DodgeIntrepid.Net Forums banner

Help design my car...

17K views 42 replies 18 participants last post by  winkler91 
#1 · (Edited)
Ok, I race Circle track asphalt at Langley Speedway, Hampton Va. The last two years I've run a Escort in the Ucar division and a Crown Vic in the Enduro's.
Rules for the Enduro's changed to 4/6 cyl FWD, completely stock. Of course, got a Intrepid....
While I gut her out, put in a roll cage, tune-up, ect... Need ideas for a paint job. Would REALLY appreciate your guy's help on a design. Here's pics of the new Escort i'm finishing up.



NOW comes time to build the Intrepid. Got a 97 Black one that will be my Starter car.
Please help me design the paint job. Nothing too hard to do...backyard build.. I should be ready for paint within two weeks...The car is BLACK. It would be easier/cheaper if I keep the base color the same.
It'll have the 13 on the doors/roof. I don't have any sponsors yet, so any decals / graphics / Kudos will work.
Thanks for your help. I'll post pics of her when I'm done.

Lucky 13 Motorsports
I don't fail...I'm just getting good at finding out what doesn't work...
 
See less See more
2
#5 ·
That is awesome! I think you and Devan will have fun talking - he runs Autocross in Florida (I Think!). Boy, I'm not one for a paint scheme though. There are some really nice upgrades you can do to the car with a little work, like adding larger brakes from a 2nd gen, stiffer sway bars, etc.

Post up some pics of your car when you get a chance, we'd love to see it progress into a track car!
 
#6 ·
Ok, been busy building the car...THANK YOU for your comments/Ideas. I'm getting close to being done. Season starts end of March.
Langley Speedway. Enduro Division ( Fwd, 4 or 6 cyl, completely stock..)



 
  • Like
Reactions: cdmccul
#13 · (Edited)
Stock...Stock...Stock....
Well, we all have to cheat a little. Rear sway bar from 300 Special, custom made sway bar links. Wheels are from Crown Vic, low offset = 3.45" wider stance. 4 degrees front camber, rear toe'd 1" to the right. A/C deleted. Alternator on cutoff switch. Engine mounts Eurothene filled SOLID. Springs heated to lower. ( Install in spring compressor. Bake at 450 degrees, 15 minutes until golden brown.)
Still to do: Trans= 3rd, 4th gears removed- spacers added. Spider gears elongated. Shift kit installed.
Locate JY springs from other, heavier car that fit right struts.
My Escort, 95, is made up of 9 makes/models/years but still looks stock.
And yes, the tail light decals are Ford Fusion. ( I knew I couldn't pull anything on you guys.) They don't make Intredid tail light decals. You can hardly see them in these photos, but check out the back windows....
 
#15 ·
Stock...Stock...Stock....
Well, we all have to cheat a little. Rear sway bar from 300 Special, custom made sway bar links. Wheels are from Crown Vic, low offset = 3.45" wider stance. 4 degrees front camber, rear toe'd 1" to the right. A/C deleted. Alternator on cutoff switch. Engine mounts Eurothene filled SOLID. Springs heated to lower. ( Install in spring compressor. Bake at 450 degrees, 15 minutes until golden brown.)
Any rubbing issues with the Vic wheels and tires? What does the alt cut off switch get you?

Glad to hear about the urethane filled engine mounts - did you happen to take any pictures of them?

Still to do: Trans= 3rd, 4th gears removed- spacers added. Spider gears elongated. Shift kit installed.
Locate JY springs from other, heavier car that fit right struts.
Have you considered going to autostick? you could eliminate having to remove 3rd and 4th gears then maybe, unless you are gaining strength by removing them.

How will you elongate the spider gears?

I wonder if someone here knows of springs... if you do find some that work, please post it here.

My Escort, 95, is made up of 9 makes/models/years but still looks stock.
And yes, the tail light decals are Ford Fusion. ( I knew I couldn't pull anything on you guys.) They don't make Intredid tail light decals.
So, how stock is stock's requirement then?

You can hardly see them in these photos, but check out the back windows....
FTW!!!!! That's awesome!
 
#16 ·
That looks totally sharp, especially the shot from the front.
 
#19 ·
Ok, tires rub= Only at full turn. Stripped out plastic wheel wells did the trick. Have to run 70 series. Running Firestone firehawk P41 tires, 235-70-15's on the drv side, 235-70-16's on the pass.
Alternator cutout switch= Most guys don't run an alternater, just battery power, charged between races. Gets a few horses. I just put the exciter circuit on a switch to turn off / on.
Autostick= Already run one. We take out the trans gears that we don't need. Always run in 2nd. You'd be surprised how much centrifical weight these things are..Did the same thing on the Escort. Tryed running an aluminum flywheel. Lost TOO much weight. Let off the gas and she would instantly drop to idle. Stalled it trying to upshift.
Elongated spider gears= Welding the diff is against the rules. The way they check is jack up one side of the car. If the raised tire doesn't turn, she's locked/welded. DQ.
I ream out the center holes of the spider gears. Taper one side of the inside of the gears. When the check, torque applied from output shaft, she turns normal. However, under race conditions, torque is applied from the input shaft/pinion. The shaft binds up in the tapered slots of the spider gears, locking up the diff. ( Old school, rear wheel racer's trick.)
Springs= Circle track, left turns only, we want weak-broken-worn out springs on the left. New-highest capacity that will fit on the right front. Average everyday on right rear.
Been racing Escorts and Crown Vics. New to Intrepids. Hopefully will handle like a really big Escort...
 
#25 ·
Update: First race of the season. Came in 4th. Got beat by a Mitsubishi 3000 and a Concorde. Car was pushing REAL bad during practice. Shredded right front. Put on a brand new right rear, bald right front. Pressures: RF-40, RR-47, LF-20, LR-16. Handled GREAT. Drifted thru the corners, or as we call it, Saluda Slide. Real problem was I raced the Escort first. Tried driving the trepid the same way. Trepid's got over twice the horspower. Kept spinning the tires on the restarts.
 
#32 ·
Good Job! Looks pretty awesome!


Are you allowed to put bracing on the body? If so I would brace the steering rack shelf really well. Far as removing gears in the 42LE I am unsure if you could get away with that. Very sensitive transmission. Regardless it will just limp mode it and stay in 2nd.

If you went through the work to make the 300M bar work, you could use any bar really. I would love to see some picture however on how you have it hooked up! I'd imagine the full 1 in rear sway bar I have would help you but I am unwilling to let it go.
 
#33 ·
Season went pretty well. Finished 5th in the Enduro Division championship.
This car is FUN to drive!! Built 9 cars this year and the Intrepid is my BABY. Let crew chiefs from the other divisions driver my other cars. Love the autostick. She will automaticaly shift to second at 6500 rpm and stays there. GREAT low end torque. Only problem I had was kept breaking the right front hub. It's not fun when your right front tire crosses the line before you do. Also, hood came up and smashed the windshield. Drove the last 5 laps that way. Tried to slam on the brakes to drop the hood but just blew out the master cylinder. ( Great, now I can't see AND don't have any brakes.)
The other cars didn't fair as well....... Looking to build another Intrepid / LHS / 300M with the 3.5L HO engine. It will be my primary with this one as my back-up car for next season. Bout done with Escort's. Except for my GT.





 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top