Start planning for next year, Soccer moms invade the 2016 challenge...

This is awesome.

I'm gonna wait to start cutting up my van until the the safety rules are defined a bit better. Right now, they don't appear to allow them:

$2015 Challenge Rules say: Cars must meet the safety requirements of the host club... ...Autocross safety regulations will be provided by the host club.

Complete Challenge Rules

2015 SCCA Rules say: Unstable vehicles with a high center of gravity and a narrow track, including SUVs, minivans, and 4WD pickups, must be excluded.

I'd rather not spend a lot of effort building a car that the event host club could disqualify in tech.

Thoughts?

rich911s wrote: Autocross, shmotocross ... I wan't to pull the front wheels.

Better have some big power. As I recall, this van is extensively lightened and has a 434ci small block Chevy with 18 degree heads and nitrous.

In reply to NickD:

It's a cargo van, with the body panels and bumpers still in place.

What is significantly lightened??

I used to have one- there is nothing inside but air. Everything that weighs anything, you can see in that picture.

OK, race seat, heater, AC- the normal. That sounds like a couple hundred pounds, max. Not too much in a 5500 lb vehicle. What's "significant"?

In reply to NickD:

Pretty sure Andrew can handle the "big power" part.

SVreX wrote: What's "significant"?

Plexiglass floors so you can see what direction it's pointed?

You gotta pump all that heavy air out and hold your breath while you drive so you don't suck vacuum and implode.

Appleseed wrote: Well then it's BatVan Returns.

Well played, Sir...

If were going to have a van class-can we add some sweet jumps:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/xOElZ_fxRow

Better have some big power. As I recall, this van is extensively lightened and has a 434ci small block Chevy with 18 degree heads and nitrous.

And the possibility of an unknown amount of ballast weight. Don't forget about that!

I could potentially tow my grm-eligible turbo van with the other turbo van.. Not sure i'd want to drive the GRM-eligible van long enough to tow ANOTHER challenge car with it!

I'll just leave this here... (walks away whistling...)

http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/cto/5274358867.html

stroker wrote: I'll just leave this here... (walks away whistling...) http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/cto/5274358867.html

I'm gonna bet that's a 427 big block (there is also a 427 small block).

I doubt it has anything special like the Corvette heads, but a running big block for $1500 is still a short path to a 500 hp Challenge car.

Where's wheels777??

big block prices have dropped some since you can make stupid power with LS engines now. used to be a $1500 running big block was good, now you can pick up stuff for less. in the last 2 years i've picked up a running K2500 burb for $600(and sold $1200 worth of parts and put the 454 in my 90 c1500) and a $900 3500HD with 454 and 4L80E that i drove home.

that bus has a 427 big block but it's a tall deck, so intakes are few and far between and it's physically wider up top and the exhaust ports are taller so headers are a PITA too unless you build them.

i still want to bring a big block to the challenge, maybe if someone decides pickups should be a thing in '17 cause the Z is coming back next year. my c1500 with 454/5 speed is sitting right around $1000 since i made so much back on the engine donor.

Lots of cubes, as low as possible.

SVreX wrote: In reply to NickD: It's a cargo van, with the body panels and bumpers still in place. What is significantly lightened?? I used to have one- there is nothing inside but air. Everything that weighs anything, you can see in that picture. OK, race seat, heater, AC- the normal. That sounds like a couple hundred pounds, max. Not too much in a 5500 lb vehicle. What's "significant"?

Gutted interior, custom-made fiberglass side sliding door, modified front K-member. It weighs under 4400 pounds.

Found the link

Has a 414ci small block, not a 434

BBC - love 'em and hate 'em.

I have a 454 I bought for $150. And a 427 for $300. Great for power with a real valve train. Not worth a doo for the challenge in NA form. If we find the right pistons we may bring one with turbo(s). But not NA.

Here's the dajiban turd. It's running now. She needs to do a serious limbo. Dropping the rear is easy, but I think we are going to need spindles to drop the front. Some posts are saying dodge dakota spindles will work.

Looks good! Are you going to do a build thread?

Hmm. Might do the other end of the scale - little and nimble. I think I could get an H22 into a first-generation Odyssey and then duplicate the Bill Danger LeMons car setup underneath it for $2016.

Nice Dodge van. However i seem to recall no easy/cheap way to get the front low. If i am wrong, or new info has surfaced, I am all ears

Has anyone found a dedicated, real dajiban site. Like from Japan real? I need to see their suspension tricks, post haste.

chaparral wrote: Hmm. Might do the other end of the scale - little and nimble. I think I could get an H22 into a first-generation Odyssey and then duplicate the Bill Danger LeMons car setup underneath it for $2016.

That was my original plan as well but I was unsure how well 200HP would move around a 3400 lb van. That got me thinking turbo H22. Then I discovered the crashed CL Type-S that I bought. Go big or go home right...

Appleseed wrote: Has anyone found a dedicated, real dajiban site. Like from Japan real? I need to see their suspension tricks, post haste.

I can try to find the pics I've seen before, but they are implementing some sort of coilovers system.

https://omgpancakes.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/dajiban/

http://honda-tech.com/other-make-vehicles-121/dajjiban-2705549/

From the hondatech link, go to the Youga Base blog. I've clicked through all of that before, there are a lot of photos and Google can probably translate the page for you.

It's mentioned on page two of the HT thread, the owner of the blog has over 10k invested in suspension and those Watanabe wheels a true magnesium and almost $1k a piece. Holy crap.

I am super excited to see the dajiban style build on the GRM budget.

also this.

http://www.i-5.co.jp/stock/index.php

https://www.youtube.com/embed/h-j29ozp_yM

Soccer mom class... Who will finally build that v8 previa van i'm dreaming about for years? Its already mid engined and have a solid rear axle....