best suspension for rally (Tess McMillan)

[Grant Lenahan]

Most restorations fall into the same category.

You do it either for the "fun" or because you think you have a better  
idea.

But essentially place a minus sign before any labor rates and it all  
works out just fine :-)

Grant
On Dec 11, 2007, at 10:23 PM, Brett Dikeman wrote:

>
> On Dec 11, 2007, at 12:01 PM, Rebecca Ruston wrote:
>
>> But in the end this is just a HOBBY, and I don't make enough money
>> to build it how I wish I could
>
> Best advice I ever heard about building race cars was from Greg Amy, a
> friend and experienced SCCA racer (SSB in the 90's, ITS and Spec Miata
> recently.)  "Never build a race car.  BUY a race car."
>
> Basically- let someone else go through the "adventure"...which is a
> lot of time, headaches, and money.  Y'know, all those things that SAY
> "bolt on", when "bolt on" means "take a die grinder to the car and
> part"? :).  Buy a car that has already been largely built but whose
> owner has already moved on. There's ALWAYS something to tinker with
> for adventure and things to do to make it your own...but you're
> refining, not starting from scratch.
>
> Based on witnessing the trials and tribulations of my father's efforts
> at racing a stock 951 in PCA, he's gone through a lot of aggravation
> to get the car where he liked.  A perfect example of the hassles of
> building a race car: he purchased a Fuel Safe fuel cell which was
> claimed to be 'bolt in' for 951's, and was just about the ONLY fuel
> cell that was available for the car.  Except the bump stops on the
> rear suspension interfered.  Lips of the tank would have crushed the
> factory wiring harness.  It took a die grinder, file, and hours of in
> +out test-fitting.  He managed to get it in and added a gallon of gas-
> and watched it leak it out all over the ground floor; it was shipped
> defective from the factory (you'd think "does it leak" would be an
> important test for a fuel cell manufacturer to do.  Apparently not.)
>
> For not much more than what you'll spend on a coilover suspension, I
> had the chance a year or two ago to buy a 4000 with turbo conversion,
> race rubber, snow tires, and street rubber.  Fancy coilover
> suspension.  Race cage, seats+belts, wheel, etc.  All sorts of things
> that would have cost me far more if I went out and assembled it on my
> own, and taken months to do so.  Didn't go for it, and a wise choice,
> but for other reasons :-)
>
> Anyway- food for thought.  If you want to get lost in some great
> stories about racing cars, finding them years later and making them
> track ready and racing them again, stuff like that- Greg's got some
> great stuff.  For extra fun, read in chronological order.  http:// 
> www.kakashiracing.com/news.html
>
> Brett
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