Just remember that the time you've already put into the car can't be sold. The cage should be the beginning of the final phase. Along with all the things Alan put no next to in the above list. You're not looking to jump into CMC next season so you've got time to deal with the powertrain and suspension aspect of the car. A lot of weight will come out of the car when you strip it to get the cage installed.

In that final push to race prep the car, if you are thorough, the gutting of the interior and underhood will remove more weight than the cage will add. Everything that comes out is stuff that makes the car a better street car, so cannot be removed prematurely unless you are willing to drive a cold/loud/illegal/unsafe car.



And the corollary to that is: time you put into the car doesn't cost you money. There is no line item on my list for 'gut the interior' but it will take 10-20hrs to do it properly. No one on a tight budget can afford to pay a shop to do a thorough job with this - that's why I see a lot of cages welded right over brackets that should have been removed first, or racers that decide their car is fat and try to cut the junk off after the car races for a season.

I advise against doing much serious race prep until it is time to make it a race car - you will end up redoing stuff, or leaving compromises in the car.

Maybe I came across to be more aggressive with prepping the car while it's still a street car than I really am. First of all, while it is still a street car, I hardly drive it. Mostly because I've been chasing that damn coolant leak lately, but also because it's just my weekend, good weather toy. I haven't had a radio in the car for a year now. But because it's not a dedicated track car yet, there's no reason to yank it off the street.
I'm not going to go crazy on it. I'll probably gut the interior from the front seats back, and start working on some things that aren't going to make a difference for the street. Like a lot of those little brackets and stuff. I know I can't do them all, but when I have an afternoon with nothing to do, I'll find something to remove.

Another big thing is the engine and rear end. I need to sell my 396 (anyone interested?) and get a stock LT1 (anyone got one?) As much as I'm going to miss my lump idle and my 380 ft/lbs of tq from 2200 RPM, I need to learn to drive with a stock engine. I figure when I pull the engine, I can also remove the AC and relocate the battery. I'll leave the ABS and airbags in tact, and wait on the cage.

I would like to get Alan's CF roof to replace my T-tops. (maybe early next year)
Hood pins,
Trunk pin
Remove fog lights
any brackets that I don't need
Remove the insulation out of the carpet that I'm keeping
Now that I'm thinking of it, maybe I'll relocate the battery sooner than later.

I still feel like there's a lot of little things I can do. Stuff that adds up the cost and time. Might as well get some of that stuff out of the way.

Does this make more sense? There's a couple of threads on here from '05 from guys lighting their street cars. Of course they went further than I'd go, but it'll give me an idea of what I can and can't remove.

I've got a query in to Al Fernandez re legality of my carbon roof panel for CMC. By the rule below it looks legal to me, but Al has the last word. Haven't got a response yet, he's been busy.

4.11 Convertible/T-top Cars
Convertible/T-top cars in the eligible models and years are allowed. Convertible cars must have an additional
support bar in the roof of the roll cage running either running from front to back located in the centerline of the
car, or diagonally from the front driver side to rear passenger side. This bar is not required but strongly
recommended for T top cars. Convertible/T-top cars must use driver arm restraints as required by the CCR
unless permanently fixed roof panels have been installed. Convertible cars must run with the top down during
competition and provide suitable means of securing the top in the event of a rollover, or may remove the top
and operating mechanism. T-top cars must remove the T-tops during competition unless permanently fixed
panels have been installed. All OEM structural additions for convertible/T-top cars must remain in place. Hard
top cars may not be made into convertible or T-top cars.

The way I read it is as long as you you don't cut out the center, the bar that goes from front to rear, it shouldn't be a problem. I appreciate you checking though. If it's legal, I'll probably place the order after the holidays are over.

I can't say anything that Alan hasn't already said, as he is the expert, but buying a CMC car is absolutely the way to go. The piece-meal approach is not the cheap or best way to do it. I say bite the bullet, sell your current car, take the losses, and get a purpose built CMC car already. Street driving a track car sucks (believe me, I know) and track driving a street car sucks.

YMMV.

I've decided to build my car. I realize that there isn't a whole lot that I can do until I pull it off the street, but there are the little things that I can do. I've got the interior mostly removed, I can start working on a lot of the brackets that need to be removed, I can deal with the T-Tops, and also swap the engine back to a stock one. For now, I'm going to fab up some interior door panels out of Al. to keep it looking fairly decent and also to hide the sharp edges of the inside door frame.

The only reason I'm leaving it street legal right now is so I can drive it while I'm not on the track. I've got too much going on right now (changing jobs, moving) to make the car fully CMC ready. Plus, I don't have the funds (hopefully that'll change soon).

When I started to ask questions on here, I figured I had two options. Drive my car as it is for a while, then try to sell it and buy a CMC ready car, or take my time and slowly work on mine. I decided to build my car for a couple of reasons.

I want to (it's fun)
I really get to learn the car, and appreciate the work that goes into it
And I get to see the changes in how it performs slowly over time.


I've already removed 81 lbs out of the car, and that doesn't include the already removed rear seats and belts, along with the lighter racing seats. I'm leaving the power windows, locks, air bags, AC and heat installed for as long as I can. I may remove the AC when I swap engines just because it'll be much easier with the engine out.

The last time I was on the track, I was driving a really heavy, high HP Camaro. Hopefully next time, I'll be driving a car that'll be at CMC power levels, and much closer to the target weight.

Al has confirmed that the BlaineFab carbon fiber roof panel is legal for CMC as a replacement for the glass Ttop panels. Also, the aluminum filler plates that I make to fill the holes are legal for CMC. These 2 parts together will provide protection for hands if the car tips over, restore the OEM aerodynamics, and add back in a bit of the rigidity lost with the Ttop vs the hardtop. Weight and CG are not significantly different than a hardtop car.

Cost wise, the Blainefab parts are a lot less expensive than buying a new hardtop roof, cutting it up and glueing it on, but if you have a junk hardtop car and the tools and time to cut the roof off that may be a less expensive solution.

Why yes, I do.

Thanks for the update. I'll probably get your top next year sometime.