John
C3 as a drift car?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,910
Likes: 962
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
I do a lot of track days with my cars (and after several sprint car driving schools, I'm not unnerved by sideways stuff), and correct me if I'm mistaken, but isn't the "winner" of a drifting match determined by a panel of judges, much like a car show or rhythmic gymnastics?
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 245
Likes: 34
From: Detroit Michigan
Anyone who wants to do what ever they want with the car they own should by all means do so.
I have participated in quite a few crazy, extreme sports, motocross racing, moto GP, off road, and drifting is a whole other animal.
I am finishing building my 78 c3 corvette right now, LS1, T-56, vbp full competition suspension, soon to be turbocharged and you can bet I will be drifting this car. There is an event coming up the 15th and I am trying to get it ready to take to that one. It will be the first event I compete in with it, but if I do and get some video I will post it up for everyone to see a C3 can damn well drift with the best of them, as long as the driver can keep up.
I have participated in quite a few crazy, extreme sports, motocross racing, moto GP, off road, and drifting is a whole other animal.
I am finishing building my 78 c3 corvette right now, LS1, T-56, vbp full competition suspension, soon to be turbocharged and you can bet I will be drifting this car. There is an event coming up the 15th and I am trying to get it ready to take to that one. It will be the first event I compete in with it, but if I do and get some video I will post it up for everyone to see a C3 can damn well drift with the best of them, as long as the driver can keep up.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,783
Likes: 400
From: Paoli, IN
St. Jude Donor '17, '19
...but watch and try and tell me that is not incredible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4UH3jc0a1k&feature=fvst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4UH3jc0a1k&feature=fvst
I have always wanted to take some driving lessons to learn how to take corners at high speeds and drift, but this kind of driving would take years to get.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 310
Likes: 0
From: London
This guy is mental! Its mad how close to things his front bumper is!
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 14,959
Likes: 3,353
From: NYC NY
As much as I hold my nose every tome I see drifting on TV, I have to disagree with you. I've owned my BB C3 for a long time, and I've had to learn how to use the throttle to get that thing around a corner at times. With the bigblock's throttle response and power, it's a piece of cake to get it to do whatever I want it to. The steering has never been a restriction to doing this.
That statement is dead on!Here's a statement from an interview with Jerry Thompson about the Owens/Cornings cars.
Thompson: "For the time, they worked. That doesn’t mean they were easy to drive. The engines had so much torque and power that most guys were intimidated by them. There were a few—including us—who would slide them to get the most from them. You had to have some slip angle to really race them on the hard tires they had back then. All the time, somebody would come in the pits and tell us we had the worst-handling car on the track, because it was sliding so much. They’d say, “You were entering the turns almost backwards.” Then one of the crew would show them a time sheet that [we were] a second, or more, quicker than the competition. That shut them up."
Read the entire article here.
http://www.corvette-mag.com/issues/5...-streak?page=1
John Greenwood echoed those words in an interview in the July 1991 issue of Corvette Fever.
From page 107 "The whole time I drove race cars I only drove them one way - DRIFT them."
Yes he did use that word
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,071
Likes: 147
From: S Nevada
I've taken a ride with a pro driver at the gm test facility. We were in a C6 and again in a a Z06, my gawd those cars can drift. And that was coming out of an intentional 360 spin at 90 mph.
Somehow some people have forgotten that the corvette was built to perform. Not just look pretty while we attend coffee and donuts clutches at the local Tim Hortons.
But to answer the op's question. I see no reason why a C3 could not make a good drift car. Not mine though. Mine will be more of a coffee and donut meeting car.
Somehow some people have forgotten that the corvette was built to perform. Not just look pretty while we attend coffee and donuts clutches at the local Tim Hortons.
But to answer the op's question. I see no reason why a C3 could not make a good drift car. Not mine though. Mine will be more of a coffee and donut meeting car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,187
Likes: 7
From: Chetwynd B.C.
I agree with previous statements that if you own the car you can do what ever you like with. If it turns your crank then so be it. I too hate trailer queens but each to their own.
Nothing gets my heart going more than when I put the BB into a 4 wheel drift around a corner and have to feather the steering and the throttle to keep it on the correct track thru the corner. My Grandson as a passenger gets a real thrill out of it too.
shmoky
Nothing gets my heart going more than when I put the BB into a 4 wheel drift around a corner and have to feather the steering and the throttle to keep it on the correct track thru the corner. My Grandson as a passenger gets a real thrill out of it too.
shmoky
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Instructor
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 135
Likes: 0
From: London, Ontario
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0YDo669hrU
not a C3 but a vette
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_SNh...eature=related
I don't know why people in here have to be so negative when someone asks a question. If he asked about khana racing or drag racing people wouldn't have a problem with him. What someone does with their car has no bearing on me and this "hobby" hell if I was to say what was wrong with this hobby it would be the garage queens that never get driven. I'd rather see someone get out and use the car however they use it instead of treating it like a statue in a museum.
not a C3 but a vette
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_SNh...eature=related
I don't know why people in here have to be so negative when someone asks a question. If he asked about khana racing or drag racing people wouldn't have a problem with him. What someone does with their car has no bearing on me and this "hobby" hell if I was to say what was wrong with this hobby it would be the garage queens that never get driven. I'd rather see someone get out and use the car however they use it instead of treating it like a statue in a museum.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati OH
I am finishing building my 78 c3 corvette right now, LS1, T-56, vbp full competition suspension, soon to be turbocharged and you can bet I will be drifting this car. There is an event coming up the 15th and I am trying to get it ready to take to that one. It will be the first event I compete in with it, but if I do and get some video I will post it up for everyone to see a C3 can damn well drift with the best of them, as long as the driver can keep up.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,783
Likes: 400
From: Paoli, IN
St. Jude Donor '17, '19
Anyone who wants to do what ever they want with the car they own should by all means do so.
I have participated in quite a few crazy, extreme sports, motocross racing, moto GP, off road, and drifting is a whole other animal.
I am finishing building my 78 c3 corvette right now, LS1, T-56, vbp full competition suspension, soon to be turbocharged and you can bet I will be drifting this car. There is an event coming up the 15th and I am trying to get it ready to take to that one. It will be the first event I compete in with it, but if I do and get some video I will post it up for everyone to see a C3 can damn well drift with the best of them, as long as the driver can keep up.
I have participated in quite a few crazy, extreme sports, motocross racing, moto GP, off road, and drifting is a whole other animal.
I am finishing building my 78 c3 corvette right now, LS1, T-56, vbp full competition suspension, soon to be turbocharged and you can bet I will be drifting this car. There is an event coming up the 15th and I am trying to get it ready to take to that one. It will be the first event I compete in with it, but if I do and get some video I will post it up for everyone to see a C3 can damn well drift with the best of them, as long as the driver can keep up.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 245
Likes: 34
From: Detroit Michigan
as requested.
Not trying to jack this thread, but as requested.
Engine shot
Offset trailing arms, fiberglass leafs, bilsteins, 4 way adjustable and dampening.
Custom fabricated x-bar/ harness bar with 3" 5 point camlocks
And how it is sitting as of now, took it out for the first real shakedown just this past week since the engine swap.
Engine shot
Offset trailing arms, fiberglass leafs, bilsteins, 4 way adjustable and dampening.
Custom fabricated x-bar/ harness bar with 3" 5 point camlocks
And how it is sitting as of now, took it out for the first real shakedown just this past week since the engine swap.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 245
Likes: 34
From: Detroit Michigan
I guess I cant figure out how to put up pictures on here, Here is a link to my build on
LS1Tech.com
http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversion...rbo-build.html
LS1Tech.com
http://ls1tech.com/forums/conversion...rbo-build.html
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 98
Likes: 0
From: MA
Eh I've heard of this and watched a few of the videos of the drift king out of curiosity with his high Reving Trueno AE86 but it just seems like an accident waiting to happen IMO
but hey its like anything else its purely subjective, if you really want to do it its your choice but I myself wouldnt use up a good vette like that, yeah I'd probably powerslide it once in awhile in the future once I aquire one but not all of the time like they do with drifting.
not to mention the engine wear that would be caused by driving it like that.
actually when it comes to this I think a porsche would be better suited for it with its engine behind the rear axel (scandinavian flick anyone?)
however in that case if you crashed the car into a wall with the back end its bye bye engine, not a rear bumper or a trunk lid.
but hey its like anything else its purely subjective, if you really want to do it its your choice but I myself wouldnt use up a good vette like that, yeah I'd probably powerslide it once in awhile in the future once I aquire one but not all of the time like they do with drifting.
not to mention the engine wear that would be caused by driving it like that.
actually when it comes to this I think a porsche would be better suited for it with its engine behind the rear axel (scandinavian flick anyone?)
however in that case if you crashed the car into a wall with the back end its bye bye engine, not a rear bumper or a trunk lid.
Last edited by Kavinsky; Oct 7, 2011 at 01:24 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,948
Likes: 72
From: Oxford MA-----You just lost the game!!!!
I'll admit, I don't see the point of "drifting", but it sure looks like fun! Maybe that's the whole point. Anyway, I would think a C3 would make an awesome drift car, because of the seating position being practically right on top of the rear axle, you can feel the tires gaining and losing traction very precisely.
Scott
Scott
Racer
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 355
Likes: 18
From: Corona Ca
I remember an article in Hot Rod/Car Craft about a Gen 1 Camaro set up for drifting. While the Asian car driving teams went thru motors, clutches, gear boxes, diffs, brakes and tires, but i think the Camaro team only went thru tires. Robust America parts, heh? But they did have to modify the steering to get the wheels to go thru a bigger angle from lock-to-lock to allow for the huge slides.
Why not in C3? Do it!
Why not in C3? Do it!
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 4,206
Likes: 8
From: Belmar NJ
The next time your local schools close due to snow, get in your car/truck and get to the school parking lots BEFORE they plow. You'll learn plenty about drifting (just watch out for the light poles)/:\