I am going to build up a new car for next year to race on a dirt circle track. I have two choices for car bodies. One is a 79 TA and the other is a chevelle. I want to run the TA but don't know if I could stand tearing the body up. It is almost in perfect shape. Paint is faded but there is no body damage or rust at all besides a hole cut in the hood for taller air filter. How much would this car be worth? All it is is a rolling body and frame, motor and tranny are removed.

Restore the Chevelle. graemlins/thumbsup.gif They dont make them like that anymore. The TA, well I had a 79 as well and she was in excelent condition too. I needed to rid myself of one of my vehicles so bye bye TA. Besides they are all over the place anyways. I kept the 69RS. and 67 El Camino. If in your situation you can keep the TA and Chevelle, than how about finding someones retired TA along side of the road or in someones yard. Bet you can get one pretty cheep! And since you will be stripping er down and gutting er out anyways, maby you can salvage any good parts and either keep them as spare parts or sell them on Ebay.
Just my 2 cents worth.
graemlins/clonk.gif

I can get either car for the low price of FREE!! I haven't seen the chevelle yet and don't even know what year it is. Am also wondering wich car would have the better suspention setup. The TA has leaf springs in the rear. I am guessing leaf springs wouldn't work as well? I haven't seen the chevelle yet and don't know what kind of suspention it would have. I will be putting in a ford 9 rear end but rules say you have to use the stock suspention setup. Anybody know what suspention works best for dirt track racing?

I'd go with the T/A, there are a lot more of that body style in the boneyards. You will be needing to replace some parts occasionally, and the Chevelle suspension arms are getting rare. Leaf springs work very well on a dirt car, you just have to set them up right.

http://www.rpmnet.com/techart/leaf.shtml

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll use the TA. I love racing but hate tearing up these old cars that I have always druled over. Extra body parts may not be too much problem, I am sponcered by a salvage yard. The TA is a donation from an uncle. Now if I can just figure out how to build up a 500+ hp small block for around $2000 I will be set.

why not just snatch up an early 80's Regal, Cutlass, or Monte Carlo and use the same parts all the people you will be racing against are using? that way, you can look at what they are doing and copy it. seems like with either the old Chevelle or the TA, you would be kind of alone out there, so to speak. altho you would be easy for the crowd to pick out in the pack...

I want the short wheel base, less weight. My sponcer has raced camaro's for years. In the cruiser and bomber class you see a lot of Monte Carlo's. I am building a super stock. I am allowed a shorter wheel base. Most of the super stock cars I see at the track are Cutlasses, they do good.

use a 3rdgen camaro, cheap as hell, light, and a superior suspension (for the road that is).

well you might get both since they're free.although i never heard of anyone wrecking while they were racing :rolleyes: it might not be a bad idea to have a spare car.then you could decide which one to race n which one to drive to work graemlins/thumbsup.gif
good luck!
Eric

A spair car would be nice. He has some other camaros that aren't in that good of shape but I think he wants them for himself. Been racing cruzer class this year and the car is getting tore up prety good. Super stocks don't do so bad since there is only one driver so hopefully I can keep it nice for a while. I would love to be able to fix up one for racing and the other for driving but my pockets aren't that deep. I am figuring it is going to take around $6000 for motor parts for the race car. My toy every day driver is a 92 Chevy pickup with a built up big block and T56 transmission. Couldn't afford two. Someday I want a junk yard to!!!