Help Me Buy The Right Parts In The Right Order

[El_Guapo]

Ok guys,

I'm looking to spend some where between 2,500-3K on some parts for my car. I am hoping to have it out of the body shop by mid August to early September, I've been looking around at what I would like to get but it seems like buying 1 part requires me to buy 2-3 other parts:( to complete the first part.

So, I Figured I would come to you guys for advice since some of you have already gone through with buying the parts that I am looking to get and could give me some first hand advice from experience on what I should get first, second, etc.



Here is a list of the parts(Not in order):

1. Coilovers

2. Roll Cage 4pt

3. NRG QR,Hub,Lock Combo

4. Bucket Race Seat

5. Seat Belt Harness

6. Seat Rail

7. Tires (on some ugly eagle star wheels)

8. Isis Test Pipe (my cat has a leak and a broken bolt)

9. VLSD

10. Camera Mount



Can you guys give me some advice on which order I should be getting these parts in? I would think that the coilovers and tire should be first and second on my list but would like your opinions.


Thanks,


Ivan

[cdlong]

i'd say focus on functionality, then safety, then performance. what class or series do you race in? sometimes that prohibits some mods. i tend to do things in chunks to make the work simpler, clutch, flywheel, shifter, and so on.

8. Isis Test Pipe/high flow cat

8.1 find and replace any worn out parts, bushings, bearings, hoses, belts, etc.

7. Tires (on some ugly eagle star wheels)

7.1 Brakes

1. Coilovers

2. Roll Cage 4pt (could be safety or overkill depending on how you race)

4. Bucket Race Seat, Seat Belt Harness, Seat Rail (necessary to buy these together)

9. VLSD (i'd go with a HLSD)

3. NRG QR,Hub,Lock Combo

10. Camera Mount

[Matt93SE]

1. Fix exhaust leak
2. roll bar/cage
3. bucket seat/ harness/ steering wheel
4. LSD (go with something better than a viscous if you have the money)
5. suspension
6. tires

[Bumnah]

I go in this order:

8. Isis Test Pipe (cheap fix)
7. Tires (only part of the car that touches the ground. make sure it's good)
1. Coilovers (I'd do all the arms and bushings at once, but that's expensive)
9. VLSD (while you're down there working on the coilovers)
2. Roll Cage 4pt. 4. Bucket Race Seat 5. Seat Belt Harness 6. Seat Rail (all at once)
3. NRG QR,Hub,Lock Combo (while you're working on the interior)
10. Camera mount (while you're working close to the interior)

Honestly, after the exhaust fix. I'd check for bearing, bushings and brakes (make sure they work well).

I basically did this: engine swap/lsd > 5 lug/brakes/wheels/tire > front and rear suspension with bushings and arms.

Next is half cage/seats/harnesses.

[shoes59]

I'd make sure the car passes tech in it's current state and spend money on seat time before dropping dime one on parts. Then it becomes easy to determine what is needed to move to the next level. Safety should always be your first priority.

[El_Guapo]

I'd make sure the car passes tech in it's current state and spend money on seat time before dropping dime one on parts. Then it becomes easy to determine what is needed to move to the next level. Safety should always be your first priority.


The car has already passed tech a few times with no problems at the local auto-x's. I really hate the automatic seat belts so that is a little more motivation for me to go with the cage/seat/harness setup.



Ivan

[BeerBringer]

Def. get tires before coilovers. Coilovers will do you now good with crappy tires.

[McCoy]

Ivan, I assume you're planning on attending track days/HPDE with your car? If so, I'd focus on safety first even though this was towards the end of my list of actual upgrades done to my car.

[Def]

Safety is good, but it's a pretty big $$$ step. I'd personally be a bit annoyed with doing that first, but that's just me. Accidents can always happen, but it's not like a mostly stock car is really "hauling ass" to where I'd feel really unsafe on track in one.

I'd probably go coilovers/LSD(maybe try to shoot for at least a HLSD here) then start thinking of the big safety step.

[El_Guapo]

Ivan, I assume you're planning on attending track days/HPDE with your car? If so, I'd focus on safety first even though this was towards the end of my list of actual upgrades done to my car.

Yep, I eventually plan on doing track days/HPDE. For now I feel I need more seat time to fully understand the car before I move onto the track days/HPDE. I should be able to make it to 4 auto-x events before the year is over. Not only that, but once I do this phase of upgrades I am probably going to have to re-learn what little I have learned about the car thus far.


Safety is good, but it's a pretty big $$$ step. I'd personally be a bit annoyed with doing that first, but that's just me. Accidents can always happen, but it's not like a mostly stock car is really "hauling ass" to where I'd feel really unsafe on track in one.

I'd probably go coilovers/LSD(maybe try to shoot for at least a HLSD here) then start thinking of the big safety step.

I hear where your coming from too, that's kind of how I feel right now when I am out at the auto-x events with a bone stock 240sx(minus the minor mods done).

My gut instinct is telling me coilovers,tires(on ugly wheels:(), and a HLSD

From the shopping around that I have done it looks like the LSD will run me somewhere in the range of $800-1k, so if I could find one in the $800 range that would pretty much put me at the max amount that I want to spend of 3K for this phase of the car.

Which brand do you recommend? 1.5way or 2way?



Thanks for all the great help you guys have been so far:D



Ivan

[jmauld]

HLSDs are $400-$500 on ebay.

If you're just doing autocross events for now, you can put the safety stuff off for a bit. That includes brake upgrades, since you really aren't going to stress the brakes at an autocross. Focus on the suspension and the LSD.

[T-Rex]

Ivan,
Not trying any hard sell here, but........

But I still have my Ground Control AD coilovers for sale as well as a couple of LSD's. One clutch pack (Completely built), and a couple of HLSD's (just the diff) in the for sale section.

Also have a tuned ECU from Sunbelt Racing. It all fits the s13.

I'll can make you a deal on this stuff.

Hey, just saying.

[El_Guapo]

Ivan,
Not trying any hard sell here, but........

But I still have my Ground Control AD coilovers for sale as well as a couple of LSD's. One clutch pack (Completely built), and a couple of HLSD's (just the diff) in the for sale section.

Also have a tuned ECU from Sunbelt Racing. It all fits the s13.

I'll can make you a deal on this stuff.

Hey, just saying.


Thanks for the offer, I am actually looking for something a little more street friendly though for the coilovers.



Ivan

[Def]

I'd definitely go with an S15 HLSD for what you're doing. Figure $550 for the diff and output shafts on the high end.

For coilovers I'd try to piece together a Koni + used GC setup. If you're savvy you should be able to do it for around $1k with buying some parts new(like the camber plates/mounts).

If you really have another ~1.5k to play with, I can think of a host of places I'd spend it on if I had to redo it. Rear subframe collars are a good cheap upgrade(I actually have a set of SPLs I'm going to be looking to get rid of soon - plug!), tension rods, refresh of control arms/balljoints/tie rod ends. Steering column bushing thing + urethane steering rack bushings are good and cheap too.

After that the car should handle pretty well.

If you want to go a little faster best bang for the buck mods will probably be some 248/248 stock cams and maybe a few bolt-ons(might not be worth the noise for a few HP here and there).

[Def]

BTW - if your car is driven on the street mostly, I'd just go with a high flow cat off eBay. You're talking about maybe a 0.2 HP between it and a test pipe, and the smell is just not worth it on any type of NA engine. The cost shouldn't be that much higher, and at least you'll not be spewing crap everywhere for no good reason. This goes doubly for a daily driven vehicle.