recklessOP Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 been looking to pick up an older car to use as my project, and recently i've been looking at a couple of 1st gen stealths. in light of the recent weather conditions, AWD is starting to look more and more attractive on a fast street car... tongue.gif could you guys direct to me to some web sites with more detailed information on these cars. anything i should look out for when looking at these cars? thanks in advance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest badmuthrfkr Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 Oh it'll be a project alright... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mensan Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 Stealth's break. ALOT. graemlins/bubbrubb.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renner Posted February 18, 2003 Report Share Posted February 18, 2003 Check out www.3si.org The main weak point in the car is the transfer case, since it sees the most abuse during the oh so popular 6 grand clutch dumps. There is a factory recall on the transfer cases now, which allows you I believe one get out of jail free card, and upgrades a few of the weak components, making it a more reliable unit. The 95+ cars got a much stronger 6-speed instead of a 5-speed for all previous years. The tranny would probably be the second weak point in the car, seeing the second most loading after the transfer case. The 6-speed will definitly stand up to a decent amount of abuse before having any problems though. So if you can, find a 95+ car to get the 6-speed, or find an early car with a busted tranny, and drop the 6-speed in it. Bone stock, the cars have tiny ass 360cc injectors, and 9B turbos, which have problems holding higher boost levels to redline. So prepare to upgrade both to have some real fun. Timing belt jobs, and clutch jobs are a real pain in the ass. The upper plenum has to come off to access the rear 3 spark plugs. But unlike my car, you don't have to pull the engine to swap turbos, which is definitly an advantage. Other then that, they are pretty solid cars, with a ton of potential. AEM offers a complete plug and play standalone unit for the car, so you can upgrade to a standalone once and be done with it without having to rewire the entire car. There are also a bunch of different big turbo kits nearing the end of development for this car right now as well, so I am sure we will see the current 1/4 mile record dropping even more before long. Oh ya, and a guy over on 3si did a bunch of engine dyno tests comparing a bone stock VR4 engine with a bone stock 2JZ engine. Assuming the turbo(s), intercooler, injectors, engine management, etc were all the same, the VR4 engine made more power with the same a/f on the same boost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recklessOP Posted February 19, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2003 that helps a lot... here's a few more questions for you guys. how much do these cars typically weigh, and what's the weight bias front/rear? how low can you get the weight down? how much would a used 6 speed cost to swap into an earlier car if i went that route? i'll do the work myself, it's the cost of parts that concerns me... if i consider this car for a project, it will be one of the earlier ones. the later cars are simply too expensive to justify tearing apart as a project... thanks again... smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest njbargar Posted February 19, 2003 Report Share Posted February 19, 2003 I'm not sure about the seperate front/rear weights but the total, despite what you hear is 3700lbs. to 3800lbs. Twin turbos are heavier due to the AWD. I won't lie, it's pretty hard to take the weight down significantly. I met another owner of a '97 3000gt that said the car has a racing spec roll cage built in by the factory and that's the main reason you can't get rid of weight. I've never found anything to back this up though. As for a six speed swap, it's gonna cost you alot. I've never seen or heard of it being done. -Here are some websites to check out what you'll pay for performance parts- www.dynamicracing.com www.3sxperformance.com www.alteredatmosphere.com www.gtpro.com -Hope this helps- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renner Posted February 20, 2003 Report Share Posted February 20, 2003 This is only if you wanted to put a little extra work into it, but save yourself some money. I do not think that finding an early car with a bad 5-speed will be hard at all, and chances are you will be able to get it nice and cheap. The block, and therefore the bell housing on the tranny, on the pre and post 95 cars are exactly the same. The only difference engine wise between the 1st and 2nd gen cars was the 2nd gens ran slightly higher stock boost levels, and had different exhaust, to get the higher hp numbers. I am pretty sure that the mounting points for the tranny in the engine bay are exactly the same too, but I will have to look at one of each again just to be 100% sure, which is just a matter of stopping by Jeff's house, since he always has a bunch of cars just sitting around over there. tongue.gif So then it is a matter of finding a 6-speed from a salvage yard, or finding a 95+ car that is wrecked or has a blown motor, but still with a good drivetrain. The 6-speed will of course not be cheap, but getting an early car with a weak or bad tranny will easily offset the cost if you don't pay a shop to do the swap. You will have to drop the tranny to put a clutch in it anyway, so might as well put the better tranny back in. Or you could find an entire powertrain, engine, tranny and all, from a 2nd gen car, and swap the whole thing into a 1st gen. I am sure you could dig up an engine/6-speed combo for under $4K. So, if you manage to find an early 2nd gen with a bad motor or tranny or both, for under $6K, which shouldn't be hard, then you have a cheaper car, with the better drivetrain, and some extra cash left over, since you stayed well under $10K if you do the work yourself. Here you go, 92 VR4 in Tennesse, 225K miles, on ebay at $3250 right now. Has a rebuilt motor/tranny, but it doesn't say how many miles since the work, and I really don't trust other peoples work, but at least you can actually drive it home. Sounds like a good canditate for a 95+ drivetrain swap when you are ready to have fun with it. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2403973123&category=6350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest turbojc Posted February 22, 2003 Report Share Posted February 22, 2003 Renner sums it up. But 2G are 94' and up, not 95' and up. Have driven both 5 and 6speed cars, deffintly get a 6speed. the extra geer is worth the money. BTW: Geoff (stealthmonkey) has his car for sale. He is trying to pay off his hospital bill. give him a pm if you are interested in it. It would be a suitable car for what you are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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