challenge budget neon build

I've been swearing for years that I will make the challenge. I've built two cars, and sold both before making it.

Last one was a neon. Acr. Fantastic little car. Really loved it. But couldn't turn down the money.

Now I have a line on a $200 neon coupe. Sohc 5 speed base model. Supposedly the engine is locked up. But it happened a day or two after a clutch change according to the story.

Anyway, my thoughts are to use the 3.55 final drive sohc trans (not as tight a ratio as the acr/rt box, but better highway manners) swap in a 2.4 with porting and polishing, mild cams, and a header. Stiffen the suspension, stitch weld the unibody, add a close ratio steering rack, and if budget allows a limited slip.

This combination should be good for dd/autocross/high 13s in the quarter. While retaining all street car/daily amenities.

But there is part of me that has always wanted a stiff, max effort lightened, boosted, close ratio rocket ship.

Im not sure which way to go. Option one would be a top third effort at best, but a fun toy with actual resale value after the challenge. Option two would get me a low 13/hugh 12 race car without a class. Very limited market or usefulness after the challenge, but would check a lot of boxes in my head.

Theres a third option, of building option two for the challenge, and attempt to turn it down from 11, add back all the stuff I removed, and attempt to turn it into option one. But I think the two are so far apart that the feasibility just isn't there.

So, multiple questions:

Will my musings hold water in actual competitiin?

Am I over thinking this?

Do I try to find a middle ground between the two?

What would you do if you were me, and why?

One of the big challenges for the Challenge is what to do with the car.

Before suggesting a path for the challenge, what do you need to do with the car after it? Do you plan on DD'ing it? Or something else?

If I were to run the challenge again, I would focus totally on the autocross, and try to be good enough in the drag race. While it's not all that interesting for the concourse- a car that would meet Street Prepared prep would still be able to go back to a reasonable car. From those rules, you can pick and choose what you take off to put back on later.

If you watch the autocross at the challenge, there are a lot of point and shoot cars, as they power really hard to control. Don't do that. At least for the first time.

None the less, the important thing is to have a plan, start it, finish as early as you can, develop via as many events you can, and get to the challenge.

If you can do it twice, building a quick "street" car would get you 90% of the way there. You leave a little on the table AX wise, and not much drag wise and you have a car you don't hate. If you're legit top third of the field and you can run the numbers to put you top 10 with the modifications, then turn it up to 11 for year two.
If you can only do it once, you might as well give 'er all she's got.

Find a GT cruiser as an engine donor. Forced induction for the win.

Honestly, I'd love to have a fun semi-daily that I can autocross or hillclimb after the challenge.

And this is probably going to be a one time effort. At least for the forseeable future.

Ill have to find and look at street prepared rules. That would give me a class to compete in after the challenge.

Keep it coming guys.

thats what I did with my challenge car, I built it to street prepared rules. it did pretty well too. I have the tercel with ITBs.

Before The Challenge, i took my car to an autox where it was truly an FS car.
At The Challenge, i added a reflashed ecu. I'm not sure what SCCA class that would move me to, maybe prepared.

Today, I used the Challenge car to take my daughter to daycare and then a business meeting.

Of course, this mild build only got me 10th in The Challenge.
One better than last year's car's 11th.

JohnRW1621 wrote: Before The Challenge, i took my car to an autox where it was truly an FS car. At The Challenge, i added a reflashed ecu. I'm not sure what SCCA class that would move me to, maybe prepared. Today, I used the Challenge car to take my daughter to daycare and then a business meeting. Of course, this mild build only got me 10th in The Challenge. One better than last year's car's 11th.

Or you can go full bore one seat racecar like me, bring slicks, and damage your car on your only drag run way below it's potential and finish one spot behind johns luxury daily driver

Dusterbd13 wrote: Honestly, I'd love to have a fun semi-daily that I can autocross or hillclimb after the challenge. And this is probably going to be a one time effort. At least for the forseeable future. Ill have to find and look at street prepared rules. That would give me a class to compete in after the challenge. Keep it coming guys.

You are going to have to trust me on this one- your idea of a once time thing aint going to happen. You do it once, and you will want to find ways to come back. Which isn't a bad thing what so ever.

I had to run (literally) as I finished my first note- and thought about a few other things.

Assuming you are going to do this your self, KISS. IMHO, one of the biggest issues for most cars is lack of development. So plan on having the car done on June 1. That should make it done by mid July and have a few months to autocross and maybe a drag day or two to tune it.

For the first year- I would focus on suspension mostly. Go to the neon forums, and find the best suspension out there, and then be creative and replicate that on a budget. You have to do the engine to get it running- do simple things for now. Simple bolt on cheap parts (Again, neon forums should be invaluable).

TIRES- they are not counted in the budget. Use that.

Since the challenge is rule less- by the time late Sept rolls around, you can strip the car to your hearts content.

With that package, you can go down and have fun without worrying about your car.

Then over the next few challenges, you can tackle other things. Or just show up and have fun.

I'm not a neon fan, so can't help you specifically. But my first rule for choosing a car is one you like, and based on your history- you've got that in spades. And I know neons can be really quick cars.

By the time you come back, you will have better ideas for everything, and if you want to go down that path. It's a fun as hell event.

car ready by june 1st? hehehehe. i picked mine up june 1st and had to do engine, tires, body and paint, exhaust, fuel system, cooling system, etc... NEXT year is the year to get it sorted prior to the event. this year was a get there for the experience year, as the car barely ran right until a couple weeks before the event and i just missed the top 10. if i had remembered half the custom fab work i did for my presentation to the judges my concours score would have been higher by quite a bit. nobody in the history of ever has made a nitrous button shifter t-handle out of a clear acrylic towel bar removed from a fiberglass shower enclosure, i presume. forgot to tell them that, probably lost considerable points in the creativity/execution portion.

Your ACR build brought me to this forum when I was searching Miata replacements. Do another build thread if you do this.

If I do this, there will definitely be a build thread.

And on the stitch welding: am I overthinking? Will it be worth the effort?

I have a friend with a stitch welded Corolla. The difference between that car and his old 250k mile Corrola is dramatic. I think it has more to do with chassis longevity than actual stiffness though. Stitch welding will keep/return a car to as stiff as it was new, but not much stiffer than that.

I'd probably go with option one so you can have some fun with it outside of the challenge as well. Plus maybe lower cost? Cheaper = more fun time.

All I know is I approve of this Neon talk, I miss my ACR.

The more i think, the more likely 1.5 will be. Number one with modest lightening effort, and maybe nitrous for the drags. Focus on a fun daily, convert to an easilyrreturned track car, and have somewhere to play afterwards.

Are cages still budget exempt? Cause I'll need one for hillclimb.

And is there a comprehensive thread on exactly what is/not exempt like gaskets/hoses/wiper blafes/fluids?