IT DOESN’T get much more ‘budget build’ than this. We’ve all been there: started a project car with a small budget in mind and then as things progress, so does the number on the bottom line. But as you’ll see in this video, Kyle has actually managed to build a quick car on a shoestring budget of less than $4000.

So how has he managed to run 11s for small change? Starting out with a lightweight VH Commodore wagon junker, Kyle then picked up one of the best bang-for-your-buck engines you can find: Ford’s bulletproof Barra six. The hundred-dollar wrecking yard special came out of a BA Series I Falcon – not a turbo, so this has the weakest rods of the lot – onto which Kyle bolted XR6 turbo manifolds with an eBay-special $250 snail. He hasn’t even upgraded the soft factory valve springs.

The Barra is backed up by a rebuilt and manualised BTR four-speed auto with a TCE 3000rpm stall converter, while you’ll find a VL Turbo BorgWarner 28-spline axle at the rear. All up, the combo is good for high 11-second quarter-mile times on 12psi and E85 fuel.

It runs a factory Ford ECU, cheapo eBay electronic dash display and no-name coil-overs. The most expensive piece of the puzzle is the 26×10-inch Mickey Thompson drag slicks. Before the slicks and converter, the car owed Kyle just $3000.

At Heathcote Park Raceway, the budget VH wagon ran 11.82@120mph.