Demolition Derby

years back the trick cars were 49-54 chevy wagons... thats why we can,t find them today...also sinse your going to run in new jersey throw EVERYTHING out the window on this tread.. the cops run the show and the cars must be all stock, no((fixing)) them. it they think its bad you go home..

 

Here is the Holy Grail of Demo Derby Cars, a '64-'66 Imperial Crown coupe. These things have fully boxed frames and are almost impossible to bend. A friend of mine derbied for over 25 years..even went to Islip for the World Championship from Ohio years ago. He had one he derbied where it was legal to run for about 10 years, believe it or not. Think he's still got the swap mounts to put a SBC in one. As to the '61-'64 Fords, they had almost as tough of ass ends as the Imps but the front ends weren't nearly as strong. I've heard they still run 'em along with the '58-'60 T-Birds on the West Coast and in Western Canada.

Definitely go with a '71-'76 fullsized Chevy if they're legal. Even if you have to leave it fairly stock due to the rules, these cars hold up real well. With a '73-'76, you can hammer REAL well with the front end and not hurt it. If you have to run an '80-up car, the '79-'91 Crown Vic is a decent choice. The DerbyPro message boards someone mentioned has quite a bit of tech info to help y'all build your car.

Jan

 

I went to a derby in Michigan a few years back at a county fair. Some one brought a mid 60's Imperial. It was a former senetors or goveners car. It was extremely reinforced. It was almost indestructable. After two heats it looked like some one keyed the paint. Every car it hit died quickly.

 

Here is the Demo car a buddy of mine built, and I helped on. Way too much work, about 2 years of nights after work and long weekends. Imperial loves may want to cover their eyes.

Geno

 

One thing, some of those older cars if you take care stripping them you can sell most of the interior stuff, power windows and the dash, chrome trim, plastic nose pieces, corner caps and stuff. Chrysler Imperial hubcaps can be worth $100 each, so it's worth the time and trouble.

Other good car choices:

Virginia State Fair bans Volvos. I'm not sure why, I have never seen anyone run one here to get an idea how tough they are (but if you have to wreck a car, thats got to be about the ideal choice).

74-78 Mopar full size - Imperial, New Yorker, Newport, various Dodge and Plymouth models - the biggest ones

GM clamshell wagons (71-76)

Ford Crown Victorias through about '92 - the boxy style, they seem to hold up well from what I've seen. Oddly, Lincoln Town Cars don't hold up nearly as well.

Probably make some people scream, but I'd imagine a Checker Cab would be like running a tank. Saw one someone made a half-assed truck out of, the frame has a heavy X-member that reminds me of '55-'57 Pontiac frames, but looks heavier still.

Saw a '72 AMC Ambassador do pretty well, then heard it was like a 76,000 mile PA car with no rust that they couldn't get anyone to buy, so they demo'ed it - if it's solid that's the key, espcially here in the rust belt.

Avoid 77-89 GM sedans and wagons unless you just want a learning experience. They fold up like tinfoil.

Some guys run Chrysler Cordobas and leaf-spring Monte Carlos or Gran Prixs, I got a Pontiac 400 from a guy building a '77 Gran Prix. There are a LOT of tricks - some he passed on -

They bolt the trunk through the seam at the corners with grade-8 bolts. Also, the hood hinge springs are removed and if they'll let you, the exhaust manifolds get swapped side for side and turned upside down so the pipes run out holes in the hood. If not, run as short a pipe as you can. The most interesting thing was chaining the hood down - the chains were run down through the hood around the frame and the core support, around the bumper bracket and back up. Said this keeps the core from being pushed back into the engine.

Some guys have other tricks too, they'll spend $2000-$3000 on a car and run it 4 and 5 times. Heard about one guy with a Chrysler 340 that will run like 45 minutes with no coolant in it at all. Basically the rule of thumb is if you hit someone and it's like you bounced off a brick wall, go down the other end of the course and play there. The key is to make sure whatever tricks you use, they're legal, because they'll put your car right up on it's side to inspect it after the demo is over.. usually the top 4-5 cars are inspected.

 

hey Tim , demolition derby is a lot of fun.i've been doing them for over 20 years.the cars i have been using lately are mid 80s deltas and caprices.very tuff cars and cheap and easy to find. what do you want to know? i will step by step if you want.go over to the internet demolition derby associaton web site for good info[lots of good tips like welding the spider gears ect]

 

very important get a copy of the rules from the fair that you are running at.most places do not allow imperials.also get a copy of GODS OF DESTRUCTION on dvd.its a good dvd with a lot of action and it gives you an idea what works.

 

Checkers don't make very good derby cars unless the rules allow you to weld ALL of the seams and put in a roll cage. The body panels..including the rear fenders, bolt on just like a '40s car and the tops tend to fold down in the back. For a winning derby ride, you need the entire structure....body AND frame to be as rigid as possible.

A completely rustfree car is one of the most important elements, along with a thorough prep. My friend and I used to travel as far south as Atlanta from Ohio buying solid '70s Chevy wagons when he was still derbying. Most of these cars lasted for several years and he placed in the money often enough for it to be worthwhile.

One other tip....use a small block Chevy, Ford or Mopar in a bigger car if your rules allow motor swaps. Big block anythings are hard to restart if you stall them hot. Also, exhaust stacks serve a real purpose besides looking cool. If you stall, it's kind of hard to hear if your cars has restarted or not. But you can watch the stacks while you're crankin', and when the smoke belches out you're ready to do more crunchin'...

Jan

 

I guess its fun for those who dig smashing up old Detriot iron but you'd havta be a damn fool running a big block chevy in a derby car as nowadays. a running used BB chev fetches at least 500$,folks this shit aint in the junkyards no more,these derby fuckers are gonna havta start wrecking front wheel drive shitbox's and 80s barges i.e crown vics and caprices.Mopar barges in decent shape are going for 5K on ebay ect.so better try and keep from killing the barges you've already ruined and spent over a grand setting up so you can win that $3.54 cent trophy and the only old iron i see in junkyards noywadays have been picked clean BEFORE going to the junkyards.

 

Your friends a fuckin moron those two years could had it on bags flatted or some trick custom paintjob at least the tires and rims were right but WTF when the fuck did the HAMB become a fuckin demo derby forum jeezus while your at it rusty NYer and JY Dan why not tell us how to make a bomb, since 99% of your posts have been about how to destroy a old car instead of fixing it up