Hello, I am new to the forum and also to the sport of drifting. Basically I have a heads/cam LS1 sitting on a shelf that I haven't been able to decide what to do with and I have been wanting to try my hand a drifting for a few years now so I figured I might as well use it in a drift car. Knowing the LS well (have a few other LS powered/swapped cars) and being used to driving a V8 car has really lead me to wanting to swap whatever I get instead of trying to use the stock drivetrain. Also opens me up to rollers or cars with bad engines.
However I am having trouble deciding what chassis to start with. I originally had the thought of using a LS1 4th gen Camaro/Firebird or a C5 Corvette since I own them already and am familiar with them (but would rather not drift with the ones I currently have, would buy a second one). However neither of these options make use of the existing engine I have nor give me a chance to mess with a different platform. While the 4th gen would be cheap, there isn't much offered for them in the way of drift parts. The C5 has a growing drift aftermarket but the entry price, even for a salvage title car, isn't as cheap as many other options.
So that leads me to my main question, which car to buy and swap. Ideally it is something with a good aftermarket for drift specific parts (angle kits, dual calipers, etc.) and is relatively cheap to purchase upfront. The list I made so far is a Nissan 350Z, Nissan 300ZX (Z31 or 32), BMW E36, and BMW E46 (both 2 door). From looking in the local classifieds it seems E36s are easily the cheapest option out there but from what I have seen everyone raves about how well a 350Z drifts especially for a beginner so I am torn. The 350Zs in my area are also generally somewhat expensive but the benefit with them is the stock trans is easily capable of handling the power from the LS1. 300ZXs seem to have a more limited selection of parts especially Z31s. While obviously parts can be fabricated for any chassis I am trying to start with something that has "bolt-on" parts available so that as I progress with driving I can also upgrade the car relatively easily along the way.
Any input on the cars I listed out or suggestions for other chassis would be appreciated. I am also trying to stay away from S-chassis cars as the ones around here that aren't garbage are very expensive.
As an aside, I think the closest drift events to me in Northern Maryland would be at Englishtown raceway with Club Loose. If anyone knows of any closer I would love to hear about them as well. Thanks!
However I am having trouble deciding what chassis to start with. I originally had the thought of using a LS1 4th gen Camaro/Firebird or a C5 Corvette since I own them already and am familiar with them (but would rather not drift with the ones I currently have, would buy a second one). However neither of these options make use of the existing engine I have nor give me a chance to mess with a different platform. While the 4th gen would be cheap, there isn't much offered for them in the way of drift parts. The C5 has a growing drift aftermarket but the entry price, even for a salvage title car, isn't as cheap as many other options.
So that leads me to my main question, which car to buy and swap. Ideally it is something with a good aftermarket for drift specific parts (angle kits, dual calipers, etc.) and is relatively cheap to purchase upfront. The list I made so far is a Nissan 350Z, Nissan 300ZX (Z31 or 32), BMW E36, and BMW E46 (both 2 door). From looking in the local classifieds it seems E36s are easily the cheapest option out there but from what I have seen everyone raves about how well a 350Z drifts especially for a beginner so I am torn. The 350Zs in my area are also generally somewhat expensive but the benefit with them is the stock trans is easily capable of handling the power from the LS1. 300ZXs seem to have a more limited selection of parts especially Z31s. While obviously parts can be fabricated for any chassis I am trying to start with something that has "bolt-on" parts available so that as I progress with driving I can also upgrade the car relatively easily along the way.
Any input on the cars I listed out or suggestions for other chassis would be appreciated. I am also trying to stay away from S-chassis cars as the ones around here that aren't garbage are very expensive.
As an aside, I think the closest drift events to me in Northern Maryland would be at Englishtown raceway with Club Loose. If anyone knows of any closer I would love to hear about them as well. Thanks!
