What happens when you take an underpowered, ill handling car that’s been sitting for 6 months to a road race course on Amateur Night? You have yourself a recipe for a great time! That’s exactly what I decided to do! My local road course, Utah Motorsports Campus, does weekly amateur track outings, and I figured that it’s been a while since I went and played with my cars like this. My 1985 Buick Regal is the best handling car that I own and can take to a road course, so it got brought back to life to go have some fun!
The Regal needed some love to take care of a few small things like removing the wasps from the door jams and airing up the tires. The oil, though it had been sitting, was reasonably fresh and not gas fouled. The battery had enough life in it to crank the little 3.8 Buick V6 to life. I did get on the battery charger the night before so I was confident it wasn’t going to leave me stranded.
A little explanation is due as to how this car is set up. It has the original sway bar in the front, which is soft and compliant. My El Camino had the factory handling package called the F41, Had is the operative word. It’s now got a large 1.375” rear sway bar and no front bar, because drag car. The original F41 bar has been added to the rear of the Regal, which greatly improves the roll stiffness of the tail. The F41 front bar has not made its way on. The correct F41 bar on the front would greatly improve bite and grip in the corners. So I have mismatched sway bars that promote massive understeer.
With my helmet in hand, I hit the track and I may not be fast in this car, but it sure looks like I’m reasonably consistent with my lap times! That means I’m probably making the same mistakes lap after lap or I’m really not doing too bad! Weather happened and I got that on video, low grip and all! It was a great outing and the Regal came back in one piece! That’s a win to me! I know that this car is not likely to be competitive in it’s current state. Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan for that!
Here’s some links to stuff I like to use! These are affiliate links and I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
PWRCORE 12 Brushless 12V 3/8” Impact Wrench Kit
WavWatch – Use Discount Code ERIC100 for $100 off at checkout – https://www.wavwatch.com/
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