Considering a "budget" road racing setup

TRBON8R · 10-27-2003, 01:10 PM

I'm not sure if "budget" and racing should be in the same sentence but...... I'm considering starting a project to build up a road racing car. I don't mean the parking lot kind of racing with a bunch of cones, but racing at actual track events. I'm interested in getting ideas on which cars can be bought for a reasonable cost that will get me out on the track racing without totally breaking the bank. Cars I'm considering:

3rd Gen Chevy Camaro IROC- These cars seem to be available for pretty cheap and I've always liked the way they look. I've also seen pictures of an LS1 conversion in one of these cars that has me intrigued.

89 TTA- I think a TTA would be fun, but I'm not sure if it would be cost effective given how few of them there are out there. Not to mention the auto trans might make things tough.

5.0 Mustang- I'm not much of a Mustang guy, but it's hard to ignore the bang for the buck of the Mustangs and the aftermarket support these cars enjoy.

C4 Vette- I notice Vettes in the '93 to '95 year range can be had in the 10k to 12k range. That's more than I want to spend, but also the Vette might need less work out of the box to improve handling and braking than the other cars. So in the end I may be money ahead with the Vette?

Are there any other cars I should consider?

Opinions are welcome......

motorhead · 10-27-2003, 02:17 PM

I think your best bet is something with a huge aftermarket. Like the F-bomb and the Fox body.

Skip the fancy FI swap. Get a basic motor built (chebby 350 or ferd 302) and if it comes with factory FI great, if not stick with the carb.

Using a base model car will save you $$$ up front and you can scrounge the rest of the factory tuner parts from the 'yard.

Your biggest gains will be in tire selection. Good shocks and springs will do more for you than giant sway bars. Aggressive pads and slotted rotors ONLY if the car is track only... DD use will eat the rotors really really quickly.

And you'd be surprised how well an automatic will work.

HTH,

CaPPY · 10-27-2003, 03:55 PM

RacerX has a GN and Vette that he takes to the track. Maybe he'll chime in.

I used to race SCCA A and B Production (Camaros and Mazdas. Had partial sponsorship...still mucho $$. New tireS, brakes, ETC. for EVERY RACE.

I found the best bang ftb was a Mazda RX 2 or 3. The engines will last a long time if you harden the gears and pin the rotors. 13B engine-bridge ported.

The cars are light, so the brakes wear well.

They are small...easy to tow and store at home.

Can be made to handle extremely well.

Faster than a STOCK (showroom) Corvette in a staight line.

You might be able to pick one up for under 10 grand SCCA (10-15 races a season) RACE PREPPED.If you want one for occasional club racing (Once a month), you may be able to get one for 5 thou. Figure $700-850 (smaller Mazda sized)tires...every race if you want to be competitive. I'm talking SCCA. Other types of racing won't require new tires everytime out.

Other than the Mazda, you could pick up a D Sports Racer F?...with a big motorcycle engine...they haul arse and are fun to drive fast.

Racer X · 10-27-2003, 04:22 PM

Quote:

TRBON8R:
...3rd Gen Chevy Camaro IROC- These cars seem to be available for pretty cheap and I've always liked the way they look. I've also seen pictures of an LS1 conversion in one of these cars that has me intrigued.

This would be a good choice for running cheap and the aftermarket is good. The down sides would be an underpowered motor (power to weight ratio) and you would have to upgrade the brakes BEFORE you upgrade the motor.

Quote:

TRBON8R:

89 TTA- I think a TTA would be fun, but I'm not sure if it would be cost effective given how few of them there are out there. Not to mention the auto trans might make things tough.

I would not do this at all. Waiting for the turbo to spool up coming off a corner can be frustrating to say the least. Stay far away from automatic trannies and road racing. The car is always hunting for gears and this too pi$$es me off. You will spend a lot of $$$ on trannys.

Quote:

TRBON8R:
5.0 Mustang- I'm not much of a Mustang guy, but it's hard to ignore the bang for the buck of the Mustangs and the aftermarket support these cars enjoy.

These can be good road worthy cars, but the Mustang guys seem to spend a lot of moey to get where the Camaro already is. The short wheel base and narrow track will make the car more of a handful but not really a deal killer.

Quote:

TRBON8R:
C4 Vette- I notice Vettes in the '93 to '95 year range can be had in the 10k to 12k range. That's more than I want to spend, but also the Vette might need less work out of the box to improve handling and braking than the other cars. So in the end I may be money ahead with the Vette?

This is an excellent chioce for a first timer and I don't say that because I own one, but rather the car is ready to go as is and I haven't really spent that much on the car in the way of broken parts. This car is also structurally safer than the others you mentioned. The power to weight ratio is on the low side but with a few mods can be better. I would also look into an early C5 Vette. These will be cheaper as the the C6 comes to market. The C5 is much better then the C4.

Quote:

TRBON8R:

Are there any other cars I should consider?

Opinions are welcome......

Ben, you could turn just about anything into a road racer. Check out some issues of Grass Roots Motorsports and you will see it run whatcha brung.

Personally I just picked up a NASCAR roller for $4K. I still need to get an engine and trans in there but I should be good to go for a little under $10K when I am done. Here is a pic:

...and no that's not my backyard

Before I bought the stock car I was looking into getting a 67 Chevelle. You can get this car cheap and it will pull a "g" with the right stuff on it. I have a proven chassis build up you can see if you go with one of these.

TRBON8R · 10-27-2003, 05:24 PM

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Keep 'em coming! Cappy, I never thought about a Mazda. That's one more possibility I can add to the list.

Greg, I was hoping you might respond since I know this is your area of expertise. Thanks for the info. I'm kind of leaning towards the 3rd Gen Camaro. I know the car would need a horsepower infusion. One problem is that the 5 speed cars don't come with the 350, only the 305 cars come with a stick. So....that probably means having to buy a 305 car, scrap the motor and then swap something else in. How much of a headache that swap entails is something I'll have to look into.

When it's all said and done the Vette might be the easier route since the LT1 seems to have a little more potential than the TPI motor, although at a higher cost.

Then again with the TPI motor I could just bolt on the NOS ala the "Riced and the Furious" and just keep toggling the NAAWWWWSSS button all the way around the track!! LOL :p :p eek!

<small>[ October 27, 2003, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: TRBON8R ]</small>

10-27-2003, 01:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
TRBON8R Did I fire 6 or only 5??? Join Date: May 2002 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 181	Considering a "budget" road racing setup I'm not sure if "budget" and racing should be in the same sentence but...... I'm considering starting a project to build up a road racing car. I don't mean the parking lot kind of racing with a bunch of cones, but racing at actual track events. I'm interested in getting ideas on which cars can be bought for a reasonable cost that will get me out on the track racing without totally breaking the bank. Cars I'm considering: 3rd Gen Chevy Camaro IROC- These cars seem to be available for pretty cheap and I've always liked the way they look. I've also seen pictures of an LS1 conversion in one of these cars that has me intrigued. 89 TTA- I think a TTA would be fun, but I'm not sure if it would be cost effective given how few of them there are out there. Not to mention the auto trans might make things tough. 5.0 Mustang- I'm not much of a Mustang guy, but it's hard to ignore the bang for the buck of the Mustangs and the aftermarket support these cars enjoy. C4 Vette- I notice Vettes in the '93 to '95 year range can be had in the 10k to 12k range. That's more than I want to spend, but also the Vette might need less work out of the box to improve handling and braking than the other cars. So in the end I may be money ahead with the Vette? Are there any other cars I should consider? Opinions are welcome......

10-27-2003, 02:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
motorhead aka: mOtOrHeAd MiKe Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Orangeville, Ontario Canada Posts: 5,747	I think your best bet is something with a huge aftermarket. Like the F-bomb and the Fox body. Skip the fancy FI swap. Get a basic motor built (chebby 350 or ferd 302) and if it comes with factory FI great, if not stick with the carb. Using a base model car will save you $$$ up front and you can scrounge the rest of the factory tuner parts from the 'yard. Your biggest gains will be in tire selection. Good shocks and springs will do more for you than giant sway bars. Aggressive pads and slotted rotors ONLY if the car is track only... DD use will eat the rotors really really quickly. And you'd be surprised how well an automatic will work. HTH, __________________ \|'87 Monte Carlo SS\|'87 Turbo T\|'02 Camaro B4C\|'07 TrailBlazer SS\| Just scratching the surface going 12.1 @ 113.27mph w/1.79 60' (0-60mph in 3.8 seconds) - Specs? Click Here! Why a turbo Buick? Because I couldn't afford a turbo Porsche...

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10-27-2003, 03:55 PM	#3 (permalink)
CaPPY Registered User Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 1,247	RacerX has a GN and Vette that he takes to the track. Maybe he'll chime in. I used to race SCCA A and B Production (Camaros and Mazdas. Had partial sponsorship...still mucho $$. New tireS, brakes, ETC. for EVERY RACE. I found the best bang ftb was a Mazda RX 2 or 3. The engines will last a long time if you harden the gears and pin the rotors. 13B engine-bridge ported. The cars are light, so the brakes wear well. They are small...easy to tow and store at home. Can be made to handle extremely well. Faster than a STOCK (showroom) Corvette in a staight line. You might be able to pick one up for under 10 grand SCCA (10-15 races a season) RACE PREPPED.If you want one for occasional club racing (Once a month), you may be able to get one for 5 thou. Figure $700-850 (smaller Mazda sized)tires...every race if you want to be competitive. I'm talking SCCA. Other types of racing won't require new tires everytime out. Other than the Mazda, you could pick up a D Sports Racer F?...with a big motorcycle engine...they haul arse and are fun to drive fast.

10-27-2003, 05:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
TRBON8R Did I fire 6 or only 5??? Join Date: May 2002 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 181	Thanks everyone for your thoughts. Keep 'em coming! Cappy, I never thought about a Mazda. That's one more possibility I can add to the list. Greg, I was hoping you might respond since I know this is your area of expertise. Thanks for the info. I'm kind of leaning towards the 3rd Gen Camaro. I know the car would need a horsepower infusion. One problem is that the 5 speed cars don't come with the 350, only the 305 cars come with a stick. So....that probably means having to buy a 305 car, scrap the motor and then swap something else in. How much of a headache that swap entails is something I'll have to look into. When it's all said and done the Vette might be the easier route since the LT1 seems to have a little more potential than the TPI motor, although at a higher cost. Then again with the TPI motor I could just bolt on the NOS ala the "Riced and the Furious" and just keep toggling the NAAWWWWSSS button all the way around the track!! LOL :p :p eek! <small>[ October 27, 2003, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: TRBON8R ]</small>