Thanks! I'm trying real hard to keep it neat and clean. I'm working on some sponsorship for the gauges, so the dash is up in the air for a few more days. We'll see. these "deals" always seem to fall through for me. You have the whole crew at Bennington's to get you finished. I'll admit, I get a helping hand once in a while but for the most part it's just me.

Any and all info/suggestions on my build would be greatly appreciated!! After all, this is my first.

RacerX wrote:


Nothing too ground-breaking, but some general things I learned during my build, since you asked:

- Take your time positioning and mounting the seat; a good seating position makes a huge difference in how much fun you have driving the car (though you've already got the cage in, so you've probably already done this)

- Stripping out all the unnecessary wiring is a huge PITA with lots of potential for causing problems if you remove just one wire too many, but in the end is worth it in terms of weight savings, general clean-up, and future maintenance - when you're done, it's nice to know that every wire that's still in the car is actually needed for something you'll use, rather than a rat-'s nest of problems waiting to happen!

- Go through the entire cooling system and make sure that it ALL works (including the fan relays, radiator, etc.) Lots of cars run hot early on, and there are a lot of simple parts in this system that can fail and cause big problems if you're not watching your water temps. If you can work it into your budget, it's worth replacing the radiator, hoses, thermostat and water pump (though your engine build has probably taken care of those last 2), and upgrading your fans and direct-wiring them to a switch on the dash. It's a lot to spend at once, but if it ever saves you even one race weekend, it's worth it IMO.

- For the window net, consider buying one of the see-through mesh nets, rather than the thicker 'strap' nets. The mesh ones are easier to see out of, especially for looking at the side mirror.

- Random bonus tip: use manila folder cut-outs to mock up anything you need to build out of aluminum or metal (block-off plates for firewall holes, switch or gauge mounts, etc). It's a lot easier to constantly trim away at a light-weight piece of cardboard than it is a costly piece of aluminum or metal stock. Once you've got the template made, just trace it onto your aluminum, cut/drill/file/paint, and you're done.

GaryM05 wrote:

Yes, it's already done. Check!

GaryM05 wrote:

The wiring is all striped out and we'll custom wire it from the ground up. Check!

GaryM05 wrote:

Sounds like a good plan. Since Nick at Bennington's rebuilt the motor it has a new water pump and thermostat. I'll check into a new rad. Check!

GaryM05 wrote:

Way ahead of you on the last 2. Check and check!
It's great that I'm on the same page as someone else who has built before! Thanks, great tips!!

I know I could have bought a car already done but what can I learn from that? To me building helps you learn the car inside and out.

Well this is one of the times when the more help the better. I enlisted the help of My 3 Sons and one of their friends. We are finishing up the removal of the seam sealer and giving the whole inside a good sanding for better paint adhesion.

Looks like someone got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Honest dad, it wasn't me!

Wow Ken - very nice! I kinda of went this route buying a car and selling all the pars I could on eBay and Rennlist (takes a lot of time).

I keep my 944 at Nicks and have a car getting its wiring removed, a BENMS dash installed and have only water in my radiator. Hmmmm...

I do have one comment on the cage as it seems to be braced to the body with several tabs. You will want to make sure it complies with the rules as I'm not the expert there.

Thanks! As you very well know then, it's a lot of work but worth the effort. I believe the tabs that you talk about are these?.......





In the 944-Spec ruleset, 6.2 Roll Cages, about 2/3rds the way down......
Cages may be welded to the A and B pillars for safety using no more than four (4) additional mounting points for a total of twelve points (12).

They are made of .125 thick material same as our cage mounts, .080 is the min. for cage mounts. There is no min. for the connections between A and B pillars. Cage tubing is 1.500 X .120 which is also one size up from min., 1.500 X .095. I just want the safest cage possible cause $hit happens and it's better to error on the side of safety. If they weren't in a car that I bought, I would put them in if possible.