By TRESDON HAMILTON
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s Note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.
To start off, first you need to know if you’re going to put in the time and effort into building a derby car. You can’t be lazy, and you’re going to have to be willing to spend a buck or two. Derbying also isn’t for most people as it is essentially crashing cars together for fun, only to come out with a trophy and a little bit of money.
The first thing you’ll need to do is figure out what kind of car you’re going to buy for the derby. I personally think that the Chrysler New Yorker or a Shocker are great choices. Although any car can be good if enough work is put into it.
The next thing you want to figure out is where you are going to drive the car, as each derby/event may have a different set of rules. After you have found out where you will run the car, it’s best to figure out what the rules are for the derby: You don’t want to get there and then your car isn’t as good as others, or you have something illegal.
After you have found the rules for the class you want to run, it’s time to start building.
The first thing you want to do is strip the car free from glass, plastic, and all the interior except from the driver seat. After you have the car stripped out, you’ll want to make sure there is nothing that can catch on fire in the car.
After everything is out, it’s time to start your cage to protect your driver. A cage should be at least 2×2 steel tubing; you don’t want to get hurt. Once you have the steel you want to build your cage as a four-point cage, meaning the cage will have four corners attached to the car.
After you have the cage in the car and welded together, it’s time to figure out what engine and transmission you’re going to use. Usually, the best engines to use for a derby are Small Block Chevys such as the 283, 305, 350, or 383. The best options are probably the 305 and 350 as they have torque and power, but won’t hold in the heat of the engine. The main goal of the engine is to keep it as cool as possible, which is why the radiator is one of the most important parts of the car. A good transmission is a Longtail Cadillac 3 Speed. This means you’ll need a transmission cooler or else you’ll melt the internals of the transmission.
After you have these things you will want to add on to your cage a gas tank protector. You can’t use the stock gas tank because it is just too dangerous. You’ll need a new driveshaft, preferably a slider, meaning it moves forward and backward and won’t kink. You can run the stock tires but tractor tires seem to work best in the mud. The last things you need are pedals and a shifter for your car. Once your car is built, you’re ready for a derby.
Although it may seem fun, it is a lot of work and isn’t for everyone. It seems like it hurts and it looks scary but it isn’t as bad as you think. Some people may think you’re just putting parts in a car to crash it, but it’s way more than they think it is.
From personal experience, it’s worth the time and effort. It’s worth the time and effort because as soon as you step in that car and turn on the engine, adrenaline floods through your body and you get really nervous – although it’s very fun to do. As soon as you make that first hit, you just want more and more.
Even though it seems like it hurts a lot, from personal experience you don’t really get hurt from it unless someone is trying to hurt you.