How many broken race cars do you have?

This seems to be a common theme on this forum. Don't you guys get tired of being in an endless stream of non-usable projects?

Not as long as i ALSO have an endless stream of usable projects. It's when i get down to only 2-3 running cars that i get very annoyed. I try to keep the number above that, but it's rarely more than 50% of the fleet that is drivable at one time.

I think some of us enjoy working on cars as much as driving them.

That's me. That's why i quit doing it for a living, it was ruining my hobby.

Define "broken." The miata runs, it just sprays a Spy Hunter'esque smoke screen in its wake.

z31maniac wrote:

JoeyM wrote: if autocross cars count as "race" cars, two and a half. My busted geo, the datsun replica I'm building, and the donor datsun that i've been pulling parts off of to build the replica. Now I'm torn over whether or not to buy that (also non-running) MGB.

This seems to be a common theme on this forum. Don't you guys get tired of being in an endless stream of non-usable projects?

It dawned on me recently that telling me I should sell all my project cars and buy one nice "finished" car is like telling someone they should throw away all those silly puzzles and just buy a nice painting.

I have one and I don't even race....yet......well I drag race motorcycles occasionally, but this thread is about cars. The car is a sprite with a buick v6 setup for autocross.

If we're counting potential Challenge cars I've got 4. If we're only including things with roll cages then 3. My shop, house and yard are a mess as I've spent every free minute of the last month and a half redoing my wife's condo. July just vanished from the year and I haven't had the focus to be able to prioritize projects going forward yet.

I DID, though, find a cheap replacement engine for our LeMons Celica so I'm guessing getting that installed will come right after I finish getting my Bronco's new deep tranny pan modified and installed.

I have too many. I have the MG in a 60% complete state, have Parts for the Subaru 360 in a I have everything in the shed state, and have a bunch of stuff to build a locost or some other mayham as well as to many wheels kicking around..

I frequently think about selling it all but the MG is worthless to anyone else at this point but I've entered project fatigue with 2 kids and an unfinished garage project.

2 racing cars are in my garage. A miata is on jack stands getting polyurethane bushings, a new Koni and a roll bar. It will bean autocross / daily driver when completed. A 1984 RX 7 needs the cage welded and general maintanance/ tuning. These projects are on hold as my Achilles tendon heals. It snapped in 2, 2 weeks ago today.

pilotbraden wrote: 2 racing cars are in my garage. A miata is on jack stands getting polyurethane bushings, a new Koni and a roll bar. It will bean autocross / daily driver when completed. A 1984 RX 7 needs the cage welded and general maintanance/ tuning. These projects are on hold as my Achilles tendon heals. It snapped in 2, 2 weeks ago today.

Does a track car that isn't a race car count, too?

For some reason my Miata tends to end up on axle stands for a few months after every track outing.

Two I guess, both VW both Rabbits. Bunny #1 managed to run a full season on Auto-X before going down and being put to pasture in the yard. Bunny #2 has never run for me in the ten years I've owned it. It is best called a long term project that has begun the not so long process of being reclaimed by the earth I the form of rust and vegetation. I keep my third race car in the garage where I can keep an eye on it and keep in running.

nderwater wrote:

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: berkeley me. I have two. And the garage is a mess. Do you know how much blow and hookers I could have bought with that pile of unusable machinery? Like... probably some. berkeley me.

BMW ownership alone lends itself to swearing... He owns two BMW's... and both are broken... so I totally understand where he's coming from.

Me? I have half a broken race car (my BMW). I was going to sell it as-is, but now I'm probably going to have it fixed so I can drive something to work (and other places) while I do extensive maintenance to my main DD ('03 TDi). Hopefully it won't break again until after that's done and until I can sell it and buy somethign I actually want and don't mind working on. I have no desire at all to ever turn a wrench on an E30 ever again. Horrible, annoying, POS berking car...

The RX7 with the V8 runs but is for sale, so that doesn't count, right ? The state won't title the BMW cause it was totaled, so that doesn't count, right ? SWMBO says sell something we need garage space. So that counts, right ? Why am I looking here for guidance ?

m_walker26 wrote: So that counts, right ? Why am I looking here for guidance ?

You ask us for advice because you know that the foolish suggestions we offer will be more palatable than any of the edicts that SWMBO would give you.

z31maniac wrote: This seems to be a common theme on this forum. Don't you guys get tired of being in an endless stream of non-usable projects?

If my e36 was finished right now, I'd just be trying to blow it up....... Your observation is invalid, some of us have the space to have many things, so we do.

Others(Like swank force), don't have the space, so deals are struck. Prolly why his NA is sitting in my barn.

z31maniac wrote: This seems to be a common theme on this forum. Don't you guys get tired of being in an endless stream of non-usable projects?

I bought my E30 (on this forum's friggen recommendation, BTW...) thinking I wouldn't be wrenching on it after every time I drove the damn thing and arguely paid a premium for that assumption. If I had wanted a project, I would have a cheaper car. I already had/have project cars.

Ian F wrote:

z31maniac wrote: This seems to be a common theme on this forum. Don't you guys get tired of being in an endless stream of non-usable projects?

I bought my E30 (on this forum's friggen recommendation, BTW...) thinking I wouldn't be wrenching on it after every time I drove the damn thing and arguely paid a premium for that assumption. If I had wanted a project, I would have a cheaper car. I already had/have project cars.

You are doing it wrong. You must have got the problem child of all E30s. They are mostly bulletproof. Mine is only broken because, well, it's barely an E30 anymore and even then... it's getting repaired and upgraded from a little incident involving a 100mph ride backwards across the grass at Mid Ohio. If I didn't decide to move to a 3.4L and revamp the rear suspension "while I was in there" it would be serviceable right now.

The E36 is fine, actually, except I grenaded the motor racing at Summit Point two weeks ago. It had 3 seasons of hard racing and 3 years of racetrack abuse before that on it so... it was due for a refresh but instead, I didn't hook up the temp gauge, popped a lower radiator hose and then raced 10 laps until it let go because I had no way to know. Nice huh?

So... totally my fault on all counts. I am a retard.

Broken none, dismatled for "upgrades" one. I am about to make my challenge car undrivable but that is only so I can put its engine in my dismantled race car. So for a period of time I will have two undrivable "race cars"

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: You are doing it wrong. You must have got the problem child of all E30s. They are mostly bulletproof.

It's kinda funny... a lot of folks who tell me an E30 is bulletproof then go on to tell me how their car doesn't have much "E30" left in it (engine swaps, suspension/steering changes, etc)... or don't own one anymore...

I was thinking of replacing it with a WRX... but then I decided my brain is "full" and I really don't want to "learn me" another car... so it seems likely I'll go back to something I know... probably a MINI. At least a MINI doesn't make me swear up a storm every time I need to work on something in the engine bay... I know it'll be a 7-8 year old car, so I'm not expecting perfection nor 100% trouble free ownership, but I have a much more experience with them so I can deal with that..

Mustang, 2 x 3rd gen Camaros, S10, RX7, Capri and a couple on the way.

I have a problem, because there are a number of road cars as well

I hear you on this one brother!

nocones wrote: I frequently think about selling it all but the MG is worthless to anyone else at this point but I've entered project fatigue with 2 kids and an unfinished garage project.

The Radical, is generally in an unbroken state when it drives into it's grid position for qualifying. When sent on track I commence breaking it, and continue to alternate breaking and fixing the balance of the weekend.

The turnaround back at the shop before the next event generally occupies all the time I have, assuming I haven't crashed it or blown it up.

The DC Region SCCA MARRS series has offered a particularly sadistic August schedule w/ a one day single sanction at Summit Point, a 2 day double sanction at Charlotte (6+ hour tow Thursday for friday practice) and a 3 day double sanction Labor Day weekend.

Essentially, from the middle of July through the first week of September, all I do is run a race effort.

At the end of this season I hope to take the last-ever MARRS CSR championship, and I'm in good shape for that - at the moment. But it's a volume of work that is truly staggering.

And the Friggin' M3 is producing a symphonic cacaphony of deep, gutteral metallic clunks and clanks from the suspension I've no idea what's amiss, or adrift.

I can safely say, zip, zero, nadda. I don't have any dedicated track only's.... Waste of time and money to only drive it certain places and certain times.

Only one, and lucky for you it is for sale!

83.5 Dodge Shelby Charger ITA car, some assembly required.

Tony D

JoeyM wrote: if autocross cars count as "race" cars, two and a half. My busted geo, the datsun replica I'm building, and the donor datsun that i've been pulling parts off of to build the replica. Now I'm torn over whether or not to buy that (also non-running) MGB.

Woot! Down to two. (The busted geo and the datsun replica.) My 910 wagon donor was hauled away: