Lemons team anyone?

[croes]

For sure!
I remember our 1st race and being so worried about passing tech. And then the judges inspected the car then really dug into the cage. Pulling out feelers for the joints on top of the cage under the roof. I do legit work, but didnt stop me from sweating it.
So they turn around and say something to the effect of; who built this cage? And Im like me. Jay Lamm and Judge Scott walk to me, shake my hand, and say along the lines of best new car cage we've seen in a very long time, you offroad guys sure know how to fabricate.

We never really fit into the hipster/themer teams, we just like to race.

Couple buddies and myself are building one to run a couple races up North. I've had 2-3 sticks of chromo on the rack leftover for a few years now. Plan on using it and tig welding it up nice just to be a **** since it doesn't count towards price. It'll be worth more than the car. lol

 

[InDaShop]

So without a lot of oil passage, oil pan, or even drysumping the SBC, you are begging to blow up. They dont like the long semi-high g's starving the oil for so long and re thus "blowuppity". I had my doubts, but there is literally hundreds of blown precedence for the SBC's to die and not go the distance.

You looked into Honda's? They get like 40mpg so at race pace 20mpg, which equals 4 hours stints. So you beat people because you are on track that much longer. Downside, 4 hour stint can bring the suck. I've dont a few. And it made me want to kill kittens.

Just one endurance article written on the downfall of the SBC

http://blog.caranddriver.com/lemons-goodbad-idea-of-the-week-engine-swap-roulette-with-the-iroc-maiden-camaro/

 

[TBItoy]

do people ever plumb fittings from the bottom edge of the valve covers straight back to the pan to help with oil drain back issues?

dirt track cars have been running sbc's for a million years, seems like the issues would be pretty easy to solve.



seems like a mini truck would be the "best" to race as they are generally easier to work on and have bigger brakes and such than shitbox econo cars.


damn I'd just get a 2.3L ford ranger 2wd. Sumbitch'll run forever.

Even find one of the gay looking 90s round wedge shaped ones for superior aerodymanics laughing1

 

[pholmann]

I ran one at Hockenheim, did pretty good. After a 15 minute session the brakes were getting good and toasty, so vented rotors and good pads are a must.

Again, wanting to run a free Cavalier was like having a free Jeep Liberty and wanting to run KoH. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. With a SBC, any trouble will be fuel, fire, or mechanical failure. The Cavalier may start running like **** and it be ANYTHING. Crank sensor, O2 sensor, MAF, etc., I want to be able to diagnose, repair, and get back on the track quickly.

Am I wrong?

Wonder if Jeremy would notice an engine missing from his shop for a couple days? Stuff that 430 cubic inch super late model motor in the ole cavalier and return it on Monday.

 

[5BrothersFabrication]

Wonder if Jeremy would notice an engine missing from his shop for a couple days? Stuff that 430 cubic inch super late model motor in the ole cavalier and return it on Monday.

Pretty sure that would blow the $500 limit out the window! Haha

 

[pholmann]

Borrowed is free. :****:

 

[5BrothersFabrication]

You looked into Honda's? They get like 40mpg so at race pace 20mpg, which equals 4 hours stints. So you beat people because you are on track that much longer. Downside, 4 hour stint can bring the suck. I've dont a few. And it made me want to kill kittens.

I ran a dual carb Prelude for 2 seasons on one motor when I used to race roundy-round dirt cars. Sumbitches will flat out last forever! Well played, Wyatt...

damn I'd just get a 2.3L ford ranger 2wd. Sumbitch'll run forever.

This is also true! Love me some Rainjah!

 

[lowbudgetjunk]

Proven racer might be the way to go. See whats out there that handles well while racing and then start a build. Turn around and sell the El Jeep after you know what you wanna build. Making the deadline by 2017 will be tough if you are starting from scratch. I know you are a builder and that goes against all you are wanting to get into this for. But, building a race car, building the Explorer and taking over the world, all while keeping the wife and kids happy is gonna be a tough end to 2016.

 

[grcthird]

Call me but the cavalier is a decent little shitbox, they are pretty easy to work on and there are a lot of cheap performance mods you can do to them. I dd an automatic and would cage it and put it on the track without a second thought about doing anything other than decent front brakes. Slow, yep, sports car handling, nope, reliable as hell, yep, parts are cheap and everywhere too. Mine is not an ecotech so it is the easier one to work on, has the 2.2 that I think the s-10 has. Jeesus I wouldn't want to sit in those shitty seats for 4 hours, so better seats for sure. Gas mileage and reliability would be key to doing well with one because it dang sure wouldn't win on speed.

 

[InDaShop]

Nothing wrong with a Cavalier. Gut the interior, cage it and race. **** will start sorting itself out in after a few races.


And dont take this as me pushing my accomplished for sale racecar on ya.


So there you are, you guys have taken off work, you've got hotels, you've trailered to the track, sometimes a half day to full day drive each way. Only to run 30 minutes and then spend 14 hours wrenching. We've literally watched team after team, show up and nearly immediately wrench all weekend to just get back out for the parade lap. Dont get me wrong Lemons actually celebrates those guys with "I got Screwed" and the IOE" trophys. but I prefer to be putting down laps, and passes for my return on money spent.


Now back to our efforts, theres an offroader on the West Coast that Lemons races, Matt Adair. I know Matt from KOH, so when we decided to follow in his footsteps and build a cherokee, we called and talked to Matt. He had 11 races under his belt at that point, and shared every bit of knowledge he had gleamed through trial and error over 11 events. We were so far ahead we didnt know what to do. Our car was a contender at the 1st race, but as drivers we were no where close. We got there quickly though.
I dont know anyone out there making Cavaliers fast/contendors for you to leverage off their learning curve. If I was starting from scratch I'd get a BMW. and hence thats what I just did. Got myself an e46 with a summerengine. But I'm going to be over the Lemons budget, I just wanna go a lot faster at this point.