1984 Red Devil -SOLD

[mbt828]

So for years when travelling between my home and my hunting property in Southeast Pennsylvania, I saw this racecar along with many other street cars crammed into a glass-fronted building on private property.

I always said to myself that I should contact that property owner to see if any of the cars were for sale.

Well one day I did. Yes was the answer.

The older man, a Vietnam Vet, was going through some health issues, but that didn't stop him from enthusiastically talking about cars and racing for hours on that day that my wife and I went up with my trailer to his farm. Turns out he had done Summit Point, The Glen and others and was an avid SCCA F440 guy back in the 80's. The car had been sitting since then.

I knew it's value was closer to zero than to what I paid him for it. I didn't mind at all. I know it helped him and his wife out and they were never going to do anything with it anyway. So I took it home.


My wife and I spent the next 3 weeks recovering from Poison Ivy.


I performed what amounts to the first 5-10 hours of what a total restoration would entail. Vacuuming the years of leaves and dirt out of it. Washing the body panels and completely tearing down the car and taking the engine out. Kawasaki TC440A-B201. Cleaning the carburetors, etc.

So I've done all the nitty gritty hard stuff to get it ready to be rebuilt, but I would like to focus on other projects right now. It was somewhat of a whim anyway. If you want to do this restoration or just need the chassis or the engine or any other parts, it's yours for free, but you have to take it all. Come and get it. Montgomery County, PA.
Email me please
mikethomas828@hotmail.com

[Mark_Silverberg]

What a time machine. I had a friend with a 79 or 80 Red Devil F440. I forgot how absolutely crude the early machines were.

I think this still could be a great project for some one who wanted a beginner auto-cross car. I cant tell from the pictures - but I thought on the early cars the entire rear subframe with engine assembly was a sprung member.

[provamo]

VERY COOL for someone!

thanking you for the RESCUE!

[Numbskull XIV]

I drove by this car in the window of an old store in march 2014 and immediately turned around to look at it. Here are a few pictures I took of it.

Jon Updegrove
Rf97 Van Diemen FC

[provamo]

if i was a kid i would be all over this!

[mbt828]

Yup! That's the one! It was a bear to get out of that building. Got it home and cleaned it up pretty good.

Available to anyone that wants it!

Mike T

Mikethomas828@hotmail.com

[Numbskull XIV]

Yup! That's the one! It was a bear to get out of that building. Got it home and cleaned it up pretty good.

Available to anyone that wants it!

Mike T

Mikethomas828@hotmail.com

Great save! I thought about it but quickly remembered all my projects already.

Jon

[Jnovak]

Someone who wants to go solo racing should jump all over this. It will take some work to get it back on the track but probably not a lot of $$. There are also plenty of advice helpers on this and other forums.

One note: this car is not legal for road racing because the roll over hoops are not the legal dimension for Road Racing. They are legal for solo though, so some one please get this car back on the road.

[DanW]

Someone who wants to go solo racing should jump all over this. It will take some work to get it back on the track but probably not a lot of $$. There are also plenty of advice helpers on this and other forums.

One note: this car is not legal for road racing because the roll over hoops are not the legal dimension for Road Racing. They are legal for solo though, so some one please get this car back on the road.

That's what I was thinking. I autocrossed in the late 70's and early 80's. These cars were very competitive in the right hands. Very low operating cost.

[gcoffin]

My first formula car was a 84 red devil..t84-6. Capable of top time of day in solo 2 even today

[Pi_guy]

Anybody contact him?
Sent off e-mail yesterday have had no response, would have pm him but he does not have that feature.

[Scootin159]

My first F440 was a similar vintage to this, and in pretty similar condition when I bought it (for arguably not much more than the asking price here). It took me about 3 months working very sporadically on it, and maybe $1000, to get it autocross ready. I was never really competitive with any top competition, but it was able to consistently get FTD locally and grab decent PAX finishes for a total investment less than a single set of tires on some of my competitors.

[jim murphy]

My 1984 DareDevil was 84-01. After upgrading the rear clip with a KBS clip - making it one piece instead of two piece chassis, along with ALL the autox changes (and some RR ones, too) that have been posted in both forums over the years, my car won the Solo Nationals twice and trophied many, many times - I have three National trophies myself - the rest are by faster co-drivers for over 20 years. It is still being autoxed (It ran at the last Lincoln Nationals). Just copy what was done to my old car, along with a Rotax 593, and you will be in the trophies at Nationals.

Jim
Owner of the E Mod yellow Jeep, Scorpion F600 and KBS Mk.8 F600.

[formulasuper]

My 1984 DareDevil was 84-01. After upgrading the rear clip with a KBS clip - making it one piece instead of two piece chassis, along with ALL the autox changes (and some RR ones, too) that have been posted in both forums over the years, my car won the Solo Nationals twice and trophied many, many times - I have three National trophies myself - the rest are by faster co-drivers for over 20 years. It is still being autoxed (It ran at the last Lincoln Nationals). Just copy what was done to my old car, along with a Rotax 593, and you will be in the trophies at Nationals.

Jim
Owner of the E Mod yellow Jeep, Scorpion F600 and KBS Mk.8 F600.

"the rest are by [faster] co-drivers" .....and I'm guessing also lighter?

[jim murphy]

"the rest are by [faster] co-drivers" .....and I'm guessing also lighter?

Yes, this is true.

Jim

[mbt828]

Car was picked up today. In good hands and headed to VA.

Thank you to all that responded and also to apexspeed.com

Mike

[provamo]

good ending

[jim murphy]

Whoever got this project the forum would greatly appreciate your doing a photographic report of your rebuilding this car and maybe even an on board video of its first solo run.

Jim