Track car that hasn't raced in a few years...putting it back on track?

I've found a car I'm interested in as a potential low cost HPDE toy for me. It was posted in another thread....

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/1779613084.html

Car sounds great, and seems like what I'm looking for. But according to the owner, it hasn't run on track in about 3 years. He starts the engine and such, but it hasn't seen any real running in a while. The owner is actually a Toyota dealer technician, so he kept it going. I haven't spoken to him by phone, as he's working, but his comment was that he'd suggest "going through it" before putting it back on track.

If it's been basically sitting...indoors...for a few years and hasn't seen the track, what would you expect to have to do to it to get it ready for an HPDE day?

Rubber brake lines, serpentine belt, hoses, tires, fluids (oil, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid). Check the timing belt. Replace the plugs.

I would look at wear items like pads, rotors, hose etc. Also there is a good chance the harnesses are out of date.

Kind of what I figured. Think it would all be dry rotted and need replacing, or possible some of it is still good?

Anyone with experience with the FX16? Seems like for the price, this car would be a blast.

FX16s, especially the 4age-equipped ones are ridiculous fun.

second on checking the hoses and rubber bits. especially brake related pieces. check the tires for a date. they may be pretty old considering they have 3 years of sitting in one place on them. they likely were bought a fair amount of time before that! change the fluids. seat belts may not matter as far as expiration dates go. HPDE's dont care around here. it may be different where you run. otherwise it loks like great fun! go for it!

You should buy it. It looks like a great deal.

96DXCivic wrote: Also there is a good chance the harnesses are out of date.

not if all it's used for is PDX/HPDE .... no date requirement..

wbjones wrote:

96DXCivic wrote: Also there is a good chance the harnesses are out of date.

not if all it's used for is PDX/HPDE .... no date requirement..

That depends on who's running it - I'm pretty sure PCA events are date sensitive.

Awesome deal!

I'd just drive it. You'll find out pretty quickly what needs attention.

Klayfish wrote: Anyone with experience with the FX16? Seems like for the price, this car would be a blast.

I had an FX-16 for a little while. It had been sitting for a while with a bad alternator (locked up completely, threw the belt). It was rusty as all hell, but the interior was mint. A friend and I revived it on-site after I paid the owner $250 and was handed the clear title. I drove it a little bit but didn't really need it, so I passed it on to a couple of friends who still drive it everyday, over a year later. When I did drive it, it was a lot of fun. Its the only FWD 4AGE car that I've driven, and the engine feels great no matter what set of wheels its powering. It shifted decently. I could see it being a very fun track car, and $1000 seems like a great deal for a fairly unusual car that is already prepared for hoonage.

This was mine:

Thanks for all the feedback. What's killing me...and has been for a while...comes back to the towing issue. I don't own a Suburban or big truck, and don't have the budget or desire to buy a beater truck. My wife and I have an '06 Kia Sedona minivan. It's rated to tow 3500lbs. This racecar weighs around 2250 empty, and with a dolly, I'd be around 2850lbs. But I'm just worried about killing the tranny. I checked with Kia, and if I add a tranny cooler, I void the warranty. Just not sure how good a minivan is going to be at towing that kind of weight. It's the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger, and it's driving me nuts....

If the Sedona dies towing UNDER it's rated tow capacity, you should just let it die and buy something capable. Like and Edge.

Besides, if it breaks, Kia still has to pay for it for quite a few years.

Go for it.

Change the fluids and check the brakes and do the normal stuff. I bought a FV that wasn't raced in 4 years and raced it with zero problems. Go For It!

i'd make some strong towing tabs for the front end and just use a tow bar (aka "flat tow"). who needs the extra weight of a tow dolly?

This

"Is the factory installed transmission cooler that comes on the 2007 Entourage sufficient for trailer towing? I put my van into a shop earlier this week to get an electric brake and the 7 pin wiring added. I also instructed them to add a transmission cooler. After they had the vehicle in the shop I received a phone call and they told me that there was a factory installed transmission cooler already in the van and they would not need to install one."

was on hyundai-forums dot com.

I am assuming that his Entourage is functionally identical to your Sedona, so maybe you already have a cooler. OTOH, I am also assuming the forum guy's shop knows what it's talking about....

You guys know that trans coolers are not as much needed these days- with lock up torque converters, and the need to use them aggressively. They lock up quick- unless you are planning on towing up and down Manhattan.

Odds are- it's the engine cooling that's defining the tow capacity. And it's probably able to climb a steep hill on a hot day with a high drag trailer with just over rated load- and not overheat.... Assuming that Hyundai has the same quality standards as some American car companies.

But if you want to let that keep you from getting this car....

alfadriver wrote: You guys know that trans coolers are not as much needed these days- with lock up torque converters, and the need to use them aggressively. They lock up quick- unless you are planning on towing up and down Manhattan. Odds are- it's the engine cooling that's defining the tow capacity. And it's *probably* able to climb a steep hill on a hot day with a high drag trailer with just over rated load- and not overheat.... Assuming that Hyundai has the same quality standards as some American car companies. But if you want to let that keep you from getting this car....

there is iron in Alfadriver's words. we (the auto industry) test things far beyond what we'll actually rate them for. :-)

alfadriver wrote: You guys know that trans coolers are not as much needed these days- with lock up torque converters, and the need to use them aggressively. They lock up quick- unless you are planning on towing up and down Manhattan. Odds are- it's the engine cooling that's defining the tow capacity. And it's *probably* able to climb a steep hill on a hot day with a high drag trailer with just over rated load- and not overheat.... Assuming that Hyundai has the same quality standards as some American car companies. But if you want to let that keep you from getting this car....

No....it's fear of an angry wife, if the van broke, that would keep me from getting the car.

They are always replaceable. . .. The minivan that is!!!

We have a Hyundai Sante Fe and used it to pull a Mercury Zephyr from NC to PA. on a tow dolly. This included some pretty serious hills. Hardly noticed it was back there and no problems at all towing 65+. Go for it. Other than steep hills there is very little extra load on the tow vehicle.

Forget the car for a few minutes, it will serve just fine in the end.

You need to stand in front of a mirror and decide if YOU will be suitable for this game. So far, I sense a serious lack of commitment; "Is the car good?" "How much $$$ is this gonna cost?" "How pissed is the wife gonna be if...?" "How will I ever tow it?"

Car racing is one of the most unrational things a man can do. It takes a serious commitment to fiscal irresponsibility and familial neglect. If the nuclear family unit is not in your corner, this stops being fun in a hurry or leads to a major change in life.

So to answer your original question, yeah, buy the car, it looks like a sweet deal, fix what it needs and flat tow it with the wifes minivan. If you are destined for this game, you will just fix WHATEVER beaksdown as a result and keep going.

Enjoy, cause it is a lot of fun even if you give up. Just ask the guy selling the car.

NOHOME wrote: Car racing is one of the most unrational things a man can do. It takes a serious commitment to fiscal irresponsibility and familial neglect. If the nuclear family unit is not in your corner, this stops being fun in a hurry or leads to a major change in life.

QFT

Few guys ever realize this, it's not easy being a weekend racing family guy.

Klayfish, Any luck with this car? I have posted the seller 2X recently and have no replies. Did it sell?

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1805909776.html