Thread: Where are the real budget builders?

Thats the truth.

Specifically the 80's turbo Dodge guys.

LOL @ your budget vs turbo topic

I tried this idea and gave up a long time ago..............
I went to this straight away knowing there would be $$$ involved if the car is to be reliable and competent.

Turbos are inherently expensive things by definition.
Yeah, you can budget build, but I have learnt my lesson a long time ago.

P.S The reason why alot of the folks have "budget" builds is because they usually have access to alot of insider comforts (fab shop in the back yard, a stash of parts from a friend, owns a shop, etc). For regular minded people, that ends up not being the case.

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At 8 psi it was very reliable. It was the fact I wanted more and more and more power and pushed it too far and had problems and things start getting expensive replacing jdm motors. The 60 trim turbo setup was very reliable. Just killed gearstacks but was also a hell of a lot of fun.

There is no such thing as a budget NA build. Unless your talking about simple bolt ons, but that's not considered as a build now days, that's just every day stuff .

But seriously if you want two budget turbo builds, check out my Sentra and G20 build threads. I try to stay pretty budget if possible, sometimes you just have to pay to play.

I bought my Sentra for 13K'ish brand new off the lot. Don't really remember with the financing and whatnot.

I've spent at least, minimum, of double that amount on the vehicle since beginning my Restoration in 2007.

Still have to re-upholster my seating ($$), get my CF hood and trunk painted and installed ($$), then install a properly bolted-on, cammed, and tuned VE ($$$). Might do a painted to match Sunny front and rear bumper as well ($$) for the weight reduction and less bumper overhang.

I'm gonna own my play-toy Classic for another 25-years if I make it that long. Worth every penny for the smile it puts on my face.




My first mod was a Stillen pop-charger because my factory air-box broke. A pop-charger was cheaper than a new air-box and easier than finding a pre-owned one in a scrap yard. This must have been around 2003, ten years after buying my Sentra brand new. Ten years I had wanted to buy mods, but did not have any discretionary income.

My second mod was a set of Hyperco springs, bought on a GB in 2004. They sat on my stairs for 18-months before they were installed. During that 18-months I purchased a set of AGX's on a GB (could not afford CSK's), Koni bumps, OEM dustboots, and a set of Whiteline/Superpro caster bushings. A year and half to collect all those pieces. Then I had it all installed at once to save money on tearing apart my suspension for every new piece (not wrenching on my own car).

I'd say that was definitely a serious budget suspension done pretty well.

Now I am nearing 50-years old. My income is no longer even close to where it was in 1993 or 2003. Let alone when I was in my early twenties, when I was a dead-broke-mofo.






Badhabits, there is an age and hence income gap on the forum. Older guys generally have more disposable income than younger guys. It is the way the world works.

And I do love budget-builds. A scrappy-looking beat-up car that is reliable and goes like stink, all on a tight budget.

Here's a current budget-build that is coming along nicely:

http://www.sr20-forum.com/members-rides/56360-xonix_digital-1993-sentra-se-r-lowell-ma.html

We all started out slow , and it took many years to get there , I just saved money for 6 months at time to buy stuff in the beginning while I drove a hooptey ....

cheap builds are always a gamble but I have seen a few lucky ones still alive after abuse. But we always start with budget in mind then when we realize that budget has tripled in a matter of months...... my pockets feeling it right now hahahah

Thats the thing about boost....what you have is almost never enough...LOL....my t25 setup was enough for the first hard pull.....now i want more! budget goes out the window once the boost bug has ya! haha