new members $2016 Challenge build

TheV8Kid wrote: I will link you to the build sight for ours. I didn't take any pictures of all the stuff that we tore out of the car, but this will give you a good idea of what one that has the interior gutted looks like. Ours will probably be a little different set up than yours would be, because ours is a land speed car, so we are not as concerned about weight. http://camaro777.yolasite.com/ Oh and the "wizard" they are referring to is my dad. I will let him know that his presence has been requested.

Sorry to thread-jack, but is there more info on the LSR Camaro? Looks awesome. Seems to stop mid build. Was it taken to the Ohio mile? any pics of it finished etc?

Is the ws6 thes equivelent of the f41 suspension package on camaros? If so that should be a big help.

dropstep wrote: Is the ws6 thes equivelent of the f41 suspension package on camaros? If so that should be a big help.

Different years had different features and parts, but yeah, F41 (Camaro) and WS6 (Firebird) were basically the same thing.

They got better shocks, beefier swaybars, better rear brakes (discs or aluminum drums, depending on year and car), Posi-trac differential, and 16x8'' wheels instead of the stock 15x7''. I might be missing something, but that generally covers it...

Wrong generation but a friend had a 79 optioned with f41 suspension but 2.56 open rear instead of the posi option. So id check to be sure its posi.

Here's a question for the f-body guys:

Will a late 2nd gen car handle a lot worse than a 3rd gen? I'm thinking that a 2nd gen might not autocross as well. I know the 2nd gen cars weigh ~300 lbs more than a 3rd gen.

But, I found a really nice 1976 with a 350 and a 4 speed for cheap...

jmk015 wrote: Here's a question for the f-body guys: Will a late 2nd gen car handle a lot worse than a 3rd gen? I'm thinking that a 2nd gen might not autocross as well. I know the 2nd gen cars weigh ~300 lbs more than a 3rd gen. But, I found a really nice 1976 with a 350 and a 4 speed for cheap...

I'm not an F body guy, but my guess is that the 3G is worth looking for. The 2g has leaf springs and front suspension from the 60's. The 3G was a major update that went essentially unchanged through 2002.

3rd gen is a much better platform. That being said, 2nd gen is better looking and can be made to do the job very well. Might even be more aftermarket stuff for the 2nd gen, but it needs more help out of the box.

Ok, so 3rd gen it is. Thanks for the input.

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

TheV8Kid wrote: I will link you to the build sight for ours. I didn't take any pictures of all the stuff that we tore out of the car, but this will give you a good idea of what one that has the interior gutted looks like. Ours will probably be a little different set up than yours would be, because ours is a land speed car, so we are not as concerned about weight. http://camaro777.yolasite.com/ Oh and the "wizard" they are referring to is my dad. I will let him know that his presence has been requested.

Sorry to thread-jack, but is there more info on the LSR Camaro? Looks awesome. Seems to stop mid build. Was it taken to the Ohio mile? any pics of it finished etc?

Nope. It's still a work in progress. We may try to get it to the Ohio mile this coming year.

In reply to DILYSI Dave: I'd consider switching from struts and a steering box to double wishbone and rack and pinion on the front a pretty major change on the 4th gen in 1993. The rear suspension is pretty much identical though.

The 4th gen has the same rear axle, but better rear brakes and a better LSD (I've heard rumors of a torsen on some of the 2000-2002 cars). If I remember correctly the 4th gen axle bolts into a 3rd gen but is slightly longer so you either have to run 4th gen offset rear wheels or deal with the tires poking out of the fenders a tiny bit. I've also heard the 4th gen rear shocks bolt directly onto the 3rd gen, and some people buy the Koni yellows for the 4th gen because you can adjust them on the car while for some reason you can't on the ones they sell for the 3rd gen.

(I have a rusty 1986 Firebird in the driveway and I read too much)

We're still trying to find the right car.

I went and looked at a fox-era 5.0 t-bird, but didn't like it very much. It was a big heavy car with mushy suspension and a sloppy feeling AOD tranny.

Then I looked at a 1987 Pontiac Grand Am. 305 v8, 200-4r tranny, Posi rear end, cheap price... but it needed too much body work and some glass, and we couldn't agree on a price.

Now we're looking at an LT1 4th gen Camaro with a locked up motor due to oil pump failure. Car has 150k miles, a T56 6 speed, posi rear end, and a pretty nice body and interior. Its a few hours away though, so we're working on transport logistics at the moment.

Chadeux wrote: In reply to DILYSI Dave: I'd consider switching from struts and a steering box to double wishbone and rack and pinion on the front a pretty major change on the 4th gen in 1993. The rear suspension is pretty much identical though. The 4th gen has the same rear axle, but better rear brakes and a better LSD (I've heard rumors of a torsen on some of the 2000-2002 cars). If I remember correctly the 4th gen axle bolts into a 3rd gen but is slightly longer so you either have to run 4th gen offset rear wheels or deal with the tires poking out of the fenders a tiny bit. I've also heard the 4th gen rear shocks bolt directly onto the 3rd gen, and some people buy the Koni yellows for the 4th gen because you can adjust them on the car while for some reason you can't on the ones they sell for the 3rd gen. (I have a rusty 1986 Firebird in the driveway and I read too much)

SHit. Like I said - Not an F-Body guy. :)

jmk015 wrote: Here's a question for the f-body guys: Will a late 2nd gen car handle a lot worse than a 3rd gen? I'm thinking that a 2nd gen might not autocross as well. I know the 2nd gen cars weigh ~300 lbs more than a 3rd gen. But, I found a really nice 1976 with a 350 and a 4 speed for cheap...

link to the 350 4-speed car?

Gearheadotaku wrote: link to the 350 4-speed car?

It sold (not to me) a day or two after it was posted and the ad got taken down. I think it was on Morgantown WV Craigslist...

We're still working on getting a car. We had a verbal deal made for a 1993 Z28 with a 6 speed. The oil pump went and the motor locked up, but it was cheap and had a T56. Someone else beat us to it though, we couldn't get to the car with a trailer in time due to holiday plans...

I did score this Eaton m90 at the local you-pull-it yard over the weekend for $45!

We don't have a car... but it will have boost!

Depending on what car/motor we use, the blower will either be mounted remotely, or I'll weld up a 'box style' upper intake to bolt to a factory lower.

I found a 1999 Mustang GT locally for cheap. It has a nasty knock in the motor, but it shifts fine and has a trac-loc rear end. I also found two decent looking 5.4 DOHC motors in Lincoln Navigators at the pull-a-part yard. This could be a good combo (by 'good' I mean that it should be a power monster and be fun to build. It will weigh as much as an aircraft carrier though.). The stock Navigator lower intake would be really good candidate for a home made 'box' upper intake to mount the blower too...

We found a pretty decent P71 Crown Vic locally for $900. Please, someone talk me out of the Crown Vic. I love me some modular Fords, but autocrossing a Crown Vic would be stupid... right??

650hp Crown Vic

Ok, you're making me want a P71 with that last photo. After an hour of Googling, I've only seen of one guy (silver p71 #54) who autocrossed the car... and he said it pretty much sucked.

With the taller cop shocks, it might be a hoot in rallycross too. There's a rallycross field/track about an hour from me that I've always wanted to try out.

There are DOZENS of sub $1500 p71's within ~2hrs of me on Craigslist. So many more Crown Vics to choose from in Challenge price range than Mustangs or Camaros.

DOHC 5.4 motor swap from a Navigator (my local pull-a-part has 2 currently), weld up a custom upper intake for my junkyard Eaton supercharger to bolt to the Navigator lower, tune it for the blower (only ~5 psi?), add some sort of fuel management, add 4.10 gears...

Weight is my #1 concern. Could I get the car light enough to run 12's in the 1/4 mile with a lightly boosted 5.4 DOHC motor??

In reply to jmk015: "could i get it light enough"

maybe?

That is awesome ^

I wonder if I could register that for the road if I kept all of the lights etc.???

We got our race car!

1994 Z28 Camaro:

The car has 122,000 miles on it, but it isn't currently running. It blew a head gasket, has a bad alternator, and has been sitting for ~6 months. The front drivers side tire is dry rotted and won't hold air. The other 3 tires are pretty sketchy too. The clear coat is flaking off on the rear spoiler and on the drivers door.

Here's the good news:

We paid $700 for it.

It has a clear title.

Its a Z28, so it has the LT1 350.

It has a 3.55 Posi rear end.

It has ceramic coated Patriot long tube headers.

The steering and suspension all seem nice and tight (no slop).

There is basically no rust on the car, and no indication of any crash damage/repairs. Other than the two spots of clear coat flaking, the paint and body are pretty nice.

Hopefully we'll tear into it and assess the condition of the motor this weekend and decide how to move forward.

That looks like a great starting point.

Nice score! LT1 hop-up parts are definitely out there. I found a new-in-box CC 260XFI camshaft on CL. Also C4 wheels are cheap, plentiful, wide, and light-ish.

Does anyone know a junkyard source for a higher RPM stall converter for a 4L60 transmission?