Fast Things...
 

I didn't want to crap on the already-existing thread, but I've been doing some reading on the Ultima Can-Am and the F5 GTM.

I have to admit, I'm starting to like 'em. The Can-Am is a tad ugly, and the GTM is a hardtop, but there's something... alluring about the idea.

You may recall that I recently posted about how the C500 turned out a 1:17.4 on the Top Gear track. Well, it turns out that Ultima took their GTR out to the track for a spin as well.

And they turned out a 1:12.8.

On street tires.

From a standing start.

1:12.8.

4.3 seconds faster than the Gumpert Apollo, 2.1 seconds away from the $2 million FXX, which was running on slicks.

Holy shit. Takes the hammerhead like its nothing.

Looks like a car Steve McQueen would be happy to drive.....I LIKE IT !

This video also proves that LSx > *.

So, the $30,000 question, from someone who knows jack shit about American Iron:

Assuming a vehicle and bellhousing designed to accept an LS engine, would it be difficult to install a smallblock from a '60s vintage GM vehicle into it?

The Chevrolet 350 small block has not changed its foot print since its inception, so yes.

I thought that this was the case, but wasn't certain.

Does this hold true for all GM smallblocks? (Bellhousing, input shaft, engine mounts and so on are all directly compatible?) IOW, from a mechanical standpoint a person could build such a car with the 283 / 307 / 327 from a '60s vintage Chevelle or Nova, and then at some point later on (say, after having gone through the initial registration process) remove said engine and install an LS engine?

I think so.
Chevrolet Small-Block engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

According to that, all the LS series and engines and their predecessors were identical. However, based on it linking a bunch of GM variants in the see also, I want to assume that they too would be equally compatible.

I am going to hit up my friend who is a big dumbestic fanatic and ask him to get you a definite answer. If anyone will know, he will.

Been doing some research as well. From my VW days came the memory of Kennedy Engineered Products, who make adapters to hang weird engines off of VW & Porsche transmissions. Subarus were getting popular when I tuned out. Looks like their product catalog has grown considerably since then.

There are apparently different configurations for pre-'86, '86+, and LS-series, but they make adapters for 'em all, and specifically list the G50 transmission as one they support.

Engine Adapters

Looks like there are many other options as well- Buick, Ford, a bunch of V6 stuff, etc... Seems a person could grab the motor out of damn near any pre-'68 passenger car and make it fit.


I have a feeling that this is going to end up costing me a lot of money...

I think I was right. Chevy small blocks are identical since inception up the gen 3 ls engines which are LSx are different.

This is direct from him:

Ultima GTR has always held a special place in my heart and testicles since its inception. Unfortunately its total costs are out of what I would be comfortable spending. Maybe down the road if my pay increases I wouldn't mind starting one as a project. Why buy a car for the same price when you can build one that will blow anything away that you will find on the streets or at the track. But just the base parts totals almost $30k after shipping costs, and that leaves engine, trans and probably some other important and expensive stuff. So by the time all is said and done, probably $50k. Still a bargain if you have the money. I would be happy just having the car minus engine and trans just to gawk at and sit in and make engine noises.

As a related and somewhat interesting aside- the old 6.2/6.5 pre-Duramax diesels (developed mostly by Detroit Diesel) will bolt in directly in place of a smallblock/bigblock (designed to use the same mounts/bellhousings/etc. for manufacturing ease), which can lead to interesting engine swaps- I can think of at least one diesel Corvette. How cool would it be to have a new 6500 Optimizer HO turbodiesel (current HMMWV engine) in one of those things? Run tracks R10/R15 style.

The Ultima is a bad ass machine. I saw a yellow one a few weeks ago passing by as I was getting into my car, I froze when I saw it, my jaw dropped and the sounds it made me feel good in places only my wife is allowed to touch. The Ultima was being followed or chased by red Ferrari which sounded nice but I see them daily so no biggie and there was a third car, I know it was a high dollar car but I was in such aw that I can't remember what it was. I had to rush home and Google Ultima Can-am to learn what that badass machine was. I so fucking want one!!
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It's also nice to watch one of those videos without what's his name talking.
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And things get more complicated. I have discovered the Exocars.net forum.

Back when I first heard about the Atom (and its attendant price tag) I remember wishing that there were some way to purchase just the rolling chassis' worth of parts in kit form. I started looking at GTM / Can-Am style cars largely because it seemed that nothing was available that really fit the bill otherwise.

Well, it took some time but a couple of kit manufacturers are now doing vehicles that are extremely Atom-esque, and of course the sky is the limit as to what you could do drivetrain-wise

The one that really catches my eye is the Mongrel:

http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/...3m_d6368c2.jpg

First off, it's fucking beautiful.

It does, however, seem just a little sketchy. It's a new company, run by an Australian living in China. They don't have any finished cars yet, however he does have a rolling frame and is making progress on the body molds: Flickr: Cheapracer's Photostream One thing that really bugs me is that he keeps talking about a de-dion rear suspension, and regardless of the technical merits, I'd really rather see a fully independent double A-arm or multi-link system.

It is, however, fucking beautiful. And he's talking in the range of ~$10k for a rolling chassis.


Contestant #2 is the SuperLight Roadster. This company does in fact have some history, and a few SL-Rs have been completed. I like the frame design, I like the suspension, and he's got off-the-shelf mounting packages for Honda K20/K24, GM Ecotec, Mitsu 4G63 and Dodge SRT-4.

The downside is that it's ugly:

http://www.superlitecars.com/img/SL-R_01_large.jpg

Now, there appear to be a couple of different bodywork options. That one is the "Modern F1" design, there's also a "Classic Gran Prix" nose that might offend me less if only I could find a picture of it. On the plus side, I like what they've done with using two small rear-mounted radiators, so you don't have to have all that hot air blowing back onto you all the time. Price is $16k for an assembled roller including the wheels.


Seems like either of these would easily lend themselves to having a stock Honda Civic engine dropped in, registered, and then removed in favor of a 'Busa engine with minimal modification (basically a new set of axles and a sort of engine subframe cradle.)


Decisions, decisions...

I think the yellow one looks better. I think the Atom is as ugly as it is fast.

I wonder what the Superlight will look like with fenders, bumpers and other safety gear?

See, I think that the top one looks better. It's both the nose and the fact that it comes with an engine cover and wing. The SL leaves the engine bay nekkid, which I don't like, and I really suck at fiberglass fabrication.

OTOH, the SL-R is beginning to grow on me...
http://img34.picoodle.com/img/img34/...0m_98a0d2b.jpg

I'm thinking black seats, black glass, black wheels, but a red frame.

it needs 6ul's though. No sense in paying several hundred more for track rubber just for the big wheels.

Yeah, there's been a lot of discussion about that on the ExoCars forum. The stock hub configuration is for Corvette wheels, and the stock brake package won't fit anything smaller than 17s.

This, of course, is lunacy.

Still, since it's a DIY affair, I can't imagine that it would be too hard to fabricate hubs that will fit in the stock geometry but utilize the complete brake package from some common, lightweight, RWD car which uses a 4x100 pattern like, oh, a Miata for instance.

(anyone notice the snapin air vents on the gtr?)

screw the SBC stuff... go on YT and look for the Ultima with the Lexus V8 in it... just go type in "0-211 in 19 seconds"....

Actually, I'm thinking about screwing the V8 stuff altogether.

Think about it- the SL-R tips the scales at about 1,300 lbs with a car engine and transmission in it. With a 'Busa engine, figure it's close to 1,100 lbs. With a turbo and a head spacer, the Busa will do 300 HP reliably. That's 550 hp/ton.

The GTR weighs 990kg (2180 lbs) with an aluminum Chevy V8 in it. Maybe with the Lexus you could get it down to 2,000 even. You'd need 550hp in that to get to the same ratio, and you've still get a heavy car.

Now I grant you, the SL-R has the aerodynamic properties of a wrench. But I still love the panache of a sequential gearbox and a fully open exoskeletal car.

why not just locost your maita and wtf is your fixation with starting on a Carb era motor?

Well, I've thought about it. And I haven't totally abandoned the idea. As I see it, the plusses and minuses:

+ I already have all the hardware.
+ Cheapest option.

- I don't particularly like the aesthetics of the Sevens in general.
- Emotionally, I really want a sequential gearbox.
- It deprives me of the Miata.



You mean a pre-CARB motor?

In the state of California, if you are lucky enough to score a Certificate of Sequence, then you have the option of registering your homebuilt vehicle as the year of the engine which it contains. IOW, a GTM with the engine from a '64 Nova would be registered as a 1964 FFR GTM. This means that if you get in with a '67 or older registration, you are exempt from smog testing forever. And remember that in CA, the smog test consists not merely of a measurement of actual tailpipe emissions (or an OBD-II plugin test) but also a visual inspection. This means that you're very limited in terms of what you can do with exhaust headers, forced induction, water injection, ignition systems, etc.

I think that when you register a new kit car, even if you miss the CoS disbursement for the year (only 500 are issued, and they generally go within the first few minutes of the DMV opening on the first business day of every year) then even though your vehicle gets registered as a current-year model, the smog requirements may still be set to the standard that applied to the donor engine.

Either way, there are huge advantages to starting out with a pre-CARB engine and then swapping up after registration.

You want a better solution???

















Move out of shitty CARB-riddled-and-choked California. I could never live there based on the crappy laws applied to modd'ing cars....and the piss you call "gas".

that was my reasoning as well. just wondered if there was a secret fetish in you for flaot bowls and jets with mechanical adcanve distributors :P .

Actually, I did move away from CA last August, and it's the third worst decision I've ever made. I can't even begin to describe how much I miss the beautiful terrain, the scenic ocean-to-desert landscapes, the always mild weather, and the most incredible public roads this side of the 'Ring. (And yes, I've seen that thing you NC guys call the Dragon. It's a Gecko compared to Palomar.)

Seriously. I know CA has its share of problems. The government is bankrupt, the automotive bureaucracy is a pain to deal with, and they get the gasoline that was deemed not quite good enough to sell in Baja, Mexico. But I have made it a standing near-term goal to move back there.


Not at all. I went through that phase when I was into ACVWs in the early to mid '90s. Today, I loathe jetting carburettors and playing with distributor weights with every fiber of my being. Give me a laptop and a wideband and I'm in my happy place.

you can find a strategically wrecked donor car for almost nothing. and probably net closer to nothing on the sell-off of parts.

then call up Autokonxion and have them make you a sweet non-wrench shaped fairing for the body and you're ready to rock the sauce.

I think he meant carburetor.

I'm thinking a 1300lb car with a 300hp motor would be just about right. Light enough you don't have to go crazy with brakes and supporting equipment. Hate to suggest this here of all places but Honda puts out some very strong motors that flow better and weigh less too.

Closed car like the Superlight's and I'd be all over the GM V8. Cheaper and easier than the lexus 8. Also on YT is an Ultima with a 1000hp twin turbo LS motor from Swartz. I'm not sure I'd care whether I could turn a lousy 211 in the standing mile vs. the 219 of the lexus powered version. Schwartz Performance, Inc. :: Projects :: Twin Turbo Ultima LS2 GTR

As far as a locost from a Miata donor, who says it has to look like a 7? Just because that's common and popular doesn't mean that's the only way to go. There are several of those Atom-ish kits made for Miata donors. I'm sure you've been all over Kit Car List - Kitcar & Replica Manufacturers, Builders & Dealers Copyright Kit Car List™

That would be a plus for any car of '90s vintage, including a Honda. It fails the pre-'67 test, but with the transverse mid-engine exocar design, I can see swapping motors every other year for the test.

You know, that's an absolutely fabulous idea. Truthfully, I never really considered having someone else do the body work, but I see from their website that they do this sort of thing semi-regularly. I wonder what they'd charge to fabricate a nose section and engine lid?

+1. This is how I got into Miatas. I bought a couple of donor cars for my Locost build. Netted out for zero after taking what I needed from two cars and sold the rest. Got everything that I needed for my build.

Alas, I sold the project before I finished it. If you do decide to go the seven route, I have (AFAIK) the only set of dimensions for installing the Miata IRS PROPERLY into a sevenesque car. I did the full simulation of camber gain, roll centers, etc via Wishbone software. I have all of the upper and lower A-Arm pickups, etc. It actually came out better than the stock Miata geometry.

A well-built seven clone with a 240WHP turbo, WI, no IC Miata motor would be a blast.

I'm betting there are a lot of companies that could help with body parts. Here's one that comes to mind. I'd guess most of the kit companies making stuff you like, will sell individual parts if you sweet talk them.

Showcars Fiberglass&Steel Bodyparts Unlimited

Oh the pre 67 test.. good point. so can you just dig up any ol block and build it however you like or what?

How hard would it be to build a ladder frame between two miata subframes? ditch all the ugly under car components for some 949 suspension arms and whatnot and dayam son!

I would imagine that each major body panel would cost about 10x what the going rate is for one of any given car. I'm guessing purely based on the initial group buys most places do... cover the mfg costs by selling 10 immediately. so you might be in for 10k+ in body work. oof.

Racecar bodywork places will build you a custom formula-style body for about $3k everything included.

One person that I can vouch for, Dave Craddock at Preform Resources:

Preform Resources

The website is crappy but here's the pudding:

http://preformresources.com/gallery/

I guess some background is in order.

A person who is a member of the forum and who also runs a shop out in CA is encouraging me to move back out to CA and start a business doing electronics and related custom shit for race cars and millionaires' toys. I am strongly considering this.

It occurs to me that in such a situation, it would be a beneficial promotional tool to possess an exotic car to use as a technology showcase and demonstrator. In other words, a great excuse for me to build the car I've been dreaming of for a while and claim it all as tax deductible.

The catch, of course, it that it has to be something that really catches the eye, and of course it has to be truly professional-looking. Given my welding skills, this rules out a Locost, and frankly, it rules out a lot of other shit as well. No Cobras, no GT ripoffs, no 356/550 clones, etc.

I see two broad categories. The first is the modern Supercars. The Ultima GTR, the FFR GTM, etc. These, to my eye, just reek of serious racecar. They also have sufficient interior space that they could easily accommodate a plethora of electronic gadgetry. On the downside, they're expensiver to do right, and they don't really satisfy my own personal desires in a car.

Second would be the pocket rockets. Basically the atomesque cars. I almost hesitate grouping the sevens into this category as I find their look dated, they're too common, and they don't evoke an image of ultra-modern superformance to me. More an image of an old Brit in a tweed blazer carrying a basket of bread and cheese on his way to the hunt. OTOH, a well-executed Exocar, to my mind, appears sufficiently "serious" to convey the image that I'm trying to express.

I dunno. Right now it's still pipe dreams and "what ifs" with no firm plans to speak of.

I like the idea of starting with a bare chassis and then going to a fabricator to have the body done. If it can be done for even $5k, I consider that a bargain. (We're only talking about a nose, an engine cover, and a wing.)

So your gonna help tom at FFS with R&D on his new powercard. Brilliant. :bowrofl:

I've always though a sequential trans in a Miata would be freakin cool. I could see an EP/GT3 looking Miata,lightweight FRP bodywork, tubbed, tubular chassis reinforcements, no frame rails beyond the front subframe attachment points, no roof, vestigal polycarbonate windscreen, custom polished aluminum roll bar, stripped bare, 13x9 & 13x10" wheels shod with 225/50/13 A6's, with a say, um, 270whp turbocharged Hayabusa motor. Little LED tail lights, tiny projector headlights. Every part of the tub that didn't make it faster is hacked away. It would have to weigh no more than about 1600lbs.

Could be sorta fun to drive.

That's the real key. I think 1,600 lbs is even too much to be asking of a bike motor, and specifically a bike gearbox and clutch. I do tend to have zany ideas from time to time, but I'm a realist and I know the limitations of what you can ask of such a drivetrain. There are plenty of folks out there who poo-poo the idea of running a bike engine even in a 1,000 lb car, and they have a point.

OTOH, I have seen a couple of sequential-shift conversions done for various Honda applications, where only the shifter itself needed to be replaced. Granted that these are cable-shifted cars, but I can envision something along these lines being done for the MX5.

Now, if someone would only produce a lightweight aluminum engine block...



Busted. :D

No, it seems now that I've actually laid hands on Fun02SE's triple powercard-equipped FFS-charged car, Tom and I have reached a sort of stalemate position. He can no longer accuse me of speculating about the devices with no first-hand experiance, and I no longer have to try to surreptitiously milk him for information. I really was surprised when I found out just how limited the expansion capabilities of the PCP were. You know how they advertise that you can hook it up to a computer and change the maps? Well, I'd always assumed that it has a USB or RS-232 port on it. Turns out it requires a special header connector on the back, and they will not sell these to anyone in order to maintain their exclusive duopoly on programming them.

And no, I'm not going to bother trying to reverse engineer it. :rolleyes:

Met another victim of Tom's the other day. Went to buy a couple parts off craigslist. Guy had a 99 with a new motor to replace the one that couldn't stand up to the awesomeness that is powercard and e-cooling.

Looking forward to whatever you decide to build. Will be fun to follow as it progresses.

You mean the road up to the observatory? If so I agree, that is a fantastic road. Plus at the top of the run, you can stop and check out IMO one of the most amazing devices created by man, the Hale 200" telescope.

I was also wondering what a Busa motor was capable of with stock internals. I was looking at the Mr. Turbo site the other night to get an idea and what you said echoes what they have on their site.

I think a stripped Miata chassis with a turbo Busa motor would be a hoot. I do not think it would be hard to do either. Like you said though, the transmission may not be up to the abuse of moving a heavy car. Running really short gearing in the differential could help, as well as not mounting really grippy tires (to limit torque). But then, without grip, what is the point? Building a tube frame chassis with the same attachment points as the suspension and stock powertrain is an interesting idea too.

I agree, something like the FFR GTM would be a lot more impressive to potential clients than an Atom-like car.

Not to jack my own thread too much, but I wonder just how light you could really get a Miata? Does anybody know what the dressed engine and transmission weigh as a unit?

(Tries to imagine what a turbo Gixxer engine would look like in a Miata engine bay)

IIRC, 1.8 is around 375+75 lbs. so you would save about 220 lbs.

Well, back to the powerplants...

The pre-1967 standard gives me an idea. There are turbo exhaust manifolds readily available for the small block Chevy. Aftermarket aluminum heads flow very well and are very cheap. Turbo camshaft grinds already exist. Steel cranks and forged or aluminum rods are cheaper for the SBC than any other pre-67 choice. The iron block would meet the production date criteria. And you are already a wizard with the Megasquirt that would surely control it. Light, cheap, strong, available, and turbocharged. Add a little water injection and...poof!...fire breathing dragon. An early test mule for the ATI Procharger (~18 years ago) was a '69 Camaro with low compression pistons that made 900+ horsepower on pump gas at around 12-14 psi, IIRC. We all know that modern turbos would kick the shit out of that. You would be able to make reliable horsepower at supercar levels on a damn reasonable budget that way.

And if your customers needed more power, you know how to pick upgrade turbos, intercoolers, water/meth systems, nitrous, and/or upgrade to a big block. Performance parts for small block Chevy are the least expensive and most plentiful, love 'em or hate 'em. Being a cheap bastard that likes to go fast, I'd be looking hard at that.

If only somebody was making turbo exhaust manifolds to fit my 7.6 liter Pontiac engine...

Here you go Joe. GTM in the paint shop. Pick your color. $55K

Almost Finished GTM - FFCobra.com - Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum

Or this one - much cheaper but needs more work. He has 37K in it but knows that he won't get that out of it.

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207612

Boooo, register to view pictures fail.

Chris

I have an account over there, actually.

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/attach...6&d=1242773319

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/attach...7&d=1242773334

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/attach...8&d=1242773355

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/attach...0&d=1245960312

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/attach...1&d=1245960318

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/attach...2&d=1245960325

http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/attach...3&d=1245960330


One thing that I found is that most people don't actually "build" kit cars in that price range. I mean, they "build" the cars like people say "we're building a house on this lot that we bought." They aren't physically building it. In all likelyhood, they aren't even overseeing it. They're just paying for it. I mean, a few people do actually build the things, but most have them built by somebody else. I got some really dumbass answers to relatively simple technical questions from people who were supposedly quite knowledgeable. Really disappointing, really.

I have to quit going to the FFR site and looking at that GTM. If I keep feeding my mega-covet for that car, I will end up doing something drastic that can only result in a mountain of debt and/or divorce.

I want one... wwwAAAAAAANNNNnnnnt oooonneee...

As much stuff as is included in the base kit, I'll bet one could have them take out some items, like the seats (get some used Recaros or the like), maybe even the harness (DIY one for an aftermarket ECU instead, like an Adaptronic), light assys (fit some HIDs instead) and shave even more cost off of the build. Also, one could get a cheap(er) low-end LSx, and up the power with turboz, lots of room in the engine bay. Funk dat NA stuff.

Hell, even take out the gauges they supply and build a sweet DIY digital display that gets telemetry from the ECU.

Hmmm. Now that I think about it, while a Mazdabusa might be a fun toy, it'd bump you out of any class in any race series in which you'd have the slightest hope of being competitive.



Might work for a Can-Am, but as cramped as the GTR's engine bay is, I can't imagine any off-the-shelf exhaust part fitting.

OTOH, it goes without saying that if I were to go that direction, it will have a pair of turbochargers hanging off of it. Wouldn't matter if Mike Maiwald himself personally gave me an engine making 800 ft/lbs on pump gas in naturally aspirated trim. It would have to be de-tuned and a pair of turbos attached just on general principle.


Sounds like a job for TurboTim. :D

Nah. Doesn't matter how much money is saved, I'd never buy somebody else's project. SETEC Astronomy.

Heh, found a great pic at their site:

http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar...peed.limit.jpg

(note: if you automatically understand the joke, and laugh, you are a geek.)


Yup.

Also yup.

No idea what value they'd be willing to attach to those parts, or what it would take to do some customization to the order, but it'd be worth a trip to Taxachusetts to find out. I think I'd keep the seats (I think they complement the interior nicely) but you're right, the dash, the wiring harness, the lighting, all that stuff would wind up getting tossed anyway.

Still, given that the base price is only $20k to begin with, I'm not sure how much really stands to be saved. From what I gather in the forums, the transaxle is the real killer. As you up the power, they start to get stupidly expensive in a hurry. Those guys are dropping $10-$15k just on their gearbox alone. Hell, for that price I'd just say 'eff it and buy a Mendeola.

These look sturdy:
http://strco.net/cart/bmz_cache/b/bd...ge.750x450.jpg
Chevy SBC Turbo Manifold [TM 5590] - $699.00 : Speed Track Racing, Cast-iron and steel car enhancements made to the highest standards.
And they are T3 / T4 flanges and 38mm wastegates. Yummy horsepower. Sorry, I'm stuck on my tangent.

Damn it, I am a geek.

670,616,629.3844 MPH is awful fast. I am only a semi geek, I knew what “C” stood for, but had to look up the actual speed. .:loser:

meh I use 300,000 km/s

186,282 miles per second. It's not just a good idea, it's the law.

Damn... That is more than I would want to spend on the entire motor WITH the turbos. Makes a Quaife gearset seem cheap in comparison. So based on your reading how much power can the stock Porsche gear box take? I guess it was not too overbuilt for the stock application, probably to save weight.

And, yeah, I admit, I am a geek, I got the C joke. I did not see that sign when I was there, pretty funny. The pictures I have seen do not do the Hale dome justice. It is freaking huge. I forget how many tons the moving dome weighs but it is massive. The telescope is a mechanical work of art. Gotta see it in person to appreciate it.

Well, it seems that there are about a dozen variants of the G50 (most of which are broadly interchangeable, though there are two different mounting systems) and sadly, I haven't seen a lot of factual data about the power levels that each of them can withstand- just a lot of "this one is weak, this one is strong." Here's a typical ad: High HP Transaxle kit F/S G50/52 - FFCobra.com - Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum This guy is selling a complete G50/52 package (with clutch, shifter, cooler, etc) for $14,537 with a 12 mo warranty, to which another poster comments that it's a great deal and how he spent more than that on his.

Here's another: G50/52 for high HP application for sale - FFCobra.com - Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum where a followup posted notes that he spent $17k on a comparable package.

Just search around the forum for "gearbox" and you'll find all sorts...


Funny thing is that as many times as I've driven up that mountain, I've never seen the observatory. For that matter, I've never seen much of anything up there apart from the road, the car in front of me, the guardrail (in the spots where there is one) and the steep cliff beyond the spots where there isn't.

For folks who have never been, here's the sort of automotive playground that one typically finds in the north San Diego county area. And when I say "typical" I'm being totally serious. These shots are of the Palomar Mountain area which is the best known section, but there are literally hundreds and hundreds of miles of this stuff all over the place.

http://img28.picoodle.com/img/img28/...1m_8632a04.gif

http://img28.picoodle.com/img/img28/...2m_4704662.gif

And to top it all off, these roads are actually in excellent condition. We don't get a lot of rain, much less freeze / thaw cycles, so the pavement is smooth and even, a lot of the turns are on-camber, and police presence, so long as you avoid certain times, is minimal at best.


Now you guys see why so many of us are willing to put up with the taxes and the CARB bullshit? :D

Hate to disagree, but when I left San Diego 2 years ago the cops were really cracking down on Palomar. Mostly to get motorcycles, but they were using a helicopter and everything. Seems the motorcycle groups had set up their own recovery teams to help remove downed bikers without alerting the police with tow trucks, etc. causing lots of traffic problems. Palomar is nice, but not the end all be all. Way too much traffic on a weekend. I've driven lots of roads just as fun along the Blue Ridge Parkway (not just ON the Parkway, but branching off of it). I worked at a Summer camp in North Carolina. Much more secluded.

Still, it was fun to head up to Julian on a weekend though. Sunrise Hwy was my favorite.

While on vacation last week, we went to the Ford museum in Detroit. Very cool place. They have an incredible array of vehicles there. One of which is the 1962 Mustang prototype/concept. Can you imagine how different the early pony car development could have been had they released it like it was designed - 2000 lbs, two seater with a 4 banger?

In any case, they also have a 90 acre area next to the museum called Ford Village. It's basically a little old 1930's town. It just so happened that they had a huge car show the weekend that we were there. Over 700 cars were there. My wife fell in love with a 61 Corvette. She said that we need to sell all of the Miatas and get one. Well, I have always been a fan of that style and said "sure, but they are kind of expensive" She said she didn't care and wanted to get one.

Fast forward a couple of days and I find one just like what she wants, in her color, fawn beige. She did choke on the asking price of $60K. Now she wants me to find a "project" one. I don't know if she understands that a $30K project vette will still end up being north of $50K at best. To be honest, even as much as I would like to have one, I can't see that kind of money for a pristine car when I live in the country and drive a mile on gravel roads to get to the nearest highway.

I'd be OK spending $30K on one or something similar, so I'm going to put a few pics of a FFR Roadster in front of her. I'd end up with a classic style roadster with better performance for less money. It will still hold it's value.

There are a lot for sale in the $25-35K range. This beautiful one was just sold in the 35K range with a turbo 4.6.

The last pic is a brandywine color with tan leather and the running gear from an 04 Cobra with 17K miles. It's still for sale for $29,500. More to the wine and cheeser look, but I could don a tweed hat and blow most anything that I come across into the weeds.

Yeah, I can see a Cobra-style car being a real hoot. Given that they're probably the most common replicar in existence however, I don't see one fitting my needs. Same goes for all the Jag and Porsche replicas as well, to say nothing of the bevy of Ferrari and Lambo knockoffs out there. I've never understood why somebody would even bother putting all that extra weight and bling onto what, at the end of the day, is still a Pontiac Fiero...

Sidebar:

Aren't there quite a lot of Subaru guys making just silly amounts of power on their WRXs? Does anybody know what sort of actual torque numbers they're typically producing? As odd as it sounds, I've not had a lot of luck finding actual dyno sheets- just peak HP numbers and cameraphone videos of cars on the dyno.

My point being that it seems a Scooby transaxle would be a lot easier (and cheaper) to source than a G50, the layout is correct, the size is correct, and somebody's gotta make a plate to hang an SBC on one. If it's possible to build one to withstand 600-700 ft/lbs, that might be the hot ticket.