New here

[dakine315]

Hi all. I am new to this it seems very interesting and i am looking to start a new project. I am trying to search where i can find some of these F1 style rolling chassis or some information on how to build a Tube frame chassis. Can you guys please point me in the right direction, I have done some searching on this board but it has left me confused. i am looking to build or get a F1000 over the course of 6 - 8months. Thank you

[R. Pare]

Questions;

1 - What is your racing background?

2- What is you fabrication background?

3 - What is your race car mechanical background?


I ask simply because your abilities will greatly determine your success (and your safety) in this "new project" - these are pretty complex and fast cars, and they do not tolerate mistakes in construction or fabrication.

That said, it would be best to contact the different manufacturers directly to see what they offer.

[Maciej]

Hi all. I am new to this it seems very interesting and i am looking to start a new project. I am trying to search where i can find some of these F1 style rolling chassis or some information on how to build a Tube frame chassis. Can you guys please point me in the right direction, I have done some searching on this board but it has left me confused. i am looking to build or get a F1000 over the course of 6 - 8months. Thank you

I might be putting up my Stohr for sale as a rolling chassis...

[dakine315]

I have good mechanical history. You have brought up a good point and that is the Framing and building of the car I do not have any experience welding or frame designing I have some close family and friends that do, do this. It may be better to buy the chassis. I have No idea what the costs are for new or used chassis. Racing history is from the streets with few cars I had worked on no track experience some drag strip, this will be a brand new experience for me.

[Jnovak]

IMO the best way to get started in FB is to buy a lower,cost completed used car to get some experience with the class.

[Brett Lane]

I have good mechanical history. You have brought up a good point and that is the Framing and building of the car I do not have any experience welding or frame designing I have some close family and friends that do, do this. It may be better to buy the chassis. I have No idea what the costs are for new or used chassis. Racing history is from the streets with few cars I had worked on no track experience some drag strip, this will be a brand new experience for me.

Based on what you said here, do your home work and buy a Formula Ford from someone close to you that can also help you with setup, and maintenance, etc. Take it to an SCCA driver's school, and race it for a season. While you're doing that, do some more home work on FB. There are a lot of options, and you need to know them. Then, sell the Ford and jump in. My 2 pennies.

[Will Velkoff]

I'm a local guy that owns a Formula Ford so if you need anything let me know.

I agree that FF would probably be a better place to start rather than jumping right into a FB. Learn the basics of driving and mechanical grip with the FF, and if your budget and skill level allow it, then move on to something faster.

[racerdad2]

Brett & Will have offered sage advice. This was my first year racing open wheel. The FB's are not beginner cars to drive, let alone build. I started in a CFC 90 Reynard. Plenty challenging. I'll be taking the wings off for my initial test & tune days next Spring. Why ? It's about getting the mechanical grip optimized. Wings can mask handling & driver weaknesses.

I understand your enthusiasm. Start with used FF. They are a great bargain. Faster than you think. And, with proper care and feeding, you can sell it for what you paid for it, maybe more.

[Pi_guy]

I have good mechanical history. You have brought up a good point and that is the Framing and building of the car I do not have any experience welding or frame designing I have some close family and friends that do, do this. It may be better to buy the chassis. I have No idea what the costs are for new or used chassis. Racing history is from the streets with few cars I had worked on no track experience some drag strip, this will be a brand new experience for me.

Buy a completed car.
Consider starting with a non wing car like a F1600 or FV.

[David Ferguson]

If you really want to build your own car, here's a reasonably priced starter kit:

http://dsrforum.yuku.com/topic/10530/Project-Chassis

[David Locke]

I have good mechanical history. You have brought up a good point and that is the Framing and building of the car I do not have any experience welding or frame designing I have some close family and friends that do, do this. It may be better to buy the chassis. I have No idea what the costs are for new or used chassis. Racing history is from the streets with few cars I had worked on no track experience some drag strip, this will be a brand new experience for me.

F1000/FB is not a beginner class. You'll ultimately be a quicker driver if you "begin at the beginning" and master a less complex/less demanding car first.

[R. Pare]

Since you have zero road racing driving experience, you will want to start in a "lower" class - an FB would be way over your head to start with. An analogy would be buying an airplane to take your first flying lesson in - you would look for something like a Piper Cub, not an F15!

The best classes to start in (in my opinion, anyway) for formula cars would be Formula Vee and Formula Ford. Both can be found used at reasonable prices, and are relatively easy to maintain. Both will teach you the basics of driving without scaring a bejezus out of you.

Get a car, then take lessons at a Club drivers school, or at one of the professional schools.

[dakine315]

Thank you everyone for the great amount of insight. i will take this into consideration. Where should i look for a FV and where are there local tracks near long island.

[brownslane]

There is a great FV forum here on Apex. Take a look there. Find someone local to you that has one, then contact them and visit. Spend a weekend with somebody (helping them) on a race weekend and you will get a better idea whether this is for you or not.

You need to figure out a budget for the car, then the costs of running one (tires, fuel, entry fees, etc) then you need to figure out how to get the car to the track and back.

If you don't have between $1,000 and $1,500 a weekend to race the car, this is not for you. Search the forums under "cost of racing" and you will see some interesting threads.

This is a great sport, but not inexpensive at any level. As said before FB is a very sophisticated and very fast class of car; not for someone trying to learn their race craft.

On that subject, you might want to consider looking into a racing driver school, like Skip Barber....there you will get the basics of driving, taught by professionals who will not teach you bad habits....(very important). Ideally, a rent-a-ride works great as you can concentrate on your driving skills. Again a driver's school offers this opportunity. You would then have driving time with coaching and without the steep learning curve of preparing a race car.

There is a lot more to this sport than Walter Mitty would have you think!

If you decide this is a sport you want, then you will find a whole host of helpful competitors who will get you started, assist you if you run into problems, and will also help you learn "the ropes".

Best, Tom

[ghickman]

My opinion is go directly to a Formula Ford (or club ford). If you want to learn about what makes a formula car tick this is where its at. Mechanical grip is king and this is where to learn it.

I ran FV back in the 70's and learned I didn't like the care and feeding of air cooled engines and also found the chassis tuning was nothing like FF. Sorry if I'm making some of you FV guys ticked but it is what it is.

Once you think you've mastered the art of tuning for mech grip then come join us in FB (F1000).

Forgot to mention pick up a copy of all the Carroll Smith books and read them cover to cover. You will find yourself re-reading them many times especially tune to win.

[S Lathrop]

Brett & Will have offered sage advice. This was my first year racing open wheel. The FB's are not beginner cars to drive, let alone build. I started in a CFC 90 Reynard. Plenty challenging. I'll be taking the wings off for my initial test & tune days next Spring. Why ? It's about getting the mechanical grip optimized. Wings can mask handling & driver weaknesses.

I understand your enthusiasm. Start with used FF. They are a great bargain. Faster than you think. And, with proper care and feeding, you can sell it for what you paid for it, maybe more.

You don't want to remove the wings. The Pinto engine is a real ugly mass behind you and it takes the wings to make this package decent. I am speaking from experience and I had a lot of FSV time before I ran FC.

Now try to find out from some one what a good Elkhart Lake setup for aero would be and start there.

[racerdad2]

Thx Steve !!! I was told to do this by an FF guy Seemed logical.... glad you spoke up

I've got a good set-up for the wings for BIR & then went full on at BHF for more low speed grip. I'll keep the wings on. Thx again !

[BLS]

Sorry if I'm making some of you FV guys ticked but it is what it is.

Just admit it, you couldn't handle the Vee

[glenn cooper]

"You want the Vee?... you can't handle the Vee!"

[JohnPaul]

In terms of cost to performance I personally am attracted more towards the F600 class. A front running FF is just as expensive as any other high end class. But if your long term goal is to get into an FB car then FF would give you a better foundation for set up skills in FB. If you just want the more bang for you buck and as much seat time as possible look at F600