my new race car - is it worth it

[SpeedRacer]

hey,
like everyone else seems to be doing at the moment, im keen on building a light toyota race car for club events.

was surfin trademe 2nite and found this : http://202.21.128.2/Trade-Me-Motors/Car ... 725473.htm

is it s worth while base?
if not, anyone kno of somehting similar?

and also anyone in the palmy area able to clue me up on getting involved in gymnkhana, grass, dirt, hillclimb etc.

looking for a corolla, mr2, ae86 (like everyman and his dog), kp starlet or sumthing else rwd.

at the moment still doing research and not in a hurry to buy, just making sure im doing everything right.

-Speed

[Spannergal]

as i understand it, there are grasskhana's held in Levin on a regular basis, if you are willing to travel. I know that Leon posts them in the Wellington section, not sure if he posts them in the Palmy section too.

[beeker]

save allot of effort and money and buy a built up race/club car.

[Leon]

Like mine

[4000GT]

save allot of effort and money and buy a built up race/club car.

yeah this is mostly true, especially if you want to cage it etc... if you just do moto's and speed events and drags and grass's and test days, you wont need a cage and that car is the why not price!

[SpeedRacer]

save allot of effort and money and buy a built up race/club car.

Part of the reason i want to do it is the build

on my lifes list of things to do is build a race car and race it.
Sounds retarded but id rather build it than buy it off someone else who brought it

[Knickers]

You can buy my car Nick...

[4000GT]

save allot of effort and money and buy a built up race/club car.

Part of the reason i want to do it is the build

on my lifes list of things to do is build a race car and race it.
Sounds retarded but id rather build it than buy it off someone else who brought it

Thats fine... just at least double your budget to do it.

[wde_bdy]

Building a car can be relatively cheap EXCEPT FOR the safety gear. Most people underestimate the cost of cage seats and belts.

Callum

[Mr Revhead]

yeah that can easily be $3000

[RedMist]

Building a car can be relatively cheap EXCEPT FOR the safety gear. Most people underestimate the cost of cage seats and belts.

Callum

The extinguisher, cert, authority card, signage (depending on event), cage padding, kill switch, tyres, rims, underbody protection, battery box... the list goes on and on.... A race car is a conglomoration of 1000 $20 parts and a few $2000 parts (car and cage). It really does add up stupendously fast.
You would also be surprised at what you'll have to do to an already built car to get it up to a reliable standard. Race cars don't just keep going events without a massive amount of prep.

I'm not trying to put you off constructing your own race car. But do consider, if you make a very accurate budget, you'll still double it and quadrouple the amount of time you think it will require. Thats to get a car to the point where you start to develop it.

If you do end up constructing a car, I think you are heading in the right direction. You can't go wrong with the 4age and the AE chassis.... well you can... but it would be reasonably hard to!

[SpeedRacer]

hey guys, thanks heaps for all the valid point, very helpful, and for quick replies they are quite detailed (unlike the "how to turbo 4age threads :S)

still keen to do but like I already knew, its still got alot of reading, researching and SAVING to do.

chur
-Speed

[KinLoud]

I would have to say that about 50% of my enjoyment of having my racecar is that fact that I have done 90% of the work on it myself! Got it as a barely running dereg car and got it out on the track and developed the car at the same time as learning how to drive it in a race environment.
Very satisfying!

Ken
Ham
021 408 863

[Caveman]

Well I will add up my levin build just for you

Cage Steel - $250
reenforcment plates - $10
paint - $50
harnesses + padding - $330
underbody protection - free (I did welding and forming, materials from scrap)
Probably sunk $2500 into the engine, cant be bothered going into details (turbo 4age, all fabrication done by my dad and I)
Over $1000 into the suspension, lots more still planed
$1000 for car purchase ae92 levin facelift
$300 for club membership, homologation, authority card, licence and log book
$500 for exhaust system

I havent done enough events to see how reliable it is, it seems to be holding up fine because im not making stupid amounts of power.

Thats almost $6000 all up, thats probably what I would expect if you were to do all the work youself and had access to the right tools.

I prefer grass roots stuff, build your car, race it, have fun

Oh also you'll need a helmet and overalls. I use work overalls (they are 100% cotton)

Im very proud of what my dad and I have built, its been about a year in the making but in the end im very happy with it. If your good with a grinder and welder go hard!

Oh the cheap end of the scale you could buy a corolla and

- strip it out
- half cage
- harness
- decent shock absorbers

leave it as that, just make sure you get a 4age powered one

it'll be hella fun on gravel/dirt and wont cost you the earth. You'll be able to do most clubsport

Anyway some useful articles

http://www.motorsport.org.nz/Regs/regulations.htm#RegsClubSport