In October 1998 I rescued this car from entering the hands of a teenager. I have owned the car ever since. It’s one of two Denver police department undercover highway traffic cars. There’s enough highways passing through the city proper of Denver that they felt at least for a short period of time that they needed these two undercover cars. Mine only got about 60 some odd thousand miles on it before they sent it to auction. I still have the original registration from the police department with the original unit number on it before the next owner repainted the car over the original arctic white. The prices on clean V6 or TBI rally sports in 91 and 92 aren’t getting any better. So I don’t see myself finding one that could be converted into a drag car. Thus far I have not made any permanent modifications to the car. I might be preaching to the choir on this. Because I am definitely on the fence on the matter.

 

Condition is king when it comes to values, and if your B4C 1LE is properly restored and fully documented, it might not make financial sense to cut it up into a drag car. Hard to tell without any pictures of it.

You could probably sell it and scoop up a solid roller shell for your drag build. If your car is in bad condition, or is already modified to a point where it doesn't matter that it's a true B4C 1LE, then it may not be a big deal.

Personally, I'd start with a more generic car for a race build.

 

The car is free. Have fun with it now. Some day you won't be able to.

 

The older I get the more I appreciate a nice stock example. I have some slight mods to my B4C, but have all the stock parts on hand when I want to return it to stock. I had been wanting to do an LS swap on one, but could not bring myself to mess with the B4C as it really is a rare car. Not many made and I am sure a good amount of them got torn up in service. I would find another to make a drag car. Not sure where you are, but I see decent rollers going for around 1k all day long

 

Does it have original drivetrain? If so, do not convert it imo.

 

 

Race cars, the real ones anyway, rarely share much in common with street cars. If you want to go racing, build a race car, and leave the street car in the garage unharmed.

It doesn't matter how beat a car is, if it's going to become a race car. You're going to replace or gut everything eventually in the pursuit of going faster anyway, might as well start with a beater.

 

I'd get another roller and start from there. B4C's are worth to much to tinker with, IMO...

 

How much of drag car? That's a fairly broad definition as there is quite a difference between the 11 second variety and an 8 second missile.
Depending on your goal, you may be able to take the B4C and go racing without extensive modification.

 

The problem with drag racing is the more drag oriented you want the car the more f'd up the car becomes as a driver. Whereas you can autocross or do track days and still have a nice driving car.

 

A nice clean thirdgen, with decent paint, interior, where everything works certainly holds some value, whatever it may be. ...and it may not be financially beneficial to you to change that in an effort to make a racecar. ...but I don't think a 60k mile repainted B4C will ever be worth more than any other well optioned, clean IROC or TA with 60k miles and respray.

 

As mentioned, how much of a drag car is the key.
We've got a 10.99 car in the "fleet" that starts, stops and steers like a modern daily driver yet the chassis is over 40 years old. Modern and tastefully done drivetrain upgrades along with beautiful fit and finish inside and out. Power Tour two years ago saw this car knocking down better than 20 USMPG and clicking off low 11's. All in 600 HP NA trim.
A B4C could easily do the same without killing any perceived value.