new to the sport

[thomo]

hey every one, just thought i'd introduce myself here and throw a question or two out to those of you with a better grasp of the finer details (admit im more of a big picture kind of guy)
i've messed about with the hot rods, street machines and ricers a bit but between twits in car parks banging them up and cops seeing me as nothing but a target just got bored with it all
i've messed about with racing hill climb and circit a bit but the rules just make it so bloody expencive, and i think who ever sets race day must have his kids opposit weekends to me because the racing is ALWAYS the weekends i get my kids (and given the choice i'd rather be hanging out with them finger painting and baking and all the other horible stuff 2 daughters make you do before they become teenagers and hate me and the rest of the world ha)
anyway, salt racing looked fun, so google came to the rescue and lo and behold theres salt racing in australia!
i'll be coming to the salt 2011 for a look around and all things going to plan having a run in 2012
the car, this is the bit where you get to tell me im an idiot or not (but this being the internet feel free to just call me an idiot anyway, sledging strangers and porn seems to be its main reason for existance)
so i'd like to put a commodore 3.8 ltr v6 into a ke30 corolla coupe i have plenty of parts so the general build is
3.8 rebuilt to formula holden spec
commodore 5 sp (or forget 5th as wishfull thinking and go ford 4 sp?)
falcon b/w cut down to fit under car 2.5/2.7 ratio?
guess that makes it modified gas coupe E class?
do you think the short wheel base will make it a total nightmare or just seriously scary?
rules say standard hight, but i'm guessing this means roof/body because everyone dumps the heck out of the suspension yes?
soft or stiff in the ride?
ok, think i'll leave it there, dont want to look like one of those people who wants all the answers handed to them on a silver platter because there to lazy to look it up themselfs (so i am and i do, i just dont want to look like it, i'll just spread the questions out and nobody will know )
anyway, thanks, and im sure i'll be bothering you again soon

[Dr Goggles]

Thomo,
welcome aboard. The series one V6 is loved by some and loathed by others, I reckon even a stock one that's done 330,000k's could do 160mph with a BW 2.77 in the right body ...but that's not a production car however.

The motors are cheap, and they're about 20% cheaper to work than a V8( why 20 and not 25?....well that's down to demand)...if you're dead set on a small car I'd be lookin at eBay for projects........ don't make it any harder than it needs to be.Get a nice straight VN/P , they're being given away.

Don Noble would drive his Bluebird to the lake, change his pants , have a race and drive it home.There's a lot to be said about that . Towing a trailer out there is an ordeal in itself........

Until you build a streamliner which you've modelled in a wind tunnel there will always be something more you could do with what you've built or something better to race in but the real nut of this is to get the best out of what you've got . Make sure you can finish what you start because the aim is to get to the lake and run down the salt. If you think that spending 30 grand on a salt car will cause somebodyto get you locked up.then budget for $10,999 because trust me it will cost three times what you think........

What happens to some is they get 3/4 the way through the build and then realise they have the know-how to build something better, faster and cheaper.....except they don't have the money anymore.

The figure of three to one is what I have heard other people say.....our experience was substantially more expensive than that,and we're definitely in the lo-fi end of things.......

Having said that, I'm as happy as a shig in pit and wouldn't change a thing ......you're gonna love this.

[Lynchy]

Welcome aboard Thomo (you idiot - there we go, we've got that out of the way + you asked for it!)

The main advice I'd give is get along to a irregularly scheduled meeting in your home state (where are you by the way?). Every now and again, a message announcing a BBQ will pop up in this forum and all are welcome to come along. They are great for talking to others in the sport and everyone who attends is full of advice. The other advice is to get hold of the current DLRA rulebook which you can download off this site and also a copy of the 2010 SCTA rulebook which we are heading towards. Best read up on the requirements before you start building anything. Big Gaz has a bunch of these rulebooks still available so look him up in the forum.

If you are in Qld then next weekend is the Hot Rod show down the Gold Coast and there will be a DLRA stand there and there will be rule books for sale + guys available to talk to you.

Lynchy

[David Leikvold]

Thomo, Dr Goggles is right, a converted road car is a lot more work just to go slower. I tried a few years ago and gave up on such a project when it became obvious I was going to need far more money than I was ever likely to have. I should have just built a simple and much cheaper lakester instead. For the price of just the roll cage you'll need you could build a whole lakester chassis. A special construction car will be easier to build, faster and unless you build something really ugly and slow, it will give you more bragging rights than any road car ever will. But if you must use the KE30 I wish you success. Just remember that Carroll Smith once said (and he couldn't be more right) that if you want to convert a road car to a race car the ONLY thing you don't need to modify is the clutch pedal.

Cheers
Dave

[momec]

G'Day ya bloody idiot. Welcome aboard you'll be in good company.
Go the KE30. Less frontal than a valuable Commodore therefore faster and unless it scares me a bit its not interesting. Bottom line if ya got one in the driveway its a start.
Good luck
Chris

[DLRA]

Now this thing might look like your Granny's Toyota, but it ain't.
It's the funniest thing, you here a rod coming and you turn around and there is this little Corolla coming towards you and your looking past it for the "real" car.
Belongs to a friend of a friend and he was telling me that as you see it here he was doing 11.3 quarters at Calder the week before.
All steel, fully trimmed, 302 power, street slicks and it is the "real thing"

[thomo]

351, single rail, LSD, license eater, first car i ever built from the ground up, been registered and on the road going on 12 years now
4age, heaps of work done on handling and brakes, absolute cat on carpet stuff , this is why i was going the ke55 coupe for salt, I've built them tough, built them smart, now i just want to see if i can do insane fast

many years ago i brought an old wrecking yard/garage, been running it as a garage ever since but still have 3 floors of parts laying about, and wrecks turning up every now and again from towies in the neighborhood, so have 2 coupes, 2 motors, a heap of boxes, a few diffs, all just sort of sitting round

(better add, and one very understanding partner her only rule on the whole car/bike/boat game is no aircraft)

would love to catch up at one of the get together's, but live in the anti motor-sport capital of Australia, Canberra, but don't hold that against me PLEASE,

[Lynchy]

Thommo

One of the guys in Sydney (Big Gaz) was talking about having a BBQ sometime soonish. Most likely out around Camden. Keep an eye on the forum if you are interested.

Lynchy

[grumm441]

Yep
I used to have a KE20 with a Buick motor in it
I was a lot of fun and didn't get me in nearly as much trouble as the Datsun 1600 with the chev in it
The guy who has just moved in across the road has a KE55 with a turbo rotary in it
That seems pretty quick, it would be much nicer if it wasn't so loud at 3:37 in the morning
G