I am starting slow turning my 73 1.7 into a hot street/Auto-X vehicle. I want to know what most people with a 1.7 are using carbs vs. FI and why??

At present my car has the stock FI system, a new wiring harness courtesy of Jeff Bowlsby, some lower profile tires. With chassis and Suspension mods on the drawing board.

But I am wondering what guys are using while they auto-x and why they prefer it. I may change engines in the next couple of years, but I want to take my time and enjoy the car for a while now

Check the rule book. Will adding carbs put you in a different class?

IMO, If it runs gud with the FI, leave it alone.

If the AX bug bites and you don't get discouraged by dealing with the learning curve, then is the time to hatch a plan (or at least Plan A ).

The options are many and varied, but they all revolve around seat time. Locally, my car is capable of competing for TTOD.....SCCA & PCA, but not with me driving it
There's a clue there...... somewhere

I say go with the rule book almost all clubs with bump you to an Improved class with a "stock" car except the carbs.

I already did my first AX and thats why I have the bug!!

Try running a course with a completely stock 1.7 and 205/70-15 tires. I was all over that course but I still had a great time.

But, I am mainly looking to see is there any power improvement with carbs or not? If I go to carbs do I need to replace the cam and do a complete rebuild?? Is that worth it, or should I just bring what I got until I am ready for a new engine??

Just drive it. Do ALL of the suspension mods before you touch the engine. When you have beat EVERYONE in the 1.7 class... and see no other competition headed your way.. then get a bigger engine. I cant count how many times I have seen people start off one month and the very next month they buy the big motor blah blah..

Formula 1 drivers start off in Go karts with NO power.. kinda like a 1.7. Save your money and drive the piss out that 1.7. It will be the most fun you have ever had..(especially when you start beating newer cars with a 1.7)


B

You have to forget POWER. They key is: learn how to drive what you currently have. It may take a full year before you have complete control of the car...so why add more power ?


B

It has been my experience that you will learn a lot more if you start out with a low power car. Many of the guys who have mega HP never really learn how to drive their cars. They just know how to mash on the gas. If you have a momentum machine, like a 914, you are forced to figure out how to make it preform at it's best. Then you can step up to more power and do really well. Those same laws of physics will still apply.

I love autocross because the outcome is often surprising. Keep that 1.7 stock and work on the chassis and your skills. You'll be amazed at the cars you can beat with that 1.7. You'll have 13 seconds on some guy in a hopped-up Mustang 5.0, and then you'll get your butt handed to you by a guy in a ratty old 240z. It's all good. More power is the last priority though. Until you've gone through that chassis, more power won't do any good. Every time you make an improvement to the car you will find that it places a larger demand on you as the driver. I guarantee that you will underestimate this. I do every time. Drive as many events as you can, and do the important stuff first: Tires, shocks, swaybars. Then learn all over again. Then bushings, seat, harness, and keep learning. Then maybe upgrade the engine the 3rd, 4th, or Nth year. Just a suggestion. I'm not an expert. I'm somewhere between the 4th and Nth year and still running the 1.7. The chassis is pretty far along now and the power will come in another year or two.

-Ben

GUILTY !!!!

I luv to mash the gas.....it's even better when sumthin' happens when you do it......YEEHAW!

not.

yes, once you change everything else, carbs -MAY- help you achieve more power by running with combinations the stock FI can't. you'll also be running against very seriously prepared cars (in SCCA, on race tires...) and running DEAD LAST in class each and every weekend gets old...

the factory stopped running carburetors on their pure race cars in about 1965 and their production-based race cars by '71. i don't think carburetors have improved very much in the intervening 40 years.

914's are conservation-of-energy vehicles. their key is not that they are fast - it is that they never slow down.

more power just makes things happen faster - not always a good thing when you're learning.

Thanks for all the quick replies, it sounds like stock is the way to go for the 1st year or 2. I already lowered the tires to 205/50-15 boy what a difference.

This month I have purchased a Chassis Stiffening Kit and some Trailing box stiffeners with some new Rear bushings. thought I would put that on while I am repairing the rusted out Jack Hole plugs (luckily my doors aren't sagging yet so the longitudinals don't look too bad).

December: Front Sway Bar, Bushings, Rack Spacers

January: Torsion Bars, Front Shocks

February: 140lb. Springs, Rear Shocks

Does this sound like a good order for my budget???

Your parts look good... but I'll tell you now that the stiff kit is 98% worthless in a 4cyl car and the trailing arm stiff kits do nothing but place more stress on the inside ear of the car. The stock arms will NOT bend or tweak until you start running 10-12 inch Goodyear slicks. Dont beleive the hype. Dont beleive the sales literature. Spend your money on the suspension like you planned. Fix the rust but leave off the stiff kit. We can show you what pieces you *might* need in the future. Until you start running 250+ rear spring rates... the chassis will be fine. Stiff kits are not the answer for rusted tubs.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant... but so many people put faith in these 'stiff kits' and they have NO idea why they are installing them besides "somebody" told me it is what I should do.Most of those people have NO idea where the chassis is actually weak. Porsche racing cars where mostly "hacked" together back then and everyone holds this "factory" info in high regard.... BS.


B

I felt like doing the Stiff Kit since I was already going to be welding up the longitudinals from rust.

My long term goal is to put a 6 cylinder engine in there but probably not for a couple of years, and I thought it wouldnt be bad to have in there anyway.

Do you think its a wasted amount of additional weight??

I thought about the weight. The wieght really doesnt bother me (except on the control arms..)

The chassis' start cracking near the shock tower when you get above 250 rate rear springs.. adding a six to the car doesnt really affect this... just the spring rate increase. Only full blown 4cyl road race cars will use a up to a 300lb rate rear spring. Full blown 6cyl road race cars have been known to creep into the 400 range. The key is the "road racing". I have never seen a AutoX car crack the chassis unless there was previous damage that went unknown (smacked a curb in previous life or was rusted and never should have been used as a AutoX tub).

The top autox guy's (6cyl) might be running 225 rear springs or maybe even 250's.. but the loads of autoX'ing and road racing are two different animals. Most of the people in the know with several years of racing experience know that the chassis stiff kits and control arm kits are worthless. We have had several threads here showing where the kit welds too and how the frame is not really being supported... your just adding extra material to the outside of the tub and not really doing anything about the actual piece that breaks/cracks.

Your on the right path. Just stay away from the stiff kits.

B

In otherwords, you might as well weld the stiff kits to the outside of the fender.

And are going to render the chasis illegal in stock and street prepared, maybe even prepared.

Damn.. I forgot about the RULES. Good point "Duck" You want to start off in the lower classes so you dont feel so bad when you get your ass handed to you by other semi stock cars...LOL


B

Learn to drive the car first in Stock or Improved. Shocks (if allowed Koni Sports) will really help stiffen the car.
If you learn to drive in the turns nearly as fast as the straight parts then move up a class.
Read the rule book for your area!


Geoff

I cant wait to get my car on the auto x course, It should be alot of fun (especially when i start beating Dad..) If are going to keep doing auto xing Buy a set of wheels and sticky tires for it...

Can someone tell me what they think would be the max tire that a 2.0 could use on a auto x course? 225's?

Andrew

205 50 15 Hoosier (that measures 225)


B