Taboo question!! Costs?

[Cole]

I have been reading these forums and others on the swap for some time. I have done several swaps in my life putting engines in places they did not belong.

I hear all these astronomical quotes on costs for this swap and can't see exactly where all the money is going.

I know it is taboo in the modified car world to talk costs, but I think it would be VERY helpful to everyone if people could post a detailed cost of their build. :eek:

[expuppy]

These are round numbers since my conversion has been done for 4 yrs. I will list them in order from necessary to individual use template ( mine is a street legal track car).

$2500 Renegade Kit ( bellhousing is hard for most of us to fab, RH will not sell just the BH.
$3000 LS1 donor engine
$600 aluminum radiator
$150 wiring harness and PCM programming
$700 headers ( got mine from RH, others have sources too)

So figure around $7k for a driveable car, but the following are highly suggested;

$500-$1200 for upgraded brakes. This much hp has to have better brakes since you gave up the power booster.

$1200-1500 for Turbo tranny (if you convert an NA car) with limited slip diff.

$3000 for paint unless you like having a custom car in a stock colour.

SO now you are around 12 grand, and adding serious track options

My track bits;

$2500 coilovers at the corners
$700 upgraded sway bars
$600 new suspension arms in the front ( again the hp and track thing)
$450 partial roll cage
$600 for Fiberwerks nose with ducts to cool brakes.
$500 lighter weight Tenzo racing seats
$150 Momo Wheel ( cuz i wanted it and its smaller than stock wheel)
$1000 18" alloy twist wheels (used) to get the larger tire patch on the pavement.
$450 satellite radio and other electronics to run the One Lap of America
$350 3" 5 point harnesses.

So figure around $7200 more and you can be around 20 grand, BUT, you have a very desirable, very safe, very fast and enviable ride that you can enjoy on the street, the road, AND the track. I know I can not sell mine for that, but thats ok, i will not sell it anyway. I may even have left some bits out. Now those that fab stuff themselves will have WAY less in the car. It depends on what want to do in the car, and what you can fab yourself.

www.expuppy.com (http://www.expuppy.com)

[Cole]

Thanks.

I would like to see others too. I think it would be a good database of info for people. I kept seeing these $20K+ numbers for a swap and could not see where people were spending this money.

My donor is a 951 anyway so that should help.

[craighardy]

I spent about 14k on mine. Some of the major parts:

1987 951 donor -3k
2002 LS1 (bought in 2005) -3.5k
RH kit w/radiator and other RH stuff -5k
LSD -1k
Turbo twists -500
My Labor -Priceless! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself)

Craig
My Labor

[v8carreragts]

I won't have anywhere as much as most into my car. I will have somewhere around $7500 into mine when it is finished. Although I make everything myself and do all of the work myself and of course labor is not included. Most of the parts I am using are parts I traded for and bought at swap meets or E-bay and/or already had leftover from other projects id did in the past.

For example, the transaxle I am using is from a drivetrain swap I did for someone sometime ago. He brought me a 1980 924 turbo S with a destroyed engine and a 1979 924 n/a drivetrain. I got to keep everything that was taken off which included the G31 LSD transaxle. I recently bought a used G31 from a guy in the UK to get the ring and pinion (better ratio in Euro cars) for $250 and the new dog teeth and synchro rings cost $450. So I have $700 into a G31 with LSD along with all of the parts that are required to use it.