Formula Vee... Formula P ??

[cashflyer]

I was looking over a Solo Vee yesterday (the autocross version of a Formula Vee) and evil ideas started forming. I know very, very little about the cars - but I know PPOT knows EVERYTHING.

The beatle was a rear engine car, but the VEE is a mid engine. The owner said that the transxle was simply "flipped". I assume he means that the ring gear was swapped from one side to the other.

I was wondering... Why not drop in a Porsche 6?? Seems like all you would need to do is lengthen the frame and trailing arms.

Yes? No?
Enlighten me!!

Formula Vee's can be had for relatively cheap prices, and I have a crashed 911 with a good 2.4 and 901. Is what I'm thinking about a viable project??


Also... How similar is the beatle tranny to the 901 or early 915? Can they be interchanged?

[motion]

'Cause there's no way a crappy FV frame and transaxle could handle anything over a hundred horsepower or so. Heck, they're made for 45 HP!

BTW, a good, used, 10 year old FV roadracer still goes for over $10k. Bottom line is that the junk cars are cheap, but good ones are big bucks.

I ran one for one race back in the day before my Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic. To be honest, they are ancient tech crap. Just my 0.02!!!

[widebody911]

I thought it would be fun to get an older forumla vee to use as a play-around track car, the primary advantage being I could tow it behind my VW bus.

[motion]

If you're hard-core VW and don't mind the low tech and 45 HP, they probably are a fun low budget racer.

[Z-man]

For $10k you can have a Lola 340 Forumla Ford:



Now that sounds like fun!

Yes, I too am considering jumping into a formula something - either VW or Ford. With a Forumla Vee, I am sure that a 1.8 turbo or 2.0 VW powerplant can be made to work - as long as the chassis is upgraded as well. As for the Forumla Ford - a Zetec motor would work just fine...

-Z-man.

[Jeff Higgins]

Super Vee is a whole different ballgame, and probably somewhere between Formula Vee and Ford in ownership/operating costs. Most I've seen seem noticably faster than the Formula Fords as well. Could just be the local drivers. Anyone have experience with them?

FWIW, vintage Formula Vee has a huge contingent up here. The guys running it are as laid back as racers come, and they sure seem to have a lot of fun for the dollar. Tight knit group, too.

[motion]

Super Vee is a Formula Atlantic chassis (Ralt RT4 or RT5) with a VW engine in it (Golf?). They're pretty cheap to pick up, but weren't as fast as the Cosworth BDA or injected Toyota engines. Cheaper to run, though. Much, much faster than FV or FF, with wings front and back and downforce tunnels.

[gaijindabe]

Originally posted by Jeff Higgins


FWIW, vintage Formula Vee has a huge contingent up here. The guys running it are as laid back as racers come, and they sure seem to have a lot of fun for the dollar. Tight knit group, too.

I once brought up the subject of Vintage Formula Vee with Cramer. (At a bar in Watkins Glenn, as I remember..) He likened it to "kissing your own sister" and just laughed. I never brought up the subject again.

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by motion
If you're hard-core VW and don't mind the low tech and 45 HP, they probably are a fun low budget racer.

I'm not hardcore anything. I do mind the 45hp.

I liked the idea of being able to pick up a Vee roller for around $2-3k. Then, using my in-gin-ooo-ity, welder, and hammer, maybe putting in some Porche Pow'r.

Cheap was kinda the idea behind the Vee.

Oh, well...

[widebody911]

I am hardcore VW, and 45hp doesn't bug me (get it?) but the $10k+ admission price does

[motion]

Thom, you can find Caldwell D13s out there for around $5k ready to race.

BTW, some of the big FV tuners - I forget the names, its been a long time - charge upwards of $10k for their 45 HP motors!

[motion]

LOLOLOL!!! Even the Motormeister guys dig Formula Vees!

http://www.motormeister.com/suz/crew/lee_roy.html

Pics of D13: http://home.nc.rr.com/cavalino/

Formula Vees for sale: http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/formulavee.htm

[widebody911]

Originally posted by motion
BTW, some of the big FV tuners - I forget the names, its been a long time - charge upwards of $10k for their 45 HP motors!

Yeah, there's one here in Sacramento - I bought some stuff on ebay from him and he gave me a tour of his shop. The tricks he was willing to show me were downright amazing, I can only imagine what secrets he has up his sleeve.

[cashflyer]

I have two excellent bug-men in my area. Although it is a different form of racing, one of them is a former record holder for VW based drag racing. I'm sure he knows a few tricks.

If you want to see a few more ads, many under $10k, look here:
http://www.sracing.com/ForSale/forsale.htm

$6500


$9700


$5000

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally posted by motion
Super Vee is a Formula Atlantic chassis (Ralt RT4 or RT5) with a VW engine in it (Golf?). They're pretty cheap to pick up, but weren't as fast as the Cosworth BDA or injected Toyota engines. Cheaper to run, though. Much, much faster than FV or FF, with wings front and back and downforce tunnels.

The Super Vee's I see running around the track up here have the air-cooled flat four. I believe they are in the 2,000 cc+ range. Most obvious is that they are dual port motors running twin Webers, and the fully independant rear suspensions (as opposed to swing axles on the Formula Vee's). These are not the in-line four water pumpers. I don't know all that much about them, but they do clean up on the Formula Fords pretty easily. They do sport front and rear wings, and appear to have much more liberal rules than Formula Vee. Any of you SCCA guys out there know what these are all about? They seem pretty damn fast for the money.

[trekkor]

A friend of mine used to race Vee's years ago.
They rebuild their motors after every couple of races.
Most guys carry a spare with them.
They make 60 HP with a single port VW motor.

They run at 7000+ RPMS and can run Sears at a 1:51 !!

A true momentum car.
My friend said if you brake or lift, three cars will go by you!

We're supposed to rebuild his car from the ground up.
I want to a/x or DE the thing. He wants to renew his license and race it again.


KT

[notfarnow]

There was a local guy who managed to get a formula vee racer licensed for the road back in the 70s. He had done so in order to drive it to autocross events, but when he sold it the next owner used it on the street only. Quite a sight on the highway in smalltown New Brunswick. Last time I saw it (10 yrs ago or so) it had type 4 power and a little canvas top.

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by Jeff Higgins
The Super Vee's I see running around the track up here have the air-cooled flat four...

Here is the Tui Supernova. Click it for the ad which has a little history.

[GDSOB]

Early super vees were air cooled bug motors.
Later versions had rabbit motors.
No cheap Super Vees any more.

FV's are 1200cc.
There is a group updating the FV's to "formula first" w/ 1600 motors, disc brakes, & FF size tires. Laps at about club ford times.

[cashflyer]

Any idea the best way to ship one from Alberta to the US east coast?

I have thought about calling a trucking company to see about rates on "half a van". I fugure the car plus all spares would take just under half of a 53 foot trailer....