This is from another post:
MurileeMartin wrote:ifb_mole wrote:I know what ya mean about $500 cars and cheaters. I found a 1997 Maxima that had a smashed front end. the seller was going to fix it (air bag didn't deploy) and bought a radiator but never installed it. He advertised it ob Craigslist (had Tein springs, adjustable shocks, cold air induction, nice exhaust, etc.) He wanted $700. I told him what we were doing and that $500 was the max and he said OK. I advertised I was partially parting it out and sold the cat, some interior lights, one seat, the spare tire etc. and got about $140 for the stuff.
Now WE (the team) really want to follow the spirit of the race - GO CHEAP. I only bought really good front brake pads, the rears just new street perf ones. Tires? well we sprung for ONE new right front (cuzz its a FWD car and Thunderhill has 3 lefts for every right corner), the other tires? well I bought some used ones for $30- $50. We will have a couple of spares.
We are going absolutely as cheap as possible. We will tune up the car and make it as reliable as possible but still we bought a Home Depot extinguisher and "brake ducts". Weare going cheap, Cheap CHEAP.
The spirit of the race isn't about being cheap across the board; we'd prefer that you sprang for good tires and brakes all the way around. Old and/or hard tires tend to fail, and Thunderhill is a track that's pretty unforgiving to cars that leave the track and dig into the mud.
As for your car, you should be in good shape for the BS inspection with a Maxima; we've been wanting to see more big Japanese cars and we'll be happy to have our first Lemons Maxima.
Posts like the one above are why I am concerned about some kind of brake inspection or minimum. I think a lot of guys get some wrong impressions about Crap Can racing and try awfully hard to spend little to no money. This helps the bank account but it gets to be a safety hazard.
I certainly am an advocate for some kind of inspection or minimum requirement. Maybe a minimum suggestion followed by random inspections or something.
I do realize the variety of cars that run in Lemons creates all kinds of unique challenges. While we all try to have fun on a low budget, each vehicle has it's strengths and weaknesses. Therefore a uniform standard on brakes regarding things like brake pads isn't going to work.
Cars like Miatas and E30 BMWs are pretty good out of the box and just need things in good working order. A Corvair that can't get out of it's own way, may not need to worry to much. Fox body Mustangs are questionable. Cavaliers seem to need a lot of help.
The race format also affects demands on our cars. A true 24 hour race is a whole different beast than the two day races.
I also think there is liability involved in establishing any kind of brake requirement. So an inspection to make sure everything is in good working order may be the solution. Like I have said before, it could be done before the race by shops in the area and I ain't thinking a brake chain either. Turn in your inspection form at Tech like you would do for a DE.
Troy
#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z
