scott

Nick, Do you know the original owner or have you just seen it out in the dunes? I was thinking about trying to track him down to get more info.

I just got back from looking at it. It is a year 2000 car. I did speak with John at Alumacraft and he was very familiar with the car. It was just in to have the rear CV's serviced. Had only good things to say about it but I am not so sure.. The car started right up but a few things that I noticed were: The front wheels are trashed... Very bent. The front tires are cracking from age. So right out of the gate, it would need new front wheels and tires. The bead locks for the rear are not on the rims.. They are on a set of trashed rims. It does have new rear rims though and the rear paddles looked fine. The frame looked great with one exception. I noticed some cracks on the weld of the upper horizantal support that goes between the right and left front shock. There was a slight crack in the powder coat on one side at the weld and the other side looked as though the weld itself was cracked. I don't know how much of an issue this is???? That was a bit of a red flag though. Nothing however looked bent so it may have been just a stress crack but either way, it concerned me. The interior was very nicely done. It had turn brakes as well. The drivers seat was movable but the slide mechanism would not work. I am short and had trouble pushing the clutch all the way. We messed with the seat but could not get it free and it looked like if we could, the steering wheel may not have been in a good place with the seat further foward. I am not sure about this one.. The guy said he would take $35K but I think he would even go lower. The stupid thing is that he knows absolutely nothing about the car other than what he was told from the original owner. Thanks for the help and suggestions.. I think it is back to the drawing board for now.. What do you think?

What about this rail? Asking price is $37,500 The car is a 4 seat Alumicraft, tig welded, 4130 chromoly, Acura 3.2 liter type 2(larger valves) V6, Carrillo rods, JE pistons w/chromoly rings, wrist pins and spiro locks, O-ring heads, chromoly studs and copper head gaskets. Balanced crankshaft, rods and pistons. T04E turbo, delta wastegates, RC injectors, Haltech E6S computer, MSD DIS 4 ignition, 228 mm clutch, MD4S 2D trans(8 ball update, newest upgrade) with 300M axles, 935 CV's, 300m rear stub axles and hubs, CNC brakes front/rear, heim shifter, Autometer oil filled gauges, Bilstein coilovers front/rear with Fox position sensitive in rear, Beard seats, custom floors and inside panels., Deist 3 inch padded belts. Everything polished, and powder coated. Has green sticker and Pink slip! Some key points, chromoly, tig welded(all joints must fit tighter in order to be tig welded, which gives you a better built product, they charge like $2k extra for it too), built motor done by the best builder(I can give you phone numbers of people that will back this up!), 935cv's the biggest and the best, 300m drive train(also the best), heim shifter(once again), oil filled gauges, etc........ Horsepower? Never dynoed it motor makes 240 or 250hp stock(I dont remember) then 12psi of boost equals ? I have had many people suggest that it may be around 400-450hp. I know it hauls a$$ and will wheeling almost anytime you want. Link with pictures: http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index....showtopic=66699

Ohhhh, i'm jealous!! Need a new best friend or a 68 Camaro?? :shocked2:

That's my dream motor!!! A twin turbo V8! I have wanted one since Vector debuted the Vector W2 back in the 80's! For those of you that have not heard of the Vector, see: [url=http://www.vectorsupercars.com/index1.html]http://www.vectorsupercars.com/ One of my thoughts was to buy a block and start building. Get the car when the motor is done or close.. Twin turbo V8 was particularly in mind. How much HP does it have? Why would you not do the turbos or at least twins again? Reliability or cost I would assume?? How much time do you have on your motor?

Terry, You car is sick!! I love the look of the twin turbos! Twin turbo Northstar??? That is the caddy v8 right?

Ron Davis built the radiator custom for me.. I traded him a computer and in turn, he made it per my drawing. I never noticed it running hot. I know the blocks are seimese which was a big concern to me in the first place... Car does has a ton of tourqe and it just keeps pulling!!! It is .60 over with polished 350 rods which give it more stroke. Topped off with AFR heads, a happy cam and a DFI Super Ram TPI. I used a built 700R4 trans (probably my biggest mistake). I have destroyed several trannies as it is hard to keep the foot of the peddle. She screams.. Best thing is that at 100MB, you can mash the peddle and it will happily downshift. I never really drive it though. I finished the car 7 years ago and it only has about 700 miles on it, most of which are to and from car shows. I was actually thinking about trading it for a rail but I don't think I could bring myself to part with it.. It would cost close to 100K if not more to duplicate the car.

Terry, Is your car Speed Racer? I probably would want to go with a 4 or 5 seater so I can scare the wife and kids! It would be nice to be able to do wheelies without breaking it but I also want to be able to dune and have it handle and turn well which I understand is generally compromised (in a wheelie machine) due to the weight or weight distribution. It is going to get jumped as well! I like air whether it is under the front wheels or both. I want it to be fast and handle well, but also reliable and well built. Chances are whatever I get will not be enough and the motor is likely the one thing I can see myself really digging into (eventually). Hopefully whatever I end up with will give me some room to grow but be a real nice start. Personally, I am a chevy man and really like the vette motors, but I am not really opposed to smaller blocks or turbo motors. I know the Chevy engines pretty well as I built a custom TPI, bored and stroked Small Block 400 for a 68 camaro that I have owned for about 18 years and I pretty much did everything myself on that. Like most of us, I am an excessive compulsive and this venture could/would bring out the worst in me.

I guess I can be kind of spontanious! I think I may have to go check out that show. I saw an ad for it... Do people sell used rails there? Would you believe that I have never been in a rail before! I am not sure what has gotten in to me. Whats worse is that, short of a pismo trip, I probably would not get to drive it until September and from what I have heard, Pismo is the last place I would want to take a nice rail due to the salt. I think I need my head examined! I do appreciate the help and suggestions. I guess I just need to find the right deal. Now if I only knew what I was looking for. I am sure that every dealer will tell you that his or her rail is the best thing since sliced bread. That is probably why I posted here. Thanks for the help. If anybody has more suggestions, I would love to hear them! I dont like to do anything half a$$ed. I just assume do it right the first time, but not go broke doing it.

There is a nice Subaru powered one on the sandcars site and I just spoke with sand cars. The asking price is 36K. Check it out and let me know what you think. They said the high powered Subarus need race gas. Is that usually the case? I don't think I want to carry race fuel as they creates a whole new set of issues like hauling it.. The price seems ok on the one pictured above for $33K.. I am just not sure if I should bite the bullet. I think he might take $30K for it. It is listed on the sand cars site for $43K. I am just not sure about the cobra motor or the looks.. I really feel like I am going into this blindly as I have never gone down the rail path before.

The second one is listed on Sandcars site... Thanks for the info! Looks like he wants 42K for it. It is listed on their home page. I am looking to spend 35-40K... Do you know of anybody with a nice car for sale in that range?

I am thinking about getting a rail and have been looking for a while. I did not want to spend more than $35K on a used one. I came across a rail on ebay and wanted some advice. They are asking $33K but it now. I have never owned a rail and really know nothing about them other than wanting one.. The description is as follows and the auction # is: 4637627189 Frantzco motorsports chasis, 20" travel, king coil overs with bypass, high performance 5.0 Cobra 400horse, MSD ign. oversized throttle body, BBK cold air intake, stainless steel valves, forged pistons, Mendeola 2D built by Kevin McMullen Racing ( same as what they run in their race cars) 930's with race cage four wheel disk brakes, Kartek forged beadlocks, CNC pedals and turning brakes, PRP 2" wider with driver slider, 50" Bench, crow seat belts with pads, hella lights, full sheet metal body with custom dash and console, auto meter gauges, custom paint and graphics, less than 20 hours since built. can get title from builder for $400 works excelent in desert or sand. Personally, I prefer chevy engines but I guess the Cobra is OK and if I really get a wild hair, I could always swap it out. Here is a picture of it. There is also a Sand Limo auction ID: 4637415711 that looks real nice. It has a turbo Subaru motor but the tranny is a Bus Tranny and not the 2D. No idea what they want for it yet. Here is the description: Used Sand Rail Buggy Excel. Condition,Great Paint Of Dragon ,Tires Padla trak II,Shocks King Off Road,Engine Subaru 4 cam 16 Valve Turbo Engine Very Fast and Reliable,CNC Controls,Geneburg Shifter,Brekes 4 Way Disc, Gear One,Crow Enterprizes Belt,Wheel Bead Locks,Transmission 091 Bus With All Chromemoley Gears and Super Diff. This Sand Rail Buggy Has The Best Of Every Thing Very Nice Paint Sand Dragon ,Complet With Trailer, Any advice would be great! Thanks! Scott

I know Danny and Alan very well! Danny and Alan a great guys and unbelievable pilots!!Alan Szabo senior is a great dad! I wish my dad was like that! Tell them that you met me (Scott Leif)! They will laugh! It is a small world! I have known them for several years. I own a RC Heli shop myself and got into RC Heli's years back. Damn hobby turned into a money pit/business. Fortunately my income comes from my computer business other wise I would starve! Is it true that Alan is flying the Synergy now? I just heard a rumor and now I think I need to call my buddy Todd Bennet or Jason Krause to find out if this is true! Have you met Chris Tylo? He used to work for me and just recently moved back to Vegas to be with his family. He is a great pilot as well. Not nearly as good as the Szabo's but likely the best in Vegas next to them.

Do you know Zoom's Heli? An RC Heli shop in Los Angeles or do you ever go to Fun Fly's?

Back from the duuuuuunnnnessss :headbang: Just got back. It took us around 3 hours once we left Baker after stopping for lunch at the Mad Greek. I have driven by that place hundreds of times and never eaten there. I will have to dtop by there again! What a great weekend! We all had a great time. My son said that was his best trip ever and his first time to the dunes. Oh boy did he like that paddle tire! Thanks to all of you who took him for a ride in your rails! He was REALLY stoked on that! Thanks again to everybody at the camp site for a great time and great company. It was nice meeting all of you! The ride after the rain the Friday was epic o my 2 wheeler without paddles!!! Saturday, could not have been to much nicer and Sunday was definately a bit "breezy" We left this morning and today looked like it was going to be the best day yet! Too bad we had to leave. Please let us know when you guys are going to get back together for another trip! We would love to come back down or up! Hey Rhino King, I hear you are into RC Helicopters?????? Is it true?? If so, we have got to talk! You probably know me! Thanks again!!! Scott

We will probably be there until mid day Monday so if you get up there early, We will probably still be there. If the cel reception is good (I have a cel antenna on the roof with an amp for verizon internet access) then we will have internet access via a laptop, I will put a post up here Sunday and let you know. IN the mean time.... Woooo Hoooo, the trailer is loaded. Just about packed. Leaving at 4am and will be there around 9am having breakfast of champions ( ) See you there!

Aren't our (public) opinions counted based on names and addresses on a petition? For or against? I am sure that somone like Friends of Dumont will be right on the front line of the fight and probably the one primarely in charge of the fight. If that is the case and say for example Friends of Dumont, Friends of Oceano, Glamis, Riverside Riders etc......... signed eachothers partitions. That would be a lot of names of concerned parties. In effect and bigger army. If this does not already happen and somone wants to provide me the names and numbers of the acting presidents of organizations that support the cause in relevent ORV areas, threatened or not. I will call and write them and pitch the idea. The more people, the louder the roar. I am sure the CBD poops bigger than friends of Dumont and it seems to me that it is already proven that they can and will be responsible for the decline of our hobbies and passions. To date we are not safe but there may be safty in numbers and in order to win, or afford to win, we need numbers. Our whole democracy is based on numbers (votes). Polititions and presidents all get their positions based on public opinions which again is all about numbers. The more of us, the less their chances of winning (unless of course this lizard is really threatened). Again this is just my opinion as I have never fought for a cause like this.

Thats good news.. After seeing this thread, I called him to get more details. He said somone was coming over to look at it.. I guess I will sleep better tonight knowing that. I have a very custom 68 Camaro in the garage (I NEVER drive it) that would easily pay my credit line back if I took the plunge but I guess there will be no spontanious combustion today! I was seriously thinking about it. Especially after seeing the rail in this thread: http://www.dumontduneriders.com/invision/i...p?showtopic=556 Very nice rail though. I am sure the new owner will love it. I hope he has more garage space than me as I would be hard pressed to put a second vehical in my 3 car garage that is filled with all kinds of bikes and $hit. Heck I can hardly walk through it let alone park in it! Time to do some spring cleaning..

After a good chili meal... I think it is more like a steam bed but dutch oven will work..

Well that would be a good start, but since many riders don't make it to the sand but have their riding areas being impeded upon, I think for causes like this to be more effective, we need to get all people who ride, dune, rail, etc on board. It would certainly make it much easier to fight these people since there are millions of ORV'rs out there as opposed to tens of thousands (or less) of duners with perhaps only thousands if not less that visit dumont who would join the cause.. This needs to be class action like and designed to stop these guys across the board.. Not just one location.. If we help out the folks at Glamis, they would certainly join our cause and I am sure the same goes for Pismo and other locations in and outside of California.

If there are organizations like that already in existance, than that woud be a great place to start.. If not there, then in cooperation or partnership with them. I have never gone down this path before so I really don't know what is out there, but it seems like what ever we do, it should be focussed on the cause and be very public with one goal in mind (maybe 2 or 3): Stop the reduction of our riding areas, educate the masses to preserve and not destroy so as not to give more ammo to the tree huggers, and appeal to people across the nation so we have a big voice. If the ASA can be that mechanism than so be it! Who is the ASA?

This is like a conspiracy by the tree huggers! It seems like everybody is targeting ORV's... Pismo is a joke now. I just heard that there is some tough legislation on the table for Riverside county limiting or elimination ORV completely in riverside and now this.. I can't believe there is nothing that we can do.. It seems like it is a much bigger issue than just one site. I think that the only way to win these battles is to unite. Not just Dumont, but Riverside county Riders, Glamis riders, Pismo riders and other riders across the nation who are fighthing to keep their riding areas open. We should set up a URL like stopthetreehuggers.org or preserveourORVparks.org or somthing and appeal to the masses across the country that way we carry more weight. This issue is certainly broader than one location and with more support for ORV Sites as a whole, a more compelling argument can be made with much more weight. Not to mention that if the masses were better educated or a mechanism such as a unified location on line for this cause was established, it would be easier to inform people of the issues driving the CBD and thus the masses would be better at preserving the wildlife or terrain that they (CBD) are trying to protect. That would further make the CBD's argument less compelling. I could easily set up a URL for the cause and host it here but we would need to reach out well beyond our backyard to try to get people from across the country to join in the cause. Then we would need to figure out how to get the message to the legislators that are listening to the CBD.. My biggest issue is my limited amount time that I can devote but I am sure that the bike manufacturers headquartered in the US and the bike dealers would certainly help spread the word as the less places to ride that there are around the country, the less bikes they will sell. If we were backed by major manufacturers and shops, we would have a much bigger voice, not to mention that it would be much easier to educate people on the issues since everybody that rides has to visit a shop once in a while.. Just a thought..

I will also have a couple semi small gas grills with me. As for Chili.... Wooo Hooo, bring it on! Blazin saddles and all! I'll keep the wife warm in bed!

I will be bring some smaller wood as well... What about fire works at Dumont?? Any of you folks from Vegas feel like making a pitstop on the way to pick up some mortors?? I would chip in! Anybody staying until Monday?? I think we may be. At least that is my plan.

I will bring a baseball bat and a tennis racket.... Should be fun! How about a 12 guage... Can anybody say... PULL!