions of the used car market there are correct). Or the same treatment to aforementioned D21 or Ranger. Building a 7 is a lot more work.

Wasn't the VW Beetle with air cooled engine sold in Mexico until just a few years ago (less than 10 years)?
EDIT: 2004 was the last year so 13 years.

If that means air cooled engines are still plentiful in the area then that would be my choice.

Google "bill Rutan vw race car pictures"...very famous and successful historic hill climber vw based.

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

Sounds cliché, but learning.

Second would be having a fun street legal canyon carver. I just want to be able to smoke a GTI in a budget haha

In reply to BrokenYugo:

Yes man, if I go VW I would keep the stock pan, maybe reinforce it a bit. I've seen how they shorten them, you kind of cut the car in half but using a V cut instead of a completely horizontal one, right? That would be to get rid of the rear seat area, but maybe it can be put to god use. Placing the fuel cell there would be a good idea, no?

My plan with the D21 would be to remove the body, but not shorten it because I would need a new driveshaft. Then just lower the stock suspension and, as you said, build a cage on top of the frame. This ideas all came from watching Roadkill's Kartvette build.

In reply to John Welsh :

Believe it or not, they were so common that you could count at least 3 bugs in the same street (from corner to corner). Now not so much, but they are still cheap, so yes haha

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

Alright, you made my day

That's exactly what I'm looking for, maybe just a bit bigger to make it comfy. It's gonna be a weekend warrior more than a full race car.

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

I just noticed you mentioned a flipped VW transaxle. I'll look into it because it sounds VERY interesting.

Of course, before you start in on any project involving a non-factory built chassis, you have to check in with the DMV and find out the laws/requirements/restrictions related to a home made car.

Lots of states won't allow this sort of vehicle to be registered and many insurance companies won't insure it for road use, even the venerable VW dune buggy is no longer a sure thing. I read (?) that Texas is the latest state to ban new dune buggy registrations allowing only previously registered vehicles to remain.

Do your homework before beginning and if your state requires a title be very sure that you've got that covered.

Spiritus_Spatium wrote: In reply to BrokenYugo: Yes man, if I go VW I would keep the stock pan, maybe reinforce it a bit. I've seen how they shorten them, you kind of cut the car in half but using a V cut instead of a completely horizontal one, right? That would be to get rid of the rear seat area, but maybe it can be put to god use. Placing the fuel cell there would be a good idea, no? My plan with the D21 would be to remove the body, but not shorten it because I would need a new driveshaft. Then just lower the stock suspension and, as you said, build a cage on top of the frame. This ideas all came from watching Roadkill's Kartvette build.

I'm pretty sure that's the approved method, you're making the V so the joints on the structural rails on the edge of the pan aren't in line with the joint on the center tunnel (which is most of the pan structure), reinforcement plates on the tunnel joint would probably be a good idea. Note that the outer rails on a VW pan are pretty flimsy, for side impact safety if nothing else you'd want a tube running above them.

Don't let shortening a driveshaft scare you, having one shortened and balanced at a driveshaft shop is generally pretty cheap (it's only like 2 hours of labor).

Also, on flipping a VW transaxle, the final drive isn't a "hypoid" type gear and there's a lot of room in that part of the case, so you can just assemble it with the differential/ring gear assembly on the wrong side and you end up with a reversed rotation transaxle for mid engine use or rear engine use with an engine that rotates the opposite direction of an air cooled VW one. It's so easy on the cases where both sides have a removable cover that it sometimes happens on accident and you get a bug that has 4 reverse gears and 1 forward one.

In reply to Two_Tools_In_a_Tent:

Ummmm...he's from Mexico. I'm sure more relaxed than most US states.

Spiritus_Spatium wrote: In reply to Ovid_and_Flem: I just noticed you mentioned a flipped VW transaxle. I'll look into it because it sounds VERY interesting.

SCCA Formula V racers have done thousands of the transaxle conversions since the 60s.

Building chassis would be easy. Attach frame to front end torsion bar complete suspension and to rear torsion tube and your done.

You can easily flip the VW swing axle transaxle and run it mid-engine, the IRS is a different beast and requires that you flip the internal ring gear which is only possible with dual side cover transaxles.

This thread might help you understand better and get/keep you enthused:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2718

There are many, many more threads on The Samba that can help you out with what you have planned. All round, the VW mechanicals are VERY forgiving and readily accept certain home grown modifications.

Got any FWD cars laying around that need a new life?

MidLana

It's a Locost for modern times.