I am just starting a body off rebuild of a 76 destined as a full on road race only. Does anyone have some ideas to start me off on how I can make this car handle or point me in the right direction? Have built a race car before but not a vette and haven't got a huge budget!

 

Different guys will have different answers. Try Vette Brakes and visit the Dick Guldstrand site for various parts. (http://www.guldstrand.com/)

 

Thanks for the tip, I will try the site. I am hoping to get a range of ideas to get the brain going!

 

Go with a full tube cage frame. Use modern coil over front A-arms. Plan on air ducted 13-14 inch front brakes and 12 inch rear. Front tires 295 or 315 17 or 18 inch 335 rears.

Plan on heavier rear weight bias as much as you can. I was able to achieve 42% front and 58% rear.

Cubic inch is king with max TQ. 434 - 472 ci small blocks with mid 600 hp. and 600 foot pounds of TQ. Or 496 - 572 BBC or even Super charged small blocks are good.

From the very start plan on dry sump oil system and a rear end cooler.


You are better off buying a race ready used SCCA T1 Vette or GT2 car.

You need a fat wallet. My race weekends were about $2000. $1200 for two days of tires. $250 -$500 for entry fee. Front rotors last about 2-3 race weekends $300 a pair with new pads.

 

bump - surprised at the posters non response

 

Here are some coilover options. I'm not done up loading all the front stuff yet. Front and rear can be found here.
http://www.vansteel.com/index.cfm?fu...&SubGroup=1971

Big Brake Kits - I would also opt for the thermal lock pistons instead of the traditional ones included the calipers.
http://www.vansteel.com/index.cfm?fu...&SubGroup=1961

 

Here are some must reads by the guys that drove these vettes back in the day. Awesome sources of information .... most of it very economical to perform if you have any fabrication skills.

http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/guldstrand/

http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/vip.pdf

http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/ChevyPower.pdf

 

 

Start with a rule book for whatever sanctioning body and class you intend to run. Consider this to be your Assembly Instruction Manual as you do the build. It would suck to continuous weld all frame seams, for instance, only to find that mod is illegal when you show up at your first event. Once you decide what you want the car to be once it grows up, let the guys here know and I'll wager you'll get better, more directed response.

 

Without a car with a racing history you can forget about Historic racing sactioned class. Being older than 25 years like mine you can enter Vintage production class 3 SCCA or time trials classes like GT1 or BP.........

after years of being at tracks there is no reason to run inferior supposed period correct J56 titanium modified brakes................ You are better off building something that can compete against the 427 ci Z0-6 c-5's and z0-6 C-6's along with the vipers and supercharged mustangs when you do BP racing. It just heads up racing. Then you get to be out there mixing it up with 650 hp turbo Porches and all the good guys.

I run the same R6 hoosier width as the fastest cars on the track and have the same power levels. Class cheating abounds so I went with big brakes, motor, wheels, and tires. Somebody would have to protest if you win to much I was 2007 class champ in VP3 SCCA in my 79 vette We had the first and third place cars from our shop in the Monterey historics this year in a 63 vette and a 68 GT350R mustang

 

Why is better a rear weight bias? that equally distributed or even fron bias?

 

First off I would have to give you some back ground. I work on exotic historic race cars of all kinds and I read allot. The boss encourages
us to know all about what we are working on. The owners race them all over the world and some of the Ferrari's have been in the shop since it opened 24 years ago.

When we restore, build, refurbish, and race prep cars we always do the four corner digital scales before they hit the race track for testing or racing.
They keep detailed log books of all kinds of settings for each and every track they go to. With coil overs you can adjust each corner tire weight within a certain amount without upsetting ground clearances.............

Right off the bat, I saw that the most extreme cars in the world like F1, Indy cars, IMSA....... would have only 30% front weight and 70% rear. That is static weight. Up at high speed those monster rear wings even change the F/R bias more to the rear. All rear engined and transaxels to place all the weight on the rear tires for max traction in both taking off and braking. Traction is a rear problem on cars that are under a Kilo or 2 pounds per HP. They can smoke the tires up to 150 mph when they get enough wing to plant the big slicks to the pavement.

Then when you get into production race door type cars competing in GT1 or GT2 the front motored cars are nearer to 38-44% front.

So it is not my idea. Race engineers figured this out when I was still in diapers! It is the race proven advancement starting in the late 50 - 60's when cars shifted to rear or mid engine designs.

Before I really put thought into my front and rear bias I used to have my rear tires lockup when braking from 130 mph into a slow 45 mph turn at the road racing track while still going straight. I considered a big rear wing to keep some weight on the rear tires under heavy braking. So I went on an all out taking the weight off the front of my Vette.

It so much more fun now to be able to give my Vette some more gas in a turn and have the rear end stay planted. Lots of rear weight and 335/35/17 rear tires make all the difference out on the street.

 

 

Duntov Motors races C3's with much success in vintage road racing using mostly stock suspension on some of there cars. I believe they could point you in right direction.

 

The Duntov winning car that posts those videos is an all out 800+ hp lightened car with upgrades from stock too numerous to count. It would not even be allowed to enter in most of the sanctioning bodies. It also probably costs about $100,000

Real vintage road racing true to the intent of the rules only have 450 or so hp small blocks

 

Bottom line. Improved rear brake and better power down as you exit the corner. On Danny Popps 69' I think he was 51 or 52% rear bias but he is on big front springs. Well over a 1000#'s on each corner up front.

 

Before you go building a ground up race car, you should check out used race cars that are available. My SCCA World Challenge car cost me $90K to build (not including our labor) and sold it for $20K 3 years later. That was getting the body, electronics and computer cage design free from Ford.

You also need to decide where you going to race it as others have said and build it around their rules. Nothing worse than spending a couple years building the car and lots of $ and no place to race it competitively.


Where are you planning on racing this car and what class?

 

Here is another example of it is better buy than build. This local guy is in financial trouble and must sell this rear 1972 I think Race car.

I has a racing history to back in the 70. He wants $28,000 Turn key with some spares. This would get you into any historic, vintage racing as well as NASA and SCCA bp and VP3

He probably has $15,000 in the 496 ci Solid roller motor. full tube frame

My Vette is # 79 and # 85 is the for sale car. This pic was from 2008. We were the first cars to the grid wait for qualifying.

 

The Duntov Grand Sport is probably what you are speaking of. They have a C3 that I have seen that is suprisingly stock for the numbers it puts up, though I am sure it has alot of power. The point of the post was that Duntov Motors would be able to point someone in the right direction regarding vintage road racing, regardless of budget. If they can put down 800+ hp, it would seem that they might have a clue as to what to do with 450 or so hp small blocks.