I want to go from HPDE's to competitive racing... |
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I want to go from HPDE's to competitive racing... |
Sep 16 2011, 03:23 PM
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#1
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Experienced Member Group: Advanced Members Posts: 2,038 Joined: 3-March 10 From: Huntersville, NC Member No.: 9,105 |
And I don't think it's going to be in an F-body.
I've got a 97 SS with tons of mods. It's an absolute blast on the track, but rather expensive. Tires, brakes, fuel, and not to mention opti sparks (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) . I love HPDE's, and I still have tons to learn, but I am dreaming of wheel to wheel racing. I've been doing HPDE's on and off for 12 years now, and I'm very comfortable in the experienced groups. I've been thinking for years about Spec E30. It seems to be in my price range, but the cars, to me, are boring. I know everyone raves about how much fun the series is, but it doesn't excite me. Spec Miata is another boring car, just more expensive. FFR challenge would be fun, but out of my price range. I've lately been thinking about Legends cars. Either that or the Thunder Roadsters. I've heard they are a blast to drive, relatively inexpensive to maintain, and if you crash, it's a lot easier to fix than an old street car. I live in VA, as you guys know, Charlotte, only 3 hrs away, is home to racing. The legends cars were born here, and has the largest turnout. Seems like you can get a legends car for less than $10K used. That's more or less the cost of a Spec E30. I also know they can and do race them on road courses. I'm not sure what I think of the small circle tracks, but I'm sure they'd be fun. Anyway, what do you guys think? This is something I'm looking at doing in about 2 years. I'm going to be heading to pilot training for the Air National Guard sometime early next year, but after that, I'll have some free time again. It'll give me time to save up the money. Thanks guys, Steve |
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Nov 12 2011, 03:45 PM
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#2
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Experienced Member Group: Advanced Members Posts: 2,038 Joined: 3-March 10 From: Huntersville, NC Member No.: 9,105 |
Hey guys. So it looks like I'm not going to be able to fly for the military, at least not for the next couple of years. I don't have the funds right now to convert my Camaro to CMC2, but I want to start planning.
I need to look closer at the rules, but I believe I have all of the suspension and brakes that I need. More or less. I need to sell my 430 hp stroked LT1 (396) and get a stock LT1. Hopefully I can actually make a little money there. I need to strip the rest of the interior and sell off my racing seats for something safer and approved. (maybe the money I make on the engine will pay for the seat?) I also need a fire system Now, for the expensive part. The roll cage. Who would be on the east cost that is reputable? And how much is this going to cost? I'm kind of torn on which direction to go. If I were to sell my car, it probably wouldn't sell for very much. $8000 maybe? It's got nearly 100,000 miles on the chassis, and about 50,000 easy miles on the engine. But I know just about every nut and bolt in the car. And at the end of the day, it's still "just" a Camaro. They really are a dime a dozen. What do you guys think? Think it would be more cost effective to put a cage in mine and go racing? Or to look for another cheap Camaro to race with? The only thing I'd like would be an LS1. I really don't like optisparks. Anyway, I know I'm still a little ways away from doing this, but I'd like to start planning my move. Also, if I'm going to CMC my Camaro, I may start doing things in stages, like swap out my engine for a stock LT1, to get used to the power. But I'll keep it street legal for as long as I can. Thanks, Steve |
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Nov 14 2011, 05:33 PM
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Advanced Member Group: Advanced Members Posts: 461 Joined: 24-December 03 From: Orlando, FL Member No.: 34 |
Now, for the expensive part. The roll cage. Who would be on the east cost that is reputable? And how much is this going to cost? As Alan pointed out there are a lot of little things that add up but you can slowly put everything together and that's what I'm doing. I just did the battery relocation with box, master kill switch and did the oil catch can with all of the plumbing and fittings. All of the parts alone were over $400 with me doing the labor. Just take it slow and you'll get there. I'll probably bite the bullet and get a cage installed within the next year. I know it's a haul for you but I'm probably going to have Race Car Builders of South Florida do my cage. They've done quite a few NASA cages and you can see some of their work in this 18 page epic on the NASA Florida forum. Cage Builders Thread I haven't had them quote the cage yet but I know their prices are fair. |
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Nov 14 2011, 09:24 PM
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I build race cars Group: Advanced Members Posts: 4,748 Joined: 31-August 05 From: Central coast, CA Member No.: 874 |
I'll probably bite the bullet and get a cage installed within the next year. I know it's a haul for you but I'm probably going to have Race Car Builders of South Florida do my cage. They've done quite a few NASA cages and you can see some of their work in this 18 page epic on the NASA Florida forum. Cage Builders Thread I haven't had them quote the cage yet but I know their prices are fair. Anthony does a lot of street car cages, and there is stuff in that thread that is clearly illegal for a NASA race car build, and other stuff that is not best practice. If you have him build the cage make sure he understands that he needs to follow NASA CCR cage rules, and give him written details on how you want your cage built. |
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Nov 15 2011, 03:43 PM
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Advanced Member Group: Advanced Members Posts: 461 Joined: 24-December 03 From: Orlando, FL Member No.: 34 |
Anthony does a lot of street car cages, and there is stuff in that thread that is clearly illegal for a NASA race car build, and other stuff that is not best practice. If you have him build the cage make sure he understands that he needs to follow NASA CCR cage rules, and give him written details on how you want your cage built. I was hoping you would take a look at it Alan and thanks for the feedback. There are some other good shops as alternatives but I've heard some horror stories on the amount of time they may have the car. I've read the Corner Carvers thread and will go back and reread before I pull the trigger on anything. Sorry for the thread hijack Steve. |
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Nov 15 2011, 06:00 PM
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#6
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Experienced Member Group: Advanced Members Posts: 2,038 Joined: 3-March 10 From: Huntersville, NC Member No.: 9,105 |
Anthony does a lot of street car cages, and there is stuff in that thread that is clearly illegal for a NASA race car build, and other stuff that is not best practice. If you have him build the cage make sure he understands that he needs to follow NASA CCR cage rules, and give him written details on how you want your cage built. I was hoping you would take a look at it Alan and thanks for the feedback. There are some other good shops as alternatives but I've heard some horror stories on the amount of time they may have the car. I've read the Corner Carvers thread and will go back and reread before I pull the trigger on anything. Sorry for the thread hijack Steve. That's fine, the more the information the better. So, I've got a question. I've spent all morning reading through a few weight reduction threads. I was glad to hear that there are several people who were able to do things to loose weight, keep it safe, yet also keep it street legal. Since I just don't have the funds right now to fully dive into CMC, there's no reason to make my car a track only car. So here's my question about cages vs street. I know this is probably a hot topic. Right now I have a 4 pt roll bar, fully padded, racing seats, and a 5 pt harness, along with the stock 3 pt. I know racing seats with no roll bars don't mix. I know stock seat belts and racing seats don't mix. So, on the street, I use just the lap belt, and then my 3 pt on top of that. It seems to be safer than just the 3 pt. Now, is a fully padded 6 pt cage dangerous on the street? What's everyone's opinion on this? I'm going to put my car on a weight loss program, while keeping it street legal along with doing all of the other CMC stuff that I can. Then, when I'm ready to jump into CMC, I don't have to change a whole lot. I'm just not sure when to do the cage. Also, as far as removing ABS, and air bags, does anyone have any concerns with legal issues on the street? |
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