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How soon is too soon to restore? Fast and Furious Fantasies


99StockGT

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Because I spend all day working on and surrounded by interesting/cool/weird/fast/project cars these are the thoughts I'm plagued with. Is it too soon to be looking back on the early-mid 0s with rose colored glasses? When cool air intakes, exhausts, lowering springs and neons were what got the blood pumping? Stickers down the doors? Enough speed to be fun and enjoy the acceleration but not fast enough to make you dead in 8.9 seconds?

 

How about this as a thought experiment. If you had $8,000 to spend in car purchase and parts what would you or ARE you building? Since I brought it up, I'll get this off my chest and be honest.

 

Current project

 

2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V

 

Purchased with a hole in the block, actually 2 holes in the block. Ladies son had money shifted it and grenaded the poor thing. So picked up a used motor tossed it in an ran it. Unfortunately used motor was junk, popped a headgasket about 2 weeks after install and that was that. As one who can't leave well enough alone, decided to build a motor for it. So, head was gone through and worked, new high compression pistons, stronger rods, new crank. Ported and polished intake, chrome headers through a 3" stainless exhaust all the way back to a high flow muffler with a 4" tip. Chrome cold air kit with fender located cone filter. Upgraded clutch, lightened flywheel, balance shaft removal. So, FWD limited slip 6 speed close ratio with a short throw shifter should feel pretty spirited.

 

Car is sitting on 2" drop H&R lowering springs, upgraded front and rear sway bar, new wider wheels (bronze) with autocross grade tires. Calipers/Pads/Rotors replaced all the way around along with new lines. Of course, yes they are painted. All told I've got a decent chunk in this $500 ride but well below the $8000 limit for this exercise. Nitrous kit is sitting waiting to be installed until after the engine break in is completed.

 

Once completed she'll also be wearing a neon underglow kit, and stickers down the door from all the parts/vendors she's wearing now. Am I stupid? Yes. Does this make sense? No. Do I have an un-natural desire to make something like this? Yes, so feel free to make fun of me.

 

So, what do you say CR? Who else has an awkward to admit desire to relive this period of Fast and Furiousness? What would you buy and build?

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Steve somebody on here used to have one of these that was relatively messed with. I always remembered them as good powertrains in need of a less turdly chassis.

 

May the less slow fury be with you.

 

They have some potential but it's interesting to see the way Nissan went versus Honda for their 4cyl power. Nissan went the kind of "Muscle Car" route with shoving a bigger displacement lower revving motor in, while Honda went with the lower displacement higher revving.

 

2002 Honda Civic Si

160 hp

132 lb-ft

2,744lbs

2.0liter 4Cyl

 

2002 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spev V

175 hp

180 lb-ft

2,743lbs

2.5liter 4Cyl

 

Clearly in the story books the Si and Honda in general ruled this battle, between the dependability and mod-ability of their 4Cyl power plants the sky is the limit. We are STILL seeing these powerplants making huge power and ruling import events even today. Where as the 2.5 QR25DE went on to... uh... power the Altimas?

 

Edit: And yes there was one that got its Furious on!

 

https://imgur.com/a/OSOwP

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2000 civic SI 1.6L

178whp with head shave and intake/header.

1900lbs

4.9 final drive and mfactory clutch limited slip.

1.39.5 mid ohio club on used BFG R1S

 

Under $8000.

 

d3xH1w8.jpg

 

Shopping for good springs and dampers.

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Dude.

 

I've been really itching to make some sort of Fast and Furious car. I've been talking to Andrew lately that I want to get a '95ish Jetta and make it like Jesse's car.

 

I totally get where you're going and I think it's awesome.

 

I honestly think cars like this are slowly making a comeback and eventually they'll be looked at fondly at car shows.

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Surprised no one has mentioned me yet...

 

If I had 8 grand... Probably get an AWD Turbo Eclipse, and turn it into Brian's car. I am choosing the awd over fwd for better launch and handling. I found one on craigslist for 3-4 grand, leaving me with enough to upgrade suspension, wheels/tires and brakes. Yes I have thought about this and the wife is slightly possibly ok with it maybe. Haha. kids are both front facing so that's not as bad of an issue anymore. I'm just on the fence still on staying with the tuner car scene or getting a Cherokee XJ and making an overland style vehicle.

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Wasn't there an Integra in the first fast and furious movie? Dominic's sister and Ja Rule drove one, right?

 

For some reason that is a car I still look on CL for a decent, non-hacked, non "teggy" 2 door coupe. When I first bought my GTO, my friend Pete had a 1970 GTO vert as his DD that we used to cruise around in. When he decided to restore his car the first time he "needed" to buy a reliable daily so he went out and bought a brand new white 1996 integra type R. This was the first Japanese fwd car I ever drove and it was pretty amazing. A couple years later, a friend had a modded (re: turbo) integra sedan that he let me drive as well and it was pretty great as well. then my wife bought her dad's 1999 GS-R with 190K miles on the clock and although she only had it for 3 months before it was totaled (t-boned by a kid who ran a stop sign) it was probably my favorite car she ever owned (she had a prelude Si before that car). I had a lot of friends that raced 2000+ civics and while I like them, I just really like the integra more.

 

I don't think this will ever come back in fashion:

http://www.musclecarszone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/The-Fast-and-the-Furious-Acura-Integra-Fast-and-Furious-1.jpg

 

cd8640aaaaadccd0c49fb85aaba03578--film-movies.jpg

 

but I could think of worse things to roll around in than this:

7168d1161224275-98-integra-gsr-modded-dsc00300.jpg

 

http://www.icscc.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1399&d=1428801380

 

http://img.modifiedcartrader.com/uploaded/XL/2006/05/4332_Acura_Integra_5222006102122PM1.JPG

 

 

Not every F&F "star car" is gonna make a comeback. I feel like the car has to be good too. I don't think anything will make Roman's Purple Eclipse spyder from F&F2 remotely desirable.

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Not every F&F "star car" is gonna make a comeback. I feel like the car has to be good too. I don't think anything will make Roman's Purple Eclipse spyder from F&F2 remotely desirable.

 

I guess my thing here isn't really the recreation of a star car, but more the recapturing of a moment in car culture. Regardless of whether or not you loved the cars in the films or hated them, hell it really doesn't even matter how you feel about the films in general. Those things changed and channeled the tuner car culture to the world at large. Car meets, garage parties, late night "street racing" meetups... it was a modification and rebirth of an earlier eras car culture.

 

Very glad to see I'm not the only one who's had these sorts of thoughts/urges makes me feel slightly less crazy. Over the years so many conversations have formed around how the experience of driving was more connected and less crazy. Anyone can learn to wheel a 12 second car down a strip/street or around a AutoX course, however a 9-10 second supercharged missile like we are buying/building these days is... well honestly way too much car for most people.

 

As for MY F&F car, I'm not going bodykit yet but it's not completely out of the picture. I like the styling of the '02 already and lowered with wheels and tires it actually doesn't look too bad. Once some additional accent pieces are on it and she's cleaned up should be a pretty slick little tuner ride. Plus, it's always nice to bring a dead machine back to life.

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Exactly! Not saying it should die and never be spoken of again but a tastefully done tuner that is flashy, not gaudy, would be a good revive. At the end of the day it's not about all about the end result, a lot of it has to do with the platform you're building from and making sure the mods are properly done. But for the love of gaud, please leave the lambo doors on the lambos.
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Looks good! Add Konig center caps on the wheels and fix the rust spot on the hood and enjoy it. I wouldn't spend that much money making it a F&F "Tribute Car". TOO SOON, JUNIOR.

 

If you had $8k, I would say go for a clean '70s Land Yacht with some custom touches. :cool:

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I guess my thing here isn't really the recreation of a star car, but more the recapturing of a moment in car culture. Regardless of whether or not you loved the cars in the films or hated them, hell it really doesn't even matter how you feel about the films in general. Those things changed and channeled the tuner car culture to the world at large. Car meets, garage parties, late night "street racing" meetups... it was a modification and rebirth of an earlier eras car culture.

 

Word. I miss those days when you would see modded cars everywhere, regardless of the type of car. A lot more cars were customized back then even if it was just minor stuff.

 

If I had $8k to spend/build on a "tuner" car, it would definitely be a 1st gen Talon/Laser/Eclipse. I always really liked those.

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HERE'S THE THING....

 

We're saying that the car culture isn't like what it was in the early 2000s (may be true), but if you go to meets, C&Cs, and watch videos, the flash of the 90s/00s has been replaced by sleepers, rat rods, and drift missles. If street racing isn't popular, then drags, drifting and autoX'ing definitely is.

 

Haggard Garage and other YouTubers find cheap ways to have fun and go fast in cars. It's not about nitrous parts and custom paint; it's about getting the look for dirt.

 

Roadkill/Hot Rod Garage/anything coming from TEN*? Some super-high dollar stuff, but wrenching on anything you can get your hands on. NasCarlo? Rotsun? Make that stuff run and then get it to perform.

 

* = http://www.enthusiastnetwork.com/

 

Paint is still popular, but overwhelmingly REAL car guys prefer function and individuality over form....and I, for one, love it.

 

Sorry if House of Kolor isn't selling as many gallons of pearl paint as DipYourCar is selling plasti-dip, but at least the hobby is strong...just in a different capacity.

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