Topic: Want to do this right Need help and advice
I am a newcomer to 24 hours ofLemons. I attended the New England race last year and was hooked. I raced karts as a child but have gotten away from racing except as a spectator. I have a group of friends who are novices and some good volunteer mechanics. Our Plan was to attend the SCCA novice race traing with our Lemon in April in Massachusetts and then hopefully be accepted for the New England Lemons race. Our goal is to have fun and a very safe car. The plan right now is to have a Monty Python themed car.
Right now we are searching for a car We have looked at alot of different cars. But I am confused about what I should be looking for. There seems to be alot of former enduro race cars out there that are cheap. Apparently the rules for there acceptance ie : the model year of the vehicle has left alot of racers out in the cold. They are selling there race cars cheap. I actually looked at one today that looked in good shape and the guy wanted 400 dollars for it. He was asking 600. It talked him down to 400.00 It has a roll bar but no cage. But it has striped out of the interior and welded the doors shut and made sure the firewall and trunk wall are solid metal. and I figured it would save alot of time. It also has some nice things like a detachable steering wheel and a kill switch. It had a fuel cell but that has been sold out of the car. It also needs a racing seat and harness The vehicle has been sitting in this garage for 10 years unraced. The Guy spent alot of time getting it ready only to be shut out because of the model year. Though it will need alot to meet the tech checklist The vehicle year is 1970's vintage and there also seems to be alot of parts out there for this vehicle.
Since I am a newbie I am looking at the forum for guidance and to learn all we can to be prepared for Lemons race in July 2010.
I looked at the forum and sample budget and then I also read about former race cars being somewhat unacceptable I guess I need a better understanding of this?
Other questions
Do Spare parts purchased for repairs count toward $500.00 total cost of the car?
Do decorations count towards $500.00 total
Can you make a car race ready with only $100.00 left in the budget.
This is what I was thinking for a basic car Budget
I am sure there will be a whole lot more items.
Car $400.00
Paint for theme and additional parts $100.00
Roll Cage 5 500.00- 1000.00
Seat Harness $200.00
Seat $200.00
Tires $600.00-1000.00
Fuel cell $ 200.00
These are the car possibilities to date.
Ford Probe
Ford Thunderbird
Ford Pinto (Last on list since someone already races a Pinto)
Camaro
Jaguar
Ford Crown vic (lots of them in public auctions)
I am not looking to cause controversy. But where there is so much dscussion about the cost. I want to make sure we start out right. We don't care where we place. We are in this for the spirit of the race and just want to have fun and be safe.
John