Ol' Fart's Firebird Fantasy

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by Tony Corley

.. I have to wonder why it would be for a class that you seem to feel like you would not have anywhere to race at? Not judging, just curious.

OK I can explain it where I understand it, don't know if anybody else can or not. But I'll give it a shot. But it will take a while to explain. Some of you guys may wanna skip this post. It will probably be long and boring.

(1) I started out racing a Stocker in '73. You can see some of the trophies I won my 1st two seasons, in my avatar pic.

(2) I built a serious(to me) Stocker, '68 Bird E/SA, in '75 and TJ won the 1st six races at our 2 local tracks, plus a few others during the season. I also upgraded my GTO that year and got it into the 12's for the 1st time.

(3) Then all the local tracks dropped class racing in favor of brackets. So we learned how to win at bracket racing. But I didn't like Stocker racing any less. It just wasn't available to us, without long trips. Now they are running it only 2 hours away, but only once a year.

(4) We ran a LOT of bracket races thru '79, then off and on thru 88. Then I stayed away from racing for about 20 years, to help run my dad's family business. And I'd always spent all our money on racing and made TJ live in a single wide trailer house. So, after the family business folded up, TJ got to move into her new house, and I got a job driving an 18 wheeler. Now, I'm retired and my little gov check goes to pay the house note, utilities and very little else. That's why this is a very low budget build.

(5) As I've already mentioned on this site, I got me a little min wage job just for racing $. It worked great. I bought a bracket car and then a former class car, along with a diesel crew cab and 2-car gooseneck. I was ready to race a full schedule at our local track in 2010, but the track never opened that year. If I'd just been patient, and saved my $, I could have been racing ever since then. But I got discouraged and figured the track would never reopen, like most of the other tracks we use to race. So, I got involved with dirt racing at our local track. Well, you can blow a lot of $ quick, dirt racin, and have nothing left to show for it. That's what I did.

(6) But as it turned out, some new guys took over the drag strip and started making improvements. They have really made it a nice bracket track now. I kept one of my bracket cars, but my little job fizzled out, and I haven't had the $ to race. I also have an old '68 bracket bird. I'm swapping some of my left over dirt cars and parts to a guy, for putting the bird back together for me.

As the finances are right now, I can only make a very few races. But I have several friends who'll haul 'em to the races for me. One of them would probably be glad to haul a Stocker to the Sept points race. And since I know I probably can't go to a lot of races(til the finances get better) I don't have a problem with only going to one Stocker race this year.

(7) A Stocker can pull double duty. There are probably LOTS of Stocker guys running their Stockers at bracket races. Many of 'em probably pay a lot better anyhow. So my Stocker would run more than one race a year. Hey, I knew a guy that only went to one big race a year with his Modified production Camaro. Don't think he ever got it down to the index. But he seemed to enjoy being in the big show.

(8) I went to a big, local bracket race a few years back and there was a pair of '69 Camaro Stockers there. So, me being the curious type, I went over to check 'em out. I believe they were running G/SA. They were his and hers cars--a husband and wife team. They had their permanent numbers and lots of decals, and both had a Q-jet. I mean if you know what a Stocker looks like, you could tell that these cars were the real deal. I think they both turned mid 11's.

Coming from my background, I thought these cars were really cool. I didn't know before that race that serious Stockers ran any bracket races. So that is one of the major things that put this idea into my mind. I can have a cool lookin Stocker AND run bracket with it, even if I can't get it under the index right away. I can use the bracket races for test and tune to continually get the car quicker, til it gets down to it's index. That part could be fun too.

Well I could go on and on. But it's midnite here and time to close it.

I'll just summarize it this way: I started with Stockers, I like Stockers, and I'd like to have another Stocker, whether I ever get it under the index or not. Some of you guys may not understand that. But that's as simple as I know how to put it.

[Dave Gantz]

Originally Posted by oldskool

Yeah, that would be GREAT ! Only problem is that the nearest class race that I know anything about is in Gilliam, LA, in Sept. They have one in Bell Rose, but that's a 6 hour drive. Then Dallas is 6 hours in the other direction. And I don't know one single class racer in my area. This is bracket country.

If you build a stocker, you'll need to make those tows.
And I agree with the comment about talking to, and getting to know racers in person. As much as you'll learn online, you'll learn that much more by getting to know people. What I do I know about stockers, I learned mostly from being there, wherever "there" is. -could be in somebody's garage, at the track, or?

[HandOverFist]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

It is CLASS specific. N/S and lower do not need a rollbar.

Unless it is a convertible like mine in which case you have no choice.