In reply to fidelity101:
Cool, how does the front diff mount to the engine block? I’ve only seen 6 cyl ones or v8 with solid axle swaps.
In reply to fidelity101:
Cool, how does the front diff mount to the engine block? I’ve only seen 6 cyl ones or v8 with solid axle swaps.
Hey, that's back in my time! Not sure it's the same car, but back in the early 80s there was a guy from Timberon, New Mexico who ran a V8 Spirit for a couple of years here in the southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado), then graduated (?) to a yellow 280ZX (I think John Witt's car?). IIRC, his name was Hazzie Quick (honest, not joking here). He also had a friend who rallied another AMC. Thinking about it, Hazzie started out in a Baja Bug, maybe the Spirit was his friend's - too many years and no readily available results sheets from that long ago.
Not the only weird New Mexico rally car, we ran a turbo Corvair, best national finish 9th overall at a Big Bend Bash national in Texas, took second overall in a divisional out of Victor Colorado. This was early 1980s.
All AMC V8's use the same physical block, all the displacement difference is in the bore and stroke. On the side of the block under the motor mounts, the displacement will be cast in. You can run late-model (70+) dog-leg heads on an early (290/343/390) motor or early (67-69) square-ports on late blocks (304/360/401). Pop the valve covers off to get the head casting numbers.
OK, took the time to do some googling - good thing, my memory of events 30 years ago wasn't that sharp. The New Mexico V8 SX4 team was Dean Blagowsky - Roger Hoogland. They were Quick's friends. Dean was from Pinon, NM and Roger was from Alamogordo.
Google for results of the 1982 Tostitos Coronado SCCA Pro Rally. This was held in the mountains in eastern Arizona, out of Alpine, I think. 56 entries, Millen won it, Buffum DNF, we finished 18th OA, Blagowsky was 19th.
In reply to fidelity101:
John Buffum isn't hard to talk to. Call Libra Motorsports and John answers the phone! I personally called him a few years ago to buy the book that was written about him by Tom Grimshaw. He is the only one that has copies now. He was even nice enough to sign it for me.
NGTD wrote: In reply to fidelity101: John Buffum isn't hard to talk to. Call Libra Motorsports and John answers the phone! I personally called him a few years ago to buy the book that was written about him by Tom Grimshaw. He is the only one that has copies now. He was even nice enough to sign it for me.
Actually, you won't find him there as much. He sits right next to me in my office now. Fun guy to work with.
Hey, John Buffum is a hero of mine. (It wasn't easy in high school when other kids were discussing their favorite football player or hockey star and I would chime in with Buffum as my favorite athlete.) Tell him I said hi.
message delivered. "who the hell is pinchvalve?, ahh tell him I say Happy Thanksgiving"
I was working/spectating an event (I think it was the Northern Lights Rally) when Mr. Buffum was driving an Audi. We were along a long straight section of a stage called "Mosquito Alley Truck Trail" (I think it's still called that on the DNR maps) with a Gladwin County Sheriff deputy and his radar gun. The trail was narrow, sandy, with lots of roots and rocks and trees very close to edges. He blew by going way north of 90mph and seemed to be accelerating past us.
One of those moments that gets etched in your brain forever. When I think of stage rally, that's the first thing that comes to mind. The sound of that Audi at full chat was staggeringly good...
I gotta say, this car and build is and will continue to be, awesome. Carry on.
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