My first taste of LSR (sort of) was when my dad took me for a 150 mph
blast on the Daytona sand in his new 1957 Chrysler 300C. Since then my
dream has been to drive on the salt at Bonneville. After 40+ years of
hydroplane racing, hot rod drag racing, motorcycle road racing and
motorcycle drag racing, my second taste of LSR was in a very slow but
very fun "G" coupe at Maxton. Now I have the fever bad, and my Chief
Financial Officer and Team Manager has given me approval (and her
blessings) to build a "real" LSR car. I know it would be easy to go
out on the local used car lots and buy an already hot-rodded, low rider
pickup or something and convert it with just a little effort, but this
is my once-in-a-lifetime-chance, and I really want to do it with a
"real, hemi-powered" race car. I've started putting together plans,
and some parts, and that's where I would like all the input you guys
care to give me.
I have a 354 hemi (I have now learned class "C" not "XXO"), a Chev S-10
frame, a lot of ideas, and a line on a 1948 Renault Model 1062/4-CV
body - all of which I hope adds up to a C/GCC. The 4-CV is a little
bigger than a '40s Fiat, and a little smaller than a '40s Anglia.
(Look at the attach. and you will get an idea of what I plan.)
I want to mount the hemi back as far as I can and still have room to
sit relatively comfortably in front of the rear axle, which should be
with the crankshaft pully about 26" - 30" behind the front axle line.
The S-10 wheelbase is about 105" so I think that engine placement is
OK.
I then want to take the 4-CV body, chop the top about six inches
(leaving about 5 1/2 - 6 inches of vert windshild, remove the rear
fenders, and mount it over the rear of the frame with the originial
Renault wheel location centered over the S-10 axle.
I then want to take the front clip of the body, mount it centered over
the new front wheel location, and build sheetmetal panels to connect
the front end to the back end. The stretch looks like it will end up
around 18" to 20" in front of the fire wall.
I plan on fabricating a belly pan, and using a roof hatch for primary
entry-exit.
I guess the car will technically be a modified Renault. The Renault was
originally a rear engine vehicle, and will now be a front engine. Does
that present any class-qualifying problems? Does my overall plan sound
like a sound route to building a "household budget based" C/GCC?
Any advice you can give will certainly be appreciated. I want to be
sure to invest my Team Manager's money wisely, or she may stop cooking
dinner and other things that I enjoy.
[ Mostrously long attachment chucked intot he bit bucket. mjb.]
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