The idea of modifying our quarter-mile terrors into road hugging, corner-carving machines is very appealing. As such, many of us have upgraded a shock here or a control arm there to create a more stable and consistent street performer. But sometimes, those of us in the 1320 crowd venture out into twisty-turny land, never to be seen again. Trying to understand why people go from quarter burning to corner turning is like trying to understand why hot chicks drive Hondas: Making the connection isn't always easy, so you might as well step back and appreciate it for what it's worth. We saw these three cars tearing up the course at Pocono Raceway and were impressed with the absence of big-buck road-race equipment on board. These three guys road race on the cheap, struggle through a ton of trial and error, and reap the benefits of well-thought-out modifications. All three third-gens have a different purpose, yet share many of the same parts. Take a look.
Corner Carving CommuterMark Frouhar's 1985 Pontiac Trans AmMark Frouhar has owned his '85 Trans Am since high school, but it took the 28-year-old project manager until the '99 F-body gathering in St. Louis to really get turned on to the road racing scene. After entering his T/A the following year at Memphis, he started looking for more races to attend. Unfortunately, many of the well-known events fill up the first day they're open. He learned about EMRA where you can just show up and race, and the hook was set.
"This type of racing is so beneficial for someone new to the hobby," the Jersey City, N.J. resident states. "You're there learning to drive the car, and instructors are on hand to give you pointers. The only thing you're racing is the clock, so you aren't banging fenders with people out there. You just show up, go 140 and go home."
The silver T/A lived its former life as a 305/auto trans combo. Since then, the slushbox has been canned for a T56, and the swapped-in L98 has been through two rebuilds. When the wrong valve springs were installed onto the swapped motor and it broke a valve, Frouhar had G & R Performance Engines in Long Island build a stroker short-block, and he added AFR 190 heads, a Lingenfelter-worked SuperRam, and DFI to the 383. Mark gets plenty of time to enjoy that power, as the 130,000-mile T/A logs 340 miles a week, weather permitting.
Frouhar believes in a K.I.S.S. approach to better lap times, and changes to the suspension include Koni shocks, stiffer springs, solid bushings for better response, and Bridgestone Potenza RE730s mounted on 17-inch OZ rims. Spohn's torque arm and lower control arms and a Global West panhard bar work with the stock sway bar to keep the unruly rear planted in the turns. He prefers to drive his 'too stiffly-sprung' T/A to the events, as well as to work during the week.
"My compromises are more towards racing," he explains. "For instance, I had my camber set at zero for Lime Rock, but I was getting push on the street tires. So I loosened up the top of the strut towers, moved a jack underneath the lower control arm and loosened the top shock tower nuts, and moved them inward. Although it wears the tires quicker, it really helps in low-speed turns. The car is a little stiff to be on the street with Global West's Del-A-Lum bushings in the front control arms and the stiff springs, since my daily commute is 60 miles. When I first started road racing, the shocks were so soft, and I almost blindly followed other people's advice as to which ones to replace them with. But I did my homework and bought adjustable Konis. I started with them completely soft, but now they're full hard. I think that if you're making mistakes, you will be better off in a stiffly suspended car. I drive real fast on the street, and even in triple digits going over uneven roads, the car doesn't bounce."