"Here’s where the rub comes in (I suspect you’ve heard this before on other sites and it’s not what you want to hear) you’re budget is probably 1/2 of what it should be if you’re farming out all the work to competent shop(s). I can also see this project easily taking 1 1/2 to 2 years to complete."
actually, i want it done in half a year. but with all the goading to do it myself (skills or not, go fig), i'm starting to get tempted to just spend the few hundred on a used mig welder and sawzall and go to town. i could damn well be wrong, but near as i can figure so long as the weld is solid, ugliness of it can just be ground down after. i also hear it's not hard to learn at all. and sawzalls require no skill :mwink:
"I'm going to take a guess here and say you probably got some realistic estimates and they were not what you wanted to hear. "
i did and i didn't. only two shops actually went out and looked at the car before estimating. they gave me the 20k estimates. the one that gave me a 120k estimate both refused to look at the car, and kept ignoring my distinct requirements for the project. he insisted on his perspective of the project over mine. that is, chopping and stretching the del sol over the corvette frame rather than taking the pieces i need and shoving it inside the del sol. it's very different and i lost a lot of respect for 'the premier shop' of my town. the first 20k shop was quite confident he could mount the motor just fine, build the frame and cage it out. problem was he refused to acknowledge that i required full, as-stock-looking-as-possible interior. can't do that. the 6th and final shop i went to laughed at all 3 quotes and said they could do better. if anyone's from the nyc area, it was S&S Speed Shop. oldest in the area i think. i need to call them back to get the new quote.
"What you’re talking about is something that is hugely labor intensive and there will be a great deal of time designing and test fitting to actually make it happen. If you can find a similar project that has been completed to use as a guide and find out what the potential pit fall are going to be it will be a big help but even then this will be a project where the majority of work will be one off fabrication and hours rack up very quickly."
yes. absolutely. i searched for similar projects. the only del sol-specific project was one that converted to awd using cr-v parts. it proved a driveshaft could fit in the mini tunnel parallel to an exhaust, with minimal invasive cutting (gas tank, spare tire well, rear end). there's a civic hatchback in japan that mounted nissan 240sx parts and made it rwd though, and a civic hatch stateside that put the entire corvette drivetrain into the car. the latter is my most useful source of info, and makes me reconsider garage-working it, but he doesn't respond to messages. i do believe that between the two projects, it gives me relative confidence i can stuff the torque tube in to the mini tunnel with minimal expansion.
i do hear all that's said though, and i have been considering the idea of just doing most it myself, after farming out the frame work. sounds worse than it could be, i swear. i'm not an experienced wrencher, nor am i a complete noob. but i can read instructions and am not afraid to tear into the chassis personally (i just want to be sure first). so far this project hasn't scared me yet. neither the prospect of paying for it or having to do it myself. the car didn't come with front rails being fwd, that's my main sticking point and most liberating problem. it means i can put it any height i want, relative to the 'vette subframes. same goes for the rear since i don't trust the stock 93 civic subframe handling this kind of power over time. the corvette suspension bolts to the subframe, so there's a little less headache involved in overall mounting than having to weld in new shock tower hats to accept new shock bolt patterns, imo. correct me if i'm wrong, please. i need the outside opinions.
"I wish you all the luck with this, but I would suggest you talk to some shops who specialize in these types of projects and be prepared to dig a little deeper in the old piggy bank if you go thru with this."
that's the problem, there isn't any. found plenty of shops who build race cars and street rods, but the smile wipes off their face when i tell them the project. usually more because of fear of the unknown than price estimates...but if it ultimately means i have to put it off for a little longer to fully execute, i'll wait. just something about the idea of pissing off the status quo with an unassuming v8 car that makes it worth doing :drool: