Fun eco commuter for $4000

I'll bet a 4.8 or 5.3 elky with the modern 4-speed and reasonable rear gear would be surprisingly efficient...

Conquest351 wrote: Edit: That's not LS powered and that looks like FAIL. LOL

Uh, yeah it is. what makes you say it isn't?

Elky with a tuned 6.5 turbodiesel?

Holy crap.. i never thought of a diesel swapped elky before.

Where's that drool smiley!?!?!

Also, funny thought.. It kinda sounds like you need that benz you were selling , with $4k of suspension and manual trans swap!

I don't think that many people think of swapping the GM TD into other GM vehicles (even though I seem to recall it being based on a small block initially). I guess most people would rather swap a Cummins in, but try that with a regular car or car-based pickup.

Hum. IS 300 SportCross is too expensive. But otherwise is neat.

Subaru Brat would be cool, but getting hard to find a good one. I always liked the early-mid 80 Cressida wagons. A lot actually. They're out there and they're pretty bulletproof.

Vigo wrote: Also, funny thought.. It kinda sounds like you need that benz you were selling , with $4k of suspension and manual trans swap!

haha... yeah. 20/20 hindsight.

Found a drool picture, not really a smilie, but it works:

BoxheadTim wrote: I don't think that many people think of swapping the GM TD into other GM vehicles (even though I seem to recall it being based on a small block initially). I guess most people would rather swap a Cummins in, but try that with a regular car or car-based pickup.

I think its not as popular because of its relatively limited power output. 250 hp is easy, 300 is expensive. The weight of the engine kinda makes the benefits less attractive.

But yes, it will basically bolt in anywhere an SBC or BBC was before it - same motor mount locations, oil pan configuration, and bellhousing pattern.

It wasn't based on a gas platform, it was a clean-sheet design from Detroit Diesel. The mechanical platform itself is bulletproof.

My suggestions G-Body Malibu wagon, EF Civic Wagon, Dodge Rampage (w/ turbo), Caravan (w/ turbo), W123 turbodiesel wagon.

W123 is also a great suggestion. Seems like most of the one's I've found haven't held up to the TX sun very well - dashboards, seats, etc, but the engines last forever.

I do second the Nissan Hardbody. I remember driving one of those for work when I was in college. Even with the Four, they were pretty quick and could be entertaining

Fun Fact: The Nissan Hardbody dominated the SCCA's short-lived Truck Road Racing series.

Addendum to above fact-

There are a handful of hardcore dudes still racing the mostly defunct IT Truck class in the Atlanta region. The Hardbody still wins.

My coworker has an 87 nissan truck with the 4 banger. It has about 350k on it and burns oil really bad. We tease him for having the only 2-stroke Nissan ever built.

Fun Fact #2: My 86.5 Hardbody was within the first 500 made and I sold it 7 years ago with over 450,000 miles on the original engine and trans. Did I mention that I won a few rounds of 1/4 mile bracket racing with it?

With the torsion bars up front, and a turbo kit for the later KA24 ones (it is a 240SX engine) you could make seriously fast, well-handling truck.

curtis73 wrote:

BoxheadTim wrote: I don't think that many people think of swapping the GM TD into other GM vehicles (even though I seem to recall it being based on a small block initially). I guess most people would rather swap a Cummins in, but try that with a regular car or car-based pickup.

I think its not as popular because of its relatively limited power output. 250 hp is easy, 300 is expensive. The weight of the engine kinda makes the benefits less attractive.

Fair enough, it probably makes sense for a DD type vehicle but if you're modifying it that much, probably not.

curtis73 wrote: It wasn't based on a gas platform, it was a clean-sheet design from Detroit Diesel. The mechanical platform itself is bulletproof.

Bah, that was a brain fart of mine - confused it with the crappy Oldsmobile 5.7 diesel, but that appears to be a separate design, too.

curtis73 wrote:

Conquest351 wrote: Edit: That's not LS powered and that looks like FAIL. LOL

Uh, yeah it is. what makes you say it isn't?

Says Vortec in the description. Saw the carb setup on it and thought it wasn't. Skimmed the add and didn't really read it. Haha

Ford Focus

Conquest351 wrote: Says Vortec in the description. Saw the carb setup on it and thought it wasn't. Skimmed the add and didn't really read it. Haha

Ah...yeah I had to look twice too. But the coil packs and the "6LS" MSD box were the clincher.

I just read through the TSI emissions testing and if I find a sympathetic station that doesn't lift the hood, it should pass. The truck has cats on it (new ones according to the seller) and if I can lean out the Holley enough it should fly.

... the big factor being if I can tune the Holley enough.

Dodge Shadow+turbo

Vehicles that you'll probably never find: Dodge Shelby Rampage http://www.allpar.com/omni/rampage/index.html

Shelby Dodge Dakota http://www.allpar.com/model/ram/dodge/shelby-dakota.html

Mazda Rotary Pickup http://www.mazdarepu.com/

Sounds like my 240sx.

The 91+ dohc's had better hp and top end and mpg.

I had 2 straight 6's, the engine hoist, tools and a jack in mine last year. It was way over 1K lbs, but it was only for 2 miles lol.

I've hauled 12 engines over the last few years with various 240's and never had a problem.

Plus I get 20-30mpg depending on how I drive. 27-32 is common on highway trips.

I could build a very nice 240 for 3-4K. You can get a decent boosted or swapped car for that much. A clean stock/stockish one would go for $1500-2500. throw some coilovers at it, and some small key parts and you have a very tossible fun car.

~Alex

Conquest351 wrote: Mazda 323 GLS or GLX or whatever the turbo AWD version is. LOL Not many around and it'd be fun as hell. I'm from Austin, but I live in Brownwood now. I still visit the momz in Pflugerville. Where are you at?

You can't generally get 25-30 mpg out of a 323 GTX. Mileage is pretty bad.

But you CAN get a 323GTX out of me!

I like the engine swapped el camino idea.

Even though I have absolutely no need for a truck I love the thing because it is old enough to be cheap, and has easily upgraded g-body architecture.

FWIW, I got an 05 Ford Focus ZX3 last spring for $4500. It was near perfect with 70k miles. I'm at 77k now and it has not given me any problems and has been easy to live with. Plus, there are a lot of cheap suspension upgrade options. Gas mileage isn't great -- about 27-28 mpg in mixed driving; 31-32 mpg highway. The car is very roomy, has lots of storage space and is fun to drive, although I haven't autocrossed it yet.

JohnW wrote: FWIW, I got an 05 Ford Focus ZX3 last spring for $4500. It was near perfect with 70k miles. I'm at 77k now and it has not given me any problems and has been easy to live with. Plus, there are a lot of cheap suspension upgrade options. Gas mileage isn't great -- about 27-28 mpg in mixed driving; 31-32 mpg highway. The car is very roomy, has lots of storage space and is fun to drive, although I haven't autocrossed it yet. If you want a more eco-friendly -- and performance friendly -- option, find one of the 03-04 cars with the 2.3 Duratec PZEVs.