Toyota car and truck forums

Good Afternoon everyone.. I'm new to this forum.. I am in the process of preparing to build a circle track Camry racer.

I live in Michigan and the local 3/8mile paved circle track has a new class called "Pure Stock" which is V6 FWD automatic tranny only.

Last year a Dodge Intrepid won the points championship.. racing mostly against other Intrepids, a Spirit, a Lumina and a Cutlass Supreme.

I think a Camry would kick some serious tail.. but I'm new to the car and I'm hoping the legions of tuners, street racers and drag racing folks here will help me build a great circle track racer.

Anyone interested in giving me a hand ?

If its "Pure Stock" how much are you allowed to modify it?

If its really for pure stock cars, the 300M might beat the Intrepids, but I doubt a Camry would. Lets be realistic about this - the LH cars were tuned for cornering above ride, and the Camry was tuned for ride above cornering. The Camry is lighter which helps, but the Intrepid was available with a 250 horsepower V6 (as was the 300M). I'm surprised the Spirit got anywhere, too.

If modifications are allowed, its another story.

Well Dave.. like all things racing, how much modification is allowed is as much you get away with till your caught !! :-)

The hot Intrepid was a 94 running a 3.3L, as far as I could tell, he had a bone stock engine in there.. nobody is running an 02,03,04 car.. mostly early to mid 90's cars.. I'll be pushing the envelope in what can be built within budget gunning for a 97/98 Camry or 95 Avalon.

Below is the offical rules.. but I can tell you we also run in the Pony Stock Class (which is a 4 cylinder, FWD-auto, 2V SOHC class) and guys were stiffening frames, putting in lowering shocks/struts, putting in 8 to 10 degrees camber, elevating compression, putting in hot cams, getting heads ported..

For 07, I know the Intrepid owner upgraded to a 3.5 H.O. vehicle.. which books out at 225hp/215lbs torque and is talking a lot of smack.. and I mean a ton a SMACK. I want to shut him up in the worst way and with all the knowledge and experience the Toyota community has.. I think we can get it done.

--- full rules ---

Notice # 1: The Pure Stock division is new for the 2006 season. It was added in an attempt to provide a more affordable option to racing. Due to the many makes and models available for use, restrictions and minor changes may need to take place during the season as we learn more about this new division.

Notice #2: Any interpretations of the rules are left to the officials, whose decisions are final. Just because it is not written, does not mean you can do it. The two words to remember in this class are STOCK ONLY. In the event a car is deemed to have illegal parts the car is subject to being banned from all future race events at Spartan and Springport Motor Speedways. The driver is subject to loss of points to date, all prize money for the night and suspension from property.

Notice #3: If you are considering building or purchasing a Pure Stock we highly recommend you receive pre-registration approval prior to doing so. There may be cars that have been permanently suspended Spartan because of rule infractions.

A. BODY AND CHASSIS:

Any American made FWD V-6 model (no convertibles, 2 seat coupes, super charged or turbo).
The vehicle must remain in its original form. No alterations are allowed unless specifically stated in these rules. (See notice #3)

a) Wheel base minimum: 104.5"
(NOTE: Small-bodied cars not allowed. If you're unsure, call first)

b) Weights: (post race with driver) 3000 lbs.
(3800, DOHC, multi-valve add 100 lbs.)

c) Bumpers must be stock appearing.

d) Tow hooks are required.

e) All doors must be welded shut.

f) Rub rails are allowed (no sharp edges).

g) Must be able to open trunk and hood without use of special tools. Hood pins required.

h) Rear and side glass must be removed. Windshield may stay or be replaced with 1/8" thick Lexan. All other glass must be removed including but not limited to taillights, headlights, turn signals, mirrors, plastic, upholstery, carpet, etc.

i) Any after market add ons must be removed. Ex: trailer hitch

j) The battery may remain in the original factory location provided it is in a safe location and securely mounted. If the battery is relocated, it may only be relocated to the trunk area. Batteries mounted in trunk must be secured by (2) two 1" metal straps. No batteries mounted in driver's compartment.

k) Fuel tank to be mounted in trunk and secured with (2) two 1" metal straps (made for racing for fuel cells are recommended). May run plastic gas tank if it is located in front of rear axle, under floor pan and is fully covered with a steel skid plate. Fuel lines must run below floor pan. Tanks that are mounted in the trunk must have protective hoop and 10" of ground clearance.

l) Front fender inner liners may be removed.

m) No frame alterations of any kind allowed.

n) No adjustable shocks or struts of any kind allowed.

o) Must have stock floor plan to rear axle and all holes in fire walls must be covered with sheetmetal.

p) Must have battery kill switch mounted on "A" pillar.


B. ENGINES:
a) Stock only in stock location. No aftermarket parts.
b) Single exhaust only. Maximum 2.0" OD. Last 6" of exhaust must exit behind driver and be fully visible. No exhaust leaks allowed.


C. DRIVE TRAIN COMPONENTS:
a) Stock automatic only. Cooler are allowed.
b) Stock diameter working torque converter only.

c) No aluminum wheels. Steel wheels only, stock for that year, make and model.

d) 1" Lug nuts are required.

e) D.O.T. Street radials only. No bias ply, made for racing tires. Maximum width 235. No less than 60 series (no 55, 50, 40). Minimum tread wear rating of 300. All 4 tires and wheels must be the same size.


D. BRAKES:
a) Must have 4 wheel hydraulic brakes in working order.

E. SAFETY:
a) A four point cage with four driver's side door bars, three right side door bars and a 1/8" steel plate on driver's side door bars from front upright to rear upright and from top door bar to frame rail is mandatory. A front hoop may extend into the engine bay area. Tubing must be .095 gauge, 1.75" O.D. and must be padded around driver.
b) Made for racing aluminum seat, properly mounted is required.

c) A 5 point harness, properly mounted with a 3 year maximum date is required.

d) Driver's side window net with quick release is required.

e) A 2 lb. currently dated B or C type dry chemical fire extinguisher is required within driver's reach.

f) Fuel injected vehicles are required to have fuel pumps wired to stop any fuel from being pumped when engine is not running.

g) Steering wheel center must be padded. Quick release steering wheel optional.

Interesting. I was thinking it was more of a "run what ya brung" but this is a serious class - you really have to destroy your vehicle for standard on-road purposes in order to race it. I was thinking it'd be fun to run the wife's 300M but not with those rules! (I have a four-banger myself.) (her car would be illegal anyway - aluminum wheels came from the factory. No steel available.)

Avalon was great for straight-line but the first generation had really sloppy cornering; you'd have to make a LOT of changes including lowering, better tires (probably half the problem right there), and, well, all the other hcanges you mentioned. Like hiding a strut brace somehow - under the cowl? Camry was lighter and had a manual transmission with the V6 so you might just have an advantage there. Intrepid only ever had a slushbox so you immediately get a boost in transmission effectiveness. Also that 250 hp engine isnt great at low rpm and is connected to a really bad slushbox. Stock though was still 0-60 in about 7.5 seconds in the 300M. Intrepid would be similar, a little slower. If he didnt leave it stock he could bring that down a little but not much. Camry V6 with stick isnt that far off as I recall.

Is it worth it, though, if you get caught? Those seem like pretty nasty consequences.

You mention slushbox.. remember, we have to run the auto, no manual shifts allowed, however, at race speed locked into first gear, they generally arent too bad.

If we make a motor which turns in the 5800 to 6000 rpm range --- we just run the stock auto in first gear.

Thats what we do in my Daytona (Last years 4 Cylinder Car) in fact, with that car you can change the transfer gears to get a better gear ratio in first.

We are near 60 heading into the corner.. effective racing range is 4000 to 6000 rpm.

They let us replace the wheels with steel wheels, they dont have to be stock for that make, what they mean is we cant buy $500 aluminum racing wheels or big offset steel race wheels.

Since we arent turning left and right.. the front swar bar is overrated.. I took the front sway bar off my 4 cylinder and got FASTER.. but a bar in the back is a good idea.

Using a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic is probably ideal for that kind of racing. Agree on the rear bar. Forgot about the automatic bit. How'd the Daytona do? It always struck me as a bit heavy for racing; I'd think an Omni or Reliant would do better. (If you could get the Daytona 2.5 into the Reliant.)

I ran mid-pack all season.. good enough for rookie of the year, not good enough to break the top 10. I did win 1 feature, but only because the really fast cars crashed out/broke.

the Neon is the dominate car at the track.. i know what your going to say, wait.. thats a 4V SOHC car.. yes it is, and I hate it and I fought against it.. but much like how I got the American Made/Foreign Brand's approved this year, someone else got the Neon approved 2 years ago.

The track champion 2 years ago had a K-Car with a Mitsubshi 2.6 in it.. that car was fast ! But it had a run in with an immovable object and has since been retired from racing.

We are still going to run the Daytona, your right, it is a bit heavy, the class limit is 2250 and we are at 2400.. but this winter be built up a high compression, N/A, MPI motor and I think I'm going to take the track at about 180hp which should make me very competitive.

I'd forgotten the Neon. Even if not for the 132 horses, the cornering would be hard to beat. The 2.6 wasnt much faster than the 2.2 but the K-cars were pretty darned light. Frankly with a 2.5 you might be able to get a Reliant up there with the Neons. (Neon took SCCA pretty much the entire time they were made.) The MPI will greatly help. Building it from a turbo, or from a Mexican model, or from an FFV Spirit?

Its a n/a bottom with a g-head and a MPI set up off a turbo.

Hmmmmmm... a full turbo motor has a strengthened bottom end that might have been handy,... still, I suspect the NA is good enough for the power it'll be running. I'd suspect stock, swapping heads and going to MPI would get you to about 120 hp...

Dave.. we dyno'd out at 185.

Net or gross?

At the wheel, not sure if thats net or gross..