i was watching IFC before i went to bed (Independent Film Channel) and there was this thing on, 4 Cylinder 400... I was like, huh? So I watched it... it's a 30 minute documentary on a race in rural New York (Bovina Center)... a bunch of guys get together and race each other around a field just for the fuck of it... it's great. As I was watching it, I was thinking, "I know people like this! this could be my friends and I!"

anyways, if you can't catch it on IFC, here's the linky to at least catch the trailer.

www.4cylinder400.com

If you're not from rural America, this will confound, befuddle and generally make you worry... if you are from rural America (or Canada), you will laugh your ass off!!!

the rules are simple:
1.) No car over $300
2.) all 4-cylinders (no turbos/SC's)
3.) anything goes

Posted by Samurai i was watching IFC before i went to bed (Independent Film Channel) and there was this thing on, 4 Cylinder 400... I was like, huh? So I watched it... it's a 30 minute documentary on a race in rural New York (Bovina Center)... a bunch of guys get together and race each other around a field just for the fuck of it... it's great. As I was watching it, I was thinking, "I know people like this! this could be my friends and I!" anyways, if you can't catch it on IFC, here's the linky to at least catch the trailer. www.4cylinder400.com If you're not from rural America, this will confound, befuddle and generally make you worry... if you are from rural America (or Canada), you will laugh your ass off!!! the rules are simple: 1.) No car over $300 2.) all 4-cylinders (no turbos/SC's) 3.) anything goes

Kinda like the people's rally races in sweden. Car must be at less than 600$ and is auctioned off at the end of the race.

That sounds like fun.
I'm surprised no one does that here, but then again, we have the Essex County Fair demolition derby every year when everybody goes and raids the local junkyards for a piece of crap to put in it.

Shael

That's funny! I used to do endurance racing at Brighton Speedway, basically the same idea... strip a car, and run a 250 lap race in it, but anything goes... Caprice, Tercel, you name it...

I enjoyed the IFC movie about demolition derby drivers... most of it was filmed in Ontario and I've seen a few of these guys drive before and have met a couple of them at the few derbies I've driven in.

Posted by bandi That's funny! I used to do endurance racing at Brighton Speedway, basically the same idea... strip a car, and run a 250 lap race in it, but anything goes... Caprice, Tercel, you name it... I enjoyed the IFC movie about demolition derby drivers... most of it was filmed in Ontario and I've seen a few of these guys drive before and have met a couple of them at the few derbies I've driven in.

up at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh NY and over at Thunder Road in Barre Vermont, there was a class called junkyard warrior and the premise was the same... can't be over a certain dollar value, mostly mechanically stock... those guys take that shit seriously!

My buddy Garrett and his brother Travis had two Chevettes they ran in the next class up from that, Street Stock, and they were huge targets because not only were they running a weird car, but they were beating the shit out of the Mustangs and other usual suspects. For their last season, Garrett moved up to a Mustang and got hit pretty hard... the guy thought he had spun him, came back around the track and hit Garrett head on, flipped G's Mustang over and hit him hard enough where when the radiator came back into the engine, it shoved the waterpump into the cooling jacket and cracked #1 cylinder... That was it for the two of them. They sold the Mustang, stripped the Chevette and stuffed the racing engine from the Chevette into an 84 Chevette 3-door... the one I was going to buy last spring/summer.

anyways, this looks like a blast and it's not that far from my friends place in Kingston.

Posted by bandi I enjoyed the IFC movie about demolition derby drivers... most of it was filmed in Ontario and I've seen a few of these guys drive before and have met a couple of them at the few derbies I've driven in.

If you are talking about the one i am thinking of..(Hot rod or something like that) they are a couple of local boys from around here!! Lansdowne to be precise...definitely redneck area!! lol!

yeah, that's it! I forgot the name!

Did any of y'all see the old car and Driver issue where they took a Pinto and raced it?

Well here is a little info on it. Just goes to show what a little hard work and engineering can put on the track
http://www.colinsc...detail.php?car=332

that is AWESOME!

Pinto's were in great demand back around the early 90's here... I was repeatedly offered cash for my 1980. I just couldn't stand to see mine cut up and turned into a race car. However, when I changed it over from an automatic to a standard transmission, the transmission, mounts, hardware and flywheel all came out of a Pinto race car... Everyone laughs at Pintos, but with the right kind of tuning and a little imagination, you can savage V8's in the short, stoplight-to-stoplight arena... I used to give 305 Camaros and Turbo Daytonas fits... those fucking 5-Liter Mustangs, though, they were quicker than me.

Yes, I had a Pinto... November 1990 to November 1995
me and my Pinto, December 1991:


And before that, I had a 1978 Mercury Bobcat:

click to view

click to view

There's a '78 Bobcat sitting in the wreckers near here, gorgeous condition but they won't sell anything whole, unfortunately. Seems like a bit of a waste to me, they've got a complete '72 Spitfire in there, too.

I did my first engine swap in a Bobcat!!! Took that warped headed, oil leaking, anemic 2.3L out and shoe horned a 302 in there!! It wasn't a pretty job, but for a 14/15 year old, i was pretty proud of myself!! Not to mention that the car went like stink once it traction!!!

Posted by chromehorse I did my first engine swap in a Bobcat!!! Took that warped headed, oil leaking, anemic 2.3L out and shoe horned a 302 in there!! It wasn't a pretty job, but for a 14/15 year old, i was pretty proud of myself!! Not to mention that the car went like stink once it traction!!!

with the right touch, a 2.3L was far from anemic. I would routinely wind mine past 7,000 RPM while still making power...

Sounds like you guys haven't heard of the 24 hours of Lemons.

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/

cars under $500 there is 6 or 7 races a year all over the country.

Posted by SoNaive Sounds like you guys haven't heard of the 24 hours of Lemons. http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/ cars under $500 there is 6 or 7 races a year all over the country.

August 23-24... there's an event in Connecticut... Bwahahahaha!
i've got just the car in mind for this!!!!

I heard of this a while back but it kinda slipped into the back of my mind. In October there is one in Texas. Hmmmmm, might have to do this.

Nice find!

Ebay motors here I come

*edit*
FTW
http://cgi.ebay.co...h=item170198720860

http://jalopnik.co...urs%20of%20lemons/

all sorts of stuff about the last 24 hours of Lemons (scroll down a bit)

these people bring teams of 10 or so it looks like it would be a blast

Posted by Samurai with the right touch, a 2.3L was far from anemic. I would routinely wind mine past 7,000 RPM while still making power...

Yeah, don't get me wrong...the 2.0 and 2.3l have a ton of potential, it's just the 2.3l i had was anemic and pretty much a boat anchor!!!;) And being that age....it was go big or go home!!! (well..go medium or go home!!) lol

We used to do this in my friends field.

Merkur XR4TI FTW! (we didn't worry about the TC/SC rule)

Posted by DelbertGrady We used to do this in my friends field. Merkur XR4TI FTW! (we didn't worry about the TC/SC rule)

What a shame. I had an 86 XR4Ti. I'd love to find another one in halfway decent shape... my had the C3 auto in it... the torque converter failed in it and I sold the car.