MM Club Racecar

[Deceus]

Just throwing this out there: track cars are cool and all but a budget drag car would be stupid easy and a lot cheaper.

[GTBrandon]

Just throwing this out there: track cars are cool and all but a budget drag car would be stupid easy and a lot cheaper.

How would a drag car be cheaper? Also that's a much higher chance of people dying when things go wrong.


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[JPolen01]

How would a drag car be cheaper? Also that's a much higher chance of people dying when things go wrong.

Please elaborate more on this claim :dunno:

[Deceus]

Well I'm not talking about a 10 second car here but here's a break down on a possible build:

Body: 74 Duster/Dart, anything after 72 is dirt cheap because big brother killed what made these things popular. I can't even give away the entire front clip of my 73 and it's painted and rustfree.

Engine: few options here. Can easily pick up a running slant 6 for free, I couldn't give mine away and a lot of guys have em laying around due to V8 swaps. Turbocharging these things is cheap and easy. Can swap in a late 80s Mangum motor or if you're lucky a big block from an old motor home. Any of these options are easy to completely tear down and rebuild. A set of gaskets and little machine work and you'd likely be in business for a few years.

Trans: cheap 727s can be had fairly easy. Someone would have to take the lead on rebuilding it but I've been told it's not too terrible provided you take your time. Throw in a shift kit and/or manual valve body and you're ready to rock. Could probably even get away with a 904. I've seen plenty going what their core price is ($150)

rear: Jeff isn't going to be happy with this suggestion but a Ford 8.8 fits just fine under these cars. Just have to cut off the old spring perches and weld a new set on. You can get a limited slip diff, 3.73 gears, 31 spline axles all for $180. They're not too hard to rebuild either if we wanted to play it safe and change out all the bearings.

misc: will definitely need to redo the bushing in the front end but that's $200 and a weekend. A 74 should already come with disc brakes. Registering it as an antique gives you a lot of freedom with some limitations that shouldn't really prevent anything. Can pick up an 8 point roll bar kit from Jegs for $220 if you want to be super safe. Pretty much everything else can go. I'm sure people can handle not having AC/Heat

[Jake]

Go for it, MM hasn't historically been into drag racing other than a few outlier members. If you want alumni expertise and support, autocross/rallycross/road course is where it'll be.

[G.Irish]

Just throwing this out there: track cars are cool and all but a budget drag car would be stupid easy and a lot cheaper.

How would a drag car be cheaper? Also that's a much higher chance of people dying when things go wrong.


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Nah drag racing is be gonna safer than track days until you get into really fast cars or if you're going relatively fast in really old cars. Drag racing v. autox, autox would be safer for sure.

Cost wise drag racing can be as expensive as one wants to make it.

If people are interested enough to make it a reality it can be done. I would just think there's a lot more fun to be had from RallyX and AutoX for the effort.

[Deceus]

Go for it, MM hasn't historically been into drag racing other than a few outlier members. If you want alumni expertise and support, autocross/rallycross/road course is where it'll be.

Yeah I figured that was the main drawback. I was considering picking up a good project for it when I was considering a move to Waynesboro. My main limitation would be a place to store and work on it and also the fact it'd be 45 minutes from JMU.

[Goodspeed]

If people are interested enough to make it a reality it can be done. I would just think there's a lot more fun to be had from RallyX and AutoX for the effort.

This. Any effort in this regard has to be about maximizing the fun/$ ratio, with the lowest amount of risk, while making it as attractive a pursuit as possible to the largest group of people. Looking at it this way, I can't recommend much other than the rally-x/auto-x route. And honestly, between those two, for having what will likely be a slow POS, the rally-x option sounds like the more "fun" of the two, with a higher chance of being actually competitive (if anyone cares) with an objectively crappier vehicle.

Alls I can say is, the idea has me looking for $500 80's Impreza wagons and the like (cue Gallamore).

[ScottyB]

Alls I can say is, the idea has me looking for $500 80's Impreza wagons and the like (cue Gallamore).

miata in stock class is what you want, or something like an AW11. E30's are also great, even the 318i, but they're going back up in price now.

its possible, but non-turbo imprezas will have a hard time trying to win their class if someone with skill and money turns up in a WRX or STi (trust me, i'm trying to put up a fight) due to such a huge HP difference, they're more expensive to run long term compared to a miata and will suck on anything that isn't dirt compared to the miata. that said, yes the impreza will walk away from the miata, especially if its damp grass or mud.

you'll also learn way more driving 2WD on dirt than AWD. tougher learning curve, far more rewarding.

[ViPER1313]

Truth be told, I don't really see the need for a dedicated autox car. If a student doesn't have one, normally someone is willing to offer a co-drive. If students are bored of their cars, swap for an Autox.

Rallyx though... I see the need

[Jake]

I really want to build a totally bizarre rallycross car now.

If this dude texts me back tonight, I'm going to look at something in Fairfax because I make bad choices and could end up in it for $NotMuch.

[davej]

a $1500 miata seems to be the ticket here. Pick up a 3" lift kit <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.flyinmiata.com/lift-kit.html">https://www.flyinmiata.com/lift-kit.html</a><!-- m --> for rally-x and take it back off again before the auto-x

Grab a set of 25" wheels and some stickies for autox, parts are cheap and there's a collective hive of miata knowledge in the club.

[ScottyB]

If this dude texts me back tonight, I'm going to look at something in Fairfax because I make bad choices and could end up in it for $NotMuch.

AWWWWWW SHIT

so i've told this story before in my build thread, but it bears repeating for rallyx consideration:


do you see that colossal bag of ass? its a gutted nissan sentra from like 20 years ago, maybe older. know what? when i ran rallyx with THSCC, this thing was entered at every single event, usually rotated between 2 to 4 seperate drivers. during the FWD class runs, it literally never turned off, just came across the line, next guy gets in and proceeds to lay waste to the poor thing for another minute. rinse, repeat. up on 3 wheels, up on 2, blowing tires off, bottoming out, riding the limiter, hammering the clutch, didn't matter. just horrific mechanical punishment. it trailed choking gray oil smoke, thick and proud behind it on every run.

it made every event and finished every event. it required 1 new shock in the 3 seasons i saw it run, that was its only mechanical repair. i believe it was purchased for $300 as a junker that needed something stupid like a new AC system or tires or whatever and someone just didn't care anymore. it had some kind of close-out snow tires on it and maybe brake pads.

it never set FTD, never made anyone a hero, but a bunch of people got to drive and it was hilarious, no-pressure driving because you just can't have an ego when you drive something that shitty. these kinds of cars (not necessarily a nissan like this one) are worth looking for if you can handle being laughed at.

[D_Eclipse9916]

#boringsuggestions

240 horsepower, weld the diff, and tape the corner lights in. Good to go!

[D_Eclipse9916]

Bonus: All 4 co-drivers can drive down to the event in the same car

[ScottyB]

RIP budget

[SlimKlim]

it literally never turned off, just came across the line, next guy gets in and proceeds to lay waste to the poor thing for another minute. rinse, repeat. up on 3 wheels, up on 2, blowing tires off, bottoming out, riding the limiter, hammering the clutch, didn't matter. just horrific mechanical punishment. it trailed choking gray oil smoke, thick and proud behind it on every run..

This excites me.

[Jake]

do you see that colossal bag of ass? its a gutted nissan sentra from like 20 years ago, maybe older. .

I actually grew up in one of those, but painted red. Had like a 70 hp carbureted 1.6L, I think. Glad to know they hold up :thumbup:

Something like that excites me greatly. I need to keep it in my pants a bit until I get through the next... six weeks or so. After that, it might be game time.

[*insertusernamehere*]

You're thinking of a different Dave, Matthew. Next time you see Rex or Dave Allen ask them about the Geo story.

And if anyone wants that volvo in Elkridge lemme know. That's my backyard.

HA even better, Dave Allen is so quiet and chill.

[*insertusernamehere*]

Did someone say lifted Miata?

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