Buying a "Project" Race Car

So you are ready to go racing for the first time and want to find a great deal on a racecar?  Everyone that races has been down this same path before and often time found quicksand!  This page is about "project" racecars; those that will need work to bring up to an acceptable standard.  The information here comes from personal experience and a compilation of messages of others experiences found on popular web "mailing lists".  We encourage you to e-mail us with information that you feel should be included either in general or specific to a particular marque.

• Locate and signup with a web mailing list and locate tech sites for the type of car you are interested in.  Begin researching your specific car.  The "Setup" link on the home page will provide good general information about specific marque but there is a wealth of information available at your fingertips on the web.
• Foremost, make sure your vintage race group accepts the car you are considering.  You would not be the first person to assume incorrectly that a particular car was eligible.  Some, but not all, vintage organizations require a car have period race history and this must be taken into account anytime you decide to purchase a "project" car.
• All racecar owners will tell you their car is "ready to race" or nearly so. Don't put much faith in such statements.  Generally they aren't lying, they really believe their car is ready. However all too often you will encounter racers that will drive anything, no matter what condition the car is in. That's why you see so many drivers working on their cars all race weekend!  It really is much more enjoyable to have the car fully prepped prior to a race so you can sit back and enjoy the weekend rather than spend all of your time working on (or under) the car.
• Because of  the above you must assume NO "project" racecar you find is really "ready to race". You need to evaluate it based on what it's really going to take to make it an acceptable racecar. It helps if you first determine what you  DON'T have to do to the car.

General

• Good roll cage.   The cage needs to meet SCCA roll bar specs for the class car.  In some cases this might not really be period correct but vintage groups tend to allow upgraded cages for your personal safety.  Be especially wary of chrome-molly cages, they tend to be brittle at the welds.
• Chassis.  Look for strength and provisions for adjustment.  Be wary of rust on major components.  Look for paint bubbles (usually means rust underneath).
• Is the car assembled?  It's not unusual to find racecars in "kit" form.  It's not necessarily bad to find a car in this condition.  Many project cars are completely disassembled sooner or later anyway.  You are going to need to check every nut, bolt and screw on the car; a "kit" car lets you inspect every part as it is put on the car.  It's amazing how many bad nuts, bolts and screws you will find.
• Condition of the fuel cell. You should open the cell and pull out the bladder.  A $350 lesson is a bad bladder hidden by the steel can.  Does the cell have fuel in it?  If so how long has it been there.  It is possible that the foam has deteriorated if fuel has been left in a long time.
• How current are the seat belts? They must be replaced or re-webbed every 5 years.
• Is the seat any good for racing? Lots of drivers go cheap here.
• Does it have a 2 or 3 nozzle, 5 lb or greater fire system? Is it charged?
• Does it have an aluminum radiator? Aluminum oil and water catch tanks?
• What gauges does it have?  For vintage racing they should look "period correct". This means Smiths or S-W.
• Is the original wiring used? If so you might find that you need to remove all wiring and rewire if for no other reason than weight savings.  Wire = weight!
• Speaking of weight, has the car been lightened (removed everything that's not needed to hold it together and still stay within the rules. This includes undercoating, floor soundproofing, excess metal from doors etc?
• How much body work and paint is needed? The car will need to be straight and have a nice paint job.  Remember that for vintage racing the car needs to look period correct.  That wild paint job might be a sight to behold but it might keep you out of some (if not all) vintage events!
• Does it have flares? Most vintage groups frown on flared fenders, especially when the car does not have period race history with the flares on.
• What spares come with the car.  If the car had been raced much there should be extra motor(s), transmission(s), rear end(s) etc.
• Are there logbooks and do they come with the car.  Logbooks should always go with the car.  Be suspect of any "race car" without log books as it probably never been raced.
• Has the car been in a major wreck?  Most racecars have hit something or been hit during their life.  Because of this it is not unusual to find a lot of plastic body filler under the paint.  What you need to know is if the car has major structural patches or damage that could be a safety issue as well as a competitive disadvantage.

Driveline

• Does the car have a real race motor or just a warmed over stock motor.  Unless you like running at the back of the pack you will want a true race motor.
• Don't consider any motor that has already been raced to have a lot of life left in it. At least that seems to be the consensus among most people. The issue is what does it take to rebuild it. In some cases this can be a simple "refresh" with rings. bearings, bolts etc. or it could also be a complete rebuild or worse, replacement.  Ask the owner if  you can  pull the head, check the bores to make sure they are round, look for damage in the bores, on the head and on the top of the pistons.  If you cannot inspect the inside of the motor, then you should do a compression and leak down test.
• Does it have an oil cooler?  If the car has been raced without an oil cooler you should expect to find excessive crank bearing wear and possibly major engine wear if not serious damage.
• Is the size of the carb(s) correct for the motor?  Are they in good condition?  When, where and by who were they last rebuilt.
• Does it have electric fuel pump(s)?  If so does it have/need a return line? Does if have braided steel lines (these can go bad and begin to leak)
• Is the clutch/transmission and flywheel made for competition? 
• Is the rear end a Limited Slip or welded?  Can it be changed easily for other ratios?
• What type of wheels are being used. Are they a popular "vintage" type and size?  Are they fairly easy to find in the new or used marketplace?  Spare wheels are a real plus. Oddball wheels (with no extras) are a minus as one day you will find you want to buy all new wheels.
• Is the ride height adjustable (coilovers)?
• Does it have an adjustable rear or front sway bar.  These are nice in that they allow you to easily fine tune the car to current conditions.
• Is the front/rear camber adjustable?

Finally, if you plan to do most of the work then you should consider the purchase of a project racecar as a 1 to 2 year endeavor. Avoid the temptation to tear the car down.  Instead put it on the track and race it as soon as you can (even local track days) to find out what you like or don't like then make a plan (list) of what you want to do to the car. Once you have it to an acceptable point for vintage racing, try to keep the car at the point that you don't have to miss a race due to changes that are in progress.  Leave the big changes for the off-season.