DV19

Xride is correct. My main needs are as current body style as possible, lightest weight and Manual trans (for the pedals & clutch assembly)

Thanks

mongse_1

You could just get a '93 rolling chassis and get the 98+ fascia/hood/taillights etc and have a good LS1 body for about $2500-$3000. That's the route I'd go.

A good Jericho or G-Force transmission will work real well. Might want to take a look @ Tremac's T56 too. I looked at one this weekend @ World Ford Challenge and it's pretty stout.

With the weight question, I think if you REALLY tried, you could get these cars down to 2700 w/o driver. You'd have to spend a LOT of $$$ to do it. Chromoly cage, chromoly (aluminum where an option) suspension components, stripped interior, aluminum block/heads (either LSx or aftermarket), fabricated 9", Lexan glass, etc. If it's a track car, you can pull the door supports & crash protection stuff in the front/back of the car too.

As for lightweight body panels, all but the hood and rear quarter on these cars is urethane. The hood is easily fixed, but the rear quarters should stay metal to retain structural integrity. There's a reason why they were made in steel.

I would talk to LG Motorsports and Unbalanced Engineering about your plans since both are big into road racing/autoX. For body panels & hood, I would get ahold of VFN Fiberglass up by Chicago. I know they've done carbon fiber work before and may be able to do some one-off parts for you.

Best of luck.

kgkern01

As for springs, I would go with Ground Control with ERS (Eibach Race Springs) straight rate springs. The Pro-Kit springs are not the best to go with in this department.

17x11 wheels can be used all the way around on these cars with no to very minimal modifications, such as rolling the inner rear lip on the fender, and banging back a small metal lip in the front wheel well. ZR1/Grand Sport wheels are very commonly used for racing due to their availability/cost/bolt right on. Tire sizes used are usually 315/35 R17 or 335/35 R17 in rear.

The 94-97 M6 was a Borg-Warner T56 transmission, and is supposed to be the strongest from the 4th gen F-body. The 98-02 M6 is also a T56, but is a Tremec transmission, and is supposedly a little weaker. However, there are a few places that can really beef these transmissions up even further to handle the power you need if you choose to go that route.

Also if you go the LS1/LS6 route, you can stroke it out to I believe a 428 ci motor using the C5R block and 4.125 sleeves. That would make your reliability and power goal even easier.

I'm not sure if this is accurate, but I feel as though the LT1 body style F-bodies (93-97) seem to have a more aerodynamic front end to them than the LS1 style (98-02). However if you use a LSx motor with the LT1 style front, you would need a taller hood to clear the motor, also easily done.

I would check out www.frrax.com/rrforum/ for the best road race info on these cars. There are a lot of experienced road racers on there and is probably your best source of info into this venture.

Good luck!

Heatmaker

Are you serious...? YOu could accomplish this goal with the installment of only a K&N filter...

DV19

mongse_1:
Thanks for the tips..... I did talk to a freind the other night who races a Firebird in AI. He said the weakest link in his car is the T56. Not sure which model. He claims to always have syncro problems....... I'm not sure he all that good of a down-shifter though......... He also agreed with you on the weight issue.... Unfortunatly, I guess they're just a "big car".........

kgkern01:
Thanks for the frrax lead and the other good info.

DV19

This is a good site for info. It's not real busy though...... Guess the guys are to busy build'n instead of type'n like I've been lately......... Thanks again

LT1Squirrel

you might want to check out some IROC series cars(the TA's), you will get some good info on weight, suspension, and aero mods from them

DV19

Thanks for the thought, but the IROC cars are "Stock Cars" (like Tony Stewart drives) that are only designed to turn left.....

bruecksteve

My suggestion is go buy one already built. You don't want to attempt a project like this with no clue what to do. You'll be getting in way over your head. There are plenty of already setup race cars for sell. I'm looking at a bunch of them in the last couple of issues of SportsCar from the SCCA.

And yes, our forum is VERY busy...

DV19

Are there any of them on the web you can send me to?

Good News: Just sold one of my vehicles so now it's time to find something to buy. If anybody's got a lead on one, please hook me up. From reading this post, you've got a good idea of the kind of car I'm looking for......

Thanks for the help