SHOULD I OR SHOULDNT I

[WANTSOM]

Reading Vulpes post has re-ignited some thoughts in my head about my track machine and what I am doing with it.

I love it as a dedicated track car and there is nothing better than giving it a good go at the track but I often feel it spends more time stationary than being driven. ( I have always been of the view good cars should be driven, not cotton wooled and locked away).

So.... the question is, should I take the Motor, driveline, suspension and brakes and drop them in a nice road registered body and enjoy it as a very quick, fun drive car or leave it as a dedicated track beast. It might sound a simple question but I have been umming and arrghing this for some time and really cant make up my mind.

Thoughts......

[panda]

Leave the car as it is, but spend more time at the track. Driving hard on a track is MUCH safer than going hard on the road, and legal too. The streets are for commuting, not for racing.
You have gone to all the trouble to build a very nice track car, just get out there to the track as often as possible & enjoy the fruits of your labour.

panda

[MrBishi]

What is preventing the car from doing both? Rollcages can be legal, as can most of the other mods.
A comfortable road car that you can take the missus and kids in however is a different ball game.

Conversely the nanny state that is Australia means that when & if you decide to have any 'fun' on the road you are likely to get raped. I can't see much point in an angry rough road car that isn't going to get driven for fear of being caught & labelled a 'hoon'.

[kiwieurospec]

1 for road car, but I see you got a nice one of those also.

I'd just prefer to be able to fill the tank and head off on a nice day without having had organised anything beforehand. None of the pre checks, safety talks and cost involved in track days. Best of both worlds as above is probably ideal, if I was building a track car it would have to be road registered, it wouldn't be as good as a dedicated track car but would get more use and therefore more enjoyment

[www.18u]

The problem is that most of the parts you want to take with you, make the shell valuable to someone else if they are looking to purchase it. Imo you are better off selling this car complete and starting again. Use your knowledge from all the mods you have done to make improvements a second time around (and it's cheaper now you have learnt the hard way).

If you are going to buy a road car buy a widey :D Then just chuck a standard vr4 motor in it as it will be only doing occasional track use. If you can make sure the engine stays cool (ie water and oil temps) you should have something that lasts a long time, and does the job of making you relive those memories you are missing.

I know how much miss my original ge scorp from when i was younger, but if i owned and drove one now, i would probably not be able to keep it standard.

[TOMSUN]

You're talking 2 different cars.

The fully on track car do it once done it doesn't cost anything to have it sit there. ie no rego or insurance. (A street car for the track is always going to be a compromise)

The road car. You don't want a super quick car for the street. Too easy to loose your licence these days...
The GSR III on ebay for $3500. Bargain?
Or stretch the budget and get a Widey...

[WANTSOM]

Appreciate all the comments guys and all are valid and relevent. Its a toss up to be honest. The car as it is now cannot be converted back, its too far modified, so I would need a good donor car as the basis for a road conversion.

As Tomsum said, it doesnt cost anything to keep and I probably use it about once a month to 6 weeks which is about what my budget allows.

I would still want to do track days in it but with the option of being able to go for an early morning <or very late night drive> when the mood took me.

Kiwieurospec hit the nail on the head as to how I am feeling about it all atm.

I think at the end of the day if a good donor car came up at the right price I'd be very tempted to convert back to a road car. I nearly took the plunge a month back with Trent's white JA here in Sydney. Would still buy that car today if it came back up again and was in the same condition hint hint whoever bought it :)

[Komeuppance]

I nearly took the plunge a month back with Trent's white JA here in Sydney.

Trent... from Punchy?? LOL...

I'd say build another car if you can, that way you still have the track beast.

Just being able to drive anytime you want is very enjoyable, and should not be squandered.

-Robert

[zippo]

club rego. cheap rego and cheap insurance

this way you can take it out during the day and say it is a test and tune day. Thats what we do here in vic. get the cage approved and you can keep it in , im not sure what the rules are in other states

[Vulpes]

Greg, I would vote for the street car any day. to be able to use it any time you want, to have something so unique and rare would be fantastic.
As for the $3,500 GSR for sale, it would be a no contest. When I drive my starion that has cost me around $20,000 It feels like a new car, no rattles, smooth, powerful and reliable. A $3,500 car is not the sort of thing you are going to enjoy to the same extent as a well sorted unique road car.

[1320ft]

Previously over the years I have had a Daily driven 10.7 second GK GSR sigma and a Daily Driven VK SLE, w/- an Injected 6/71 SBC, that ran 9's.

Never again will I have a fully modded street car. Its not worth the hassle. A bitch to drive, even more on a cold morning. Climbing over the roll cage to get in, perspex windows and hollow doors rattling. Then there is the other thing, even though I had engineers reports to the enth degree, they will still follow you, pull you over and ass rape you.

Thats why I'm building mine as an allout track car, then when some more funds come about, i'll spring for a widey, or if then can stretch a bit farther, 69 SS Camaro!

[redzone]

Greg, I would vote for the street car any day. to be able to use it any time you want, to have something so unique and rare would be fantastic.
As for the $3,500 GSR for sale, it would be a no contest. When I drive my starion that has cost me around $20,000 It feels like a new car, no rattles, smooth, powerful and reliable. A $3,500 car is not the sort of thing you are going to enjoy to the same extent as a well sorted unique road car.

i've driven micheal's GSR3 and i'd bet it drives as well or better than your JA.. it already has multipoint, suspension done and pretty much everything else that we know needs doing to these cars.. he's probably spent close to what you've spent on yours..

[JDSTAZ45]

Greg,
Jaboy ended up buying his old car back... the white one you are referring to. The GSR-III is incredible value with most of the work done when it comes to SOHC 8V.
Original intercooler with the JA type model!
There is some good value out there including some of the stuff I'm trying to flogg....
Auto widey... $10K
GSR-V... $5.5K
:beer

[redzone]

yeah its not just starions, NOTHING is selling at the moment..

[RiceThief]

I believe if you keep your track car as it is and then get a road starion that you can drive when your mood takes you. I dont believe the thrill you get from driving a well setup car on the track can ever be replicated on the road.

Driving on the road is about enjoying the moment and company you have in the car while taking challenges on the road at a moderate pace. While driving on the track is all about concentration, adrenalin, pushing the limits of both yourself and the car and doing fast times. Its hard to find one car that that will allow you to do both without compromise.

Ultimately it all comes down to you personally and whether you can get the same feeling you currently get driving your track car, in street registered car which wont be quite as fast. Or if you make your street registered car more track orientated would the ride bother you when you drive it on the street?

For me personally if I were to do it again, I would have kept the gsrv stock and built a track car. Perhaps it might be the way to go in your situation as well, as you use to have the silver ja you would know best if that would be your ideal situation.