24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Seat.

Safety item and thus exempt from the 500$?

I can't find it listed specifically.....




Costas

[Fair!]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Seat.

Safety item and thus exempt from the 500$?

I can't find it listed specifically.....

Costas

I suspect its considered a safety item, yes...

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

My only fear on a bmw is that it will incur the wrath of the 'cheating bastards' looks. I think the roundel will be a prime target for persecution. Especially if it is any kind of quick.

Remember the claim rule. After the race, the organizers can buy your car for 500$. Are you willing to easily let it go for that?

I keep going back to cheap, domestic rwd. Easy to make look sh!tty to keep the eyes of the judges happy.

22 gal fuel cell from jegs is 150$. A 305 tbi will run a LONG time on 22 gallons. Keep the revs down, make it live.

Hmmm...

Costas

[Tommy R]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

You're right, Paul. Domestic... RWD... Tell you what. I've got a $500 bill. How about you ship over that black car of yours? I'll even reimburse you for diesel.

I'll reiterate that I want to stick within the spirit of this event. I don't want to cheat and I don't suspect anyone else here does, either. I would like to be competitive, but not at the expense of our integrity. If they want to buy this car for $500, I'll be okay with it.

T

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Black B4C2 already sold....and 500$ wouldnt have covered it anyway! heh heh.

I'm looking now for

1st gen Rx7
Early Datsun 240/60/80
3rd gen Fbody (v8 tbi/5sp)

Easy to fix, parts stores actually HAVE parts for them, and they are all simple cars. Important in endurance racing.

Jegs has 22 gal fuel cells for 149$. Any of those cars will run quite a while on 22 gallons.

My preference is the 3rd gen due to my knowledge of them and they are a bit heavy (good for taking hits...or dishing them out) and likely the most durable of the three. TBI is stone reliable, as is a t5 and a 10 bolt at that power output (180hp, 250tq). Stock brakes ducted with race pads will be fine. Race shoes for the back will be fine too. 16" tires arent too bad and iroc rims are cheap and borrowable.

I LOVE the idea of a bmw...but I really think you'll get hammered by the BSFactor and the 'haterz'.

Just my .02.

Costas

[Fair!]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Remember, this E30 2-door manual started out as a $350 car...



These E30 cars have hit rock bottom. I passed on a $250 E30 a few weeks ago. I think the non-M E30 models in this price range will "look the part".

These are not modern luxury sports car, they are mostly just 20-26 year old beat-up bastard children. They just happen to handle fairly decently and stop well enough in stock form. Power... ehh, not so much. The M20 6 cylinder is no monster, but should withstand some track abuse if you keep oil in it....

Also like to use one of these because we have experience with them and parts are plentiful.

Remember the claim rule. After the race, the organizers can buy your car for 500$. Are you willing to easily let it go for that?

Sure, nobody wants that... but I think you can get your wheels/tires/safety equipment back, at least? I suspect the discourage claiming, and I bet there's not a car left at the end worth $500 anymore. These cars look like they do get beat up quite a bit... its a write off.

I don't want to fudge the $500 budget, but I'm sure there's a little wiggle room. You just have to make it look the part and use good documentation. It can be done.

[John in Houston]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Black B4C2 already sold....and 500$ wouldnt have covered it anyway! heh heh.
Costas

You sold the Teucci / Farris / Butter mobile?

[Wirtz]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Guys, just a internet rumor, but figured I would pass the info so someone can dig into it if needed. Another forum said the "buy a license at the track" might not be allowed at MSR-H. I suspect it might have to do with insurance and liability but dono for sure.

Maybe this is BS, not sure, but it came up on the CMC forum so not many there are worried since they all have comp licenses already.

Jeff

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Job #1: Find out what license will be required and if anyone will really be able to just show up and buy a license (like circle trackers...).


Costas

[Fair!]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Guys, just a internet rumor, but figured I would pass the info so someone can dig into it if needed. Another forum said the "buy a license at the track" might not be allowed at MSR-H. I suspect it might have to do with insurance and liability but dono for sure.

Maybe this is BS, not sure, but it came up on the CMC forum so not many there are worried since they all have comp licenses already.

Jeff

Well... crap. That figures. It takes 6 months and many schools + events + physical + all manner of driver's suits and helmets and and a road race legal car to get just about any competition license, even for NASA Time Trial. Ugh.

And the $500 E30 I had an agreement on.... (crickets... crickets...) now the guy won't answer his phone.

CRAP!

I was just going to suggest doing a GRM Challenge car instead (no crash-up derby action there) but did you see what won their 2007 event? Freagin C4 Corvette with a twin turbo engine, a giagantic SUKCER FAN ala Chapparral CanAm car that provided 1000 pounds of downforce via a turbine from an M1 tank, and it was driven by Danny freagin Pop who set FTD on his first run!

Team Cheaparral
What happens when a bunch of Procter & Gamble engineers from Cincinnati look for a little after-hours project? Stoyan Lokar and his pals started with a crunched 1986 Chevrolet Corvette. "It had been rolled six times," Lokar says.

Team Cheaparral rebuilt the 5.7-liter V8 and added a pair of turbochargers, one to each exhaust bank. But since the car would be expected to do well on the autocross competition, they wanted an edge.

So they found a turbine from a military-surplus Abrams tank and mounted it on the floor, where the passenger seat used to be. They cut a hole in the floorboards, then built a big, square bellows-like device that could be lowered to the pavement. Once the turbine cranked up, it would make enough suction to provide what the engineers figured was upward of 1,000 pounds of aerodynamic downforce.

That is, if they could figure out how to power the turbine. The answer proved to be a used 44-horsepower snowmobile engine, cranked by a pull cord next to the driver. And, yes, the "Cheaparral" name is an homage to taciturn Texan Jim Hall's legendary vacuum-enhanced Chaparral 2J racing car from the 1970 Can-Am racing series.

All activity stopped when Team Cheaparral took to the autocross track. The noise was deafening, the turbine was s****** up and spitting out dirt and sand and gravel like one of those sweepers that clean parking lots at the shopping mall, and the car was flying. Despite some teething problems, Team Cheaparral won the autocross by a half-second, and the driver said there was at least another second-and-a-half left in the car.

After the Cheaparral won the autocross and the concours, the team unbolted and removed all the downforce equipment in preparation for the quarter-mile run. Unfortunately, we never got to see how fast the Cheaparral was on the drag strip, as torrential rains drowned the NHRA-owned Gainesville Raceway for everyone. Next year, maybe?

WTFH happened to that whole "$2000 budget" and grass roots event nonsense???

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/challenge/build-diary/

That is some serious.... Bull. Sh!t.

[Tommy R]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

No doubt! $2k for a twin turbo'd sucker Corvette? GRM has lost its way.

[Hunter]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Guys, just a internet rumor, but figured I would pass the info so someone can dig into it if needed. Another forum said the "buy a license at the track" might not be allowed at MSR-H. I suspect it might have to do with insurance and liability but dono for sure.

Maybe this is BS, not sure, but it came up on the CMC forum so not many there are worried since they all have comp licenses already.

Jeff

Emails and Calls are out to the event staff and the track GM and Stafey people I will post as soon as I hear something.

Hunter

[Wirtz]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

Well, don't poot all your plans for the LeMons just yet (unless you now have a dirt cheap e36 you want to offload to me). I just wanted you to be aware.

I will be at MSR-H next weekend for NASA #1 and have it on my to do list to talk to some of the folks there to see if there is an update. Sounds like we will get an answer somehow.

I saw the GRM winner in the last issue, I about fell out of my chair laughing. Maybe GRM needs to have the competitor wrath like LeMons, so everyone could have watch a bull dozer rips the doors off it Cool car tho, I'll give them that.

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

The WitchdoctorMotorsports/BikiniRacer entry was accepted. I guess we should work on the car some now...

Anyone else going?

Costas

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: 24 Hours of LeMons in Texas!

http://www.witchdoctormotorsports.com/ch126.htm


Costas