It seems to me (but then again I'm no honda expert) that it's a helluva lot cheaper to build/buy a 12second mustang (or most any v8 for that matter) than to do it with a civic/integra/whatever. I almost wonder if swapping in a V8 would be cheaper too? Either way it would be funny to see the die-hard ricer's reactions. It's pretty silly to get worked up over something like that though, I've never understood why anyone that wants to make their car fast can't appreciate other fast cars too, even if they're different.
Venting
- Thread starter SetofAces
- Start date
It seems to me (but then again I'm no honda expert) that it's a helluva lot cheaper to build/buy a 12second mustang (or most any v8 for that matter) than to do it with a civic/integra/whatever. I almost wonder if swapping in a V8 would be cheaper too? Either way it would be funny to see the die-hard ricer's reactions. It's pretty silly to get worked up over something like that though, I've never understood why anyone that wants to make their car fast can't appreciate other fast cars too, even if they're different.
I could probably come up w/ the money for the exploder, maybe, but I certainly couldn't afford to rebuild the motor, I'd just take the heads and intake and sell whatever else I could off of it to try and recoup my investment. The mileage concerns me because I'm assuming I'd probably have to have the heads rebuilt (though I have no what that entails or how much it would cost). I probably would've done it already if I didn't have to have it towed 90 miles, then back up to SJ to sell the body for scrap when I'm done stripping it. Any idea what the block or rather complete motor minus heads and intake and alternator . . . and TB would be worth?
Strippt88
New Member
You sound a bit self conscious there. Personally I don't care if anyone thinks I'm an idiot, about the only way I can enoy my car at the minute is to hear it rev, that's really its only saving grace, that it sounds so nice. Besides, whats the point of owning a fast car (not that mine is, it's just supposed to be) if you don't have fun with it and cut loose every once in a while? I'm not saying drive 100 through downtown, and I'm not even really into dragracing at all (my car is supposed to find its way onto a road course sooner or later); but what the hell, it is fun to let your car stretch her legs, and so much the better if you have company (and it's not putting anyone else at risk). Geez! Lighten up a bit. I hope you're not like all the old men I see with corvettes or other nice cars around where I live that never let their cars rev past 4500 or go past 100 . . . cause thats just fu**ing lame as hell, seriously, whats the point? It's one of the greatest injustices in the world today, I'm telling you.
Mmmm...(sighs, another young guy who knows how to do it all better...)
You can do whatever you want with your car-weather your an idiot is up to you, and your insurance company to decide. Cutting loose is what they are for, but there are limits. Limits the "old guys" who aren't free revving at lights, or screaming even near 100 have learned, that with this mechanical beast comes responsibility. They are lame as hell, but they are still alive, and still driving nice cars which, one day, you'll hope to be. That is the only point. Injustice is that youth is wasted on the young. See Fastdriver thread on street racing. Save your $, make real adjustments, and keep the loud, slow car out of the fast old guys way.
Cobra912
Active Member
strtrcr50
New Member
Ok. $450 for the explorer. Pull the motor. Call the junkyard and they should give you at least $300 for it. But just for argument's sake, let's say they come and pick it up and give you $150. Now you're in your motor for $300. Let's get the heads done first. Want to do it cheap? Here's how. Break down your engine. Learn how to lap valves. V6Z24 | How-To - Valve Lapping The only thing I disagree with in the description is that the spring will install the seal. Install it right. Valve lapping compound $9.00 Valve lapping tool $4.00 Lets call it $315 at this point. Valve seals are usually part of a full gasket set. Next, hone your cylinders. Cheap Cylinder Hone. $33 Here's a description of how to hone cylinders. VW Volkswagen GTI-VR6 List - Old Library - How-to: Hone a cylinder bore Or you can take the easy way out. Take the block to the machine shop, have them change the cam bearings and hone the cylinders. Not sure of the price here. However, this is really the route I'd go because it's easier to let them change the cam bearings and they WILL get the proper crosshatch pattern. At this point, you need rings $80 bucks, and bearings under $100. Figure if you lap the valves and change the valve seals yourself, you should be able to do the motor for $800 or less. Then after the new motor goes in, you list your old one on craigslist and see if you can get a couple hundred dollars for it.
strtrcr50
New Member
Mmmm...(sighs, another young guy who knows how to do it all better...)
LOL . . . I'm not talking about "fast old guys," just the older guys that can afford the nice (by nice I mean fast) cars and never let the cars see more than 25% of their true performance potential. Cutting loose is cutting loose, it doesn't have to mean 100%, and from years of riding sportbikes on the street I know that 85% on my gixxer 750 is plenty fast -- quicker than most will ever go, but in control (and out in the middle of nowhere). I don't really care for street racing, as typically defined by dragracing, it isn't really racing as far as I'm concerned; one's ability to go fast in a straight line doesn't really mean squat, and racing cars head-to-head in the twistys on public roads really isn't practical, either. Anyways, I'm just disgusted by people like a certain someone that I know thats owned a ZO6 for several years and racked up less than 3k miles. To each his own, I suppose, I just think it's kinda disgusting, and it reminds me very much of all the posers I used to run into when I was riding a lot (I was attracted to sportbikes because of the cheap speed and fantastic engineering in them, many others only seem to ride because it makes them look cool and gets them laid).
Unfortunately there's more to it than that . . . I'm pretty sure that my car has the crown vic computer along with the crappy EFI, may as well just save myself the trouble of upgrading all that stuff and convert to a carb, so the only thing I could use off the exploder is the heads and alternator. I think I could probably get those somewhere else for less of a headache; besides, this motor was swapped in about 20k ago, it may have significant life left in it but I won't know until I do a compression test. And of course, the motor is less than half the equation, I'll still need to upgrade my stoppers, suspension and put gears in, then maybe worry about it's horrid (well to me anyways; never been to fond of "Arrest-me-red") appearance, oh and did I mention I'm working with a non-existant budget?
strtrcr50
New Member
Ok, so pull the passenger side kick panel, and pull the one bolt that holds the computer in. Take a picture of any stickers on the processor. I'd be suprised if a crown vic computer was used. To the best of my knowledge, it is not compatible with the mustang engine harness. And if they swapped in a crown vic engine harness, it would not be compatible with the mustang body harnesses. Regardless of what's in there, you COULD use the explorer short block, heads, cam, intake, tbody, etc... If somehow someone cobbled together a crown vic electrical system, maybe the injectors would be different.
How about this.. Take some pictures.. Pictures of the computer. Pictures of the engine compartment. Pictures of the engine. Let's see if we can figure out what you have.
Also, I understand non existant budget, but just for example, let's say your car does have an unsuitable motor, computer, and wiring harness(doubt it on the last 2 anyway) Due to taking my time and shopping around till the deal I was looking for came up, I got a a9p computer and wiring harness for $120, and a complete 88 5.0 HO motor out of a mustang for another $150. When I get the motor broken down, I'll be sending the HCI/injection stuff to a friend(Won't be needing most of that stuff) When I get the motor put back toegther and swap, I figure I can prob get $150 for the motor that's currently in my car.
I could be way off base here, but I was assuming that it has a crown vic computer because I read somewhere that the '89s don't have a MAP sensor, or at least don't have it on the firewall like mine does. Also, I thought that the main difference between the crappy EFI on my car and MFI was in the computer; again, I could be way off base.
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