• From: NH
  • Registered: 2010-01-20
  • Posts: 3,299

Topic: home-made performance parts?

So some buddies and I are considering entering in the 2011 season. We’re starting our planning now, since it will take that long to put a plan in action. My question is how do the judges react to home-made “go faster” parts. I’m referring to things like home-made strut braces from left over square tubing and steel plate. Or a wing made from pink foam and some of the 50 feet of fiberglass fabric my friend has. Front splitters made from aluminum and plywood. I was thinking things like this would be perfectly in the spirit of Lemons, but I’ve been wrong before. Just curious what the overall thought on home-made performance parts is.

We’ve got a car, actually bought it a couple of years ago as a project that never happened. And we have a great plan for a Franken-build with the engine we want to use, and a theme to go with it. I’ve been reading the forums, and it sounds like a great time. I’ll have to come to the north east event this year as a spectator. Hell, I’ll be pit crew for anyone that wants help.

20+ Time Loser FutilityMotorsport
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  • bob-e
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  • From: Middle, TN
  • Registered: 2009-06-08
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Re: home-made performance parts?

Meet the $500 cost and the safety requirements and anything goes.  Labor is "free", but Large scraps of titanium machined into go-fast parts probably will not be counted as "free".  Just keep track of the actual cost of materials.

  • From: NH
  • Registered: 2010-01-20
  • Posts: 3,299

Re: home-made performance parts?

I meant assuming everything is kept in the $500 limit. recently graduated engineering students can be fairly resourceful at finding material. My buddy got 50feet of 4 foot wide fiberglass material for free. i've got a bunch of square steel tube laying around from previous projects. Projects at school left us with a lot of little electronic bits spare.

I've just read that things like blatant suspension mods get attention. i was curious what kind of attention home-made mods got. I've got some fun ideas.

20+ Time Loser FutilityMotorsport
Abandoned E36 Build
2008 Saab 9-5Aero Wagon
Retired - 1989 Dodge Daytona Shelby 2011-2015 "Lifetime Award for Lack of Achievement" IOE, 3X I got screwed, Organizer's Choice
  • From: Marysville, CA
  • Registered: 2009-12-15
  • Posts: 127

Re: home-made performance parts?

Home made stuff like your talking about goes through with no problems. Watch the free thing though. Just because you got it for "free" doesn't mean that it doesn't count towards the cost of the car. Otherwise you would see cars out there with a big block blown motor that their drag racing buddy just had laying on the side of his house and told them they could have it. Kinda an exaggeration but you get my point. Home made stuff like strut towers will have a way better shot at making it though tech. Or a home made engine swap done vs an advance adapters bolt in kit. The more creative the better. And if you can figure a way to play it all into a theme then the judges will be alot more lenient as to what you come up with.

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  • RobL
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Re: home-made performance parts?

http://jalopnik.com/400309/what-would-s … ge-murilee

#9 is what you are looking for.

Our team runs a plywood and aluminum flashing splitter and get laughed at.

--Rob Leone Schumacher Taxi Service
We won the IOE at Southern Discomfort.
We got screwed at The Real Hoopties of New Jersey  and we took cars down with us.
We got the curse at Capitol Offense but they wouldn't let us destroy the car.

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  • Troy
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Re: home-made performance parts?

RobL wrote:

http://jalopnik.com/400309/what-would-s … ge-murilee

#9 is what you are looking for.

Our team runs a plywood and aluminum flashing splitter and get laughed at.

Here's Jonny's similar article on the subject:

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/feature/cu … udge.shtml

That's our check list.  We had covered most of those bases before they posted those articles.

Troy

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  • trekkor
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Re: home-made performance parts?

Why are you waiting 'til 2011???

Get in the game!!


KT

TH 2009- 40th ~ SP 2010- 13th Class Bad win!! TH 2010- 17th ~TH 2010- 16th  SP 2011- 20th ~ RF 2011- 13th Least Horrible Yank Tank ~ TH 2011- 79th
SP 2011- 105th ~ SP 2012- 119th ~ SP 2013- 139th ~ BW 2013- 17th
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8 Reply by TheEngineer (edited by TheEngineer 2010-01-20 08:49 AM)

  • From: NH
  • Registered: 2010-01-20
  • Posts: 3,299

Re: home-made performance parts?

excellent. I'm all about making stuff, so i expect our car to be chalk full of home made madness. We'll find a way to work all the free material into the build cost. Like i said, we can't enter till 2011 (financial and time issues), but the planning is starting now. we'll probably strip the car and sell parts this summer.  Been dreaming of a Lemons race for a couple of years, glad to be planning for one.

20+ Time Loser FutilityMotorsport
Abandoned E36 Build
2008 Saab 9-5Aero Wagon
Retired - 1989 Dodge Daytona Shelby 2011-2015 "Lifetime Award for Lack of Achievement" IOE, 3X I got screwed, Organizer's Choice
  • trekkor
  • trekkor
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Re: home-made performance parts?

I want to make a homemade splitter, side pieces, rear spoiler and defuser...out of 3/8" plywood!


KT

TH 2009- 40th ~ SP 2010- 13th Class Bad win!! TH 2010- 17th ~TH 2010- 16th  SP 2011- 20th ~ RF 2011- 13th Least Horrible Yank Tank ~ TH 2011- 79th
SP 2011- 105th ~ SP 2012- 119th ~ SP 2013- 139th ~ BW 2013- 17th
Follow Filthy on Facebook: Flailing Lizard Motorsports
  • From: NH
  • Registered: 2010-01-20
  • Posts: 3,299

Re: home-made performance parts?

get cracking then. plywood and wood screws are cheap.

20+ Time Loser FutilityMotorsport
Abandoned E36 Build
2008 Saab 9-5Aero Wagon
Retired - 1989 Dodge Daytona Shelby 2011-2015 "Lifetime Award for Lack of Achievement" IOE, 3X I got screwed, Organizer's Choice
  • From: 5,280 ft.
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 1,298

Re: home-made performance parts?

RobL wrote:

http://jalopnik.com/400309/what-would-s … ge-murilee

#9 is what you are looking for.

Our team runs a plywood and aluminum flashing splitter and get laughed at.

by the judges.  i didn't notice much laughing from the other drivers we were passing.  wink

mike - Schumacher Taxi Service
12+-time loser
"Winner" - We Got Screwed, NJMP '11

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  • From: Houston, TX
  • Registered: 2009-10-26
  • Posts: 73

Re: home-made performance parts?

Home made go-fast is what it is all about. Engineer something out of crap you find in a junk yard, on the side of the road or a road sign in our case. This will not cause you any problems in the BS inspection - and probably get you some props.

If you spend a lot of money on the raw materials and make it your self this may raise an eyebrow.

Look at the mass quantity of photos out there of past LeMon entries and marvel at the ingenious back yard engineering and get a few ideas too. We will be using the fence post strut bar this year.

Tucker

2008  Yee-Haw It's Lemons Texas - DarthBimmer; 2009 Houston Gator-O-Rama - Beermer; 2009  Yee-Haw It's Lemons Texas - Jewish Defense League BMW; 2010 Houston Gator-O-Rama - SwampJews from Hell; 2010 Houston Yee-Haw Texas - JDL - JEGS....errrr JEWS; 2011 Houston Gator-O-Rama - B Team - IOE Winner!; 2011 Houston Yee-Haw - Los Escorpions de Munich; 2012 TWS Yee-Haw Texas - B-Team - Dr. StrangeBenz
  • From: Federal Way, WA
  • Registered: 2009-06-11
  • Posts: 333

Re: home-made performance parts?

Hey our rear wing supports are made from surplus Boeing 777 parts courtesy of a local machine shop that overbuilt an old revision and got stuck with 50 of the things they were forced to scrap. It's funny how a several thousand dollar airplane part can suddenly become $10 of aluminum scrap but that's the way it is sometimes and it worked out well for us!

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