$500 for Glory - A LeMons Story

An amateur race team from Wyoming finds out what it's like to race the 24 hours of LeMons. They will build and race a busted Toyota mr2 at High Plains Raceway near Denver, CO.

[@craigcode7103]

"I have never built a roll cage before but this is a professionally built roll cage....because that is what the rules require."Classic!

[@lukewatson3071]

"When life gives you a lemon, you weld in a roll cage, put on a fire proof suit and race it till' it breaks" Words to live by right there!

[@flyboy7399]

*points at turbo* "Where'd you get that from?" "We found it in a shed!" Cracked me up!

[@jaymorrison2419]

"I wont see it for long, cause it will Hella blow up" Turbo Lemons motto.

[@Jessticks2319]

Driver, "That's a fuel pressure gauge" guy asked, "what's that for?" driver, "checks fuel pressure". LOL 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@JimmyProductions]

“The turbo, red flag, but you know, after being told it was found in a shed, found in a school bus, had been rusty, had been unrusty, and Bret showed him a receipt” and at the point I was firing of laughter

[@KCRambles]

Great film - captures the LeMons experience really well and is really well put together. Now, to find myself a sub $500 crapcan and 4 pals foolish enough to commit. :)

[@cartryahoo]

+Kirk Comrie The crapcan is the easy part. Finding 4 lunatics may take longer.

[@jackrohde4709]

cartryahoo I know 5😂😇 no problem all car nuts.

[@JP-nm3us]

hell ill join, Id say im loony enough for it.

[@travisfowler8345]

Sign me up for one of your "pals"... I've built and owned several gm shit box street cars lol

[@tannerrienbolt5248]

"Well it's pretty rusted so it doesn't weigh that much"

[@MasticinaAkicta]

I like races like these. unlike the expensive highly organized races. In these allot of things just happen. With cars that old and cheap, that knackered and pushed to the brink of their aging engines life... good times. Well they will break on you but isn't that part of the fun?

[@dachanist]

This is a truely great video. I'd watch a whole season of these lemons builds so long as they had just a few Japanese sports cars. Man I miss my AC and Cat delete 444 ring/pinion swap FB with mechanical secondaries. Every day was a lemons race with that car. I shaved 2 seconds off the factory fresh 0-60.

[@andxx0r_the_second671]

lol, my grandma used to make me the gummi-worm 'dirt cups' when I was like 4 years old.

[@maximilianjankowski]

i had a mr2 , i loved the car ,engine sound and the rust , i can remember changing the fuel tank .... it took me 12 hours , you guys realy have balls of steele the mr2 hase a rad reputation spinning in corners

[@maximilianjankowski]

yup as i thought the gas tank

[@maximilianjankowski]

the 4age engine is usualy a realiable engine , i think the turbo was the problematic part here

[@trentmahnken3705]

I've watched this maybe 5 or 6 times before, but today im watching, now a owner of a lemons car. I can't wait for my first race

[@860GCTiesto]

I usually have things playing in the background just for noise and this started playing. I was playing Ride (motorcycle video game) and I stopped watching to finish this documentary because of how well it was filmed, it was interesting and just overall a great watch. GOOD JOB!

[@aniketmunusami704]

+The Butler "JUst for noise" I thought i was the only one.

[@benb96]

H

[@shaneswiley]

Great video. I love how you guys turbo charged a car that you knew SHOULD have some sort of problem down the road. "It just needs more power".

[@tiredhero]

i wish i grew up watching and learning from guys like these... but i have had to learn pretty much everything my self and still learning... loved watching this it was incredible.

[@TTURBOVOLVO]

I feel you man.

[@didderjade]

Still only halfway through, but just have to say, GREAT editing during the Hall of the Mountain King sequence.

[@FluffyBuzzard2TheMax]

MR2 in a lemons race? What could go wrong?

[@CaptainFALKEN]

Mr2, gets kicked out of lemon race for being too unreliable and a hazard 😂

[@raresrenga3140]

*sNap OVerSTeer*

[@r1l426]

Everything,like for every other 500$ car.

[@SamCyanide]

This is a great REALISTIC look at LeMons!

[@alwcurlz]

7:18 When I first saw the turbo getting put in at the start of this I said, Nooo. You're going to just add one more thing that can break. And guess what....yeah. 31:34

[@ChuckBeefOG]

All that effort rebuilding the cage to be an inch taller. The inspector “yeah, i just checked all the boxes. I assume they did it all right, now i am just reading the boxes so if anyone asks a question i dont look like an idiot.” 🤣🤣

[@TheBanshee90]

He wasn't the inspector he was the team representative.

[@Joseph-C]

all that effort and they never thought to clean the ancient crusted fuel tank before the race started

[@kevwells2000]

Fantastic! You guys are an inspiration! My sons and I are bound for glory (or an ignoble end) this summer. Working on the car at a feverish pace. Vive LeMons!

[@Pectopah123]

I loved every minute of this video. Great group of people. Very well made story indeed and i'm so happy that I saw this. Best of luck for the team. In Finland we have almost similar racing series called Jokkis but its rallycross.

[@Ronaldvdb81]

Car: $500. Modification and labor: $10000

[@TitoRigatoni]

+Ronfreo If you can do the work yourself, labor is free

[@u1richh]

+Tito Rigatoni unless you charge yourself extra

[@nunyabusiness896]

Seriously. The safety equipment costs more than a pretty nice used car.

[@criticalfxck13]

Finishing a 24hr race : Priceless for everything else, there's Mastercard™

[@sarmenia]

@@nunyabusiness896 safety equipment is not a part of the $500

[@manfromnantucket9544]

The turbo was probably a bad idea. Better you take slow and reliable vs fast and finicky

[@Elinzar]

yeah the turbo killed it completely overheating that block in the end, the cooling system couldn't cope with the extra power

[@afish8883]

I mean there is a champion miata that uses turbos connected to some pvc0

[@Gabriel-vj1cf]

@@afish8883 yeah but that Miata engine was built with turbos in mind.

[@rossj5347]

I don't know if it just wasn't shown, but it seemed like the slapped a turbo on there without understanding all the changes they needed to make in order for it to work, it was the saddest thing in the whole film.

[@SuperMatiz]

Why they don't install FMU? It's completly forgotten in europe but I've heard that you guys still using them widely in US...

[@citadelpariah]

Great film. Captures the garage mechanic attitude so well.

[@amelierenoncule]

$10.00 a gallon petrol! Should have brought their own.

[@excitableboy7031]

That's race gas for you

[@ace91219]

Fantastic production quality. Nice to see another Wyoming team at BFE GP.

[@evilpandakillabzonattkoccu4879]

my folks had an mr2 for my mom to drive to work (she used to drive a twin turbo dodge stealth, so she would get pissy if her everyday could drag race at will and win) and told me 'youve never experienced responsiveness from anything youve driven like the rack and pinion steering in this car. its like a go kart. it flies! really, you have to try it! take it for a small test drive.' .....halfway through my test drive, i feel so in tune with the car, i find a dirt loop to drift around and decide 'yep.....im rallying this mother.....' so much fun and uh....it was the first time i drifted and it was intuitive. it was never that intuitive like that for me again and i really didnt (and still dont) like the mr2, aesthetically. driving it though....whole different thing. i got home and my folks were like '....so.....we saw some dust coming up around where you were. you ok?' ...i just said 'yeah, some lunatic was acting like that dirt loop was a rally track and flying around it like a jackass.' 'thats what we figured. dont touch your moms car.' busted.

[@rustywrx]

This is about the best Lemons video I've seen! Love your work mate

[@joshchamberlain9413]

You had me at "hold on, listen for sparks" Currently building our lemon now

[@wizzbang54]

"Buy that for $9.99, and if you call us in the next 5 minutes you get one for $5.99. That's two for... you do the math. $15 bucks"

[@1alternativesound]

That was an Awesome Documentary. Loved to watch. Would love to see one again

[@patw9175]

16:40, that guy who was driving could rival Mark Hamill for joker laugh.

[@CalmingSoundZZZ]

Thank you for getting the bribing process on film. Doing LeMons next year and this is helpful 🤣

[@jackrohde4709]

I used to run my cars very hard off and on road, here's some tips, for the Radiator, don't use a thermostat, if you do run lowest temperature possible, don't use antifreeze, put a few cups of baking soda in water it keeps it from frothing, which increases cooling ability, use new hoses, and tighten hose clamps! turn timing back a few degrees to stop over heating heads, use diesel rated engine oil, or add STP to multi grade 10-40 or 20-50,----and for the transmission add a can of type 3 brake fluid to auto transmission if leaking or not also add ,1 quart 10-30 synthetic oil or 1 ,quart of 10-40 regular oil to any automatic transmission, this will keep it from burning out, all these things keep my Mopars going for decades.

[@jaymorrison2419]

Hoses are a non-safety part in Lemons, so those would count against the budget. They are also pretty serious about water only in the cooling system, so thats a good start.

[@Smash_Moore]

Great edit. Janky turbo setups always cause grief. I had a bush basher i could only drive for 10mins at a time because i put a mad looking turbo on it. Sold it and bought one with a stock motor and been thrashing it for 4 years no issues

[@shanefanon]

Thanks for the pics of High Plains Raceway outside of Denver . Glenn and crew do a great work there keeping that track perfect.

[@johnn8414]

Congratulations to you guys for doing it,never giving up,spending time with your friends and most of all, Having Fun ! I wish I had enough motivated friends to do something like this. If I could find some like minded folks I'd probably try something basic, pre computered 2wd mini truck with a Buick 231 V6 , carbureted. Thanks again, enjoyed the excellent video too !!

[@jackrohde4709]

John N No kidding, my friends wanted to do this or form a rock band, I laughed and said OK but you guys fight over who's riding in the dang front seat! 20 years later they all hate each other! I'm the only one who is still friends with them all !😂😂😇

[@jackrohde4709]

I still want to but half my friends love only Fords and the other half only loves Mopars?😂 and we all hate GM. That's the only thing they agree on,😂

[@johnn8414]

I am a Ford guy too - 67 Fairlane,65 +70 Mustangs,89 5.0 Fox, but can appreciate a NON Corvette/Chevy GM product, old Buick/Pontiac/Olds are cool. If I had to rely on my knowledge of specific cars/engines to get across the country I'd go Ford all the way. Probly got enough parts kicking around to get a good Emergency kit together and save the rest of the space for Beer...

[@briandrmoreau3710]

John N I have some bolt on go fast parts for that Buick motor if you get into racing

[@ChaosPootato]

The sheer joy on their faces during the first trip is really contagious

[@supafrancis]

I feel that the most important thing that you could do to your car before even taking it to the race is to at least test and see if it will run and drive for 24 hours. Before even stripping the interior, run it through it's paces and try to break whatever is going to break BEFORE learning the most crucial details at the track. Those details being, what are the mechanical weak points of the car

[@Knewman7777]

"Anyone see a parts store in town?" "We didn't see a town." 🤣🤣

[@youtubeuser987]

this is basically amateur top gear, amazingly brilliant!

[@sumday1747]

This is all the motivation we need! We are racing!!

[@icarus-205]

Can we talk about how good that can of spray paint is

[@Slowcarfastbeans]

This is exactly what we needed.

[@brianseeley7376]

Excellent video! Love the "Ferrari look"!

[@Scumnuts]

I have been wanting to run this since I first watched a video on it many years ago, In all the videos I have seen I have yet to see a car that I would believe cost under 500 bucks.

[@pushrootfilms8917]

I think it was a lot easier to do before the climb in used car prices over the last 5 years. Now it takes snatching a family member's 200,000 mile dodge neon with body damage. Or in our case, the car was abandoned at an apartment complex requiring a bonded title AND it didn't run. Here are some tips on how to cheat at BS from Lemons HQ jalopnik.com/400309/what-would-smokey-do-24-hours-of-lemons-cheating-tips-from-judge-murilee

[@harryguy76]

IMO it would be easy...get a cheap Saturn SL2 or an Ion....and strip it...with all that weight taken off of a car that is already lite...would make for a nimble little race car that would be reliable and somewhat quick...Mid 2000 Ions made like 150 hp in around a 2000lbs car...Best performance mod is shaving weight...makes any car brake..accel and handle better...

[@EmyrDerfel]

Find a good car with a valuable interior. Purchase price minus interior sales cash = $500.

[@Power5]

So what I learned is that you buy a $10,000 car and then sell the interior for $9500 to a friends ebay account.... Profit The guy doing most of the fab work is a mad genius of shortcuts and improvisation. :)

[@Rennfahrer555]

Fcuking great film. Let me know if you guys ever team up again on something I would love to help out and work with a team like this.

[@WyoCutlass71]

I came for the the LeMons, I liked because of the bucking horse! Way to represent Wyoming!

[@detobias2000]

wow, really great video ! excellent work !! what a great bunch of guys- talented, humorous, articulate.. __ looks like y'all had a good race !

[@Rmx2011]

KZbin recommendations at its finest, loved the video :D

[@casadia599]

love the upside down neck brace

[@wrestlerkid99]

so similar to roadkill episode lol

[@rider199igor]

+wrestlerkid99 #becauseroadkill

[@Joolian.r]

+wrestlerkid99 the part at the beggining where he was taped to the top and was appologizing. Thats the same exact clip that is used in the roadkill episode. They mustve raced on the same day

[@pushrootfilms8917]

+Julian Raimondo We were at different tracks, different times of the year. I didn't see the same clip in their episode, but that penalty is pretty popular so it's pretty likely it gets served up at least once a race. Thanks for watching!

[@-_-Code-_-]

yes, in their clip the guy was on the roof of an old honda accord.. in your clip hes on the roof of maybe an old camry or stanza? cool vid. that is a great penalty though, gets the point across and still having fun.

[@bimercatracho]

Does sell outz

[@stevieklaer9347]

This was a great documentary! High Plains Raceway is a great track!

[@motoventura7874]

Great work and what a nice bunch of people :) Really enjoyed it...such a shame that we don't have anything similiar here in Europe

[@shagirani5518]

Make more of these This is what i call content...

[@milano61]

I loved my '86 MR2 and think they would make a good LeMons car. A small turbo is not such a bad idea for that engine, a DOHC 16 valve inline 4 that had the nickname of "Sweet 16". Very popular and winning road race and autocross car. Shame about the fuel problems, it might have done well otherwise. Good video of a good effort.

[@AliasHSW]

Love the #38 Celica. Deserves a real restomod.

[@kevintucker3354]

I can see James over @Donutmedia tearing up right now! I love you James

[@franknbeans3651]

Powder River, Let Er Buck! Great video!

[@bmbv1043]

That neck brace is on backwards, fits the mood i guess.

[@thisislargemouth5566]

The judge wearing the ratsun hat. What a real hero.

[@hvguy]

One thing I've learned watching these videos: fueling is an issue and use giant radiators 😂

[@mikeo7221]

Really enjoyed the movie, and it was really well-done. Looks like you guys had fun!

[@TheGentlemanRacer]

I really can't wait to do my first LeMons

[@davidprattdo]

Sinks canyon, beautiful.

[@prof.g5140]

I love his idea of a lathe at 23 min

[@jamesbondo5895]

The shot with the camera on the jack was cool

[@martykath4427]

HINT. to clean fuel tank add 2 handfuls gravel or nuts about half inch in size, add a cup of fuel and shake-lots. when the rinse fuel coming out is clean your tank should be ok.

[@balthasar6091]

What I would built if I was able to compete in this madness: A VW Beetle with an v8 in the front of the car, a Oldsmobile Tornado rwd with the powertrain from an old BMW 7-series and an unmodified Reliant Robin.

[@auntjenifer7774]

How are THEY acting LIKE THEY didn't know this was going to happen !?!? All they had to do the night before race was clean that gunk out of the tank !!!!

[@MidshipRunabout2]

I love how the car looks more like a 300ZX Z31 than a Ferrari.

[@tippytheclown4923]

Better watch out for a cease and desist letter from Ferrari.....

[@Realisticskate]

That mr2 would be worth so much on marketplace lol

[@jackdixon9742]

wait, you guys MADE a blow-off valve? huge props

[@Joseph-C]

but didnt think to clean the ancient crusty fuel tank till after the race started... help me understand

[@223remsucks]

Absolutely loved it Keep up the good work!

[@neong]

This was a well told story. Nice work.

[@moihawk666]

i love this shop, cans of tuna right next to oil LOL hungry! gummy worms and chocolate!? omg im getting a culinary experience!

[@chefjono]

When I was rebuilding my L28 my mechanic said "T" stands for trouble!

[@rickc303]

Putting turbo on it was ridiculous

[@lee1978good]

I would've just chopped the seat mounts down and welded a lower seat in

[@Mustardmartin]

Everyone needs this in their life weather they know it or not!

[@harryguy76]

Seems to be a common theme with these cars breaking down that many break downs could have been avoided by servicing areas of any car that are common points of failure...such as a dirty fuel tank which should have been cleaned...What happens when you leave a car sit...or you buy a shit box covered in dirt with rotted tires that looks like it sat...the fuel goes bad and any water in the tank rusts the tank out...which results in the car running good at first seeming to be fine and only rears its ugly head on your first trip down the highway once the entire fuel system is contaminated with rust leaving you scratching your head stranded on the side of the road saying to yourself it was working fine... Me personally...as I have been there stranded on the side of the road more then once for this exact reason...would have went through the entire fuel system from tank to injectors even running bore brushes through the fuel lines...fuel rail at least once and most important...cleaned the damn fuel tank...

[@joshb5719]

Go do it then! At least these guys went out and did something!

[@Projectovercastjeep]

neck roll is upside down :)

[@toolrocks74]

I was wondering if anyone else caught that. lol

[@bradscott3165]

Guarantee your "fuel" problem was valve springs with that turbo. Weak valve springs + boost = buck and pop.

[@mikemantle7596]

When I was in Highschool, we would put non vented gas caps on the cop cars. They would run a bit and then die from fuel starvation.

[@hackjobgarage9289]

Have you decapped your injectors for more fuel? If not, look it up and give that a shot. Most injectors can run almost double pressure un-capped.

[@howardfitzner7789]

i love racing and have wanted to do this with good friends from gillette wy .i am sending this to them to watch .like all the others that said it is a good video thanks for making it

[@interlinkplus8236]

Fuel filter clogged...? Lean overheat?

[@danb.3397]

PREP, PREP, PREP........BUT AT THE END OF IT ALL...............YOU'RE STILL WINNERS ! LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER RACE.

[@A7exandersca7es]

This is great. Ill be up there with my lemon one day and this video is a great start for guidance

[@s1dd3rs1]

one of my ambitions is to race at lemons if it is still running when im older

[@dogstar234]

is that the Marlboro man that they sprayed on the back?

[@prisonmike4126]

Wyoming meant to look like the Firarri logo

[@detroitbluesguy]

Can I race my Blues Mobile?

[@downforcedel]

"I'm exempt!"

[@mescko]

Damn, what a shame. I would love to find an AW11 Mister Two with that factory gunmetal/silver paint scheme. Why didn't they use a red one? There shouldn't be any red MR2s (or any other car) anyway.

[@kieranh2005]

But, didn't you know? The red ones go faster!

[@junkyardblaze189]

Pop-up up and down headlights

[@logankai7427]

Mr2 was a great car of its time they could have not added a turbo and it would still keep up Mr2's were setting track records in the 80s and 90s