T-Type or GN as a road racer or DE car??

[Wicked WE4]

I know these cars are awesome at the drag strip and wooping up on vettes in the quarter mile is fun, but to pass some gutless vette owner hard on the brakes going into a turn on a road course, now that is bad ass. I enjoy doing this with a car that most people dismiss as a threat outside of the dragstrip.
I have a 69 Mercury Cougar that is setup for handling and has punished its fair share of high-end sports cars, camaros, vettes and late model mustangs in the curves. That is what I want to do with my WE4. I have researched the manual transmission route and the opinions are mixed and as much as love banging gears, the setup I am leaning toward is 4L80E or 4L65RR full manumatic with F1 style paddle shift. It is expensive but alot of guys at lateralg.net with big turbo cars swear by them. I think this could give the Turbo Buick respectable road racing ability and still put the smack down in the quarter mile. Anybody gone this route yet?:biggrin:

 

[jdpolzin]

I know these cars are awesome at the drag strip and wooping up on vettes in the quarter mile is fun, but to pass some gutless vette owner hard on the brakes going into a turn on a road course, now that is bad ass. I enjoy doing this with a car that most people dismiss as a threat outside of the dragstrip.
I have a 69 Mercury Cougar that is setup for handling and has punished its fair share of high-end sports cars, camaros, vettes and late model mustangs in the curves. That is what I want to do with my WE4. I have researched the manual transmission route and the opinions are mixed and as much as love banging gears, the setup I am leaning toward is 4L80E or 4L65RR full manumatic with F1 style paddle shift. It is expensive but alot of guys at lateralg.net with big turbo cars swear by them. I think this could give the Turbo Buick respectable road racing ability and still put the smack down in the quarter mile. Anybody gone this route yet?:biggrin:

There's a few of us on here with some pretty intense suspension set ups. Check out the Brakes/Suspension/tires section for some good set ups.

 

[Wicked WE4]

There's a few of us on here with some pretty intense suspension set ups. Check out the Brakes/Suspension/tires section for some good set ups.

I have checked out that section and there is some awesome setups. I have already installed Eibach springs, KYB shocks, boxed in my rear control arms and replaced all my suspension bushings with Energy suspension polyurethane. It is a big improvement. Next I am going to replace the body bushings and brace
the frame, plus cage the interior..Then of course upgrade the brakes. Just curious about transmission setups from guys who have auto-crossed or open-tracked these cars.

 

[jdpolzin]

There's a few different factors you need to think about as far as the trans. Are you going to use your car as a serious Road course car? Is it going to be a street car? I'm a huge fan of the 200 R4 for a street/strip car but if you are using your car as a primary race car for the course, run a Turbo 400. Getting away from the OD will help on a road course but keep in mind, you can alway put a 200R4 into "D" if you dont want it to go into OD. A 200R4 will hold up fine on a road course. Your not going to be slamming the car off a trans brake like drag racing. Just get a good set of clutches, 2nd gear server and you'll be OK. If you get serious about it, build it more.

 

[turbofish38]

There's a few different factors you need to think about as far as the trans. Are you going to use your car as a serious Road course car? Is it going to be a street car? I'm a huge fan of the 200 R4 for a street/strip car but if you are using your car as a primary race car for the course, run a Turbo 400. Getting away from the OD will help on a road course but keep in mind, you can alway put a 200R4 into "D" if you dont want it to go into OD. A 200R4 will hold up fine on a road course. Your not going to be slamming the car off a trans brake like drag racing. Just get a good set of clutches, 2nd gear server and you'll be OK. If you get serious about it, build it more.

IMO it doesn't matter what auto you run. If your an experienced racer than the big handicap of the auto will be the rear gearing as it almost always seem to be wrong for certain parts of any particular course..............which brings me to the other big drawback. Heat. IMO you can't keep the auto cool enough. Add a deep pan, one of those discontinued B&M reserviors and a cooler the size of the radiator and maybe you won't fry it. I never had much luck getting more than maybe 700-1000 miles of road course duty in before I had to freshen up my 200-4R. And all I ever did was run an additional cooler.

 

[jdpolzin]

I hear ya. Auto trannies do have the problem of heating but the thing is, yoour going to build that same heat no matter which auto trans your running. I run a cooler in the radiator, an external cooler, and a fan on the external cooler. I think the 200R4 is a great all around choice.

 

[scot w.]

I ran the trans cooler through the radiator and then through a large B&M external cooler (without a fan) and went through a built trans in one summer doing several Drag races & Auto-X's.. :frown:

The same guy's that I ran with also had auto's in there Pro-touring cars. They had 4L60E & 4L80E's and they are still driving and racing there cars today with that very same trans without a single issue, A 4L80E trans will be in my car when the 2004r takes a crap!! Then I will be able to adjust the shift points too!


Scot W.

 

[jdpolzin]

I ran the trans cooler through the radiator and then through a large B&M external cooler (without a fan) and went through a built trans in one summer doing several Drag races & Auto-X's.. :frown:

The same guy's that I ran with also had auto's in there Pro-touring cars. They had 4L60E & 4L80E's and they are still driving and racing there cars today with that very same trans without a single issue, A 4L80E trans will be in my car when the 2004r takes a crap!! Then I will be able to adjust the shift points too!


Scot W.

That would be a definate good choice! I'm curious to compare the costs of the 4L80E to be fully built, controlled and retrofitted to a GBody and the cost of a fully built 200R4.


I did think of using one in my car but there wasnt nearly as many kits to use as there are now.


how do you plan to control it? Are you planning on using the stock electronic controller and adapt it to your stock ECM or do you plan to use a stand alone management system?

 

[TurboTnZ06]

If you beat a gutless vette driver going into a corner with a GN/T, it's because his gold chain needed adjusting and he slowed up.

I love my Buicks, but I still think the best bang for the buck is a C5Zo6 for road racing/DE. Just throw on some hawk pads and sticky tires (I run Nitto 555R2 road racing tires on the street as well) and run low 12's @ 115 stock with those tires in the 1/4 on pump gas.

 

[blacksix]

OK, I think I've found the solution: bought a 2003 Crown Vic Police Interceptor. It's built from the get go to take the beating, and shouldn't really be fast enough to get in any real trouble. I'll never be the fastest car out there cause I can't spend the most money on the car, so we bought the most cost-effective unit we could think of. In fender-to-fender combat we'll rely on the psychological intimidation factor - - man's natural instinct is to NOT pass a cop car!

 

[yullose]

They can be made to handle with the right mods.

 

[charlief1]

LOL Hardees rocks Art, but only with the original formula. LMAO