moespeeds

Tell me more about that thing: What's it running for an engine? Suspension? I'm interested for sure, I love the idea of a simple tube framed car.

MarkDFW

I am new to GTA cars and not the best source of info. What I know is it is a fuel injected LS1 with Penske single adjustable a, wilwood 6 piston up front and 4 pistons in rear. Tires and parts are cheap. It is as safe a car as you'll find on the track.

There are a few gurus on here like Bosco who really know these cars. Most of them are in the southeast and can be found on places like Racingjunk.com

Supercharged111

Are they all offset to primarily turn left?

Captain Buddha

The GTA cars are road race / "neutral" cars...meaning go fast, turn left AND right!

You can buy circle track/offset cars and covert them though.

bosco022

The ASA national tour cars are perimeter cars and are fairly easy to convert to road racing. All ASA National tour cars had center sections that were built by Howe Racing. However, other car builders were allowed to build the front and rear clips. The pure Howe chassis are the easiest to convert. Car builders made them better for left turn only by using different A frame and spindles in the left front to build in positive camber.
They added left side weight, used different springs from side to side, cambered the left rear tube of the quick change to gain pos camber and
a bunch of other tricks. It is correctable to ensure a competent road race chassis.

By now most have been converted to road racing (to varying degrees).

I have a bare ASA chassis sitting around...cheap, although for most folks it would be easier to by a complete car.

there is quite a bit of info on these cars on the message board at V8stockcar dot com for those that need it.

The typical ex ASA GTA car
* ASA Lingenfelter built LS1 GM ASA cam, LS6 valve springs, Katech rod bolts, Howe headers, special tuned ASA ecu 1 3/4 to 1 7/8 headers. ATI Damper, single stage scavenge only dry sump Well tuned about 400 to the wheels

* Jerico 4 speed with gearing something like 1.9 1.5 1.2 1.0

* 7.25 triple disc clutch by Quartermaster or tilton

* Winters Quickchange

* 12.19 rotors front with 4 or 6 piston Wilwood, AP or other calipers 11.75 rotors in rear with superlite 4 calipers

* 15 gal ASA fuel cell by ATL or fuel safe

* many have double adjustable coil over shocks by Pro, Penske, Ohlins, or other

* about 2400# dry w/o driver and no lead

* bodies by Fivestar (still available last I heard)

* SWEET, Woodward or Appleton rack and pinion

* 15x10 wheels by Bassett, Bart, Diamond, Circle or other about 20#

Captain Buddha

bosco knows his stuff! I barely know how to drive one of these things LOL!

bosco022

Bare ASA type chassis that got re-bodied with a Howe Camaro

MarkDFW

A couple quick and interesting reads that captain Buddha posted in a local forum we both belong to that you may find interesting:

http://cartechstuff.blogspot.com/201...gines.html?m=1

http://www.superchevy.com/technical/...e/viewall.html

RedLS1GTO

I can verify this...




If you have even basic mechanic skills, you should be able to do just about anything on these cars by yourself.

rmj951

These cars are becoming more popular in NASA TX we have 8 registered for our TWS event this weekend most running SU & 2 in ST1.

I am moving to this class myself & met with Bosco last week at Bemco. Im sure he will be posting pics of my build as I am buying an ASA car that Bemco will hang a new Howe body on.

I have been looking at this for a few years & the bang for the buck on these cars is hard to beat. Having 8-10 cars in out NASA TX group will be great as well.


I have raced

DOUG @ ECS

I have been contemplating going this route myself, threads like this aren't helping.

Congrats, nice looking car.

LateBreak

If the series I'm running would allow it, this is what I would buy. These cars are fast, durable, cheap to fix, and easy to work on it's a win-win-win-win. The bodies by 5 star were originally developed for circle-trackers who bust them up frequently, so they're readily available and again, cheap. Most of the chassis/suspension components are universal, so they're easy to find and....cheap. Crate motors....I need to stop typing before I end up selling my C5....

JDIllon

Why would anybody want a car that is inexpensive to purchase, the parts are cheap and readily available, it's easy to work on and is very fast!!!! and handles great!!!???? How can you possibly have any fun with something like that???LOL!!!! Plus my wife wouldn't have anything to complain about!! I don't know the answer? but I am seriously considering finding out. JD

Captain Buddha

Gentlemen...do it!!

MarkDFW

I will tell you the feel and handling is COMPLETELY different from a corvette. I had an idea of what this car would feel like from when I drove a stock car for the NASCAR driving experience I mentioned in my first post. It will a little getting used to, but I have no regrets. My decision made sense and cents!

Captain Buddha

I don't even like driving my wife's GS vette at the track any more...totally different feel compared to GTA...plus no nanny's, ABS, etc. on GTA...it's all YOU! And that is something that takes some getting used to!

troyguitar

If you just want a great handling race car for cheap, buy a 125cc shifter kart. Better handling than any stock car (anything short of an F1 car really) and generally closer racing. We had 10+ guys in the lead draft all finish within 2 seconds at the end of a 30 minute race at Road America, not to mention a field of ~80 karts all in the same class.

On the big tracks it's like running at Talledaga but with actual corners and on the small tracks it's like F1 with no driver aids.

For how cheap and small they are you could buy one, keep the vette, and even pull the kart on a trailer behind the vette

LateBreak

I won't dispute any of that, but aren't karts the most dangerous form of Motorsport available? Seems like I'm always hearing about people dying on them, didn't 2 kids get killed at road America a couple years ago?

troyguitar

More dangerous than current stock cars possibly, but far from the most dangerous form of motorsport. That title would fall to something like bikes, snowmobiles, jet-skis, planes, or vintage racecars I assume. The low speeds, low weights, and high stability do a lot to minimize danger. The main risky thing is running at tracks designed for full-size cars - with barriers designed to be hit by full-size cars. Sticking to actual kart tracks is both safer and more challenging.

It's hard to avoid the sports car tracks though, they are a lot of fun. My little $7k shifter kart ran 1:33 at Mid-Ohio 10 years ago and that's including the chicane between turns 1 and 2 - faster than the current SCCA T1 lap record.

moespeeds

Mark tell us more about how the car is different to drive? I've got a few buddies who race with NASA and they were less than enthusiastic about the idea. Seems these things break allot? I know mechanical reliability is just a function of the sum of parts and the mechanic's skill, so I'm skeptical of their claims. I'm still intrigued.