Another "what car" thread....FWD Dirt Oval

After doing a bunch (not that much, really) on a 85 Corolla that I bought for the local 3/8 mi dirt oval, the engine let go after 4 laps...but it was long enough for me to realize that a 1.6 carb worn out motor was never going to be competitive. So now I see a pile of parts versus a racecar. Time to find a new car.....

The rules are 1. 4 cylinder only 2. SOHC only. 3. 2.6 liter max.

I want to stick with front wheel drive, since I have somewhat of an idea on how to drive it (it is different on the dirt, that is for sure). The class seems to be dominated by neons.....but that seems to make them dissappear off craigslist quickly.

My ideas so far are Altima, Camry, Accord-all tough to find in manual.....

I would run a A2 Golf sooo fast, but no 16v allowed :(

Cavalier. 2.2 L and should hold up with the neons.

Check out mine in my garage.

And they are super-low rolling resistance when they are in the freaking AIR.

Sperlo...hook us up with a photo!

Yep...that's what I'm talking about!

"I can't get the power down!"

I would agree with the Cavalier as well. Plenty of GM cars used the 2.2L engine & trans so replacements will be easy and cheap to find.

I look forward to flying again.

+1 for Cavalier, I don't think you're going to do better within those rules.

while everyone else is shopping for cavaliers, you could be shopping for a SUNFIRE!

I would think the weight of the larger cars would not help for racing.

81cpcamaro wrote: I would agree with the Cavalier as well. Plenty of GM cars used the 2.2L engine & trans so replacements will be easy and cheap to find.

Tires and wheels as well. Cheap and plentiful.

Actually, I'll sell you my escort zx2 dirt cheap. That would be my second suggestion. I damage the front end the other day and its prefect for dirt track. I don't know if the stage 2 clutch or exhaust manifold or Eibach springs or upper strut bar would be legal.

Aargh. Dual cams. Never mind...

No turbo dodge love? Wayne used to kill Mustangs and Pintos in Pony Class in a 1g crx. .040 over with integra pistons and a nasty cam will yield good results. Seems like Neon is a good answer too.

Since I work at a GM dealer, looks like I see my next craigslist search....should be "findable" in a manual....

Looking at Sperlo's garage now

I was thinking the weight of the bigger cars wouldnt be that big of a deal, since all Japanese cars of that era are super thin metal...the coroola I have is held together by the cage

You said no 16v? Is that the rule or is it SOHC only? SOHC neons are 16v. Allow me to suggest an Lbody Chrysler (Omni, Horizon, Charger, Turismo) get a 2.5 block, TBI 2.2 (cast "782" on water neck) head, TBI roller cam, and, decent header and carb should be 160hp or so and run on pump gas 12:1 compression

I work on a pit crew for a 4 cylinder fwd asphalt car, which is a sunfire. The sunfire is not a bad choice but we've found that a saturn would have been better, as they seem to be outrunning us lately. I'm not sure what model they are, but they are 2-door, overhead cam, and have independent rear suspension. They're a little down on power but they handle better, because they're supposedly way lighter.

I havent driven a dirt track car, but I drove an automatic cavalier and it was slower than a 4 speed 240d. Why not an 8v vw? An mk3 jetta would be cheap and that seems like it would be decent.

16v is ok, 2 cams are not

thought about Saturns, but I thought (presumed) they were heavy

good ideas, I have yet to see a Cavalier or Saturn on the track

Focus LX Sedan or 98+ Escort 4-door...both had 2.0 8V SPI engine.

Honda Honda Honda. Our 4 cyl class is developed to the point that some of the other tracks will not let us race there, and the winning front wheel drives are all Honda. Neons, Cavaliers, Saturns Mustangs have all been tried and tossed. CRX, Prelude, Integra, and Civic are all competetive out of the box. They are fast, they don't overheat, and they don't have oiling problems, especially if you shim the pump. Also the junkyards are full of them, which is huge all by itself.

Focus is slow. Some of the cars that look like winners on paper just aren't, especially in a class where you cannot really modify anything.

ClemSparks wrote: Yep...that's what I'm talking about! "I can't get the power down!"

"I also can't get the berkeleying dirt out of my mouth!"

I was going to suggest neon. The cheap ones go fast around here also, several local classes do the 4 cyl classes and they seem to be quick. If you go neon get a 4-door they are lighter than the two doors.

There's a guy in Kansas who's been quite successful circle tracking classic Saab 900s (asphalt, though). Buy a 91 or newer non-turbo, which came with a 2.1 L 16V, and put an 8V head on it from an earlier car. Or put a 2.1 bottom end in an 8V NA car.

The benefits are: cheap; double wishbone front end with easy camber; easy weight jacker install; easy gearing changes without pulling the transmission (it is chain driven and the primary chain gears are accessible, with various ratios over the years, to mix and match); and a durable body. Rear axle can be modified for camber adjustment, or bent.

Saab-interesting, but few and far between in my area-and pick a part parts are a necessity.

Focus-would have to be wrecked prior to me wrecking it on the track; I want to be comfortable laughing if I kill it, and a Focus would likely hurt the pocketbook too much to do so.

Escort-hmmmm, have to scope the local yards to see what parts availability is like...and would have to be notably faster than the Cavafire, since I get GM parts cheap, and the boss might help with expenses if I plaster the dealer name on it....

Honda-Prelude, Interga are dohc-and dohc is no go-can a D15 be fast? I didnt think it could, but worth a google

VW-Actually have a 80 Rabbit shell, and thought of doing the ABA block with CIS head, but there is a mk2 Golf 1.8 that is consistently in the bottom of the pack-the neons tear it up.....

And rules state engine has to be 100% stock-air filter and exhaust manifold back are open, other than that no mods allowed (unless you donate a ton of money to the track, like the class winner) and NO forced induction-factory or not

I know saturns where top finishers at the dirt track where I was in FL...

also might check the classifieds on the track web page... from time to time you could find a ready to race car with a tow dolly for $1000 or so... not a bad way to get in for starters...

Saturn S series cars weigh in around 2400lbs. Since you're limited to SOHC, look for a "1" model (SC1, SL1, SW1), or the basic SL. Go 95+ for a whopping 100hp. Where this engine has it is the torque, which is what you really need for pulling out of the corners. A 2.2 Cavalier will certainly have more of that, but also a lot more weight.

Most importantly, those polymer dent resistant body panels will come in very handy at the roundy-round.