Formula GRM: My New Challenge Project

I drove across four states yesterday to collect the "Race Car Parts" that I had mentioned to my wife last week.

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. I found the chassis on e-Bay and watched it fail to sell twice. I contacted the seller and made him an offer that was a bit below his opening bid, but when I told him that I wanted to take a shot at the Special class at the Challenge, he mentioned that he had heard about the competition, thought it sounded like a cool idea and agreed to the price.

He had a bunch of Formula cars and parts and offered me some great spares, but they would have pushed me over the top, so I'll have to do some engineering myself. I did mention, though, that I'd be interested in any other old "racing junk" that he might have laying around.

Here's what I came home with:

It's an old Formula Ford chassis (with pedals) that has already bead bead blasted, primed and painted. It has a couple of ugly welds that I'll need to clean up and re-do but appears clean and straight. He also threw in an old bead seat, catch can, two dash boards and a pair of old cracked Champ Car noses. All at a very Challenge friendly price.

Now, I need to find a wrecked motorcycle, a rusty Miata with a complete suspension and a few other odds and ends.

I also need to learn how to lay up some fiberglass.

This is going to be fun!

Very cool! Who was the original builder on the chassis?

It's a Titan Mk IX. Not as valuable as a Mk VI, but much better than a Mk VIII.

Interested to see how this comes together.

Any thoughts on what motorcycle you want to use?

I'm sure you've seen it but, dmidnight has a cheap miata up for sale right now.

That looks like it's going to be a ton of fun!

Jealousy ensues.......................

jwdmotorsports wrote: Any thoughts on what motorcycle you want to use? I'm sure you've seen it but, dmidnight has a cheap miata up for sale right now.

I'm open to a bunch of options when it comes to a donor bike. It's going to depend on what kind of wreck I can find that falls within the budget.

And, yeah, I saw that Miata, but Tallahassee is a bit of a drive from Connecticut.

Woody wrote: And, yeah, I saw that Miata, but Tallahassee is a bit of a drive from Connecticut.

That answers my question (where are you located) Sadly I just sold my $500 miata to Sonic or I'd have made you a deal to see this built. But if southern NJ isn't too far away for you I'd be happy to show you a thing or 2 with grassroots fiberglass layup. I'm working on the Wartburg body for the next few months.

If you are looking for a good bike donor, make some friends at a local bike shops. Apparently wrecked bikes are much easier to come by in terms of salvage titles and sold for parts, since states are much more strict about them being put back on the road so engines may be more plentiful. Either way, good luck with the build.

JThw8 wrote:

Woody wrote: And, yeah, I saw that Miata, but Tallahassee is a bit of a drive from Connecticut.

That answers my question (where are you located) Sadly I just sold my $500 miata to Sonic or I'd have made you a deal to see this built. But if southern NJ isn't too far away for you I'd be happy to show you a thing or 2 with grassroots fiberglass layup. I'm working on the Wartburg body for the next few months.

Fiberglass work is a long way off for me at this point, but I may take you up on that offer. My last Miata came from New Jersey (and, now that I think of it, I sold it to a guy from Delaware).

I passed on a cheap rusty Miata around the corner from me a few months back, so I'm pretty sure that I'll come across another before too long.

I've got a friend that parts out sport bikes, what's your price range?

Woody wrote:

JThw8 wrote:

Woody wrote: And, yeah, I saw that Miata, but Tallahassee is a bit of a drive from Connecticut.

That answers my question (where are you located) Sadly I just sold my $500 miata to Sonic or I'd have made you a deal to see this built. But if southern NJ isn't too far away for you I'd be happy to show you a thing or 2 with grassroots fiberglass layup. I'm working on the Wartburg body for the next few months.

Fiberglass work is a long way off for me at this point, but I may take you up on that offer. My last Miata came from New Jersey (and, now that I think of it, I sold it to a guy from Delaware). I passed on a cheap rusty Miata around the corner from me a few months back, so I'm pretty sure that I'll come across another before too long.

Long way off is ok with me as I have soooo much to get done between now and June if this pile of parts in my garage is going to be a car that runs the Trifecta :)

xci_ed6 wrote: I've got a friend that parts out sport bikes, what's your price range?

Cheap. Also, I prefer things that say "Honda" on them.

Check with all of your local tow companies. Many times bikes that get totalled are not covered by collision and thus get abandoned because the owner doesn't want to pay the tow and storage fees. I've seen a lot of motorcycles languishing at tow yards. The owners may not sell a whole bike due to title issues but selling it in pieces and them tossing the frame would be viable.

A quick CT crazedlist.org search yields:
http://hartford.craigslist.org/mcy/1540661091.html http://newlondon.craigslist.org/mcy/1543406546.html
http://nwct.craigslist.org/mcy/1516699987.html
http://hartford.craigslist.org/mcy/1543440131.html
http://hartford.craigslist.org/mcy/1519050835.html

Some decent, some for fun! Enjoy.

Have you considered snowmobile parts?

Woody wrote:

xci_ed6 wrote: I've got a friend that parts out sport bikes, what's your price range?

Cheap. Also, I prefer things that say "Honda" on them.

He mostly does late model 600/1000 Yamaha/Suzuki, but if he runs across a solid running older Honda I'll let you know.

Woody wrote:

xci_ed6 wrote: I've got a friend that parts out sport bikes, what's your price range?

Cheap. Also, I prefer things that say "Honda" on them.

He mostly does late model 600/1000 Yamaha/Suzuki, but if he runs across a solid running older Honda I'll let you know.

I'd love to see an old Suzuki(like my Cavalcade was)in there. 1400cc, liquid cooled, V-4, that ran like stink!

A V4 would fit nicely, especially if it was shaft drive.

MrJoshua wrote: Have you considered snowmobile parts?

Yes and I'd love to find some. If not for this, then for a golf cart.

there are also driveshaft adapters for the Dwarf car scene...so any chaindrive bike can be adapted.

I'm hoping to minimize the modifications to the original chassis. The engine "bay" is fairly narrow for the inline Formula Ford engine, which may complicate things. I'm trying to delay the "Day of the Sawzall".

Woody wrote: I'm hoping to minimize the modifications to the original chassis. The engine "bay" is fairly narrow for the inline Formula Ford engine, which may complicate things. I'd trying to delay the "Day of the Sawzall".

First I love the idea of this.
But could you do a ford motor with the same dimensions as the formula motors. They run 1600 pintos right.

Woody wrote:

MrJoshua wrote: Have you considered snowmobile parts?

Yes and I'd love to find some. If not for this, then for a golf cart.

I've been looking for a cheap golf cart to stuff the Wartburg 3cyl into :)