I'm researching to build a SCCA Solo2 A-mod car. A 700lb racecar with sled power. What used engine has the most power and power potential? I'm considering a 98+ Thundercat 1000. Are there any EFI sleds with lots of power that have been around awhile so the prices have come down?

Thanks,
Marlin

I would say that 1000 tcat would be a great choice,,, you also have lots of muscle in the machs and you may get ahold of one of those resonable,,,, most of these big blocks are carbed though

Originally posted by puree@Jun 3 2004, 10:52 PM
I would say that 1000 tcat would be a great choice,,, you also have lots of muscle in the machs and you may get ahold of one of those resonable,,,, most of these big blocks are carbed though
i agree with you there are tons of old triples out there and any would be a good choice.as far as carbs go on a race engine i would want all the adjustability i could get.remember most efi tunes for optimum running conditions NOT nessasarily max power.you dont see many race vehicles with efi unless they are a road course or endurance something that you can get consistent performance with very little fuss and need max fuel mileage.another point efi,very expensive to buy and fix.

It might be worth thinking about a big bore twin - maybe AC's 900 or doos 800 ho. the horsepower of the newer twins is up with some of the older triples (stock) and the weight is a big difference.

Just a thought.

Are you building the chassis yourself? What kind of specs o you have to follow? Is SOLO 2 racing against the clock or other drivers?

Sorry about being nosy - but I'm curious.

:D

weight difference isnt much if anything compared to the twins. not sure whether u care about reliablity or not. i guess find something that's cheap to buy, and fairly easy to work on. personally id stay away from EFI motors. carb'd motors are easy to get dialed in so i wouldnt let the carbs scare u away from them. do u have a size limit on the motor?? the reason i ask is because u can make any motor have tons of power with the right mods. :thumbsup: big bore kits are made for pretty much any popular motor out right now. if u want u can run an after market motor that's putting out over 300 hp. if u wanna spend the $$$ u can have whatever u want for power.

I would go with an older tripple polaris cat or doo all had som powerful ones, and with mods they could really scream. I also wouldn't overlook some of the old smaller tripples, with a few mods some of them really cook. zrt600, ultra, mach 1, formula... but if you are lookin big engine your only real options are and older tcat or mach z as i think the good xcr engines were a lil newer and pricey, if you want to spend a lil though I have seen XCR's that could really handle themselves around TCats and Machs.
Wayne

Sounds like an interesting project! Can't add much, the boys have covered it pretty well. Make sure you post up some pictures.

After seeing the Formula 500's (relatively tame 500 twin) run, I have no clue why anyone would want to go faster. There are few cars, in most ANY class, that can stay with them. If you are asking about bang for the buck, I don't know how you could look seriously at anything else. I did see a car a couple of years ago that was built around a Polaris tripple. I was at a show of some kind at the Novi Expo Center. Owner of car was trying to drum up interest in a class like the one you are describing I think.

Buddy of mine was racing an F500 for a couple of years, mostly at a local track (Waterford Hills). Spent some time in the pits helping out, garage putting things back together straight after one of his...... incidents.

Biggest question I have is what are you going to do about some type of pipes for this thing? Price of custom pipes... tuned for that purpose... alone would keep me from striking out on my own like it sounds you might be.


Best of luck.

this type of racing is news to me, very interesting and would love to see some pictures

Dawg,
Use your favorite search engine. Look for "Formula 500". Huge fun, very impressive performance, good bunch of guys, and it's class racing. Very reasonable compared to most any other type of racing....including sleds. The guys do their best to make it a drivers race, not an exercise in "he who spends the most wins".

Thanks for the input.

I hadn't considered the cost of pipes. I figured I would hack and modify the stock pipes. I think I'll stay away from EFI due to cost and ease of tuning.

A link at the bottom of the page: The BBR Shark http://www.dixiescca.com/ava03.htm

This is one of the fast autocross/hillclimb cars in the country! Extreme!!