What's in These Rice Burners?

[Joe Wicked]

Originally Posted by AMF

Give me $55k budget and I'll build a late model mustang that will run 8's (reliably). (or any late model muscle car)

You dump $55k into a rice burner and you'd be lucky to run into the 10's. Unless you just totally gut the thing and dump a new (larger) engine and transmission setup into it.

Any car can be made to go fast. Some just take more money than others.

I agree with you, that the number of guys out there with a fart can and some unpainted body kit are more than you could count. There are a FEW Honda and Mitsu and Toyota guys out there with really fast cars. There are THOUSANDS of hot rod guys out there with scorchers....mustangs, camaros, vettes, ....etc.

You can buy a notch mustang, throw $10k into (for a total of $15k) and run 10's all day long, twice on Sunday.

If straight line isn't your thing, you can still build a pretty quick road race car too, (although the weight and distribution becomes a serious issue).

I respect the dedication and the over the top nature of extreme modding, it just makes you shake your head when you think of what that money and effort could do with a better starting platform. To each his own though, some guys like V-8's.....some guys like their car to sound like a leaf blower

I guess I should have clarified that he built it in 95, and is still running it. When you look at the cost of building an 05 or newer Mustang vs an 05 or newer Civic, you spend really close to the same money in the end. If you go to older cars, the Mustangs get to be much cheaper to do the same thing is the point I was trying to make.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a fan of the 4 bangers. I tell him on a regular basis that it is still just a civic, and I would rather drive my slow Mustang than be seen in the passenger seat of the Civic just to talk smack . Now he did remove the stock drivetrain and build something else as you stated, but the budget was right around 55K. He runs low to mid 9s regularly and has gotten a couple of passes in the 8s, but the stars need to be aligned just right for those runs. The best part about the car is that it looks completely stock, but has a roll cage. Most people assume he is the classic ricer with a stock civic, roll cage, and fart cannon.