Topic: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Are there any unusual safety concerns with entering a Toyota Previa? We will get the center of gravity reasonably low and put in a decent cage.

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Aside from CG, just the usual caveats that go with racing a decidedly non-sporting vehicle.  Mainly brakes and cooling (engine and automatic transmission).  Stock parts will not be up to the task of endurance racing.  Address those issues and you should be good to go!

Lemons South 2008 - Fail, Lemons South Spring 2009 - Fail, Lemons Detroit(ish) 2008 - Fail, Lemons South Fall 2009 - Fail, Lamest Day 2009 - Fail, Miami 2010 (Chump) - 2nd!, Sebring 2010 (Chump) - Fail, Cuba 2010 - Crew Chief, Roebling 2011 (Chump) - 8th!, Sebring 2011(Chump) - 19th!

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

This is for my cousin's team - we'll see what brakes we can get ahold of - the cage will have to be custom.

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

It will be interesting to see how the laid down engine handles the cornering forces.  Of course he MUST find and install a supercharger. smile

BRE Datsun (Broke Racing Effluence) formerly Dawn of the Zed Racing
'74 260Z
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/editpicture.php … 2559430584

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

bah. all my ideas must be leaking from my brain again. I had this idea back in march.

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Spotted at PBIR this weekend...but this one is too nice to race.  It's SC'd, though.

http://www.pbase.com/towerymt/image/131577802.jpg

FastISH and the FURRiest 1991 Volvo 240 wagon
WV 13th, FL 8th (GRM), NJ 8th (B win), WV 4th (B win), NC 14th, NJ 14th, WV 62nd,  NH 17th, NY 54th
2012 Sears Point Outlaw...74th!

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Serj wrote:

bah. all my ideas must be leaking from my brain again. I had this idea back in march.

The Previa idea has come up many times on the forum and each time, I throw a perfect theme idea on the table.

For those old enough to remember, there was a cartoon called Super Chicken and the crime fighting Super Chicken drove the Super Coop as seen below.  His sidekick is the dumb, but lovable Fred.

http://www.digital-sledgehammer.com/superchicken/graphics/sc-coup.gif

BRE Datsun (Broke Racing Effluence) formerly Dawn of the Zed Racing
'74 260Z
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/editpicture.php … 2559430584

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Jeff G 78 wrote:
Serj wrote:

bah. all my ideas must be leaking from my brain again. I had this idea back in march.

The Previa idea has come up many times on the forum and each time, I throw a perfect theme idea on the table.

For those old enough to remember, there was a cartoon called Super Chicken and the crime fighting Super Chicken drove the Super Coop as seen below.  His sidekick is the dumb, but lovable Fred.

http://www.digital-sledgehammer.com/sup … c-coup.gif

Thanks now I have the theme song stuck in my head.

A Mork and Mindy theme would also work with the egg theme.

Racing 4 Nickels - 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
2011 SHOWROOM-SCHLOCK SHOOTOUT  IOE Winner
2012 The Chubba Cheddar Enduro Class C winner
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Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Serj wrote:

bah. all my ideas must be leaking from my brain again. I had this idea back in march.

Nah, I wanted to do this several years ago and drop a Tundra v-8 in the middle but my former team was too chicken.

"Don't mess with Lexas!" LS400. We survived another one! See website link for build details.
Maker of the "unofficial Lemons fish!" - If you ask nice, I'll likely give you one at the track.

10 (edited by djcommie 2011-01-04 09:59 AM)

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Unfortunately the year the SC-14 supercharged model came in was the year that manual trans was out, so there's no overlap. I'm sure the mantrans is plenty strong enough for the supercharged engine. Everyone forgets to change the blower oil! The car isn't light, nor rigid, nor is the engine particuarly durable. Perfect for a  hack-job, probably unworkable for a serious car.

(I have a SC14 mounted to my Lemons Daihatsu Charade)

Team Dai Hard Home Page

1989 Daihatsu Charade

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

I was just talking to a Toyota parts/service guy last week about this idea. He pretty much told me outright that it's a crazy idea and nobody in the world is trying to race Previas, but that there are a lot of cabbies trying to eek 600-700,000 miles out of the stock engine. Apparently it's way overbuilt for the application.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

I want to see a Previa... go for it!

Gosh, my business card says 'Tech Tyrant'

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

found one in the local junkyard yesterday... go for it wink

Now happily part of Speedycop.

formerly:
Ziegel Scheißhaus Racing & ReVolvolution Racing

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Mulry wrote:

I was just talking to a Toyota parts/service guy last week about this idea. He pretty much told me outright that it's a crazy idea and nobody in the world is trying to race Previas...

No imagination.

Former chief proprietor and lead bad idea generator of Binford "More Power" Racing, 2010-2013: humbly self-proclaimed the best Chevy Beretta in Lemons history.

15

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

djcommie wrote:

The car isn't light, nor rigid, nor is the engine particuarly durable. Perfect for a  hack-job, probably unworkable for a serious car.

In other words, perfect for Lemons.

Mulry wrote:

I was just talking to a Toyota parts/service guy last week about this idea. He pretty much told me outright that it's a crazy idea and nobody in the world is trying to race Previa

I think Lemons is full of cars that would be crazy to race.

Benson Young, Team Nemesis #88, debuting at MSR 2011
Raced Hard, Raced Ugly, got the nickels, moving on...

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

With all these ideas for previa builds that never came to fruition, we should pick a race in 2011 and have a special 'spec previa' class. We can dub someone the king of the eggs. Of course, 'spec' previas would be anything but...

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Saw three more of them today in the 3rd WPB junkyard i've been to since being down here... this is just begging to be done.  Anyone remember Top Gear's people carrier race?

Now happily part of Speedycop.

formerly:
Ziegel Scheißhaus Racing & ReVolvolution Racing

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

LOL. If you could find and run an Renault Avantime, I suspect you could get bonus laps. Lots of them. Until you catch your plywood splitter on fire...

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

Mandatory disclaimer: all opinions expressed are mine alone & not those of 24HOL, its mgmt, sponsors, etc.

19 (edited by gigglesnirt 2011-01-05 10:30 PM)

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

So down to prep a previa for Lemons or some kind of previa cup within Lemons. For some reason my mother bought a previa way back in '97, since then she has owned 5 and takes all of them way up to 300-400k+ miles. They can easily be found for under $500. I've always wanted to do the NASA space shuttle theme with one.

http://www.wallpaper.net.au/wallpapers/space/Space-Shuttle-Atlantis-Landing-1-1024x768.jpg

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/2159658417.html

Polished Turd Racing - 1974 VW 412 variant
www.facebook.com/polishedturdracing
It's 40% racing, 60% arts and crafts.

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

We need more minivans!

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

That would be cool....I'm sure you could make it light enough and with the boosted engine...what could possibly go wrong

Richard Doty
1984 Porsche 928 "Estate"
Porsche- "there is A substitute" Racing
Dirt Poorsche Racing #2

Re: Special issues with Toyota Previa?

Judge Phil wrote:

We need more minivans!

One day I'll rebuild my highschool-era Chrysler K-turbo minivan for ya'll. Given my improved skills, I can probably do better than the ghetto intercooling rig. I might even TT the bastard.

And if I'm really ambitious, I might make it capable of corners!

Driver, Pit Monkey, Rod Buster and Engine Fire Starter
Team FinalGear