Stock St165, where would you start?

BlackDragon

New member
I've parked the car and left it for a bit. It has a lot of issues and every time I fix something, something else pops. It's been more than a little frustrating, so I'm taking a break from it.
 

GT4times2

Moderator
BlackDragon":frm0qvva said:
I've parked the car and left it for a bit. It has a lot of issues and every time I fix something, something else pops. It's been more than a little frustrating, so I'm taking a break from it.

Already? Too early to feel overwhelmed. Put your plans on paper, and do your research. Lots of people start off with big plans for All Tracs only to see them in the Marketplace section (on the forum) or Craigslist months down the line. Take it easy, save for quality parts, and labor for your work (if you don't feel confident doing the work yourself) and take your time.

1. Make sure you have a great running engine (If not, get the parts for a proper build up)
2. Make sure you pick the right turbo, EMS, fuel set up for you goals.
3. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and share what you learn along the way.
4. I've learned not to care to do everything myself (Save time and headaches). Pay the best when you want the best (engine building/Wiring/Welding work etc). If you're great at everything, by all means DIY.

OR at this point, get a 3rd or 4th Gen 3SGTE and do a BPU set up on it, and call it a day. Lower mileage motors, modern, cleaner wiring (big plus for me), and decent aftermarket parts for both generations.

Better to build a running, (powerful enough) All Trac (320-350whp) that may run back to back low 13s- high 12s all day, and being able to drive them often, than having a fast car you can barely enjoy most of the time. (Terrible lag, always breaking down and the list can go on). I'm past that with 2 out of 3 All Tracs. :D

If I haven't lost my mind with these cars (9 Alltracs, in 15 years), I think you'll be ok.

Best of Luck!! :)
 

97JZA80

New member
BlackDragon":3dkn2nog said:
I've parked the car and left it for a bit. It has a lot of issues and every time I fix something, something else pops. It's been more than a little frustrating, so I'm taking a break from it.


I do this annually. Try not to get frustrated its fun when it runs.
 

88st165

New member
Ah the trials and tribulations of owning these rare machines. I agree like the others have said, the ones who really love these cars stick it out for some reason. Imagine owning multiple cars. To give you an idea I have owned my white 165 for 5yrs and driven it a total of 3 months. I have owned my red 165 for 10yrs and driven it a total of a little over 10k miles. Most of these cars are parked more than they are driven and the ones who get to daily drive theirs I am jealous of haha. Keep up the good work, there is nothing wrong with taking a break. 8)
 

Awesome-Trac

New member
Lol Alltracs require pretty much 100% of your attention, I've owned mine for about three years now and every month it's something new! Doesn't stop me from loving it even tho it's a pain in the ass
 

___Scott___

Active member
There is a lot of negativity on these cars in this thread. It is possible to have an All-Trac as a daily driver. I've driven one "daily" since I bought my first one in '96. Like any other car, things can happen to knock it off the road for a bit but as long as you keep the maintenance up and don't beat on them I've found them to be pretty reliable transportation.
 

Awesome-Trac

New member
___Scott___":32elq6gb said:
There is a lot of negativity on these cars in this thread. It is possible to have an All-Trac as a daily driver. I've driven one "daily" since I bought my first one in '96. Like any other car, things can happen to knock it off the road for a bit but as long as you keep the maintenance up and don't beat on them I've found them to be pretty reliable transportation.

I daily mine everyday Since I bought it. I even drove it with 3rd and 4th gear out! That's how much I love it as a daily lol
 

GT4times2

Moderator
___Scott___":22lefq1q said:
There is a lot of negativity on these cars in this thread. It is possible to have an All-Trac as a daily driver. I've driven one "daily" since I bought my first one in '96. Like any other car, things can happen to knock it off the road for a bit but as long as you keep the maintenance up and don't beat on them I've found them to be pretty reliable transportation.

I wouldn't consider what we're saying negativity. They're 20+ year old turbo cars. Most of the time, they end up being projects. I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying, but the numbers don't lie. No one is saying they're not reliable. They're old cars that need TLC, and most people that buy them, do so to enjoy them as second cars/projects. Many are/were neglected and require plenty of attention. If we were to survey most owners on this forum, a good percentage would tell us their cars are not driven daily. Many are going thru a restoration process, or engine swap/rebuild/upgrades etc. Just saying.
 

underscore

Well-known member
If you buy one that was well maintained and isn't significantly modified I don't see why it couldn't be driven every day. But if you buy one that has been neglected, as most older turbo cars are, you have to either catch up on the maintenance up front or be prepared for it to be a bit less reliable than a more typical car.
 

___Scott___

Active member
I should say that I'm not disagreeing with any of the advice given, just trying to balance the discussion a little.
 

88gt4DE

Active member
Just don't depend on it as a daily ... I know there is people that do but its alot easier to say oh well its messed up today and jump in yer daily and get to it whenever. Parts are a huge problem also these days and in half the cases discontinued so you have to put repair plans together. But like my brother said (97JZA80 ) when it runs , its alot of fun ...
 

ChrisD

New member
To be honest, the advice from every single person in this thread is really good and sound. Everyone wants the best for each person here. You'll find the community around these cars is rather great.

Here's my perspective, I have the ST165 pictured above - which although was commented on looking stock outside (which I love!), also is capable of 11's - mind you I haven't been to the 1/4 mile in ages as there isn't one very close. I also have my ST205, which I do daily drive and have for the past 6 years. It's great too.

I divide them out into one being the project - the 165, and my daily driver. For me that works, and helps me not be frustrated when something breaks on the 165. It's a project, right! It also means the goals for my ST205 are very different. With that, I'm happy with something nice and quick, but try to keep it reliable. So for that, I'm using its stock gen 3 engine and not much more than an exhaust, boost controller, and suspension upgrades. And it's a blast to drive. The stock ct20b turbo is very responsive and perfect for around the city. It will probably do mid 13's. Maybe low. Not sure really. But the main focus is keeping up with maintenance the best I can. It's my daily, so I try to keep it in good working order. It's got a great base, the fundamentals are kept in good order. In the 5 years, really the big items were suspension, and a clutch I had to replace. The clutch job is a great example that if you can do it yourself, will save potentially hundreds and even into the thousands and can be done in a weekend if you're well equipped. But overall, that car has been incredibly reliable and is a blast to drive. I've put 50,000kms on it in 6 years.

The 165 I have more freedom with. I try to time it so that I can drive it in the summer, and do the work on it in the winter, but the car doesn't always cooperate. I will say that when you start to make more and more power, you have to expect things to break sometimes. But the plus is, you'll learn a lot through the process, and I actually love the problem solving and creative process anyway. I've just started building a new engine for it as well as the previous one has had a failure that perhaps I could have avoided had I thought really carefully about my goals, and also took my time. The last one I took a block that wasn't quite optimal, but did so because I was crunched for time trying to build in time for an event. This car I've driven 50,000kms in 14 years.

So that's what people say when they say take your time with things and plan out your goals. Then you can start taking steps, one at a time, towards achieving them. It's a fun process anyway! I've got 2 cars with 2 different goals, so I plan things out quite differently with them. I love it. :)
 

BlackDragon

New member
I wound up ordering a focus RS, so now I'm on the fence as to what to do. Sell it or build it. When the focus arrives I'll have 3 cars with only room for two. So it's either build the mustang or build the alltrac.
 

ChrisD

New member
Perhaps conduct a poll here and let the community decide which one to keep. I'm pretty sure the results would be fair and unbiased. :D
 
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