HOW CAN I DO THAT???

 

The "How To" racing site

 

Have you ever sat in the grandstands and thought to yourself, or out loud, "I wish I can do something like that."  I did, and now its your turn.

If you ever wanted to get your feet wet in motorsports, there are several different routes to go.  Going the more easier rout, thats buying an already built car or a "racing in a box" car, might be good for the younger ones getting involved. These include Go-Karts, Bandoleros, Legends, or even Micro-Sprints. However some rather choose to build their own.  I've done both.  I built my first race car, an Enduro car, but I also bought my first Stock Car, that I currently race at Bridgeport Speedway. I built my first car for under $500, and I will go in detail a little later on how I did this.  I bought my Bridgeport car for under $2500.  I will also try to go into detail on how to build yor own "Bridgeport" car, and you do not even have to race at Bridgeport.  I will also try to break down step by step how to build a Demolition Derby and a Rollover car.  I feel that the most fun, inexpensive, unique, and truest form of stock car racing, has to be Enduro Racing.

Demolition Derby                    Roll Over                Enduro Racing (this is a green flag laps)

Lets first start off by saying that racing is a dangerous sport and there is no limit of protection that could be use, despite my How-To steps. If you feel you are not safe enough in a race car, please do not attempt to drive it.

Ok. I want to get started, but before we do, you must sit down and look at the many different aspects of racing, including money, scheduling, type of car, type of racing, and of course safety. I might say under $500 or under $2500, but this is just to get on the track for your first race. Racing is an expensive sport. I started with a $5000 loan.  I bought my car for $2150.  I had six races and I am down to under $300 left out of $5000. But some racing cost less then others. That brings me to the type of racing and the type of cars that could be used.  If your in it for Enduros, Demos, or Stock, there are different types of cars to use.

Choosing A Ride

Four cylinder Enduros: Eagle Talon, Mitsubishi Eclipes, Chevy Cavalier, Ford Probe, Dodge Stealth, Saturn SC1, Geo Storm.

Four cylinder Demos: Pontiac Grand Am, any four cylinder Plymouths or Buicks, pretty much any large four cylinder cars.

Four cylinder Stocks: Ford Mustangs and Pintos, older Honda Accord, Volkswagen Jetta and Golf's, or any rear wheel drive, two door four cylinder early model car.

Buying Your Ride

Lets start off with Enduro Racing, and the car I used, an Escort.  Ok, now that we picked a car and type of racing we are going to attempt to race, lets get started. The best time to start building a car is in the fall. More cars are being sold for one reason or another, plus track schedules are coming out. There are many junkyards around with some good racing potenial. I found a 1992 Ford Escort with "$900" writen on the windshield. If your trying to wheel and deal a price with the junkyard owner, do not tell him, or her, you are turning it into a race car. Point out all the problems with that car. A cracked rear glass, torn seats, missing hubcaps, burnt out bulbs, no radio, a cracked back bumper, and some miner dents and scratches.  Even though the sticker price was $900, I drove the car home for 400 bucks. Some cars can be bought for lower, some even free. If possible find a car with top of the line options, all lights, and all glass.  Remember you can sell all the good parts you strip from the car, as long as you do not destroy them taking them off. You can earn back some of the money, if not all of what you payed for the car, just for selling parts.  The car can also be considered "totaled".  As long as the car runs and the trans shifts good, the car can look like crap.  All you have to do is beat some panels out.  Remember, theres nothing a hammer can't fix.

Ironically, yes, you would buy a car that looks like this!

This is just minor damaged that a sledge can fix.

Gutting Your Ride

Now getting the car Enduro style ready.  FIRST, UNPLUG AND REMOVE THE BATTERY.  I would suggest keeping all the glass intacked until it is necessary to remove them, so you do not have to worry about covering the car if it rains.  Start off by removing all the seats, including the driver's seat.  It will be easier to move around inside the car.  If you can, get ahold of some cardboard to store ALL the bolts that come out of the car and mark where you removed them from. This will make it easier to replace parts that you remove, plus you will need them later, and will save some money too.  If you have an Ebay account, or know some one with the same car you are converting, you may want to try selling the parts you take off the car.  If you feel it is safer, or if your local track requires it, you may need to leave the dashboard in place. Remove all inner door panels and interior trim peices.  Try to save atlease three of the factory seatbelts, we will improvise with them later.  Again, try to save all parts and clips or screws you remove, you could sell them.  Remove floor carpet and headliner.  You should see nothing inside you car except for your dash, if you deside to keep it in and a steering wheel.  Finally, your interior is completly gutted.  You might notice some wires running along the frame of the car.  A few of these wires you might need. Do not just cut the wires. Follow them to see where they go.  You can cut the wires for the lights and power windows or seats.  DO NOT CUT THE FUEL PUMP WIRES.  Depending on the type of car, there may be an inertia switch on one of the rear strut towers. It should be a black box with a red button. If the button is popped up, the car will not start. This is a factory part use to kill the power on a hard impact.  Just allow this to stay put for now, we will relocate this later for an extra safety precaution. DONT FORGET TO REMOVE THE AIRBAGS.  You can sell airbags for some high dollars.

Safety First

Depending on the type of track it is, some safety bars should be use to protect you in a collision. If a four point roll cage is out of your building or financial abilities, a simple side-to-side and door bar should work fine. A four point roll cage could be bought for under $200 plus shipping.  Measure the interior width of the car behind where the drivers seat will be. If you can get for free or buy some thick pipe, not chain linked fence pipe, we will use it for a rollcage.  Cut the pipe to the width of the car at the center piller, minus 1/2 inch.  Depending on your welding skills, weld, or find someone to weld a 6x6 inch, 1/4 inch thick steel plate to the pipe you just cut. Do this to both ends. Drill four (4), 3/8" hole in both of the square plate, four inches apart.  Measure were the holes will be on the outside of the car and drill four (4) holes that will match the four holes in the plate you cut before. Head to the hardware store and buy atlease twenty-five, six inch heavy duty 3/8" bolts, twenty-five matching nuts, about fifty large flat washers, a handfull of lock-washers, roughly 20 feet of light, but strong chain, about 10 feet of heavy, thick, and strong chain, about five feet of 3/8 inch all thread (all thread is a threaded rod), and two extra large wingnuts to go on the all thread. This may seem like alot, but trust me you will use all of this later.  Bolt the bar into place.  Beat on the bar, both inside and outside of the car, to test the weld and strength of the bar and bolts.  This bar will help protect the driver from a side impact, plus be use for a mounting point for a racing harness, if you choose this option. At this point you can replace the factory driver seat, or racing seat if you feel that factory seat is not safe enough for you. If the track allows for it and if you can find someone crazy enough to ride in the car with you, you can install both front seats.

Simple four-point roll cage                 Homemade roll cage drawlings

Now it may make things easier to remove the doors at this point.  We will now install the door bars.  One diagnal bar would be fine. Some tracks that run Enduro requires one door bar and one side-to-side bar. Measure from bottom of your already installed side-to-side bar to the far most flat part of the floor panel.  Cut the bar to size. Beat down or bend both ends flat.  Drill a hole through the flat part of both ends.  Cut a hole about one inch from the side of the inside wall on your side-to-side bar.  Cut a hole in your floor pan where your bar will butt up to. Make sure you cut the hole through the upper part of the door bar at an angle so it will be straight up and down through the side-to-side bar. Using your bolts as before, bolt down the door bars on the driver side, and passenger side if needed.  Make sure all bolts are as tight as possible and use atlease two lock-washers on each bolt so they will not unloosen during racing or impact. You should now think of ordering some safety equipment at this point.

Don't Forget the Protection

Depending of the track you will be racing at, you may want to get a one-peice fire suit. One can get one for under $100. Some tracks only require long sleve shirt and pants, such as a hoodie and long jeans. Some tracks also require a neck collar. It is up to you, but if the track only recommends and you do not feel comfortable wearing one, I personally do not like them. They limit your range of vision, sence most Enduros dont allow mirrors, head movement is somtimes necessary to see cars around you.  Order your helmet or you can buy one from an automotive store. Some Enduros dont have an SA rating, so a "Bell" helmet from pepboys for under $100 bucks should work. Also order your window net and racing harness if you want the 5-point racing harness. Some tracks allow the cars factory three point belts.  Try to think ahead to the color you would like to paint the car, to get matching nets and belts. You might also think of ordering a set of racing numbers too. You can get a set that includes (1)24", (2)18", (2)6"(for top right windshield and left side decklid), (2)3" driver names and maybe some "crew" names. This racing package can be purchased for under $30 on Ebay.  If vinyl is being used for your numbers, take note that some tracks require drivers to register their car number so you can keep the same number all year at that track. Of course there's more money involved, so you could also just pick a number and letter combinations such as a number and your initials, or the first letter of your last name.  My first car number was 1s, 1 for my FIRST race car, and the s for SAPP . Also remember to get an opposing color then the body of the car AFTER you paint it. Dark car, white numbers, light color car, black numbers.

Driving suit           Neck Brace            Helmet          Window Net     5-point Racing Harness

Installing a window net can be installed simple or cheap.  The simple way is to just buy the install kit for about $30 or make one for under two bucks.  Measure the length of the window net and cut two peices of that all thread you bought before.  Get three large eye hooks and some nuts. Screw in the eye hooks on the top of the inner door braces or the top of the outside door panel, about 4 inches from the rear of the front door, and about twelve to fifteen inches closer to the front of the door.  Align the eyehooks so the all thread can go through both of them.  Weave the all thread through the bottom of the window net and the eyehooks.  Add some nuts to stop from moving out of the eyehooks.  Screw another eyehook on the roof of the car above the bottom right eyehook and over about two inches.  Find where you put those seatbelts. and cut off the belt part from both of the male and female ends of the belt, leaving about six inches on both ends.  On the female end of the belt sew a loop in the belt.  Weave, like you did for the bottom part of the window net, to the top of the window net including the belt loop but minus the eye hook. Dont forget to add some washers and nuts to keep the seatbelt buckle in place.  Connect both ends of the belt buckle together and stretch it on to the roof of the car and mark the end of the belt.  Drill and bolt the Male belt part to the roof.  Make sure it is tight enough not to come loose, but loose enough to hook it into place.  To put the window net up, slide the end of the all thread without the buckle into the eyehook and then latch the seatbelt.  It looks like the install kit you will buy for $30, but without spending the money.

The Car Still Looks Stock!!

Now to the outside of the car. Make sure you have a good water proof tarp you car use to disguise that pile of junk you call a race car from those nippy little neighbors. Start with all the trim and moldings. Next the mirrors, lights, and the front grille.  Lastly remove the glass, except the windshield if the track allows it, keeping all the glass you can. This could be some good money if sold.  Save all parts and try to sell anything you can to make the outcome as cheep as possible. Now you can re-install the doors. Measure the length of the car, somewhere between the center wheel hub and the top of wheel. Measure about six inches off the edge of the wheel well. Cut another pipe this lenght. Chain-link fence piping will work find here, its light but stong enough to keep cars from tearing up the side of your car. Beat or curve the ends of the bar one way to prevent a "tire cutter". Have a helper hold the bar to the car, with the ends bent towards the car, and drill three 3/8" hole through the bar and throught the outside door panel. Use the bolts you bought before and bolt the bars on both side of the car. Make sure one bolt is on the side of the car, not the door, so the door gets bolted shut. If your welding skills are anywhere close to mine, try to weld the door shut, both sides, or all four, if it is a four door car. If you can not weld, most tracks allow the doors to be welded, chained, or bolted shut.  I found that a bolt through the body and a cable wrapped around the door and center post works just fine.  The next part is the hood and trunk.  Cut two, three inch hole in the trunks' floor board about a foot off the side walls of the trunk and in the top of the trunk lid.  If car is a hatchback, or a 3-door, do not cut hole in trunk lid.  Measure, starting from the hole in the floor, out of where the back glass was, if car was a hatchback, or holes through the trunk lid, and under rear bumper back to hole in floor under the car.  Cut the thinker, more heavy duty chain the lenth measured, and run them through the holes.  Make sure you add a half of foot for Cut a second piece the same lenth.  Run a bolt through to of the links of the chain, but keep atlease three or four inches between links, do not over lap the links. This will keep the chain easier to tighen them up at the track.  Just tighten the bolts and that will bring the chain tighter together, loosening the slack.  The chains WILL loosen up every race, due to contact to the rear of the car.  Now the front hood.  There are two ways of holding on the bumper and hood.  Do you remember them seatbelts I had you save, well here is what we are going to do with them.  But first, make sure the track you are going to be racing at allows them.  Remove all locks and latches for the hood.  Cut the belt on the buckle end, with the button,(the female end or the catch) about six inches off the buckle.  Measure the circumference of the bumper, and times by two.  Take that amount and cut the other part of the belt that size.  Take this end of the belt (the male end), and either bolt or sew a loop in the belt with the male end of the buckle.  Drill a 3/8 inch hole through the front bumper beam about a eight to ten inches in from the end.  Take both of the loops from the fatory belts that allowed the belts to go up the side piller and through the loops, and down across the chest and bolt them to the beam.  Bolt the belt, that has the male end of the belt, to the rear side of the bumper beam.  Wrap the belt around the front bumper and through the loop that was bolted on the bumper.  Buckle the two end of the belts together and stretch it acoss the hood.  Mark on the hood the end of the belt that is stretched out across the hood. Remove the insulation under the hood, but keep the brackets and support bars under the hood to keep the hoods strength.  .  Keep the windshield wiper nozzles in place sence most Enduro races in any weather conditions, including rain and snow.  Drill a hole through both the belt and hood and bolt the belt to the hood.  Unfasten the belts and fasten them again make sure they are not to tight or not to loose.  Repeat this to both sides.  Trust me, it probaly takes quicker to do this, then it did to type this.  This will make it easier for the officals to access the engine compartment in case of a fire or for inspections without the use of tools.  Another way is to chain the front bumper and bolt the hood down. Use the lighter chain that you should of bought when you bought the other chain and hardware and bolt it to the left side of the frame.  Wrap the chain around the bumper two time and bolt the other end to the other side of the frame.  Do this to both sides of the bumper.  Drill a hole in the top radiator support about six inches from the end of the frame.  Drill a hole in the hood directly over the holes you drilled in the radiator support. Cut a piece of all thread about six inches and put alock washer and nut under the radiator support and on top of the radiator support.  Bend the all tread back towards the windshield a little bit so when you put the hood down the all thread can go through the hood.  Then use the wingnuts and a large washer to hold on hood. Cut off the extra all thread, but leave between 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch, or two to three complete turns. Your car almost LOOKS like an Enduro car now.

Paint and Numbers

Now the toughest question you ever have to ask yourself about racing, "What color do I paint my car?"  Well it might not be the toughest, but it sure took me about a week to figure out the color I was going to paint my car.  I desided to paint the color of my home state, Delaware, Navy blue and Yellow.  Well, I received free paint through the high school I used to go to.  The amount I got, of course, was not enough so I had only half the part I wanted painted blue, painted.  It was only about two weeks before my first race, so I didn't have enough time to find more paint and get it painted. I found some old house paint, that I thought was navy blue and yellow, and rolled it on with a wall paint roller.  It was really a ski blue, and an off-yellowish-tanish color.  When I got done, that car looked white and baby blue.  Make sure you get enough paint for the whole car.  Another way to go is spray paint cans.  This is they way I painted my "Bridgeport" car.  Depending on the size of the car, six to eight cans should be enough.  I would suggest picking up a case, twelve cans, so you have some "touch-up" paint for after the races. If you bought the racing numbers now would be a good time to put them on, or to save money, spray paint them on.  You WILL NOT be the only one to spray on the numbers.  If you ordered anything on-line, most companies will send you a vinyl sticker, you can put them on too.  Now the car LOOKS like a race car, now its time to sound and race like a race car.

Now A Race Car That Can Race

Now that the car is "Enduro Legal" for most series and tracks, we can start on making the car able to keep up with the rest of the pack.  Even though there can be up to 90 cars on a 1/3 mile track, by the end of the race, if you and your car can survive, there can be less then 35 cars left.  You need a car that can get up to speed quick and turn left.  There are some little tricks that with some tracks are legal and illegal. Please check with your track to see if these adjustments are legal for the Enduro races. You can start off with adjusting the idle and timming.  Set the timming so that it is advanced.  The idle may up high, so adjusting that will make the engines rpm to return close to normal.  The exhaust system is the next steps.  Most Enduros series requires the use of a catalytic converter, however depending on what type of car you choose to race, you may be able to loose some of the resistance of the exhaust, in return gaining a little more power when you stand on the gas, but gutting out the middle.  Cut the converter on the side, and cut out the behive type of filter. Make sure you do this outside and please where some type of dust mask, sence you are breathing in carbon monoxide, witch is very toxic.  After the inside is cleared out, have it welded back together, and make sure it is a good stron weld along the entire length of the converter.  Most tracks require a stock muffler or racing style muffler. I would not recommend a Racing style muffler, being that there will most likely be some off track racing if theres a fifteen car pile up in front of you, and yes this WILL happen more often then you think. Try also to eliminate any bend in the exhaust pipe. Take off the entire system to work on it, it will be alot easier.  Finding the right size exhust tips is also crucial.  Too small will hold the car back from letting off the power it needs, but too large will not give the car the push it needs to get a good launch off the corners.  Another tricky thing that takes some seat time is tire.  Buying some junkyard tire for five bucks will work. You will have to change the right front tire after every race, if not once during the race, so dont spend $45 for a brand new tire.  Getting the right tire pressure, is key to keeping the car to last all race.  Having to high of a pressure will make the car very loose on asphalt but the tires will last longer then you need to.  Having too low of a pressure can make the car go through the turns faster then everone else, but you will go though a tire every twenty-five laps.  If you can find the lowest profile tire you can find, that means finding a tire in which the outside tire wall is short, and they are a reasonable price, buy them.  Buy atlease three or four, and use them for your right front tire.  A lower profile tire means less "roll" in the tire, so the side walls are not rubbing against tire race track.  Having Skinny tire on the back will make you very fast, but very, very loose in the turns. Loose is something you do not want to be when there is 75 other cars around you.  During the first couple races try different tire pressures, and ask other drivers that have simular cars what they are running.  Weight is another thing they can be adjusted a little.  If track rules allow, relocate the battery to behind the driver's seat, inside a marine style box, bolted with some strong bolts.  Also overlook in the engine compartment and remove everything not needed.  Including any plastic peices not needed, horns, covers, the plastic shroud for the radiator, any wires and cables not needed, and hood shocks and stops.  Another thing that is not needed but looks cool is switches and buttons to start the car.  If you have some spare money left over buy two on/off switches, one momentary switch, and one on/off/on switch.  After, or if,  you relocate the battery inside the car, heavy cage battery wire from the battery to an on/off switch,(this will be the "Main ON/OFF Switch" and from that switch to a momentary switch.  Wire from the main on/off switch to another on/off switch and to the fan. Having control of the fan will let the car heat up quicker without the fan on so you dont have to let the car run and waste gas.  This switch will also allow the car cool off after you turn the car off.  You can cut all the wires going to the ignition switch and remove the turn signal/light and wiper switch.  Locate the wires that connects the starter to the battery and run one end to end of the momentary switch opposite the end coming from the main on/off switch.  Holding this switch up will connect the battery to the starting, allowing the car to start.  The on/off/on switch will be use for the winshield wipers and washers.  Connect one side of the switch to the battery and wiper motor. Connect the other side to the battery, wiper motor, and the washer pump(this is the pump located on the side of the washer fluid bottle). Use a ground wire for the center of the switch.  Sence most Enduro series run in rain and snow, you will need wipers, and the track will get muddy, so you would need the washer fluid to clean the windshield.  Remember that switch you found on the rear strut tower, the inertia switch, its time to do something with this.  Re-run the wires to the switch from the battery to the first main on/off switch. Make sure where ever you mount this, switch it is in sight and easy reach of the driver.  I would recomend duct taping this switch on, alot of duct tape.  The tape will absorb some impact, but weak enough to set of the button with a quick slap of the hand.  If you in trouble and need to shut the car of quick, you might not be able to turn off all your switches and the fuel.  Give the switch a smack and it will disconect everthing from the battery, including the fuel pump, which will be good in case of a fire.  It is pretty much like a manuel "kill Switch"

Towing

Now that we got that car built, your probably asking yourself, how am I suppose to get the car to the track.  Theres more ways to get the car to the track then you think.  Most people that gets into racing enduro owns or works at a junkyard, and has access to a flatbed or a towtruck of some sort.  If you dont have access to a towtruck, and your only planning on running a few races, you may consider renting a trailer or even a moving truck.  I've seen people pull a cavalier out the back of a moving truck with the help of a flatbed at the track.  If you are in it for the long run, you may want to invest in car trailer.  You could by a 7'x14' car trailer for around $1800.  I bought one used for $700.  You could also make one for around $500 if you have some help from some friends.  Start off by figuring out how wide and long the car is.  Lets say the car is 5 foot wide and 13 foot long from bumper-to-bumper.  You can make the trailer 6'x12' and the car will fit. 

This above would be the simple outline of the trailer.  Parts you will need

1. (4) 2"x12"x12' pressure treated planks.($85)
2. (48) 5/8" bolts, washers, and nuts($8)
3. Complete rear suspension from a large truck or van from the junkyard that will fit within the 6 foot trailer.($75-$100)
4. Some sheetmetal (free if you know someone in construction)
5. Trailer coupler ($15)
6. (7)4" x 3" x 0.17" x 0.29" steel or aluminum I-Beams cut to 60"($300-$400)

First thing is to assemble the frame. 

 

Please Email Me At Racin4cylDE@comcast.net For Any Questions.