I'm working on building a demo car, I apologize though, it's a chevy. But I'm looking for general tips on how to prep a non-weld demo car. We've gotten a lot of ideas from talking with people and searching the internet. We are running an '85 Chevy Caprice Estate Wagon.
Here's some ideas we are thinking so hopefully you can add to the list.
-welding rearend
-"floating" radiator (gonna wire it in so it can move)
-tranny cooler in cab in a cooler of ice
-torching firewall around distributor, when motor gets jammed back dist. doesn't get knocked off
-wrapping all wires, hoses, everything we can in duct tape
-running tallest narrowest tires we can, have 235/75/R15s, with tubes (no tires inside of tires)
-putting post behind driver from door side to side, as well as across the dash
-foaming drivers door
-jacking up suspension as far as we can, legally
-notching frame right behind rear axle so when gets hit, will go up instead of down
-battery has to be in cab
-minimizing eletronics, starter wires and ignitions wires
shifter being moved to floor

We're doing more, just can't recall it all. But if you've got anything, please add!
Thanks!!

 

You dont have to apologize that its a chebby, just think, once your done smashin it all up thats one less chevy in this world

 

You've got some good things going there. I got hit head-on in an Enduro race (sort of a circular destruction derby...2 hrs. or 200 laps, whichever comes first. Last car running to have completed the most laps wins) a few years back in a '72 Torino, the force of the impact ripped the starter off and I couldn't refire it, so I was thinking I should have made solid motor mounts, as the rubber separated. They'd have to be welded really well so that your welds didn't fail. Also, you don't say anything about the fuel tank. What are the rules? Can you run a fuel cell for safety? We had to use a VW tank mounted in the trunk, it started to leak after the impact. Protect your fuel lines, run them inside the frame rails where you can. And thanks for recycling one more Chevy! (Although it'll probably come back as a ricer!) -TD

 

You should have a boat tank inside tha car. If you haven't done so, make a hoop in front of the rad support then tie it into the frame back behind the suspension to help save the frontend of the car. The chev stationwagon is probly the best choice for a car for this. Here we run Hit to pass on the oval, the 2 heats, 2 dashes, and the main, on saturday it is 100 or 200 laps, on the sunday it is last car running or 100 I think.

go to www.pgara.ca and have a look in photos and click the june 2004 link under hit to pass. My buddie and I ran the orange 01 (69 Fury 2 with pretty much no trunk) We had a small demo derby on the front straight after the main for all the cars that were still driveable, buddy had to line up against the 33 car and they hit at like 40 mph. You chose right on the chev wagon, and you will think so once you see these pics.

 

We are running a boat fuel tank in the back seat, will probably run everything we can inside to prevent damage, unless someone's had bad experience or knows better.
We can't do any welding or adding to the car, we are running non-weld, or stock. The hoop supports over the engine sound good, but it wouldn't be legal. I don't think we're able to weld the motor mounts either. We have a list of stuff we are calling about I'll have to add about the motor mounts.
Questions we have so far:
-no hood? help let engine heat escape, if we have to have one, it's gonna have a HUGE hole in the middle of it
-cut fender wells, prevent from cutting into tires
-have to keep "stock" radiator fan, or use electric fans, otherwise replace steel fan with plastic
-tranny cooler in cab (we're thinking it's ok)

From what we've been reading, the GM wagons are the second best choice for demo derbys, with old Chrysler Imperials at the top. So I think we got lucky that our neighbor had one they were junking and sold it to us cheap. I know we'll have fun demolishing a bowtie!

 

If you can't weld the motor mounts, then depending on the design of them, you should be able to drill through them and bolt them together to beef them up, so that if the rubber separates the bolts will still hold the metal halves together. -TD

 

Keep the hood as it will add support, big hood pins are good too if you can.