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Budget

It is my goal to adhere to Ron Champion's budgetary vision as much as possible. I know that it's probably not possible for me to build a sports car, "for as little as 250 pounds," but I am making a best effort to stick to the goal. Factors that will impact this goal include sourcing suitable donor parts in the USA, minimizing custom machine work, and constantly reminding myself to look for an inexpensive solution knowing that the solution may be temporary; I will consider material, weight and performance enhancements once the car is fully constructed and running safely.

The list below provides a starting point for tracking the cost of building my sports car. At the time of this writing, I plan to build the car for less than $3,000. Items not listed include specialty tools and reference manuals. I'm not tracking their cost since this is only one of many projects that I hope to pursue as part of a life long hobby.

Sub-System

Part

Source

Material Cost

Braking

Brake fluid

Auto Part Supplier

??

Braking

Front Brake Pads

Auto Part Supplier

??

Braking

Front Hub Assembly with Uprights & Brake calipers

RX-7 Donor

 

Braking

Handbrake lever & mounting bracket

RX-7 Donor

 

Braking

Hydraulic Brake Lines and Fittings

Auto Part Supplier

??

Braking

Master cylinder

RX-7 Donor

 

Braking

Rear brake drum assembly

RX-7 Donor

 

Braking

Rear brake liners

Auto Part Supplier

??

Chassis/Body

Bonnet

Fabricated Aluminum

??

Chassis/Body

Bonnet Clip Fasteners

Hardware Supplier

??

Chassis/Body

Bonnet Dzus Fasteners

Hardware Supplier

??

Chassis/Body

Enamal Body Paint

Hardware Supplier

??

Chassis/Body

Engine Mount Shock Isolators

 

??

Chassis/Body

Frame Assembly with mounting brackets

Fabricated Steel

$90 (so far)

Chassis/Body

Front Grill

 

??

Chassis/Body

Front Wings

Champion Motor Cars

$99

Chassis/Body

Headlight Mount Bar

Fabricated Steel

??

Chassis/Body

Nose Piece

Champion Motor Cars

$149

Chassis/Body

Pop Rivets

Hardware Supplier

??

Chassis/Body

Rear View Mirror

 

 

Chassis/Body

Rear Wings

Champion Motor Cars

$149

Chassis/Body

Rust Inhibiting Chassis Paint

Hardware Supplier

??

Chassis/Body

Scuttle Frame Tubing

Fabricated Steel

??

Chassis/Body

Steel Body Panels

Fabricated Steel

??

Chassis/Body

Aluminum Body Panels

Fabricated Aluminum

??

Chassis/Body

Steering Rack Mounting Clamps

 

??

Chassis/Body

Temperature Resistent Black Paint

Hardware Supplier

??

Chassis/Body

Windshield Framing Surround

Fabricated Aluminum

??

Chassis/Body

Windshield mounting brackets

Fabricated Steel

??

Chassis/Body

Windshield Safety Glass

 

??

Controls

Accelerator Cable

Contour Donor

??

Controls

Accelerator Pedal

RX-7 Donor

 

Controls

Brake Pedal

RX-7 Donor

 

Controls

Clutch Pedal

RX-7 Donor

 

Controls

Driving light switch

RX-7 Donor

 

Controls

Hand brake & cable

RX-7 Donor

 

Controls

Headlight Highbeam switch

RX-7 Donor

 

Controls

Horn switch

RX-7 Donor

 

Controls

Speedometer cable

Mustang/Contour donor

 

Controls

Turn Signal switch

RX-7 Donor

 

Drivetrain

Custom Bellhousing

Cast Aluminum

$425

Drivetrain

Clutch Pressure plate

Contour (OEM)

??

Drivetrain

Clutch Disk

Mustang (OEM)

??

Drivetrain

Clutch Master Cylinder

RX-7 Donor

 

Drivetrain

Drive shaft including universal joints

RX-7 & Mustang Donor

 

Drivetrain

Hydraulic Clutch Lines and Fittings

Auto Part Supplier

??

Drivetrain

Rear axle assembly with differential, hub bearings, hubs

RX-7 Donor

 

Drivetrain

Shift Lever & Knob

Fabricated Aluminum

??

Drivetrain

Transmission

199x Mustang donor

$150

Drivetrain

Transmission Fluid

Auto Part Supplier

??

Drivetrain

Wheels including tires and wheel nuts

RX-7 Donor

 

Electrical

Battery

RX-7 Donor

 

Electrical

Battery Containment Unit

Fabricated Aluminum

 

Electrical

Brake Light Switch

RX-7 Donor

 

Electrical

Brakelights

 

 

Electrical

Cooling Fan Relay

 

??

Electrical

Flasher unit for signals

Contour Donor

 

Electrical

Front Turn Signal Lights

Motorcycle Salvage

 

Electrical

Fuel Level Sender Unit

Contour Donor

 

Electrical

Fuse Box

Contour Donor

 

Electrical

Headlights

J&P Cycles

$78

Electrical

Highbeam/Lowbeam Relay

Contour Donor

 

Electrical

Horn relay

Contour Donor

 

Electrical

Ignition coil

Contour Donor

 

Electrical

License plate light

 

 

Electrical

Negative Ground Cable

RX-7 Donor

 

Electrical

Oil Pressure Sender unit

Contour Donor

 

Electrical

Rear Turn Signals

 

 

Electrical

Reverse Indicator Light

 

 

Electrical

Wiring Harness

Contour Donor

 

Engine

Accessory Pulleys & Belt(s)

Contour Donor

??

Engine

Alternator

GEO Metro

??

Engine

Block Assembly

1997 Contour (automatic)

$550

Engine

 

Contour Donor

??

Engine

 

Contour Donor

??

Engine

Intake Manifold

Contour Donor

??

Engine

Oil Filter

Auto Part Supplier

??

Engine

Spark Plug Wires

Ford Focus (ebay)

$10

Engine

Spark Plugs

Auto Part Supplier

??

Engine

Starter & Starter Motor Solenoid

Contour Donor

??

Engine

Water Pump

Contour Donor

??

Engine Cooling

Coolant

Auto Part Supplier

??

Engine Cooling

Coolant Overflow Reservoir & tubing

RX-7 Donor

 

Engine Cooling

Electric Fan

 

??

Engine Cooling

Radiator

RX-7 Donor

 

Engine Cooling

Radiator Hoses

Auto Part Supplier

??

Engine Cooling

Thermistat

Contour Donor

??

Engine Intake

Air Filter

K&N aftermarket

??

Engine Intake

Intake Elbow

TFC Motorsports (Birkin)

$54

Engine Intake

Throttle Body

Contour Donor

??

Exhaust

Exhaust Pipe Mounting Bracket(s)

 

??

Exhaust

Manifold Flange and Bolts

2001 Ford Focus Zetec

??

Exhaust

Manifold/Header

Fabricated Stainless Steel

??

Exhaust

Muffler

 

??

Exhaust

Tubing

Fabricated Stainless Steel

??

Fuel

Electric Fuel Pump

Contour Donor

 

Fuel

Filler Tube and Cap

 

 

Fuel

Fuel Filter

Contour Donor

 

Fuel

Gas tank

Fabricated Aluminum

??

Instrument Panel

Fuel Level Indicator

Contour Donor

 

Instrument Panel

Oil Pressure Guage

Contour Donor

 

Instrument Panel

Speedometer

Contour Donor

 

Instrument Panel

Tachometer

Contour Donor

 

Instrument Panel

Temperature Guage

Contour Donor

 

Instrument Panel

Voltage Indicator

Contour Donor

 

Interior

Carpeting

 

??

Interior

Dashboard

Fabricated Wood

??

Interior

Emergency Brake Boot & Surround

RX-7 Donor

 

Interior

Seat mounting brackets

Fabricated Steel

??

Interior

Seats

Pontiac Fiero

$20 each

Interior

Shift Lever Boot & Surround

Mustang Donor

 

Interior

Upholstery Board

 

??

Interior

Vinyl Trim

 

??

Interior

Vinyl weather stripping

 

??

Pedal Box

Clutch and Brake Master Cylinder mounting bolts

RX-7 Donor

??

Pedal Box

Frame Assembly

RX-7 Donor

??

Pedal Box

Pivots, pushrods, bushings

RX-7 Donor

??

Safety

Seat belts & mounting bolts

RX-7 Donor

 

Steering

Steering Column including ignition key switch

RX-7 Donor

 

Steering

Steering rack

Cooper Mini (cut down)

$30

Steering

Steering universal joints and couplings

 

??

Steering

Steering wheel

RX-7 Donor

 

Suspension

Adjustable Coil-Over Shock Absorbers

 

??

Suspension

Bushings

Auto Part Supplier

??

Suspension

Panhard Rod

Fabricated Steel

??

Suspension

Rear Trailing Arms

Fabricated Steel

??

Suspension

Upper and Lower swivel joint assemblies

 

??

Suspension

Upper and Lower wishbone assemblies

Fabricated Steel

??

Ancillaries

Grinding Disks, Dies, Sanding materials

Hardware Supplier

??

Ancillaries

Welding Gas and filler material

Hardware Supplier

??

Ancillaries

Pop Rivets

Hardware Supplier

??

Ancillaries

Bolts, nuts, washers, etc.

Hardware Supplier

??