Go cheap

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tony20110

tony20110

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Ok I just read "this is one area I would not go cheap" and it got me thinking.... Where do people suggest you go cheap? I never hear anyone really mention anything. Now this is a little humorous but seriously whats your answer?

btw I would mention 273 adjustable rockers as a way to "go cheap" for example.
 
alot of parts such as electric cooling fans, brake setups for the front and much more can come from donor vehicles and sometimes other brands, long as it rolls down the road and stops at the end every time it doesn't matter what you spend!
 
I would go cheap anywhere I possibly could, I'd go to a veterinarian for internal surgery if they would let me.
 
exhaust I guess. I ran a pair of Thrush glass packs on my truck just because they were cheap and they actually sound good to me. I don't see a huge need to splurge madly on an exhaust system to get all sorts of fancy doo-dads and muffler, you get what works and what you need/want.

the Summit brand stuff is pretty good stuff sometimes from what I've experienced. Double roller setup for $50? worth every penny. I also used a Summit 6901 cam and lifter set for $110 and its a good cam for my mild lil 318. A month before I bought it, they had a set of valve springs, that cam, and lifters for $120. I'm still kicking myself for not buying that when I saw it. Coulda saved so much money
 
I do my own sheet metal fabrication buying only the intricate parts I can't make by hand I also do my own body prep and paint [no it ain't world of wheels quality but I'm not that picky] I also do all my own work that I possibly can when it comes to parts I research for the best prices or discount codes or used parts [depending upon what they are].
 
Certain things with machine work can be a good example. For instance, the bore. If you have a bore that's out of spec......but not by a mile, and you're building a pretty hot street//race engine, you can get by without boring. True high performance engines like being loose anyway. The key is to make sure the ring gaps are correct. I've run forged pistons with between .010-.012" clearance and it ran great. File fit the rings and it didn't use any oil. Sounded like a diesel till it warmed up from a little piston slap, but it was a good motor.
 
This knowledge,comes from experience. (Good and bad). Rusty's post above,a perfect example. I'm a thrifty bastard,but I'll spend the coin when needed. Good thread.
 
On the cheap parts to bolt on is one thing. Swap meets and on line for sale sections like racing junk .com, Craig's list a d here on FABO are excellent spots to troll around for inexpensive parts.

Brand new parts on the cheap like a Summit or Jegs brand part can be real good deal. There can be compromises with parts like overall lift and ramp speed with there cams, but do not sell them short!

Machine work is a price that can be searches out due to a variance between machinists and region. Just understand that cheap work dose t mean crap work and expensive work doesn't mean great work. Talk to those that have there engines rebuilt for there opinion.

Also realize the level of work they talk about. There is a vast difference between a street rebuild and perdoqnce parts and a race build. What you want to do is clearly a factor in the total price at the builds end. You can do pretty good performance wise with a good basic rebuild.
 
Realizing there can be a difference between "cheap", "good value" and "cost effective" is a good place to start.
 
I would say that the one place to not go cheap is on safety items for your car. You can find inexpensive rebuild parts for your brakes for example, but i wouldn't use old worn out and cracked linings and brake hoses. You have to be reasonable.
There is a big difference between good used and refurbished and unsafe.
A good example is cosmetics on your car like paint and body. While it is not good to say bondo up a rust hole, it is acceptable to cut out the affected area and weld new metal in without replacing the whole panel. Don't be afraid of a little filler to make it smooth. And as for paint, a lot of the lower line products can be just fine for a driver.
Where you run into problems overall is when you want a 100% resto that is perfect in all ways so you can win a gold award at the Mopar Nationals, and want to do it on a budget of 10 grand. But you can have a nice, safe, and good looking car that is reliable for that. Just it probably won't be a Hemi Challenger, it most likely will be a 318 Duster that had a solid body to begin with.
You must learn how to work on your car yourself, paying other people to do everything is where you spend a lot of money on a car, not really parts.
Shop around for the best deal, then be reasonable in your expectations of the outcome.

If you check out my build thread, i have put my Dart Sport on the road with a lot of good used parts that i had and some new stuff where it counted. It drives great, is reliable, and most importantly, it is safe. I have about 5 grand into it as it sits, and i did 90% of the work myself with some help from friends.
It needs paint and body and a few minor things, but i doubt that i will have over 10 grand into it when finished, just a lot of work.
 
Doing what ever you can by yourself. And using quality used parts. Is going cheap without sacrificing reliability.

If I would tell you guys what I actually have in my builds including my Duster you wouldn't believe me.

Also my hobby pays for my hobby. Doing Restos on whatever for others pays for what I need for my own projects.

I just got a 322 John Deere with all attachments through a lead from a customer. $150.00 runs and looks like new. Storage auction find. I Traded parts. My profit will be in the thousands. I also restore anything. This was done with left over paint from others I have done. Just an example. I do what ever it takes to get the word out of the quality of our work.
 

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The amount of time I spent just researching cheap or my '68 parts, I could have just gone to work, earned the cash and bought two completed cars. On occasion people ask me to do all sorts of stuff on the cheap, I try as best I can to give them the number of people who will.
 
caferacerx said:
one place I never go cheap is TOOLS!
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sometimes cheap tools have there place, if your working on cars for a living then no, but for the at home person there are cheap tools with lifetime warranty, here in Canada we have master-craft tools with lifetime warranty and they can be cracked right up to broken in half or 3 pieces and they'll take em back:D
 
66plyValiant said:
sometimes cheap tools have there place, if your working on cars for a living then no, but for the at home person there are cheap tools with lifetime warranty, here in Canada we have master-craft tools with lifetime warranty and they can be cracked right up to broken in half or 3 pieces and they'll take em back:D
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replacement of the tool is not the reason to avoid cheap tools
stripped bolts, stripped nuts, stripped screws, busted knuckles, and various assorted broken parts are the reason to avoid cheap tools, remember

it is better to leave it fixed, than to break it with cheap tools :coffee2:
 
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