gielamonster wrote:I think a lot of you guys are missing the point entirely. You're not supposed to find the awesomest car you can at a crazy insider police auction that no one shows up to and then lie/cheat to put sooper go-fast parts on it.
You're supposed to find the CRAPPIEST car imaginable. Put a cage in it. Race it. If you have to show receipts to the judges to prove your story, I'd argue you're doing it wrong. The goal should be to bring a car that they won't even pop the hood on.
If it were up to me no one would be allowed to sell anything for budget room. If you're afraid the judges won't believe your story, don't bring the car. You're not proving anything bringing a $1000 car that you "sell" $1000 of stuff off of and then put $500 worth of go-fast goodies on. You're still going to lose anyway. Some '84 cavalier is going to beat you. And they'll probably have a lot more fun doing it.
I've gotta agree with the previous posts, I'd say 4wd Talon is pretty damn bad ass and I think it would be cool to race one too.
Defining a Lemons car is difficult and is up to each team and their interpretation. Then the Judges lay their assessments on your Crap Can and you get to go pound the hell out of it.
With safety requirements almost in line with SCCA and NASA, outside of requiring DOM tube cages, you are going to put a decent investment in your POS. I suggest you pick something that you feel is worth your time, money and effort.
If that's a Renault, fine, go play an be happy. Just don't complain about the teams that chose Integras, E30s or whatever.
My personal opinion is to race a car that will be fun to drive, not to hard to build, maintain or repair. In our case, we started with an Old Z. It's fun, fast and on occasion semi-reliable. Parts availability could be better but I manage. I pick up complete cars and scrap them myself more than hitting Pick-A-Part.
My only concern about the other cars on the track is that they play nice with others. I don't care what they are.
The Sable powered Renault is awesome. The SHO-Stang is also really cool and crazy too.
One other issue regarding the investment in the car is the cost to run it and keep it running. Entry fees start around $1000. Wearable safety items cost money too. I suggest trying to be as reliable as possible to get as much seat time out of your dollars and elbow grease as possible.
While not specifically in the rules, major leaks will result in Black Flags as a safety hazard. So fix your major leaks with new or refurbished gaskets and seals. Personally, I'd just replace them with new stuff or silicone. Engine gasket kits give you the most bang for the buck.
As others have mentioned, lots of parts can be refurbished with some cleaning and re-greasing too.
Creativity is the key to problem solving as well as building.
Troy
#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z