[firehawkclone]

As you know i lost the motor a few weeks ago(a small update) i think i lost a head gasket! I haven't worked on her much becuase i have working my butt off at work for that new motor, but i have removed the nose & hood and the radiator cap. Well looking down in the Rad it's half empty (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/banghead.gif) It didn't dawn on me at the time, but there was steam coming out the oilpan(thought it was the Rad) when i pulled off track. Back on topic...

So the motor is coming out and now would be a good time to remove alot of weight up front. Just the basic's for now like HVAC, smog/egr, and turning her in to a front breather(got to talk to 94bird about this) I know that this take's money to do, but it's not as much as some of the other thing's i need really bad i.e. cage,seat,belt's,shock's,spring's,t2r!

So the PRO's to this

1.It's not a car i need to drive everyday, or at all.
2.I accept the fact i can lose this car on track, and as a backup daliy driver.
3.I understand it take's more $ to build a track car than to buy one.
4.It's crazy, but it's going to be fun to build a track car, with the lack of fund's,tool's, and the skill's needed!
5. I have the wife talked into this (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/thumbup.gif) but at time's(split second) i'm not (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/nutkick.gif)

The CON's

1. NO money!
2. Still owe $ on the car, about $2000
3. Still have no $$$$
4. Am not building car for a race class (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) but will be my track car anyway!

I guess i'm a little old for having(asking for) my hand held while i do this (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rotf.gif)

[CMC #37]

John, I agree with Al. You don't have to spend a dime on go fast mods for your HPDE car. Just replacing the stock and few aftermarket parts like brake pads and tires that you will need to with HPDE use and that is all you need to do to enjoy the car. YOU are the magic ingredient! As we have learned from AI and AIX- reliability is inversely proportional to mods and $. I would get things reliable and durable so I could spend more money on track time. And get a cage!

I also agree with Randy: As for buying used race cars, as a rookie I insisted on building a car and not buying one for myself as I did not know the racers and who knows how lame they were put together, right? This is a reasonable assumption and usually a really good one outside of racing. How many modded street cars are done well, maintained properly and built with any consideration to safety? Not too many. I learned that race cars that have been in the series for a while and keep showing up and are driven well are worth considering and are not typical of street- mod mistakes. These cars are also usually up on safety because they are regulars and are inspected regularly by the race group.

I am building a 4th gen Firebird, however, if there was a nice race car 4th gen 'Bird available that would work for CMC I would have bought it in a Chevy heartbeat! I am 'Bird nut so this is fun for me. Definitely impractical though.

The buy a used racecar option is a great option for many folks and makes a lot of financial sense. As much as racing makes any financial sense! (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rotf.gif)