Hello!

[cloudy]

Hi y'all.

My name's Sunny and I'm based in south western Sydney. While I haven't got myself a car relevant to the forum just yet I thought I'd sign up to do some ample research and learn the ropes first while I await the right car to show up.

I'm a RenaultSport guy, having had five of them in the past few years alone, but now I've moved on to a near-new Peugeot 208 GTi. The last Clio I rocked I spent an incredible amount of time fixing up to make it into a nice car, then I decided I needed to stop tinkering my daily, then I decided I needed something new and competent enough already that I wouldn't want to spanner with it.

To make a long story a bit shorter, took it out to Wakefield Park not too long ago and had a hoot, trounced my old PBs in all my past cars by lunchtime, but it also brought to light the reality of how harsh repeated track days can be on cars, and given I want the car to last me at least 6-7 years (as opposed to 12-18 months as per the last few cars) I began having doubts about throwing the daily around the track. To make matters worse the itch for upgrades and mods came back... then came the inevitable online window shopping when a huge reality check struck at just how expensive this hobby really is.

Past cars I haven't really cared about as I knew I'd be moving them on in about a year's time, plus they were all like 12 years old, bought for pennies and well worn already so I wouldn't be too cut up if I broke it.

So the idea of building a track hack once again resurfaced. The default answer to this was to get myself another Clio 172, being very familiar with the chassis, however there are two issues - they're cheap, but not cheap enough, and parts cost a ton and take forever to ship and land. Given my current circumstances spending so much on a track hack is not an option. So I started looking at cheaper cars instead, the list including a K11 Micra, EP91 Starlet, Excel and what brings me here - the SB Barina / Corsa B.

The Starlet was quickly ruled out as people want crazy money for what these cars are. I thought about the Excel long and hard as it would enable entry in the Excel Cup down the line, but ruled it out as it didn't quite have as much of a following as the Corsa and Micra have overseas as track hacks. The ultimate goal would be to hit up the next ARDC Eastern Creek private practice day having spent less than a grand prior to modifications.

Which led me here. I'm still not a hundred percent certain I am after a Corsa B but at the moment it seems like the most realistic option and a quick flick through Carsales and Gumtree yielded some pretty positive results for the idea, and horrible news for the department of finances. This SB GSi in particular has caught my interest, being $500, in the right spec already, and I can still get it registered as it hasn't been 3 months since expiry. However it's up in QLD and without adequate pictures I can only trust the seller's honesty should I take the plunge with this one, and I have my reservations about flying up to the Gold Coast for such an exercise; would much rather one locally and still having rego on it but beggars cannot be choosers.

The short-term idea would be to strip it out and beef up the suspension and brakes, fab up some seat brackets and fit my bucket seats in, longer term a 1.8 swap perhaps or some engine mods? My head is buzzing with ideas. I've been distracted for the past two days about this.

I'll probably sleep on it for a few days - looks like it has been listed for quite a while now - before thinking about giving the seller a bell and having a chat. Do also have to run it past the missus... but the argument that it'll keep the spanners and mods away from the Peugeot which I bought intending to be a well-sorted package for a long term car, I think that might help me win my case, don't you think? I do think I should leave the Pug alone.

I've spent most of my day flicking through this forum now and it seems like a pretty friendly place. Hoping to be of more use soon enough.

Thanks for reading!
Sunny

Warning: This is an Old Thread This discussion is older than 120 days. information contained in it may no longer be current . Please think of the children before resurrecting this ancient thread!

[guy 27]

Welcome to OA

[dutchy]

Welcome to the forum Sunny. Love the 208 :-D wife had a 207 before mini-me came along and turned that into a 4008 and turned my beloved astra sri-t into a family Astra have a look at @chris_r s built of his corsa.

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[chris_r]

Welcome. Corsa B's not a bad choice for a cheapish track car. My Corsa B wasn't really built with track work in mind, but there's probably a bit I can help you with in regards to the 1.8 swap. My Corsa C SRi on the other hand, is fast finding itself closer to a track spec build.

With regards to the donor car, you don't necessarily need a GSi. I mean, you're pretty much stripping out the interior and changing the engine anyway, so even a base model Corsa B will do the job. The things you need from the GSi are the engine wiring harness, sensors, ECU, timing cover, balancer pulley and exhaust cam sprocket.

[faneca]

Welcome along mate! Sounds like quite a few ideas going on, never easy to choose.
As Pete said, have a look at Chris's builds, any one of his 3 conversions lol

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[chris_r]

I should add, the the 1.8 swap is without a doubt, the best value mod you can do on a Corsa B. Especially when you can pick up an engine for as little $250 (well, there's a wrecker in SA that was selling them for that price) and it bolts to whatever gearbox you have in the Corsa.

Also, there's a guy here in Adelaide who has a white Corsa B that was originally a C12NZ powered 3 door "City" model. It's now a 1.8 powered track car. If only he'd get on the forum and upload some pics (well, he's registered on here, he just doesn't post too often).

[sskustomz]

Welcome along! +1 on the 1.8 corsa. I have a maxi kit car in the build for gravel rally with the 1.8. Used to be my daily, lots of fun and decent handling.

[adam_92]

Cheap
fun
easy to source parts
easy to work on
quick...

Gotta be a z18 corsa b mate.

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[cloudy]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcomes, this place seems like a pretty good place to hang out. I have continued to flick through oodles and oodles of information and hopefully I have much more to contribute than a hello and a follow-up hello post.

Predictably the astonishingly low asking prices for engines and parts plays a major part in my attraction to the Corsa as the track hack. I love my Clios, but they're too damn expensive to modify and maintain, and keeping costs low whilst still being able to have a registered fun car is pivotal in making this not-entirely-sensible exercise work.

Will be sure to consult above mentioned build threads for advice in my own ventures.

Looks like I may have a lead on a SB much sooner than I thought but the asking price is impossible to resist so my day today will probably be spent trying to pull strings to make it happen. I do need to move a car off my yard however, now with much greater urgency than before. Anyone after a Megane 225 I've been putting back together that just needs a left side headlight to pass rego? :P