racing a Mark or a porsche?

[tri-valleyracin]

im looking to get in to drag racing now and i have a mark 8 thats getting a fuel pump and im selling one of my atv's but i dont know its u want to race my mark 8 or i can buy a porsche and race that. my mark 8 will be a daily driver if i race the porsche or if i race my mark the porsche will be. or i can just put the $ in to my mark and race that and have it was a daily driver also( i really dont want to kill the car though). my mark 8 has 138000 on it and its a 94. i have it set up some what for the track. the porsche is a 87 944 with 83000 in it. its got a 5 speed in it.

 

[Scorpio1118_2000]

Why not race them both? You cant really them if you take good care of them.

 

[tri-valleyracin]

i think im going to buy the porsche and race that and let my dad race my mark 8 so he car race someting other than atv's.

 

[MediumD]

Buy some classic and shove a big block in it if you want to drag race.

 

[tri-valleyracin]

i would but i dont have that much $ to use on this i just want to get a car that if i break it i wont be to worried about it and the porsche has seen better days but im good with metal and fabbing up things so it will be a good first race car.

 

[MYTURN]

What is your ET expectations?and of course - what is your pocket like.Is your Porshe a turbo car.Even so, if you want decent 12second times than the Mark has more aftermarket parts to build up.What if the Porshes transmission decides to breaks.My last words of encouragement is - if you want fast times than sacrifices will need to be done.


This is what i would love to do - Take a beatup Mark, sell the engine and trans,put in a 351 or 302, c4, turbo, brace the rear and maybe axles, GUT out the car totally for weight,coilovers out back with conversion up front,go racing.The turbo or turbos will be easier on the rear and the 302 will make it easier to fit than the 4.6. Even though i know the 4.6rock, the 302roller block(with a cheap rebuild with a main girdle and a top brace)can handle 600HP.It is never as easy as i put it but with a dedicated plan you could

 

[MediumD]

I would say if you'd like to bracket race a stock car, either one will be fine. Although if the Porsche is a manual then I'd race the VIII...

If you want to actually go fast, performance stuff for a 4.6 is cheaper than for a Porsche. And if you go fast, you end up breaking stuff, and that stuff is again cheaper.

I wanted to go fast, so I found a 73 Buick Apollo (rebadged Nova) for $400, gutted with slicks and a cage all ready to go, now I just need to finish up my $1000 motor, spray it and run 10s. It's ugly but it will get the job done.

I like big pushrod V8s a lot, but I'd never stick a smallblock or bigblock in a Mark VIII. The 4v is a great motor already, and if I were to go to the effort of a motor swap I wouldn't pick a 3800lb car that has the chassis stiffness of a blimp. And actually I wouldn't put a 302 in anything, ever, because it's too small to play with the big blocks and too weak to play with the small blocks (when you crack a block at 500rwhp..)

 

[tri-valleyracin]

im plaining to keep the mark VIII longer than the porsche. im goin to use the porsche as a road car more than a race car. when the mark isnt being raced its getting garage time. i will be going threw the hole car and making everything better. im goin to buy the porsche and if the motor or tranny dies in the porsche ill drop a 302 in it with a t5. its got the room.

 

[dertyclown]

when you race you can't be warried about braking the car or you will neaver push it or your self. I would just put money into one car so that when somthing does brake (as it shood) you have money to fix it/ improve it. and your drag car could be a 10sec. grosery getter Allways bada$$

 

[MYTURN]

i wouldnt be afraid of a 302.With the new girdles main and valley(up top), guys are pushing them hard.I would still stay around 600hp.So what if it breaks anyway - roller blocks are a dime a dozen - and thats racing.Or change to a mexican block or and older 351.The 351,s from 69-74 are stronger and have been capable of 900HP.Even a bigblock will break at that

 

[MediumD]

The 351,s from 69-74 are stronger and have been capable of 900HP.Even a bigblock will break at that

Mine won't

 

[tri-valleyracin]

at the moment im tring to decide a porsche or a ranger with a 302 in it. im thinking the ranger because there are way more parts available and i can get a ranger for 1/2 the price of the porsche. not to mention its a Ford. and simply put i can have a nice ranger for the price of a beat porsche.

 

[plymouth383]

porsches will cost alot of money to make them faster while your lincoln is starting to come around in the aftermarket world. you can forge the bottom end of your 4.6 very easily then put on a vortech supercharger and be very content with dragging. the ranger with a 302 is a good idea if it already has the 5.0 in it, if not i believe they make kits. either one will be a great sleeper but the lincoln will feel better after toasting many cars at the strip. the ranger will still be a ranger

 

[D Hook]

If you decide to buy the 944, be sure you change the timing belt right away before driving it. Those are interference engines and you'll bend valves if the belt breaks.

It's recommended you change the belt every 3years or 30,000 miles. If the seller can't provide a rec't showing when it was last done, assume it needs changing.

Most people also change the water pump and belt rollers, along with the balance shaft belt, all at the same time, since you'll have it all apart anyway.

You may want to hang out at www.Rennlist.com before you decide on the Porsche. But if you decide to buy it/race it, it's a blast to handle. You'll love it.

 

[vr4]

the mark will be cheaper to fix when you blow something up.

 

[tri-valleyracin]

well i have desided im goin to buy the porsche and fix it up re-sell it and put like $4,000 im my mark VIII and that means an alot of work to go fast. the mark will be really fun after $4000 droped in to it. i might buy an other motor and build it with forged internals and cobra cams.

 

[D Hook]

You must be getting the 944 for a steal!

 

[tri-valleyracin]

ya i am. it needs some minor body work and all the interior redone but for the price its hard to pass up. all i have to do is get my atv sold.

 

[Quik LS]

have you been drag racing before? The reason I ask - neither of these cars are really drag cars - unless you are dumping lots of money into them. Drag racing is not all that fun running 12 - 15 secs - a night at the local track where most cars are in the 10s.

a few passes and you've found what the car will do, then practicing until you get you launch and shifting right to shave another .2 off.... then -that's it....

unless you pour more money in to go faster. and saved some money to fix what breaks.

 

[MediumD]

Drag racing is not all that fun running 12 - 15 secs - a night at the local track where most cars are in the 10s.

Where in the blue hell do you race that MOST cars are in the 10s?

 

[BlntdEyez]

have you been drag racing before? The reason I ask - neither of these cars are really drag cars - unless you are dumping lots of money into them. Drag racing is not all that fun running 12 - 15 secs - a night at the local track where most cars are in the 10s.

a few passes and you've found what the car will do, then practicing until you get you launch and shifting right to shave another .2 off.... then -that's it....

unless you pour more money in to go faster. and saved some money to fix what breaks.

I run high 14's low 15's and still have fun. I go just about every weekend and run the same times every weekend. It's just fun to me.

 

[ground_zero298]

If I were you and really wanted a race car I'd drop the idea of having some 944 or mark that you can affordably be able to run 10's in. I would by some mustang, late 80's early 90's that already has 400 rwh and run that. you can get a 11 sec mustang for just as much as you want to put into your mark. Plus theirs a million people that have them, parts are dirt cheap, and their effective in the quarter mile. Unless your rich, your probably never gonna have some super street mark VIII. granted some people have them but they know the costs and labor that go's along with racin them. You look at these post and see the hours and money these guys have spent, they have alot of love for their lincoln's.


Point being ask some members how much money it takes to have a really fast mark. Then ask how much time it took them. If you wanna just go to the track and be satisfied runnin 13's or 14's your on the right path, but if your looking for serious racing, i think you need to see what would benift you the most with the funds available to you.

Like me, I have a 02 conti, and it's fast for what it is, I will never meet someone else driving a conti that will outrun mine, but I know that it will never be a 11 sec car, and theirs alot of cars out their that will smoke me hands down. But like most lincoln owners I love my lincoln, I can't see myself selling it to get anything else thats faster It is what it is and i'm fine with that. I just wanted something different.

 

[tri-valleyracin]

well im not going to buy the porsche becasue i looked at it again and it a waist of time to buy it. im going to sell my quad and put a good 1500 in to my Mark VIII and that will make it run good on the track and be still a good street car.