How to build a cool, reliable, sustainable budget drift car

[mexellent]

The original write up was done by burtoncr from the fabricated motorsports forum.

The original post can be found here:

http://fabricatedmotorsports.com/forum/ ... opic=448.0

That thread is aimed specifically at 240 guys, but most of it will make a really good, solid foundation for a thread here.

Input (*cough cough* Will? Jonas?) is appreciated and we will hopefully have a nice, polished formula to get the most bang from our buck. Im going to start the 86 section off with things from my experience, which doesnt mean its the only way to do it, its just the way I did it.

Some other good reads:

The Sport Compact Car Corolla build
Part 1 http://www.modified.com/projectcars/061 ... ndex1.html
Part 2 http://www.modified.com/projectcars/070 ... index.html
Part 3 http://www.modified.com/projectcars/071 ... index.html
Part 4 http://www.modified.com/projectcars/scc ... index.html

[mexellent]

[quote="burtoncr"]I was asked to make a thread on how I would build a cool, reliable, sustainable budget drift car that won’t be laughed off a road course, or at least my idea of it. Also, I’m not here to tell you need Dunlop awesome tires, TE37s, or real aero to be cool and please excuse me if I am not 100% up to speed on 240s.

Goals, Plan and Budget
Before you even look to buy a car, sit down and draw up a plan.

1) Write down the goals for your car. Because of the nature of this thread, I will tell you them:
a. Reliable, fun, well performing and safe car
b. Looks that are “reasonably not insultingâ€

[mexellent]

Suspension and Brakes

At the bare minimum you need the following parts in order of priority (2-4 should be done together):
1) Tension rods
2) Coilovers
3) RUCAS
4) Rear toe rods
5) Tie rods – Z32 inner + S14 outer + steering rack spacers or Tein S14 inner + S14 outer
6) Traction links
7) 5-lug swap
8 ) Brake upgrades (at least pads)

As for companies, from what I have gathered here are minimum acceptable quality companies I would buy those parts from (in order from baller to budget):
Suspension links:
1) SPL
2) Battle Version
3) Powered by Max (PBM)

Coilovers:
1) Tein Super drift
2) Stance GR or GR+
3) PBM
4) Megan Racing, BC racing, Ksport

Do a 5 lug conversion ASAP. No reason to dump money into lame 4 lug wheels, it’s a dead end in ugly car town. You can do a 5 lug conversion pretty cheap if you find deals (not on forums). Go to a junk yard or look up parts on http://car-part.com/ .

While you are in there you should upgrade to longer studs. I suggest ARP studs (ARP-100-7708 ($12/5) for S13s all around and those on the S14 rear plus ARP-100-7717 ($40/5) on the S14 front) Summit Racing has them cheap. You will need new 12x1.5 lug nuts, get Muteki SR48s (~$50) they are strong and last forever.

For brakes if you feel inclined you can do a Z32 or Q45 front brake setup. Either way I would just stick to the stock e-brake for now. Get some pads that grip instantly (ie not racing pads), Axis Ultimates / PBR ULT, Hawk HPS or HP Plus, or Project Mu D1 spec rears. Get new rotors or your old rotors turned at Oreilly’s for cheap. Also, you upgrade to stainless lines and use decent fluid if you like.

That should do it for brakes and suspension.

How it applies to the AE86:

Just thought I would chime in since my car is a super budget built car. I know some of you think I spend tons of cash on my car but in reality I have not spent that much. This is what I would recommend to a beginning drifter with a stock gts corolla and not much cash.

1. Fix every mechanical issue that the car has to start with/change the fluid in everything. It usually just takes time and effort but not to much cash.

2. Get a stock lsd if your car doesn't have one. I am currently running the stock lsd that nasser pulled out of his car to go welded. In my opinion getting anything better at the beginning will hurt your ability to learn all the techniques that are needed.

3. Fix the ebrake/make it work right. I don't care what anyone says you need a good working ebrake. I am kicking myself now for not getting it working when I started and it has hurt me in competition because I'm not used to using it.

4. Get decent front tires. Having good front tires makes the car predictable which allows you to focus on the finer parts of drifting.

5. Get a four link with heim joints. I built mine with parts from speedway motors and it was under $200. It made a HUGE difference in the way my car handled even with the stock pan hard.

6. Get a panhard with heim joints. Again these are cheap if you build them yourself and make a huge difference.

7. Next for me would be steering rack spacers or manual rack with power steering knuckles. These help a ton when your learning they let you achieve massive angle and give you more control of the car.

8. Next I would do a good seat that holds you in place with a comfortable position. You kind find these for super cheap if you shop around. My seat looks terrible but it gets the job done and I spent no money on it.

8. Once all of these things are done and you have gone to some events you should start getting the hang of things. I would start saving for a good coilover setup. There are tons of good options out there and they can be very affordable with lots of research and planning. A good setup is well worth the cost and will help you tremendously down the road. I chose the greddy setup and I have been very happy with it.

With the setup above you can be very competitive at a local level and can become a very good driver. I did very well at national and local competitions with the setup above. Don't try for horse power at first. If you can't drive the setup above confidently at its limits power will not help only more seat time will.

seriously though, good money management (just like learning to drive well: requires self-discipline) without being a sponge and taking advantage of others will go a long way to helping you get THE IDEAL components.

still, even with scrimping and saving your job may not facilitate securing "TOP SHELF" parts for your AE86 within a realistic time frame so here's my suggestion:

GTS:

-suspension -
front:
*sw20 agx adjustable shocks
*t3 shock spacers
*coilover sleeves from ebay (92 and up corollas. you'll get 4 sleeves & *adjustable perches at $50-$60 w/ cheapo springs which you can try or toss, hard rubber tob hats and spacers)
*450lbs qa1 springs at 7" length and 2-2.5" inner diameter

rear:
*350lbs tein, eibach or swift(if you can still find 'em) lowering springs(notice i'm not saying coilovers here)
*camaro agx rear adj shocks

an SR5 can benefit from the same setup but stick with 13" wheels and weld the diff. no LSD rear end (kouki or zenki) even with an LSD as its health is presumably unknown and just securing one (no freebies here as they are not as commonly available free) would reduce your budget to ashes let alone replacing the rear bearings and rebuilding the LSD even if you tripped over one that just happened to have dropped into your front lawn while you were asleep. again, this is ON A BUDGET so no 4AG swap even if you're going to carb it. B-U-D-G-E-T means no swappy.

In the case of the 86 I would go this route (still in order of priority):
1) Brake upgrades (at least pads and a brake system flush with good DOT 4 Fluid)
2) Front: Coilovers Rear: Coilovers or Lowering springs and dampers
3) Adjustable Pan-Hard bar and RCA's
4) Poly bushings (unless you want to go with heim joints in the future)
5) Tension Control Rods
6) 4-links w heim joints

Stock GT-S brakes should be good enough for a 4AGE equipped corolla with power that is in the stock range ( 100whp-130whp). Maybe Will or Jonas can chime in as to what they run.

As far as spring rates go, 8kg/mm front and 6kg/mm rear is the rule of thumb as far as Corollas go. Try and go with single way adjustable dampers if you can. Once you get them set them to full soft and push down on the bumper of the car. At full soft the car should "float" for a bit. Keep on turning the damping up on the dampers until the floating stops.

You will need an adjustable pan-hard bar to get the axle centered on the car once its been lowered and RCA's to restore the stock suspension geometry curves in the front. I recommend NRCA's instead of using wheel spacers in the front. Widening the front track will have the same effect as installing a stiffer sway bar in the rear plus they will help you get rid of wheel gap. (likewise, making the rear wider will induce understeer. Think tricycle).

Now on heim joints. I love heim joints and I recommend them. They have no play (when new) and they do not bind unless you move em way past their intended range of motion.

[mexellent]

Engine / Power

[quote="burtoncr"]
There is no need to overbuild or overextend an engine. It’s just an easy way to make an unreliable car. Based on your budget and power you need (not want) to achieve your goals do one of the following:
1) KA 130-150whp
2) SR 200-250whp
3) LS1 340-500whp

Don’t go crazy with any of those engines. Focus on reliability first and power second. There is no reason to overextend a KA with a turbo to get 220whp when a stock SR can do that reliably all day long. Same goes for an SR. Why do you want a 350whp peaky SR that is strung out when you could be running a stock Fbody LS1 with a 5000RPM wide power band? Overextending an engine either costs a lot to keep up or is unreliable. If you a building on a budget then forget about how “coolâ€

[mexellent]

Drivetrain

1) Clutch
a. If you are on a budget just get an RPS or ACT clutch disc. You can step that up to a clutch + pressure plate if you have the money. Don’t get Ebay clutches that will slip in 2 months. Trannies are pain to pull.

b. If you replace the clutch you must resurface flywheel ($15 at Oreilly’s) or get a new one.

c. Reinstall flywheel with NEW bolts and blue loctite. These should be cheap and are much better than having a flywheel shoot through the bell housing into your car.

2) Differential
a. The best budget option is welded. Forget about all the stock VLSDs, and other retarded cheap stuff. Welded diffs work well and are dead reliable at most power levels. Yea they are annoying in parking lots, but so is your ugly car. This requires pulling the diff, cleaning and taking to a welder. I don’t have a hookup for a welder, but make sure they know what they are doing (ie not a Midas tech).

b. If you want to step it up then look for a 1.5 or 2 way diff. 2 ways are great if it’s will only be a drift car. 1.5 ways are good for track and drift. I would just stick with Kaaz because they are based in the US and have good customer support. Rebuild kits are cheap and they are easy to get.

c. RESEAL the diff correctly. A leaking diff will get you thrown out at a track. Spend time cleaning the gasket surface and reseal it correctly. Let the sealant cure before driving it, don’t get antsy.

d. Fill with the correct diff fluid. I know Kaaz requires a specific fluid. Welded just needs good fluid (ie Redline).

e. Maintain the diff. Drain and refill the diff fluid every 4 events minimum otherwise plan on buying a new diff in a year.

3) Mounts / Subframe spacers
a. If you want you can upgrade the engine and tranny mounts. Do them at the same time otherwise shit will break

b. Subframe spacers. Pretty easy mod and makes the car react quicker. PBM sells them for cheap (~$50)

How it applies to the AE86:

[joel26]

lol good post. Sorry to hear the guy hates 86..lol he probably got spanked by alot of 86's during his build and drifting career...lol but i guess people have their opinion..lol cant wait to see what the guys here come up with.. :D

[mexellent]

Aesthetics
[quote="burtoncr"]
This is the hardest section to write. Everyone has their opinions. And everyone needs to stop looking at retarded pro drift cars with unlimited budget. Stick to a basic, clean, simple look and you will have a car that looks amazing in drift and is super easy to KEEP looking good. Here is where the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle most applies.

The basics to a good looking budget car:
1) NO Kits! They just break, chip, fall off, explode, and ruin your day. If you want to add some spice, stick to OEM plastic. It’s simple and clean, and the few times it does scrape / hit a cone it won’t explode into 1000 pieces. Yes, it may be more expensive, but if you add up the number of times you hit something and then estimate that ~2 hits = exploded fiberglass kit, then OEM plastic looks a lot cheaper.

2) “Battle damageâ€

[mexellent]

lol good post. Sorry to hear the guy hates 86..lol he probably got spanked by alot of 86's during his build and drifting career...lol but i guess people have their opinion..lol cant wait to see what the guys here come up with.. :D

Hahaha who knows. All I know is he writes a pretty good how-to.

Would you mind moving your post down?

[CBR_TOY]

with a 240 all you need is a new stock clutch (depending on condition of current one), cut springs, and a welded....

that's how most start

[mbehrens]

its a alright starting point but he is bias lol... haha... on certian things talking about reliablity and long lasting lol... some things hes right somethings hes just umm bias lol... but for those who dont know exactly what there looking for or what they want... all that you posted would be a good starting point ... nice find. . .

[dr.occa]

with a 240 all you need is a new stock clutch (depending on condition of current one), cut springs, and a welded....

that's how most start

+1

that's a budget drift car right there.

a budget AE86 drift car:

get a stock GTS w/ LSD. no suspension alterations. no wheel changes. no steering geometry changes. STOCK GTS w/ LSD.

start practicing and you'll be well under way. i promise; as long as you don't give up because it isn't easy.

[mbehrens]

with a 240 all you need is a new stock clutch (depending on condition of current one), cut springs, and a welded....

that's how most start

cut springs f that lol.. haha... you will still be budget if you purchess some eibach racing lowering springs lol... i remember when i bought a s13 to build and sell a few years back i bought it with cut springs man was that scary going over the dumbarton brigde going to fremont cali . when the whole car bounced to the other lane lol....but your right thats how most start with there 240 ... but most i know say screw run the stock clutch untill it burns up and fades away or untill the torsion springs fall out lol...

[CBR_TOY]

+1

that's a budget drift car right there.

a budget AE86 drift car:

get a stock GTS w/ LSD. no suspension alterations. no wheel changes. no steering geometry changes. STOCK GTS w/ LSD.

start practicing and you'll be well under way. i promise; as long as you don't give up because it isn't easy.

exactly what i was gonna say. EXACTLY.... seat time is gold in an AE86

[mbehrens]

+1

that's a budget drift car right there.

a budget AE86 drift car:

get a stock GTS w/ LSD. no suspension alterations. no wheel changes. no steering geometry changes. STOCK GTS w/ LSD.

start practicing and you'll be well under way. i promise; as long as you don't give up because it isn't easy.

exactly what i was gonna say. EXACTLY.... seat time is gold in an AE86

i seond that motion

[mexellent]

Ok guys, I think you are missing the point. A beginner drifter should get in a stock GT-S and get a bunch of seat time. However, what should an experienced drifter get when he's on a tight budget?

Jonas, your car is far from stock, and so is Wills. What modifications have you made? What modifications made the biggest differences? Obviously you guys were not happy with the stock GT-S since your cars are not stock.