[Steve91T]

And I don't think it's going to be in an F-body.

I've got a 97 SS with tons of mods. It's an absolute blast on the track, but rather expensive. Tires, brakes, fuel, and not to mention opti sparks (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) . I love HPDE's, and I still have tons to learn, but I am dreaming of wheel to wheel racing. I've been doing HPDE's on and off for 12 years now, and I'm very comfortable in the experienced groups.

I've been thinking for years about Spec E30. It seems to be in my price range, but the cars, to me, are boring. I know everyone raves about how much fun the series is, but it doesn't excite me.

Spec Miata is another boring car, just more expensive.

FFR challenge would be fun, but out of my price range.

I've lately been thinking about Legends cars. Either that or the Thunder Roadsters. I've heard they are a blast to drive, relatively inexpensive to maintain, and if you crash, it's a lot easier to fix than an old street car. I live in VA, as you guys know, Charlotte, only 3 hrs away, is home to racing. The legends cars were born here, and has the largest turnout. Seems like you can get a legends car for less than $10K used. That's more or less the cost of a Spec E30.

I also know they can and do race them on road courses. I'm not sure what I think of the small circle tracks, but I'm sure they'd be fun.

Anyway, what do you guys think?

This is something I'm looking at doing in about 2 years. I'm going to be heading to pilot training for the Air National Guard sometime early next year, but after that, I'll have some free time again. It'll give me time to save up the money.

Thanks guys,
Steve

[Steve91T]

Hey guys. So it looks like I'm not going to be able to fly for the military, at least not for the next couple of years. I don't have the funds right now to convert my Camaro to CMC2, but I want to start planning.

I need to look closer at the rules, but I believe I have all of the suspension and brakes that I need. More or less.
I need to sell my 430 hp stroked LT1 (396) and get a stock LT1. Hopefully I can actually make a little money there.
I need to strip the rest of the interior and sell off my racing seats for something safer and approved. (maybe the money I make on the engine will pay for the seat?)
I also need a fire system

Now, for the expensive part. The roll cage. Who would be on the east cost that is reputable? And how much is this going to cost?


I'm kind of torn on which direction to go. If I were to sell my car, it probably wouldn't sell for very much. $8000 maybe? It's got nearly 100,000 miles on the chassis, and about 50,000 easy miles on the engine. But I know just about every nut and bolt in the car. And at the end of the day, it's still "just" a Camaro. They really are a dime a dozen.

What do you guys think? Think it would be more cost effective to put a cage in mine and go racing? Or to look for another cheap Camaro to race with? The only thing I'd like would be an LS1. I really don't like optisparks.

Anyway, I know I'm still a little ways away from doing this, but I'd like to start planning my move. Also, if I'm going to CMC my Camaro, I may start doing things in stages, like swap out my engine for a stock LT1, to get used to the power. But I'll keep it street legal for as long as I can.

Thanks,
Steve

[Jeff94TA]

Now, for the expensive part. The roll cage. Who would be on the east cost that is reputable? And how much is this going to cost?

As Alan pointed out there are a lot of little things that add up but you can slowly put everything together and that's what I'm doing. I just did the battery relocation with box, master kill switch and did the oil catch can with all of the plumbing and fittings. All of the parts alone were over $400 with me doing the labor. Just take it slow and you'll get there.

I'll probably bite the bullet and get a cage installed within the next year. I know it's a haul for you but I'm probably going to have Race Car Builders of South Florida do my cage. They've done quite a few NASA cages and you can see some of their work in this 18 page epic on the NASA Florida forum. Cage Builders Thread I haven't had them quote the cage yet but I know their prices are fair.