This is the inaugural post documenting my 24 Hours of Lemons build. For those that are unfamiliar, the 24 Hours of Lemons is an endurance race where the car budget, excluding safety items, cannot exceed $500. Generally speaking, $500 cars are terrible cars. To make matters more, ahem, interesting, customization is encouraged and rewarded. The video below highlights one extreme example, a Porsche 911 powered by a diesel tractor engine.
While I appreciate the ingenuity and audacity of that Porsche build, the car I am building is a relatively stock 2005 Ford Focus in Sangria Red. When new, it made 136 HP and 133 lb-ft torque, with a 5 speed manual transmission. As it sits, it has 265,000 miles, is missing the passenger window, has a leaking tire, a horrible vibration emanating from the engine bay at any RPM that has cracked the windshield, and a decent oil leak. It also likely needs about 100,000 miles of deferred maintenance.
What this particular car has going for it is a relatively reliable platform, great handling, a racing pedigree (see here and here), and a lot of aftermarket support. The rough outline of the plan:
Complete deferred maintenance
Install safety equipment
Complete race prep
Install performance items that fit within budget
In the coming weeks I will do my best to document the work required for turning this car from a decent economy car into a Lemons contender.