Nickt93's Eliminator (formerly Ghettocet) Build (Like I Need Another Project)
11-18-2015, 04:01 PM
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Nickt93's Eliminator (formerly Ghettocet) Build (Like I Need Another Project)
A few months ago - amidst a major lack of free time - I decided to take on yet another build. My addiction knows no end.
I've had it tucked in the back of my mind that I wanted to do a ghettocet type build for quite some time. I peruse craigslist daily, but never really came across anything inspiring enough to move on. In July I found the perfect donor - a well-maintained 1995 Miata that had some front end collision damage. The next day it was in my garage and we were off to a nice start.
My target car was one that already had some nice mods (suspension mainly), as I knew that would keep the total cost down. I was also targeting a car that either had light collision damage or was cosmetically undesirable, as I figured the asking price on these would be closer to my price range. The car I found was the perfect candidate – lovingly maintained, nice modifications, a pile of spares, and a reasonable asking price. We settled on $1500 for the car + spares. Some screen shots of the craigslist ad:
First Impressions - On first glance I could tell the car was in great overall condition. On closer inspection it only got better – the attention to detail was unbelievable. Other than the collision damage this is one of the cleanest cars I’ve ever owned.
Mega-clean engine bay
All the suspension stuff looks new
Racing Beat Header
Clean fluids are never a bad sign
Oil filter relocation kit with braided hoses
I've had it tucked in the back of my mind that I wanted to do a ghettocet type build for quite some time. I peruse craigslist daily, but never really came across anything inspiring enough to move on. In July I found the perfect donor - a well-maintained 1995 Miata that had some front end collision damage. The next day it was in my garage and we were off to a nice start.
My target car was one that already had some nice mods (suspension mainly), as I knew that would keep the total cost down. I was also targeting a car that either had light collision damage or was cosmetically undesirable, as I figured the asking price on these would be closer to my price range. The car I found was the perfect candidate – lovingly maintained, nice modifications, a pile of spares, and a reasonable asking price. We settled on $1500 for the car + spares. Some screen shots of the craigslist ad:
First Impressions - On first glance I could tell the car was in great overall condition. On closer inspection it only got better – the attention to detail was unbelievable. Other than the collision damage this is one of the cleanest cars I’ve ever owned.
Mega-clean engine bay
All the suspension stuff looks new
Racing Beat Header
Clean fluids are never a bad sign
Oil filter relocation kit with braided hoses
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11-18-2015, 04:01 PM
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My initial plan was to do some sort of super low budget, super light weight (a "ghettocet" if you will). Something like these:
As I started to do more and more research that became less appealing. Perhaps that would be different if I was willing to build the cage myself, but welding really isn't my "thing". Quotes for decent cages came in around $2,000-2,500, and even then I wasn't sure I was going to be happy with the results.
Eventually I linked up with Alan at SalvageWon. He educated me on his experience leading up to and building the Eliminator. I was sold from our first conversation. He has learned a considerable amount about how to build these cars right, and the incremental expense of building an Eliminator vs a Ghettocet is worth every penny. First, their design takes full advantage of the space made available by eliminating the body of the car - provides a ton more room inside so that you aren't cramped against the cage. Second, their design allows you to remove as much weight as possible while still maintaining/ improving rigidity. Third, the end product is much more aesthetically pleasing than something cobbled together using an off-the-shelf cage (to me at least; your opinion may vary
). All of these would have been major compromises in the ghettocet.
If you aren't familiar with Eliminators, here are a few pictures:
As I started to do more and more research that became less appealing. Perhaps that would be different if I was willing to build the cage myself, but welding really isn't my "thing". Quotes for decent cages came in around $2,000-2,500, and even then I wasn't sure I was going to be happy with the results.
Eventually I linked up with Alan at SalvageWon. He educated me on his experience leading up to and building the Eliminator. I was sold from our first conversation. He has learned a considerable amount about how to build these cars right, and the incremental expense of building an Eliminator vs a Ghettocet is worth every penny. First, their design takes full advantage of the space made available by eliminating the body of the car - provides a ton more room inside so that you aren't cramped against the cage. Second, their design allows you to remove as much weight as possible while still maintaining/ improving rigidity. Third, the end product is much more aesthetically pleasing than something cobbled together using an off-the-shelf cage (to me at least; your opinion may vary
). All of these would have been major compromises in the ghettocet. If you aren't familiar with Eliminators, here are a few pictures:
Last edited by nickt93; 11-18-2015 at 04:17 PM.
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11-18-2015, 05:28 PM
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Those aren't my welds! I've only owned one welder and it was a sh*tty Harbor Freight one. That probably didn't help.
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11-18-2015, 11:02 PM
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Final pricing hasn't been determined yet, but think somewhere in the neighborhood of $5k. That includes the cage, a pair of seats, headlights/ taillights, a radiator and fan, and the front grille/ bodywork. I think it is a good value considering everything you get.
Speaking of cost, if you do this right you can build one on a tiny budget. I bought my donor for $1500 and have sold $4700 worth of parts off of it on eBay. The seats sold for $500, the top was another $500, the finish panel was $300, etc. Even after paying eBay/ PayPal/ UPS their share I'm still way positive on this car.
All in all I think I'll have about $2-3k in this build.
Speaking of cost, if you do this right you can build one on a tiny budget. I bought my donor for $1500 and have sold $4700 worth of parts off of it on eBay. The seats sold for $500, the top was another $500, the finish panel was $300, etc. Even after paying eBay/ PayPal/ UPS their share I'm still way positive on this car.
All in all I think I'll have about $2-3k in this build.
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11-19-2015, 10:22 AM
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Speaking of cost, if you do this right you can build one on a tiny budget. I bought my donor for $1500 and have sold $4700 worth of parts off of it on eBay. The seats sold for $500, the top was another $500, the finish panel was $300, etc. Even after paying eBay/ PayPal/ UPS their share I'm still way positive on this car.
All in all I think I'll have about $2-3k in this build.
All in all I think I'll have about $2-3k in this build.
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11-19-2015, 04:38 PM
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Most of the Ghettocet-like vehicles I've seen just stick the OEM filler neck up in the air, coupling it to the gas tank with a short length of hose.
Basically just like the stock design, only without the body around it.
Basically just like the stock design, only without the body around it.
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11-19-2015, 06:55 PM
#18
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Specifically, vibration of a very low period.
Unlike frame-transfer CCDs, the CMOS image sensor in most cheap digital cameras scans the frame from top to bottom a line at a time, just like old analog video equipment.
Thus, side-to-side vibration present during the exposure will manifest itself as waviness in the image.
Unlike frame-transfer CCDs, the CMOS image sensor in most cheap digital cameras scans the frame from top to bottom a line at a time, just like old analog video equipment.
Thus, side-to-side vibration present during the exposure will manifest itself as waviness in the image.
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11-19-2015, 07:29 PM
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Correct - this is Robert Russom's first build - i helped cut on it years ago. There's a build thread on it somewhere here. Since version one - I'd have to say the current V3 is much more stylish thanks to Alan's input.
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