1976 corvette autocross project
 

Hi guys I’m new to this forum. Currently have a 76 Vette I’d like to make a street/autocross car. I’ve got a new 750 Holley carb, 4 bolt main cammed 355. Is really appreciate some input on upgrading the still stock suspension. I don’t wanna go cheap at all but I’d like to do the project little by little without making the car unusable and without completely breaking the bank. Any info is appreciated. Let her rip!

Does the autocross group you run with have any restrictions on modifications that wont effect what class you run in?
Do you have a maximum dollar amount to invest?
A cheap place to start is front and rear sway bars and shock absorbers.
Beyond that increasing wheel and tire width.
Going further would be front and rear spring changes.
Still further would be complete changes to the type of front and rear suspension.

I’m not sure . I’m located in CT and I have Limerock and stafford springs as local race tracks but I am willing to travel within New England to go to events. I am new and just getting into the sport so any recommendations are welcome .

Id find these places and see what their class rules are before you start spending money

Thanks will do for sure. The group I believe is the SCDA and I think I’m going to go for the open classes to start off.

Though they do occasionally host an autocross, race tracks like Lime Rock Park and Stafford Springs, don't usually have autocross'. You'll find that normally they're held on a parking lot, through a course laid out using safety cones. Even when an autocross is held at a race track, they often only use a portion of the track, and may still lay out the course using pylons. My local Sports Car Club of America Region (SCCA), holds 10 or 12 solo events a year, one or two on track at NJ Motorsports Park, and the balance on a parking lot in Atlantic City.

Before deciding on what modifications you want to do, you really should reach out to some of the local SCCA Regions, and/or other sports car clubs, such as Porsche Club of America (PCA), to see what classes they run, and what modifications are allowed.

Your best bet might be to show up at an autocross, watch, ask questions of the organizers and participants, and maybe even enter your car in it's current stock condition, to get a feel for what it's like and to have a baseline for the future.

I did a lot of autocrossing in the 70's and 80's, in Corvettes and other cars, and really enjoyed it. My avatar picture is me autocrossing my 62, around 1978.

This website will give you a calendar of events in the Northeast, and a little background on autocross. https://www.autox4u.com/

Thank you very much!! I will definitely be reaching out and would be stoked to show up and see the sport in action and learn more.

Something to keep in mind is that in autocross, aside from seat time, tires are the most critical element to making the car turn respectable times. It's important to understand that the best tires for autocross are not manufactured in 15" sizes appropriate for Corvettes, the 15" sizes are all very small for Miata's and such. The various organizations that host autocross have unique rules to allow 1" upsizing or downsizing the wheel diameter to open up tire options (SCCA, while NCCC allows +/-1" on diameter and width) and still stay in stock class. Going to 17's or bigger will bump you out of stock into a modified category, which is fine if that is what you want to do. If you run SCCA and plan to upsize wheels to 17" or more, you might want to look into the CAM-S class (Classic American Muscle-Sports), which allows for almost any modification but is restricted to high performance street tires (200 TW such as BFG Rival S or Bridgestone RE-71R). The drawback to CAM-S is that it allows Corvettes all the way up to current models.

What would you recommend for a first event?

Just make sure your tires are in good shape, maybe add a few psi to keep them from rolling over. Fresh fluids and you should be in good shape. Have a good attitude going in, realize that you'll more than likely be humbled by somebody in a grocery getter Honda or Mini Cooper. Other than that, focus on seeing the course, don't get lost and improve your times run over run. And have fun!

Limerock has a page devoted to autocross
http://limerock.com/summer-autocross-days

...

Is that something I should look into? I was wondering if Von steel was the way to go?

What are recommendations for new shocks? I’m thinking about getting the whole set of Bilstein sport shocks as my next upgrade.

Bilstein Sports would be a great choice.

THESE ARE NOT GLOBAL WEST A-Arms. They are aftermarket A-arms that fit early model full size Chevy cars. They can be bought for less than $200 thru Jeg's, Summit, ebay, etc.
Check out our thread on these and what it takes to make them fit.
Posted same info on the guy's Facebook page.
Buyers beware.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ar-a-arms.html

23 pages of information in this thread here......
Better have some skills to make them work. Welding, machining and re-coating all needed.

Bman :thumbs:

THESE are what the real Global West look like.
Notice the Global West label, the different ball joints and the real giveaway......the cross shaft on the real ones are a direct bolt on. The ones on the FB guy's need serious machining.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/g...model/corvette

In addition to reading the rules, before you start throwing money at mod's I recommending reading up on these suspensions. They are unique and the more you learn, the less chance for making huge errors. This is a very good article to start with Vette Improvement Program (VIP).

Other good articles can be found here http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/

You don't have to spend a ton of money to get C3's to handle quite well if you can turn a wrench and do some light fabrication.

I thought for sure I saw their label on them... I deleted my post about them, please delete or remove the pic from the quote.

Would you please send me a link to the rules. I’ll read up on them

1. Driving lessons. I took a class years ago and was taught how to properly drive auto-x by national champions. The cost was reasonable and my driving was vastly improved.

2. 3 of the big vendors have awesome packages or you can buy them piece by piece. Van Steel cars are fast. Detroit Speed cars are fast. Ridetech cars are fast.

3. As mentioned by 69autoxr Tires, tires, tires.

After reading over your posts, I'm wondering if you are interested in autocrossing, or high performance driving days? The reason I ask is because you mentioned SCDA, and though I'm not real familiar with them, I thought they primarily run HPDE events, and not timed competitions?

An autocross is a timed event, run against the clock by one car at a time, over on race course, either a temporary course set up using pylons, or on a permanent race track like Lime Rock. In autocross, cars are broken into classes based on similar speed characteristics and modifications. A high performance driving experience (HPDE) is run on permanent race tracks, and run groups are usually based on driver experience, and not the car, leaving modifications pretty much completely open. HPDE events aren't usually considered competition events, but are run more for fun and a test of a drivers abilities.

If you are interested in autocross, the link below will tell you everything you could ever want to know about how to run autocross with the SCCA. Classes, glossary of terms, how to find an autocross, and more, including a link to the PDF of the complete SCCA Solo rule book, are all on the SCCA's autocross page. How other organizations handle classes and rules may vary a little, but will likely be similar. Until you figure out where you plan on running, and who you want to run with, this should give you a good idea of what modifications are and aren't allowed in each class, if you plan to try autocrossing.

If autocrossing is what you want to try, please heed the warnings of others here, and figure out where and who you're going to run with, and what their rules are, BEFORE making any modifications. Shocks and sway bars are usually open in just about any group or class you race in, but mods like tubular a-arms may put you in a class with purpose built race cars. :thumbs:

https://www.scca.com/pages/autocross

I'll second what others have said already :

1. Go search youtube for C3 Corvette Autocross or something similar and you'll find a slew of videos of pro built/driven cars from DSE, Ridetech, Danny Popp and others, as well as some of us "regular guys". Also look on youtube or on the Ridetech Facebook page for Goodguys Autocross videos. Make sure that this what you're talking about when you say autocross, rather than a "Track Day" event on a large road course.
2. Find an organization near you that's running autocross events. Check for SCCA SOLO events, Goodguys events, and also look at MotorsportsReg.com
3. Go visit during an event and get a ride-along, if available.
4. Figure out which organization you're going to run with and see where your car fits into their rules and what modifications you'll be allowed to do.
5. Get a good, performance oriented alignment. Vansteel and others have suggested specs to get you started and you can always ask here too, just be prepared for a variety of answers and theories. There's a ton of good information and very experienced members here, but I've seen it be overwhelming for some newcomers.
6. TIRES! A sticky 200 tread-wear performance tire makes a world of difference. If possible, buy them in a full set of 4 and try to keep the same size front & rear. That way, you can rotate them front-to-rear after each event, so that they'll wear evenly. Also, you'll avoid situations like I just had, where I replaced the two front tires, but not the rears (they looked like they still had some life in them) and it through the balance of the car way off. I had tons of front grip, but that made the rear really loose.
7. SEAT TIME! Once you start running, try to get as much seat time as possible, preferably with an experienced driver/coach riding along.

Now back to your original question about upgrading the car.
- I already mention alignment and tires, but a good set of shocks would be next.
- If you don't already have them, add a rear sway bar and upgrade the front to the 1 1/8".
- Make sure that the bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, and strut rods are all in good condition.
- Brake pads should probably be next. A lot of people have had good luck with the EBC YellowStuff pads. Just be sure to upgrade both the front and rear.
- After that, there are many options or paths to take. If it has good springs with a decent rate, then I would suggest replacing the upper control arms with an adjustable set from SPC that will allow you to get more camber and caster. However, if the springs are old and soft, I'd replace those first.
- From there, I'd probably go with a Borgeson steering box and the Ridetech brace for it. The box will improve the steering ratio and get rid of the leaky slave cylinder & hoses, and the Ridetech brace will keep it solid and help prevent cracking around the mounting points.

After that, there's many more possible options, it just depends on what your budget is and what your rules allow.

Good luck and have fun out there.
-Chris

Thank you sir