i had a pretty good question im palnning on attending this event later this year . ive been searching for just the right car to build its pretty difficult ,i recently stumbled across a great deal on a car that is already modified and doesnt need a thing for $1800.00 with a spare set of wheels if i buy this car will i be able to run it even though it has a lot more than 2009 dollars in it...the guy is desperate to sell and needs the cash
You bought it for what you bought it for. There's your budget.
I'm in the same boat. I stumbled across a KLZE swapped Protege w/ suspension work for stupidly cheap that i'm thinking about bringing as is.
93celicaGT2 wrote: You bought it for what you bought it for. There's your budget.
as long as it's available to the general public at that price, and not some kind of insider deal that's available only to you.
AngryCorvair wrote:93celicaGT2 wrote: You bought it for what you bought it for. There's your budget.as long as it's available to the general public at that price, and not some kind of insider deal that's available only to you.
Oh, right. I mean, if you find it advertised somewhere at that price, and nobody is trying to sell you a $10,000 motor in a car for $500 or something dumb.
I found mine on CL. Advertised for $1500. 
I think all of the cars brought to the Challenge have more than $200X into them...it is all about the blood, sweat, tears, and of course good deals!
I promise you though that if you think you can bring a typical "street prep" sporty car and win the Challenge you've got another thing coming! 
^Oh i agree. I don't see typical street prep cars running 10s AND being fast around cones.
Maybe ONE of the two for $2000, but not both.
I think i could get the Protege in the 11s on $2000, and run mid pack at best in the autox, and fail miserably at the concours. Sounds about right.
i purchased a first gen rx7 1985 with a 13b swap and a street port,basically a fully built motor msd ignition , big holley carb,headers,full exhaust rear disk brake conversion and an stock lsd ,2 tone paint is almost perfect (minor cracks in the top and minor rust....it came with polished billet drag wheels and new tires and the stock wheels and tires i beat him down for 1800.00 bucks that leaves me with 209.00 for springs and shocks which it needs bad...im going to sell the interior (which is a brand new custom interior ) for 500.00 so i can get the suspension this car has time slips in the low 12 second range and will definetly do real good at a show the body is almosty perfect ..with some suspension it may work at an autox
so all i need is the bill of sale proving what i purchased the car for and misc reciepts
TIRES TIRES TIRES TIRES spend all your available cash on race tires. R-compounds for autoX and slicks for the drags. Cut the springs and do whatever you can to find the cheapest set of useable shocks. The freshest Koni's on street rubber will get killed by blown shocks on fresh R-compounds...
And don't bank on a solid body getting you a ton of points in the concours. The interior better be gutted and washed/waxed/polished/detailed just as beautifully as the exterior, along w/ the engine bay, and highlight any nifty engineering tricks. Thats the path to a high concours score.
Good luck, man. You'll have fun.
ts350z wrote: i purchased a first gen rx7 1985 with a 13b swap and a street port,basically a fully built motor msd ignition , big holley carb,headers,full exhaust rear disk brake conversion and an stock lsd ,2 tone paint is almost perfect (minor cracks in the top and minor rust....it came with polished billet drag wheels and new tires and the stock wheels and tires i beat him down for 1800.00 bucks that leaves me with 209.00 for springs and shocks which it needs bad...im going to sell the interior (which is a brand new custom interior ) for 500.00 so i can get the suspension this car has time slips in the low 12 second range and will definetly do real good at a show the body is almosty perfect ..with some suspension it may work at an autox so all i need is the bill of sale proving what i purchased the car for and misc reciepts
Sounds like you've got a great start.
You may or may not do as well as you think at the concourse. First off, understand that the concourse judging is completely subjective, and that it is the smallest percentage of the overall scoring. But secondly, also know that the concourse is not actually about "pretty". It's about your story and the depth of your creativity.
"I bought this great looking car- what do you think?" is not the best most creative story. "I bought this car as a $50 chicken coop and spent 3 years worth of blood sweat and tears making it look like what you see, including 3000 hours of labor, and a mis-mixed discount John Deere paint scheme" is a much better story. The second example would earn more concourse points, even if the first one looked a lot better.
Autocross is the highest percentage of the scoring. There have been lots of 12 second cars that didn't make the top 10 because they couldn't corner.
But I'm not trying to discourage you. Just trying to help you understand what the judging is based on. I look forward to seeing what you bring. Have a blast!
honestly im not in the least bit concerned about winning i just dont want to drive all the way to gainsville and not be able to compete because the car is worth more than 2009 dollars i dont plan on winning at alljust wanna go have fun i wish i could take my z and compete instead of buying a car just for this event
if its mostly about the story, i got a great one, i can even bring visual aides if i can remember where in the yard i buried that mouse.... ill be happy if my car is still running at the end of the event, if i can get it that far, itll be a victory no matter where i place..
Re: Bringing the Z; check with the GRM Authorities. If you show up with a car that's obviously over $2009 do you get sent home, or do you compete (play) for exhibition only and none of it counts?
The car you bought, if you can prove you bought it for what you did, then that's what it costs. If you go to a "Dealer Auction" where the average Joe isn't allowed, then all bets are off.
Dan
The Challenge is ALL about dedication. I don't mean just liking the car you are welding,wrenching, working on. I'm talking bleeding for the car! When you do it right - you become at one with the force that is the car.
Darn trancendentalists!
A few things -
I have never seen a stock interior win the concours - and gutting isn't a guarantee, either. The car must have thought in to it. Everything should look like it belongs there. Purposeful form - for lack of a better definition. Ask yourself "how would Smokey Yunich, Colin Chapmin and Porsche engineers do this?" That should get you close.
As far as the Autocross - less is more. Don't try to engineer yourself a new suspension. Buy a set of used lowering springs or cut a coil or two - and the BEST shocks you can afford. Tires are the one thing that separates the winners from the also-rans. Get the best rubber you can, period.
For the drags - Andy Nelson will win it every time - 30 years of experience is a nice resume. Since most (not every) car that I have seen entered in the challenge doesn't put out "Andy-small-block horsepower" Buying slicks could be a waste of money. The track is an NHRA nationals track that is usually prepped well with VHT (a drag traction compound). DOT autocross radials, while having rigid sidewalls, aren't so bad for dragging. You just have to drive the car through the wheel-spin. There has to be how-to on drag launching techniques on the web somewhere. Or just ask a drag racer with a similar platform to yours how he or she launches to get a better idea of how to do it properly. Keen Observation also goes a long way.
Or ask Andy. Once he posts his times, he's ALWAYS willing to help!
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