LeMons BS Inspection

[omgwtfbbq!]

Hey guys, my roommates and I are interested in entering a car into a lemons race sometime next year, I was just wondering if any of you guys have any tips or anecdotes as far as the BS inspection goes. We haven't bought a car yet, but we don't plan on being far over the $500 limit, if we are at all.

[bam2002]

Id say start at the Forum..
http://forums.24hoursoflemons.com/viewforum.php?id=3

And Building a car is going to be at least 2 grand once you figure in the cage and brakes , tires..

[omgwtfbbq!]

We're well aware of the costs associated. We're budgeting about $6k for our first year, which will include the nomex suits, shoes, gloves, helmet, etc. as well as gas and hotel.

[bam2002]

Well on the BS side its all about recipts. Keeping a paper trail. Also goin gout on criagslist and getting adds for other cars like yours that are selling cheap. So you can show how you 1. came up with the value of the car or part. Or 2 what you paid for it.

There are certian cars that the judges will give a hard time.. Especialy with a new team- car. Miatas, BMWs and some Hondas. will get their attention.
Jalopnik has a few articles from the judges perspective on the BS inspection. Also that fact that evey one is cheating.. Not that they are building bad ass engines. But they are at least spending the $$ to make sure the car is dependable and that every one gets to drive. There is alot of stress - pressure on a team captain to make sure no one is upset bacause they spend time building a car and it blows up on the 1st day.
Like may others have said before.. you have to finis the race to win.
Last of all a good theme and bribes can help with the BS inspection. Unique cars like the Tuna chucker volvo.. the Olds Saabs and even the LTD are able to get thru judging with no issues. Since they are not ringer cars like the Miatas and BMW e30s.

[omgwtfbbq!]

Thanks for the info. I've been browsing the forums and I liked the look of the Volvo 240 wagon for sale. We haven't decided on a theme yet, though we were throwing around the old spec pinata idea if we wound up with a miata. I've read that the judges are also fans of good backyard engineering, which piqued our interest, as we're all mechanical/aerospace engineering students and I'm sure we could come up with some interesting modifications involving plywood aerodynamic components.

[Loren]

There's a Volvo 240 wagon that's finished 18th in the last two races for sale up north. $500. That's right, $500. All it needs is harnesses and I think they said a voltage regulator, otherwise it's caged and ready. Would be totally worth driving up there to tow it back. Do it. Do it now.

I'm not kidding. Volvo 240's have proven to be reliable, they're quick enough, and handle okay. This particular one is ripe for some healthy weight reduction, which will easily put it in the top 10 with good drivers. (that means drivers that keep the car on the track and not in the penalty box, NOT necessarily "fast" drivers)

If you don't opt for that one, that's the KIND of car that will serve you well. Something that's drop dead reliable, something a little different, something that nobody expects to "win".

Give us your short list of cars your considering and we can weigh in on their Lemon-worthiness, pros and cons.

You might also consider doing your first year as "free agents". Find a couple teams that your drivers can scab onto to gain some experience. After you've learned how to play the game with a couple races, you'll be better equipped to build a car.

[bam2002]

Here is a good Blog the whole site is good. but this artice pertains to the Judges..
http://www.rahulnair.net/blog/2009/04/07/lemons-penalties-101/

[omgwtfbbq!]

Awesome. We're taking a drivers vote to determine if the Volvo is the car for us, if the final two drivers vote yes then we will probably spend this weekend driving to philly to pick the car up, along with a nice set of very cheap OEM volvo wheels with tires from Jersey. Right now, including everything except food for everyone, our budget is Just under $6000 for the first year.

[omgwtfbbq!]

Small update: Unfortunately we're not able to pick the car up this weekend as the owner was unavailable. We do plan on picking it up asap, hopefully before the snow starts to fall.

[treekiller]

I'll pick it up for expenses my family lives in the Philly area and I'd love to see them

[Loren]

TAJ racing (local Tampa area team) is selling a fully-prepped Escort GT. Not as cheap as the Volvo, but closer to home.

[TAJRacing45]

TAJ racing (local Tampa area team) is selling a fully-prepped Escort GT. Not as cheap as the Volvo, but closer to home.

Thanks Loren.. We may be keeping the ol girl for just one or two more events. It would be fun to build something else with a little more grunt but with my work schedule changing drastically I dont think it would be possible to finish a new car in time for Rockingham in March.

[omgwtfbbq!]

Taj, Since I haven't been in contact with the owner of the volvo for over a week now I may be interested in checking out the escort. I saw your for sale add on the lemons forums, how adamant are you about keeping the car another year?

[bam2002]

I dont think Taj is going to part with the car. Getting a new car is easy. Getting it ready is the hard part. Cage etc..

[Loren]

There's another good LeMons car for sale on the LeMons forum. $1000 will take it. Not a fast car, but looks like an extremely fun "go kart" kind of car. It's in NC. Seller seems eager to part with it.

The 24 Hours of LeMons Forums / 1988 Dodge Colt Lab Rats Lemons Car for Sale, $150, Clover, SC