Photo: image edited by autoevolution
Here’s a Toyota question for you - what can you do with a 1997 Camry that has 250k miles on its odo? If you cousin crashed it into a tree, as is the case with the Camry owner in the adjacent pics, you might as well follow the guy's example and turn the thing into a demolition derby car.
Wait, you can’t just remove the plates and jump in the dirt arena. There are a few modifications you have to make first - some of them are required by the rulebook, while others are common sense material.
We’ll start with the no-brainer part, which implies a stronger front bumper. This Camry was adorned with a bumper from a 1987 Lincoln Town Car. The thing was so strong that that it wasn’t until after the first event that the driver discovered he could’ve taken things much further - the guy did most of the bashing with the rear of the car in order to protect his radiator, basically turning the Camry into a hatchback.
You shoul also install stronger rims. This guy gifted the Camry with 1998 Jeep Cherokee wheels, shod in Tiger Paw mud+snow tires loaded with tractor inner tubes. The tires were actually what got him out of the competition, as he had blown three out of four. While police chases have taught us many things about a car’s ability to run on its rims, when you’re playing in mud, you can scrap all that valuable knowledge.
Somewhere in between the aforementioned moves, you’ll find the time to give your ride a proper paint job.
As for the more officially-required mods, the Camry received a roll cage built out of... old muscle car driveshafts. And while you’re at it, wrap the surrounding parts in foam, so you won’t regret the crashes. You might want to disable the airbags too - this man replaced the steering wheel with a unit from an 1986 Toyota 4Runner.
Apparently, you must also cut a hole in the bootlid, in order for the official inspection to run smoothly. The hood was also “vented”, so that there would be easy access in case of a fire. Heck, they driver’s parents even approved the job, as his dad took care of the cutting. They apparently did a nifty job, since the inspection was passed in a matter of minutes.
The fight saw the pumped-up Camry take sixth place (out of 18 cars), with Civics and Mustangs sharing the battlefield. Actually, the win went to am AMC Pacer.
Many people shy away from playing the demolition derby game due to the injury risk. To be honest, they’re right. The Camry driver says he got away with “a slightly sore neck (bent just the right way) and a kind of achey calf muscle.” We don’t want to ruin your bashing dream after reading the article, but it’s probably best you erase this from your bucket list.
Amusingly enough, the Camry “still runs great”.
We’ll start with the no-brainer part, which implies a stronger front bumper. This Camry was adorned with a bumper from a 1987 Lincoln Town Car. The thing was so strong that that it wasn’t until after the first event that the driver discovered he could’ve taken things much further - the guy did most of the bashing with the rear of the car in order to protect his radiator, basically turning the Camry into a hatchback.
You shoul also install stronger rims. This guy gifted the Camry with 1998 Jeep Cherokee wheels, shod in Tiger Paw mud+snow tires loaded with tractor inner tubes. The tires were actually what got him out of the competition, as he had blown three out of four. While police chases have taught us many things about a car’s ability to run on its rims, when you’re playing in mud, you can scrap all that valuable knowledge.
Somewhere in between the aforementioned moves, you’ll find the time to give your ride a proper paint job.
As for the more officially-required mods, the Camry received a roll cage built out of... old muscle car driveshafts. And while you’re at it, wrap the surrounding parts in foam, so you won’t regret the crashes. You might want to disable the airbags too - this man replaced the steering wheel with a unit from an 1986 Toyota 4Runner.
Apparently, you must also cut a hole in the bootlid, in order for the official inspection to run smoothly. The hood was also “vented”, so that there would be easy access in case of a fire. Heck, they driver’s parents even approved the job, as his dad took care of the cutting. They apparently did a nifty job, since the inspection was passed in a matter of minutes.
The fight saw the pumped-up Camry take sixth place (out of 18 cars), with Civics and Mustangs sharing the battlefield. Actually, the win went to am AMC Pacer.
Many people shy away from playing the demolition derby game due to the injury risk. To be honest, they’re right. The Camry driver says he got away with “a slightly sore neck (bent just the right way) and a kind of achey calf muscle.” We don’t want to ruin your bashing dream after reading the article, but it’s probably best you erase this from your bucket list.
Amusingly enough, the Camry “still runs great”.
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