Where should I look? I would really like to build my own, but I'm curious as to how much they go for etc. Perhaps I can find a shell with a cage & some other goodies already in it to save some money, but still have an opprotunity to do some wrenching on it myself.

Thanks.

 

What is your price range? And what class are you trying to get into?

 

Honestly on a price I'm really not sure what to say because I have no idea how much a race car is worth on the used market. H4 probably as I have no real track expierance and would be scared of something faster than the H4 prepped vehicles.

 

In my experience, every car needs wrenching, built or not. Just in owning the race car, you'll have plenty of opportunities to pour hours of work into it. The off season is coming up for most people and there will probably be some cars for sale soon I'd guess.

Here are a few sites that have classified sections for race cars:

http://www.improvedtouring.com
http://www.nasaforums.com
http://www.sccaforums.com

- Scott

 

http://www.racingjunk.com

You probably find everything you need on here, except for driving skills.

 

I've taken a look at most of these sites, haven't quite found something I'm for sure interested in yet.

I guess my next question is, being that I haven't been out on a track before, but knowing by reading, watching videos, etc that it's going to be something I'm going to be really interested in, what kind of car should I look at purchasing/building? Is a race prepped car something difficult to learn on?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Honestly on a price I'm really not sure what to say because I have no idea how much a race car is worth on the used market. H4 probably as I have no real track expierance and would be scared of something faster than the H4 prepped vehicles.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Where is Karl, and why isn't he offering his car here.

Integra GSR, all sorts of very high quality stuff. WELL under $10k.

I will send him this direction.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I guess my next question is, being that I haven't been out on a track before, but knowing by reading, watching videos, etc that it's going to be something I'm going to be really interested in, what kind of car should I look at purchasing/building? Is a race prepped car something difficult to learn on?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Here is the thing. A very fast car is most likely going to be a car that is not too forgiving. It will be set up to be very neutral, which means if you lift throttle in a turn, you'll be facing oncoming traffic. You also don't want a car that won't allow you to install a passenger seat (sorry Karl), as having an in-car instructor is VERY important as you are learning. You are better off learning in whatever you drive now, and then getting a racecar when you are ready to race, in at least a year or so.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">H4 probably as I have no real track expierance and would be scared of something faster than the H4 prepped vehicles.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thats a rather silly comment to make, just because a car turns a faster lap time doesn't make it any more or less potent.

Do you have a truck to haul said race car with? If not then you need to first purchase the said truck, don't even think about driving to the track. (Yes some people do, but its a pretty big challenge.) Set aside around 15-16k for a used truck, maybe more if you are looking for something newerish.

ITC cars can be purchased for pretty cheap these days, I've seen ITC Civics go for around $5k or so. If you get lucky you can find ITA/H4 cars for around $11k. I've seen some showroom stock cars going for around that price too. (Advantage of that is its something you can realistically drive to the track since its got most of its interior.)

How deep is your budget? Can you say write the car you purchase off as a total loss? If you are tight on budget, consider autox for a cheaper go fast thrill.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedracer33 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here is the thing. A very fast car is most likely going to be a car that is not too forgiving. It will be set up to be very neutral, which means if you lift throttle in a turn, you'll be facing oncoming traffic. You also don't want a car that won't allow you to install a passenger seat (sorry Karl), as having an in-car instructor is VERY important as you are learning. You are better off learning in whatever you drive now, and then getting a racecar when you are ready to race, in at least a year or so.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That's sort of what I was expecting, and why I was leaning towards building a car myself while getting it out on the track & getting expierance under my belt. I really enjoy knowing what each little mod and adjustment does. Thanks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 94accordsedan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thats a rather silly comment to make, just because a car turns a faster lap time doesn't make it any more or less potent.

Do you have a truck to haul said race car with? If not then you need to first purchase the said truck, don't even think about driving to the track. (Yes some people do, but its a pretty big challenge.) Set aside around 15-16k for a used truck, maybe more if you are looking for something newerish.

ITC cars can be purchased for pretty cheap these days, I've seen ITC Civics go for around $5k or so. If you get lucky you can find ITA/H4 cars for around $11k. I've seen some showroom stock cars going for around that price too. (Advantage of that is its something you can realistically drive to the track since its got most of its interior.)

How deep is your budget? Can you say write the car you purchase off as a total loss? If you are tight on budget, consider autox for a cheaper go fast thrill. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Eh I've autoxed quite a few times and I'm already bored with it. It's fun and challenging but just doesn't get my adrealine flowing enough. I've already got a truck, and a friend with a car trailer, so that's already taken care of. As for being able to write it off, well, I wouldn't be financing any of it, so whatever happens happens I guess.

 

I'm building one currently and trust me, listen to these guys very carefully. Building the car is only part of it, then you have to maintain the car. Whatever your budget is add at least 3-5k on top of it due to unforseen costs.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RacerBowie &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Where is Karl, and why isn't he offering his car here.

Integra GSR, all sorts of very high quality stuff. WELL under $10k.

I will send him this direction.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i'm waiting for karl to show up now so he could tempt me with his low low price on his race car.

i'm still far away from being able to afford it, but soon...i might be halfway there.

 

If you really want to build a car yourself and have the time/tools/$$$ to do it, recently Ive seen a bunch of quality stuff for sale to build a kick *** CRX.

So, find a CRX shell , and add the following:

http://itforum.improvedtouring...=6357 cage

http://itforum.improvedtouring...=6337 IT motor/built tranny/header, etc.

then add the rest in there: new hubs/bearings, bushings, shocks/springs, etc.

OR, you could save yourself the trouble and a ton of money and buy Lorenzo Serra's ITA CRX:
http://itforum.improvedtouring...=6193

Good luck.

-Mark

 

Seeing as you've never been to a track before, wouldn't you think it's worth your while to take a beater or a rental to an open track day before you begin investing thousands in equipment? Get some understanding of the different dynamics vs autox, maybe get an idea of what kind of car you want to get, etc.

 

bad-monkey, your moment has arrived.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedracer33 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You also don't want a car that won't allow you to install a passenger seat (sorry Karl)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Bah, you could perfectly well install a passenger seat in my car. Just cut out the petty bar. Ten minute fix, and it wouldn't impact the rollover protection of the cage - just (minorly) the chassis stiffness, which is probably overkill anyway. If I end up keeping the car (at this rate I may well do so) I'll likely cut the petty bar out, put a seat and a muffler in it, and make it a fast, reliable DE car for not a lot of money.

To the original poster: I'm down to asking 9 grand for my ITS/H3 Integra. Not just the car. Everything Integra that I own. Which is considerable. Three sets of wheels...a stack of spares taller than me...spare nose...everything. Even five "usable for a DE" Toyo RA-1s.

I'll even throw in all the new vinyl I ordered, and never applied, to get it logbooked for ITS.

It's got all of the go-fast kit save the motor and ECU work. Pro cage, custom valved Konis, LSD, rrg.com air dam/splitter, 19-row Mocal oil cooler, well-executed killswitch...name it. It also happens to be a single owner, never-crashed car. It's got a fair size dent in the passenger side door but nothing structural, and not even that much cosmetically.

Email karl &lt;dot&gt; shultz &lt;at&gt; gmail &lt;dot&gt; com if you want to talk about it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by krshultz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">To the original poster: I'm down to asking 9 grand for my ITS/H3 Integra. Not just the car. Everything Integra that I own. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Please note that if you started from scratch and tried to build what Karl is selling it would cost you AT LEAST $15K. Probably closer to 20K.
The cage alone in Karl's car is $2000.

And don't think that an H4 CRX would be any more forgiving to drive because its "slower." A CRX is likely one of the hardest cars to drive fast that you'll find. On the other hand, the longer wheel base Civics and Integras are much more forgiving.

Passenger seat... About 10 minutes with a whizwheel and that petty bar is gone.
Thats not an issue.

As far as building yourself... Don't fall into that trap. If you own a race car you will get to work on it ALOT. Trust me. Within months you will be intimate with every nut and bolt on the thing.

 

I would suggest you rent something first and take a class to see if your ready. This last weekend the school at Willow had some really cool Celicas for rent with full safety equipment and good power/ brakes but with the full interior mostly it was probably alot more comfortable for the drivers than just going from street car to race car. Believe me when I say that traffic in a race car is on a whole nother level than you've encountered before.

 

If I can pick up a used race car cheap that I can take to the track right away then I'm probably going to do so. Regardless of how much overkill it is. If not, building my own car will be a very long and slow process while gaining expierance at the track. I'm not planning on dumping 10 grand into the car and showing up at a track day expecting to run up front. That was never my original plan. Buying a CRX for ~$2500, and putting minor suspension/wheels/tires/brakes on it isn't too terribly expensive to start with.
From the looks of Karl's car, and others like it, buying something pre-built would give me an opprotunity to learn on something that is track proven, and although it maybe more difficult, I am up to the challenge. Thanks for everyones comments.

 

tell you what, a great experience for you to try out is to get out there in yr daily driver and spend a year doing HPDE's....figure you'd be doing around ~1 per month...then decide after throwing a bunch of money that way, if you want to throw a bunch more towards a dedicated track car.

Now if you're absolutely sure that a track car is what you want, then definitely buy something that has been built, UNLESS you own a shop of sorts and it can be a 'shop car' (of which many of the expenses can be written off towards the business, but thats your own decision).

I personally want a car around $3k that i can drive to and from HPDE events....I have plenty of fun during those events w/out investing the time and funds into racing...perhaps in a few years I'll go the race route, but for now this plan is what i'm sticking to.


That said, any norcal guys got a car for me that fits my criteria?

 

the only thing that sucks about other peoples cars are unless there ex grand am or WC cars theres a very real possibility you are going to hate large portions of whats been done.

I've seen lots of cars where spec legal cages blocked mirros rubbed on my knees or were blocking my view out the wind sheild

And don't expect to be fast in some one elses car either, until you know why the car was built the way it is and there fore drives the way it does you won't feel very comfortable in it so understanding the car is very key and that usually comes from wrenching on it alot

And to solve the problem I mentioned would be as easy as putting the dash bar behind the dash which should be a no brainer but its not

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Please note that if you started from scratch and tried to build what Karl is selling it would cost you AT LEAST $15K. Probably closer to 20K.
The cage alone in Karl's car is $2000.

As far as building yourself... Don't fall into that trap. If you own a race car you will get to work on it ALOT. Trust me. Within months you will be intimate with every nut and bolt on the thing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It can be done for $15k (or even $12k) - but you cant just pick up the phone and order all new **** for everything to do it. Buy used parts where applicable (springs, swaybars, intakes, etc) and keep your eye out for deals - example, I bought a set of used/blown konis and had them rebuilt as SPSS3 for $600. You have to want to work on the car and replace *everything* on it when you build from a street car. I've done it and dont really have any regrets. The only thing left is the cage, window net, kill switch, tow hooks, transponder and a fresh cylinder head to race. As it stands i've got about $12k into the car, and it will need another $2500 into it to be a no excuses, race ready sled.

 

[QUOTE=.RJ]

It can be done for $15k (or even $12k) - but you cant just pick up the phone and order all new **** for everything to do it. Buy used parts where applicable (springs, swaybars, intakes, etc) and keep your eye out for deals - example, I bought a set of used/blown konis and had them rebuilt as SPSS3 for $600. You have to want to work on the car and replace *everything* on it when you build from a street car. I've done it and dont really have any regrets.QUOTE]


Ya i agree with what RJ. said, i built my car, loved doing it, and i have alittle over 11,000 into my race car(not including the cost of the car, it was my street car that i converted over). I'd say if you were a normal joe it would cost you over 15,000 to build my car, i am lucky enough to have freinds in the business who have helped out a bunch.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slammed_93_hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ya i agree with what RJ. said, i built my car, loved doing it, and i have alittle over 11,000 into my race car(not including the cost of the car, it was my street car that i converted over)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well I included the cost of the car ($4500) in this but I didnt buy a built engine either. So a built engine would push the cost closer to $20k....

 

my track car has been a work in progress for the last 2 and a half years