Cobra4B

The car as it sits... CCW classics are in parts in my garage getting the centers re-done.




I've come to an interesting point with the car. I have owned it for over 4 years, it's my first Corvette and a dream car of mine. I have been through a lot with it and it's truly a part of my life. Most of my friends are car guys, and most of what we do in our free time has something to do with cars.

The car has 75,xxx miles on it, 4 different shades of yellow, and a black hood. Mechanically it is top notch as I'm **** about maintenance and it's had most every component upgraded. The basics are: full bolt-ons w/ a G5-X2 cam, Dewitt's radiator w/ oil cooler, DRM brake coolers, suspension tweaks w/ bilstien shocks and poly sway bar bushings, Luk StageII clutch w/ Fidanza aluminum flywheel, rebuilt trans w/ parts from Rodney at RPM, lots of brake spare stuff, BK harnessbar, Ultrashield seat, 3 sets of wheels/tires, etc.

Option 1: Spend around $4000 (I have a buddy w a body shop) to full repaint the car Velocity Yellow, then $1000 on custom clear bra to protect it all.

Pro: Car would be like new again, it'd actually be fun to wax again and drive to shows again.

Con: I'd be **** about tracking it as it'd be new looking again

Option 2: Keep the car as is, more of a track car and in a few years take the pluge for a Phoenix Cage to finish off the track car conversion... the route so many of us take making a nice car into a track rat1

Pro: Car allready has all the right road race oriented mods
Pro: I don't have to worry about the paint or keeping the car nice

Con: Making a track ***** out of my first Corvette

To be honest the car cleans up nice still and people seem to love the black hood, it's odd. I'm leaning towards keeping the car as is and using the $5000 in pain/bra money to run more events. I mean what good is a 500 hp vette if I can't ring it out on track.

Plus, I really want open air again for the street, so much that I was considering doing a targa top to the Z... I figure I'll do it right and pickup a used C5 vert in a few years or maybe get a C6 vert for a street only car.

Like many on here I'm tired of tryin to do 2 things w/ one car.

~B

Independent1

Brian,

Good decision.

Since the Z06 was your DD what are you going to use now for your DD? The truck?


Any more mods planned now that ou have decided to make the Z06 a dedicated track car?

I know in the past you have considered installing polybushings but decided against it since you drove it a lot on the street. Have you given any consideration to installing them now?

Good luck!

Cobra4B

My truck makes a great DD... it's a 2004 GMC Canyon so it gets something like 18/24 city/highway. With a few tweaks it will pull my truck on an open trailer w/ ease.

Before getting the Canyon from my grandfather earlier this year I had an '87 Toyota beater truck that was my get around truck since '04. I quickly realized that having only the Z was a bad idea so I picked up the yota for $800 from a friend. I drove the truck in bad weather, when parking would be bad, or when the vette was down for mods or repairs. Also, it towed my jeski w/ ease. I sold the truck on Craigslist in 1 day for $1200 which was my asking price.... those little yotas have a strong following.

As for the poly bushings... I'll just wait until my front lowers finally give up and need to be replaced... then I'll most likely go the poly route all throughout.

When it becomes a track only car and I take it off the streets I'll gut it and get a T1 suspension and full track allignment.

John Shiels

if you are tracking it forget about a $$$$ paint job.

yellow01

Good luck with it, and cheers on your decision. I think this is a choice many of us have come to and glad you've reached a decision that will work for you!!!

Regrettably I have gone the other direction, and hence have a trailer and set of wheels and tires sitting in my garage that will likely go unused this year. This turned out to be a much more expensive game than I'd bargained for, when including ongoing costs, and the ultimate cost of trashing a $50k car, the cost of potentially having to self-insure against any mishaps or ill-timed equipment failures... just more than I can justify at this stage of my life.

But, as Arnold says, "I'll be back."

AU N EGL

or get a $200 Macco paint 50/50 job.

Looks great at 50 feet going 50 mph.

Cobra4B

My car doesn't really need any more mods, I've got consumables that'll last for a bit, and my car is fairly beat up cosmetic wise.

The thing that does worry is the insurance game... this is why I try to stay away from others on track and really remind myself that I'm not racing... I'm driving 8/10ths and just wanting to go home.

However equipment failure is a scary thought.

MUKAK

Funny stuff

i am converting my car for the same reason!!!

i just sold the Airbags so there is no going back for me!!!

yellow01

Yah, I didn't bring it up to be a PITA - where it drove me was needing a cage. After much thought, and especially having watched the speeds really increase with the addition of DOTRs, brakes and the like last year, a cage became an item I felt I wanted. Not that I was actively concerned about being hurt but safety is a concern. Then the dollar signs overwhelmed me There's a right choice for everyone and it isn't the same one.

Didn't mean to bring down your thread, I'll shut up now

Oyishdog

what did i tell you B...throw a cage in this thing and go find yourself a vert for the street

Cobra4B

Yeah... I'm seeing the light, seeing your cars helped move me along. Also, getting my grandfather's truck has brought me quite a few steps forward in the game. Now if my ski would sell so I can get my own car trailer.

Going to borrow my buddy's suburban and enclosed trailer for VIR. Getting out of the car once in the trailer will be interesting.

Bink

In addition to a vert (wise decision, me thinks) start saving for a forged bottom end.

Cbntmn

I just sold my "street" car and purchased a track car. My reasoning was that my street car, even with the mods it had for HPDE stuff, was just to nice to start talking about roll cages. I sold it for 32k and picked up a track car for just a little more than what i sold the other vette for. The track car has about 25k more mods than the street car had.

My reasons were different because the street car was still worth quite a bit. If i was in your shoes i would do what you are doing. Put a cage in it and start adding more track stuff.

One thing you may really want to consider is what organization you want to be in and race with. Inevitably you will start doing SCCA stuff or NASA or whatever and you have to be sure your not spending money for mods that will push you out of a class that you may want to be in. I have to de-tune my car to get into the TT class in NASA that I want to compete in.

Next will be the trailer, the pull vehicle......etc etc etc. Welcome to the world of visa cards....lol

Cobra4B

Why? The car isn't boosted, it was re-ringed at about 30,000 miles back in early '04, and eventhough the redline was 6500 and now 7000 I didn't take it much over 6200 on track and plan on staying around 6500 unless the situation calls for more. If anything I'll save for some fresh caddy racing lifters down the road.
Yep... you get it... my car would be quite hard to sell in it's current condition. It's worth far more to me than your normal Corvette buyer. It has miles, mods, track use, adn rock chips.
I agree... I like what Jody (falcon) and others are doing in ST-2 w/ NASA. I don't have the budget or time to go wheel/wheel racing just yet, but maybe one day down the road. If I ever have to de-tune the car I'll just put my go fast parts on the vert I'll buy
I know your joking (at least I think you are) but I try to avoid this I was fortunate to inheret my dd pickup from my grandfater, and I'm selling my jetski to buy an open trailer as I don't ride the ski anymore.

Don't want to go into debt on a hobby I get to do 4-5 times a year.

Cbntmn

4 or 5 times a year now.....give it a year.

Thats where i started to. That said I still dont see myself doing this more than 10 times a year. that will be enough to hurt the pocket book a little and still have a great time.

Look into the TT stuff with NASA. Might be a good starting point. thats where i am going to get started and thats why we have to de tune the car for less HP to get the HP to weight right. We are just going to do it through the tune, not remove the parts. Im spending the remainder of this season running events with NASA Florida, NASA SE, and PBOC in Florida. Then ill make a decision on which group to run with for next season and try my hand. During next year ill take the steps necessary to get my race license for the open wheel stuff that is sure to come.

I pulled a little trailer behind the vette for about 2 years. Worked great, especially for 4 or 5 events a year. Problem is if you break, your stuck. Gotta weigh all that out.

anyway you slice it your going to have a great time, meet great people, and get some travel time in. Cant really loose. Plus you have an excuse to get a vert for a DD.

0Randy@DRM

track events > car shows

Randy

xsiveone

Make it a track car and get another car for the street. I think that you're in the perfect position having the car need a paint job, but be mechanically sound with track mods. That way you don't have to be **** about the paint at the track like most people are when they want their cars to be dual duty.

As for being your first Corvette, how many people can look back and say that they made their Corvette into a track car? Most young Corvette buyers buy a Corvette and baby it (not enjoy it) then end up selling it because of different priorities in their life (family, house, etc..). They end up selling a cream puff that they haven't really enjoyed themselves to a person that gets to really enjoy the car. What fun is that? Think of all the track stories that you'll have in place of stories that you'd have about waxing your car and sitting around bs'ing with people about it at car shows.

Tracking it is MUCH more fun than taking it to car shows IMO. As for a convertible, you could get just about anything (Sebring, Miata, Jeep, etc..). The convertibles that are most fun IMO are those big old American convertibles that you can fit about 4 of your friends (girls) in. I don't need to go fast in a convertible. If you want to go fast with a convertible, buy a sport bike.

Cobra4B

Oh I agree When I'm at VIR or RA I always want to make it a track car... then I get home and want my show car which is what makes me

I used to have a mustang cobra vert... I may pickup one of those again for a cruiser. You're right, it is fun to have more than 2 seats w/ the drop top.

I wonder if I could find my old '97 Cobra vert

xsiveone

Put it this way then. When you're old, wrinkled and gray and can no longer drive, which would you rather remember? Waxing your car or having fun with it at the track?

The Mustang sounds like a good plan as a daily driver. You can wax that car if you want.

AU N EGL

Nothing like having TWO corvettes in the gargae.