Me and my buddies can't afford to build a dragster, so the first Double Klutchers project car is going to be a demo racer. Does anyone have any experience building demolition derby cars, what are some good websites?
I have run a few derby cars . best car to use is a chrysler imperial. most events there is no reinforcements allowed the best tricks i learned 1 remote mount the battery 2 cut big hole in floor and weld rod to shifter linkage get rid of rest 3 jack car up and put muffler clamps around the shocks also while jacked up bend the top of 1/4 panels so the rear will fold up. 4 take tires to be filled solid with foam 5 remote mount radiator 6 bend all metal around the front tires till there is no way of it from hitting them 7 if it is a 4 door jack the b pilars out about 2 inches 8 if it is a newer car with colapeable bumper absorber weld the so they cant colapse
stay away from cadillacs and station wagons,they look like winners but they usually crap out first.early 60's imperials are the best bar none.58-60 T-birds (blasphemy i know,but they used to be dime a dozen) are second.you probably won't be able to relocate the radiator,but you might be able to reinforce in front of it.use a clutch fan,so if the radiator gets pushed into the fan the water pump will still turn,either that or get an electric fan.use the biggest battery you can get too,since if the belt flies off you could lose the gen. or alt. have the coil wired straight to the battery with a switch in between,all you need is enough juice to fire the engine,a big truck or backhoe battery will get you through to the next round.use a coat hanger for the throttle and run it through the dash board,that way you can pull it WFO and leave it there when the flag drops.OK,next is the trans linkage.most demo derby cars are column shift automatic.remove the neutral safety switch and the stock linkage.cut a hole in the floor and run a piece of cold rolled strap through there direct to the linkage.then take another piece of strap and make a park lockout.all you want is to be able to ram it from 1st to reverse as fast as you can,you don't EVER want to be stuck in park.good luck-george
One last item, and I may get some disagreement. Depending on how long you intend to run, plumb the automatic transimission fluid to a separate cooler or just loop it back into the transmission. We did this to avoid the lines getting crushed nad loosing all our fluid when the radiator is taken out. good luck
TIME1964 ---- Run in nineteen derbys--won them all---1956 olds four door---tuffest front end of any make---solid motor mounts and other prep---after about five times it could not be hurt, dented up rock solid.
used to run them at fairs for fun had best luck with big 70s wagons but same with remounting rad & tank
The rules for Demo Derbys are differant all over. Most do not allow Imperials. But the other rules can vary a lot. Some will let you bend body panels up and around the frame. Some of them it has to be stock. Some will let you move the radiator while others say if you run a radiator it must be in the stock location. The only way to know for sure is to get the rules before you build. It would really suck to show up , pay your entry fee and then be told the car is illegal.
I have ran in demolition derbys for 15 years even on tv a couple of times. The basics have been mentioned already. The best car to use anymore is 1973-1976 chevy impala wagons. try www.derbypro.com for hints and tips. If this derby has a purse over $1000 check the rules very carefully alot of guys take derbys pretty serious. some of the things if the rules allow is weld the rear end spiders, remove the body mounts and install 1" all thread and washers where they used to be, if running a car with shock bumpers compress the bumper shock and weld them solid, do not foam fill your tires ( axles will break) run 700-15 truck tires with inner tubes the higher the ply the better, weld valve stem protectors to the wheel. remove passengers side front caliper, run trans cooler in beer cooler packed in dry ice. building a competive usually takes 200 + hours and $1000 dollars. But you end up with a smile, sore back and neck and a junk car you have to cut up before the city gets on you
A few things I learned building derby cars. 1. run tranny lines together with rubber hose. 2. duct tape around destributor cap. If it cracks it will stay together. 3. use snow mobile gas tank strapped in back seat. 4.If the heats will be small and not to long eliminate radiator. use a long loop of radiator hose fitted together with a filler. It might get a little warm but know one can take out the radiator and you can keep running. 5. if it works when you get the car then leave it alone. Don't mess with anything unless you have to .
lots of good things have been mentioned one that I didnt see is to flip the exhaust manifolds around or switch sides to run the exhaust "straight out the hood" haha try to get a rulebook, ive never been to a derb that allowed radiator relocation or protection heres a car I built last year: welded rear axle to a posi welded shocks completely removed all wiring and made a console with a toggle switch and button relocated tranny cooler into the car fuel and battery box in car completely gutted inside except for drivers side door panel for the drivers protection flipped exhaust manifolds made a simple but strong floor shifter with little linkage (dont leave it a column shift) weld and bolt in bars of channel iron across drivers side door chain bumpers through the trunk so if the brackets bend or snap, you arent dragging the bumper use tall and narrow implement tires install a steel brace between the drivers side and passenger side door jambs, positioned so it will hold the seat in place and also keep the seatback from breaking (if it breaks you have nothing to lean against, bad situation) re bar across the windshield to keep flying pieces from nailing you doors chained shut hood chained shut gut the thermostat or use a washer instead get new radiator hoses, and nicely and carefully wrap them with duct tape when they are installed put a new fuel filter in the line and also a hand "ball" pump new spark plugs and wires, and change oil and use STP and marvel mystery oil (its been proven that the engine runs a little cooler) most derbs also require that a (usually around 18 inch diameter) hole be cut in the hood, above the intake, so they can put any fires out quicker also, have a fire extinguisher readily mounted in the car I did not change the body mount hardware, but I will in every car after this, look what happened! There were only 3 bolts left holding the body onto the frame this is the car, can anyone guess what it is before I say?
Cool tips. I'm excited I have always wanted to build one. I will take pics of the buildup this summer and put them on here.
what car are you planning on running? it was mentioned in this post that a wagon isnt a good choice, but in my opinion I think it IS a good choice, just pre-smash in the roof about 4 feet from the back, so then then when you get hit in the back or hit with the back, the body bends UPWARDS instead of downwards, and if it bends down it WILL eventually get to the ground and drag. It is hard to maneuver and pick up speed if you are dragging your ass end. I dont know of any "tips and pointers" websites off hand, but just do a search, because there are many good ones. Briggs
Sure, one of my favorite subjects and I come in at the end. The biggy is to check the rules . I ran in the USA Demolitin Derby series here in Michigan as did Springer.There were always a few guys that did'nt read the rules and wasted a lot of time on a car they could'nt use when they got there.We could'nt use Imperials but guys would show up with them.Every year they would add or change some rules.
FUCK NO leave te Imps alone,hell leave the Mopar barges alone period,i'm tired of 'Cuda and Road Runner fuckers rippin thier big blocks out.As the owner of a C body barge a 73 Fury it sucks seeing a perfectly good Mopar Barge be ruined by pilfering the engine or derbying it.get ya a late 70's early 80's GM or ford big car to smash up.
FIND OUT WHERE YOU ARE GOING TOO DEMO....90%of the things they told you wont fly in the jersey aera..ive banged or won in most of them...when its time let me know, ill help you ((fix)) it set your sites on wall its the last year for the track then condos or middletown ny ...if you havent demoed before stay in the dirt.. you can get real hurt on ashphalt i demo at riverhead l.i. and i have seen two track champions from up north refuse to go on the track after seeing the heats
I cant picture a less attractive car than an imperial (most mopars in general) and settle down, no one is ruining a good car (ok fine maybe a FEW rare instances, so no one say "OH you are WRONG, ONE time I saw it!") haha
Wow pretty mich everthing i thought of has been mensioned except i always drop a quart of brake fluid on the trans. It makes the pads expand and grip better. Another thing i do is use 2 batteries but I use 2 switches and wire them so only one batt is used at a time. That way i can run one completly dead and just switch over and instantly have a fresh batt. If it's allowed you could also screw the wheels to the tires. Anither twist on the body mounts is to get rid of them all together and bolt the body directly to the frame with big 4" plates on top. Also weld the doors shut if allowed using 1/4" bar in the gaps between the doors, that really adds stregnth. I also trim the ends off the bumpers and remove the bumperetts to avoid getting hung up on somone.
I always likes leaf spring cars they hold some of the inpact energy.But use what ever is free or cheap. The only hold back on mopars is the trans case brakes easy.When I got serious about derbys I always used a 2 peice truck drive shaft. That way as the frame got shorter the mid bearing slide jont would slide in and keep rolling. I always added a slick 50 type additive to the engine. I dont know if it helped but I did not hurt. I always liked 2 barrel carbs as the did not flood and seemed to work better in the low rpm and torque area.I always wore knee and elbo pads. Put bars in the windshield area. I always filled the bottom of the doors and lower rear quarter panels with dirt and added water just before the event. lower center of gravity and asorbs energy. Make sure all shape things are out of the car.If you cant get a fire suit wear as many layers of clothes as you can and some type of eye protection. Try to use a helmet that is less than 3 years old.I hope this helps Have fun be careful and Good Luck.. Bobby...
In my opinion, there were some cars that exist only to make other cars cooler or nicer. '60's Imperials fall into this catagory. They look gross, and anyone who wants a luxury car would buy a Caddy or Lincoln before an Imperial. Imperials would make a great derby car. The big blocks have way more then enough torque to mess stuff up and are durable as hell. When the derby os over, you have heated power seats and a B or RB motor and Torqueflight to rebuild and transplant into a car more deserving. That guy with that 50's Caddy derby car should be shot
Ha, Ha is right! I've seen lots of great iron get ruined in Derbys! That really torques me, too. I saved the 401 Nailhead in this '63 Riv only because the Dynaflow crapped out out on the guys on their way to the local derby. The car was near mint when they started getting it Derbyized. Go figure!
Imperials are banned in my area, the '69 to '73 Imperials are just about indestructable. If you can use them though, crank the torsion bars down tight to get the front end up in the air. '71 to '76 full size Chevy Sedans and Wagons are pretty tough too. One trick they like around here is using Forklift Tires on back. They're like 20 ply or something, tuff as hell. Put a posi unit in it, or weld the spiders up. Most people bend the rear wheels on purpose, they claim it helps with traction when the promoters get the arena too muddy. Station Wagons work pretty good as long as the roof is either cut, or pre-bent to make it bend upwards during the derby(somebody already mentioned that). Weld a short piece of pipe on each wheel to protect the Valve Stems. Cut a hole in the floor and make a simple shifter, column linkage doesn't last very long in a Derby. If you lose the ability to shift, you're screwed...
No man; the pic of that caddy is utterly uncool. Funny thing is that it looks a lot like a typical rockasilly "custom" in many ways. It has the same theme going sorta..
The most successful cars I have seen over the years were the 60-64 FOMOCO full size. Wagons seem to be especially durable. The 58-60 T-birds did well too. The cars have heavy frames which seem fairly able to avoid the fatal twist and collapse. I've seen more of these alive at the end than anything else. That's ancient history. These cars are getting scarce and are more desireable than ever for customising and cruising which they also are well suited for. Yeah, check the rules first.
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