Retired SCCA car vs ProTouring for Track Day

[DBasher]

https://www.racingjunk.com/NASA-Amer...11&from=search

Proven car that has a history and appears to have all the correct parts. Add a mild motor and trans and you’re off to the....track days.

As far as Dave goes...he’s one of the best and it’s all in good fun.

[michics]

Originally Posted by DBasher

https://www.racingjunk.com/NASA-Amer...11&from=search

Proven car that has a history and appears to have all the correct parts. Add a mild motor and trans and you’re off to the....track days.

As far as Dave goes...he’s one of the best and it’s all in good fun.

Yes, this car is only about 50 miles from me. I been thinking about setting up a appointment to go look at it. He's got the price lowered to I believe $5k now. I think it would cost about 10k to put the drivetrain back in it. I was just trying to avoid doing a project. My life has been littered with projects. I tend to get carried away when I do these car projects. I can buy a running and proven race car for the same amount I would put into this one. However if I do the project I'll know what's in it.
I'm currently talking with this person about this car.

https://www.racingjunk.com/Road-Club...Third-Gen.html

[Flash68]

Originally Posted by Panteracer

A race car is far safer than many of our protouring cars
If you can do both cars that is the way to go.. my problem
is I like to run my cars on the street also... problem again
if you are running a $100k car on the track you sometimes
start thinking about what will happen if something goes wrong
... the other guy, oil or water on the track or something breaks
Chet who bought my barely street legal mustang years back
was a Gm guy with a lot of cool protouring cars... his comment
to me if I wreck it is just a mustang

With a Race Car it does not have to look all that pretty to be
safe and fast.. plus someone else did most of the hard work

Bob

Bob. You absolutely nailed it with this whole post. I could not agree more. Especially the part in BOLD.

Originally Posted by DBasher

I’ll add a bit to this to help Dave.

1) Purchase a jack. Don’t worry, the guy at the store will know what it is.
2) Block the front wheels
3) Place the jack under that thing that connects the two rear tires and raise the back of the car...after that follow the above instructions.

Rude!

Originally Posted by michics

WOW !! You guys really put effort into keeping Dave headed in the right direction.

If I didn't have my Lat G friends... I would not have any.

Originally Posted by michics

I was just trying to avoid doing a project. My life has been littered with projects. I tend to get carried away when I do these car projects. I can buy a running and proven race car for the same amount I would put into this one.

I would go with this instinct.

[michics]

Originally Posted by Vegas69

You are competing against the clock and the times of others. It's almost as dangerous when egos get involved which they almost always do. If your brakes go out at the end of the front stretch, it doesn't matter if you are wheel to wheel or not.

I'm with you these days, safety first. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

Let me through out a Midwestern prospective on track days. The only track events where anyone is competing are the sanctioned high speed autox. All other track day events are promoted and regularly remind drivers this is not a competition. No passing in corners etc. They always discuss this in the drivers meetings. Now I agree that people ego's still tend to over rule their minds and I hear it all the time after a session is over how this guy or that guy was in my way because I had a faster car, etc. This is why I'm pursuing a race car because I know I'm not the fastest driver and these guys with the super fast cars are always pushing the limits. Until they're not ! I just don't want to be part of the NOT. And also I'm old and I don't take the chances I did when younger.
This is about the extent of my WISDOM

[Panteracer]

I am also getting older and not the fastest
The older I get the faster I was... the main thing
is to go out and have fun... find someone you can
run with and drive the cars hard but not over your head
I have been to events when I have never been passed
and then ran with the SCCA national guys and never passed
any of them... I had fun and came back in one piece

I ran the Virginia City Hillclimb in Nevada (One of the
best events I have ever done)... they came up to me every time
before I ran and told me 8/10's as they have lost many
guys on that hill who drove over their heads... also stay
away from the crazy guys out on the track... go into the hot
pits and ask for an open space... I find sometimes open track
and no one ahead or behind makes me drive better, faster
and safer

Good luck with your selection.. Vettes that are a few years old
make good track cars as many where not driven that hard and
they handle and brake good right out of the box

My 2 cents worth

Bob

[michics]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Was very enlightening and helpful. You pretty much confirmed my thoughts on making the jump. As I type this it is 13 degrees with snow on the ground and 4 months till the first track day in out area. 2018 could be a exciting year with jumping to a race car and also moving ahead with building my garage workshop.

[Try2paz]

Originally Posted by Flash68

Bob. You absolutely nailed it with this whole post. I could not agree more. Especially the part in BOLD.



Rude!



If I didn't have my Lat G friends... I would not have any.





I would go with this instinct.

Chet is one cool dude..the last track day I was about to throw a five gallon gas can into my car and light it...

He goes why dont you take mine have fun on the track dont worry about yours. Now mind you I only know Chet from catting with him at the track. It goes to show you they are race cars **** happens. in fact he is only a couple track days in on his new build after he put the nose of his car into the wall at Sonoma.

now if he had a 150k pro touring car his attitude might be different if it had perfect paint etc.

Buy a race car if you want a race car. If you want to do some light track days go pro touring.

[michics]

Originally Posted by DBasher

https://www.racingjunk.com/NASA-Amer...11&from=search

Proven car that has a history and appears to have all the correct parts. Add a mild motor and trans and you’re off to the....track days.

As far as Dave goes...he’s one of the best and it’s all in good fun.

Well, a little update. I contacted the guy that has this car and got to view the car. It's be stripped pretty clean and has not been raced for about 7 or 8 years. It would be a interesting project but because it has 351w based engine cradle in it the engine cost starts to go up. And everything is needed.
Looking at 10 - 15k for a decent built 408ci. All the suspension parts are still there and has a heavy duty built 8.8 3:73 rear end. But as usual who knows whether it is any good. At this point every piece on the car would need to checked. I think I'll pass.
Here's link to the ad with plenty of pictures.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/c...405495809.html

Also, some of you guys in CA may remember this car if you followed NASA racing . Here's a link to a Mustang magazine article about the car and driver back in the day.
http://www.mustangandfords.com/featu...-gt-aix-racer/

[GregWeld]

Old? Retired? Racing? LOL


WTF......


My opinion of the people that track their EXPENSIVE PT cars is ---- I hope they're independently wealthy... otherwise they're idiots.

These tracks days are so hard on equipment... they're hard on paint... they're brutal on the motors and transmissions.... and there's no way I'd drive my track cars on the street or vice versa.


Anyone that doesn't think tracks days are RACING are not people I would want on the track with me.... that means their heads not in the right place. I can tell you - visor down! Race on! I'm going to go as fast as I can. Get the right car with the right safety equipment -- full fire protection in a driving suit - helmet - gloves - shoes - fuel cell - in car fire suppression system.... get a full containment seat -- get a Hans device.... It's all a lot of fun - right up until the time you get hurt.

Nobody knows when they're going to wreck -- nobody can predict a tire blowout -- a busted trans that oils your tires - or someone else's blown up junk and oil on the track... Trust me - it can be as simple as a coolant dump and you're off track so fast you won't know what happened to you.

I still remember being at Oregon Raceway Park -- the pro driver was testing the Palatov Pikes Peak car -- asked me if I wanted to ride along.... I said -- Hell yeah -- should I suit up or just my helmet?? He says to me --- you know what?? I've never planned a wreck.... therefore I never know when that's going to happen -- I suit up every time I get in the car. DONE. I've never gotten in the car without every safety precaution I can use since that day. A very small engine fire coming thru the firewall at mach 9 --- good luck with that T shirt....

[YAMATHUMP]

As we say in the motorcycle world, Dress for the slide, not for the ride! LOL