Funny. Lotta truth to that.

BUT... I have been to track days before AND after becoming a father. I can tell you I am a different and more disciplined (cautious) driver after fathering 2 kids.

I bet you might agree.... get your ass back on to a track sometime soon. :D

Hi Dave,

I read about your experience in the Race Car section. Looks like a nice ride for the track. I saw some of the guys giving you the raspberries about alot of shifting, so I watched your in car video what struck me was how fast it was rpm'ing. Does it have low rear gear ratio?

So since you've made this transition any pointers on what to watch out for in the search for a track car ?

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.

What to look for in a track car, that’s a loaded question.

#1 build quality. A poorly built race car isn’t safe. If you see one item that is sloppy then be prepared to find more and more and more.

A current log book and tech inspection from SCCA or NASA means at least somebody inspected the car and hopefully it actually meets the sanctioning bodys safety specs. Not all inspectors are the same so this isn’t a guarentee but it’s better than buying a PT car that has no tech requirement.

Look at the cage and the quality of the welds. Start by looking to ensure the welds go around the full perimeter of where the tubes join. This is a requirement for cage safety and if not done a sign of other short cuts.

Belts, fuel cells and some seats have freshness dating. If those parts are not within the cert timeframe the rest of the car is probably worn out.

Typically it is better to pay a little more for a professionally built car unless you plan on taking on another build project.

What car? There is no absolute answer but here is my opinion.

You gotta have a V8. Who wants anything without V8 torque and sound for a track car? A Miata is probably the most cost effective track car and ine of the best training tools but it’s a Miata so pass. But if you want a lot of track time with less garage time then the less exotic the motor the better. Big hp is great but big hp wears out parts way faster. All parts. Remember the purchase price is the cheapest part of this equation. You have to maintain the car and keep it running. Good oiling and proper cooling are a must so if these systems don’t seem like overkill then pass.

I’m not familiar with SCCA classes but in NASA a nice American V8 TT car or an American Iron or American Iron Extreme car would fit the bill. The Factory Five Cobra class cars look like a blast.

Just bolting on expensive parts doesn’t guarentee the car works. If the car you buy has some pedigree (as in it has documented race wins or low lap times) at least you have a chance that the setup under the car works. A car that handles predicably is priority one. It may not be the absolute “best” handling car but frankly most people don’t have enough track time or skill to really comment on a cars performance. A predictable car gives you the opportunity to learn where the car is failing vs you being the problem and over time you can become fast even if the car is slow.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...-mDfxDdV-L.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...-5vCSSC8-L.jpg

Ha - I get the raspberries no matter what I do (deservedly so).

I was told it is a Richmond close ratio trans (5 speed) and no reason to not believe it. Without any actual verification, I can just say it works and gears 3-5 are pretty closely geared so it works pretty nice. I have decided to short shift the LS3 around 6k rpm for now so the gear changes do happen more often than with many other transmissions. I also do not know what rear end gear is in the car but I don't really care either. It's probably a 3.23 or 3.55 I reckon. I just get in and drive.

As far searching pointers.... I'd say buy the best, safest car you can find. I knew all the builders/installers of the systems of this car (cage, suspension, tuner, etc - all local, reputable names) as they were mostly all shops AT Sears Point, so that helped immensely.

There are a lot of what appears to be "deals" in the used race car world I think. Racing Junk (so aptly named) etc... I would be hesitant to buy sight unseen one of these.

This was intended to be a training car for me.... as my Camaro (when finished) will be a downright weapon of mass destruction. This just made too much sense for me and so far I am loving it.

You are on a good path - many PT guys have gravitated there or added a race car to their stable after figuring out what you are discussing here.

Good luck in your hunt. The hunt is very fun!

I not trying to insult you. Just offering a little knowledge on your r & p ratio.
You can figure this out by jacking the car put a mark on a tire and a mark on you driveshaft then rotate the tire one complete revolution while counting the revolutions of the driveshaft.

Thanks for your advice.

Not just the Drivetrain! Chassis can get worn out and have cracks. And that's not including a Shunt or two!

Race car vs Track car
 

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

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.

:action-smiley-027:

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