fbody drift car

[brad99]

im 15 on a budget but for my first car im stuck between a 1978-81 camaro or 1993-2002 firebird. with these cars id like to modify them so that i could make it my daily driver into my early to mid 20s but id like to modify it to be a weekend drifter. if i went with the 78-81 camaro id put in a built lt1 with a 6 speed manual trans try to make hp and torque numbers somewhere in the 400s (same for 4rth gen f-body) id lighten the car somewhat, put in a roll cage, racing seats, and probably a Hotchkis suspension ( question: what type of LSD would i use that would allow for drifting but also daily driving and maybe some drag racing also and keeping enough traction so i dont wipe out merging onto the freeway) replacing body parts would be easy cause there's many company's that make body parts for 2nd gen camaro's
but if i went with a 4rth gen firebird then what type of suspension would i install and who make replacement body parts for 4rth gen firebirds

which do u think i should go with keep in mind im on a budget and which would be a overall better platform to use

[Mike Peters]

2nd gen would be way cheaper, and probably work better.

As for wiping out on the freeway onramp, the best thing you can do to prevent that is hit up some events and driver education stuff. Where do you live? I'm sure there are some events (drift/autocross/etc) you can get plugged into so you can become a better and safer driver.

However due to your age and insurance regulations, you'll probably need your parents to be on board with your endeavor, as they'll probably need to sign away permissions for you to be on the track, if possible.

Also rollcages in a street car are generally a bad idea. May seem like a great idea when you're young and on a budget, but just remember that a length of tubing engineered to keep your car from losing shape in an event where 10 tons of load can be placed onto it, is probably a tad harder than your head, and if the two ever happened to be in a battle for real estate...well it may not be pretty.

On the 2nd gen, a Hotchkiss TVS would work wonders, along with a set of Cal-Tracs, a Mini-Spool, and some steering modifications. I'm currently building up a 72, so I'm sure I'll have a decent little setup you can copy soon, although one upgrade for sure to look into is the Monte Carlo SS / IROC steering box. The ratio is much more useful for drifting/motorsport application.