under the index for under a grand?

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Tom keedle

this wasn't meant to be a poke at anybody OR anybodies scrounging abilities, i just have my doubts it can be done by somebody just starting out and not having a pile of parts or buddies throwing in parts....

Tom, I didn't take it that way. Actually, I'm suprised that it took this long for somebody to ask that question. You do have to admit though, you probably don't know a car guy who doesn't have a garage full of parts and a bunch of buddies the same way.
I'm just trying to prove that it doesn't take 10k or 50k to go Stock Eliminator racing and at the same time maybe provoke a few fence sitters to come racing.
Even if you're not interested in this type of thing, check in on it anyway and look at it as some kind of reality show!

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lee

Let's see...I bought a mint '87 Shelby Daytona Z for $5200 (and it was my daily driver), I bought a DC computer upgrade, an exhaust dump at the local muffler shop, a Centerforce clutch, 20" M/T slicks on junkyard steel wheels and set the BF/S record @ 14.16 on a 78,000 mile engine. I think the index was 15.50 back then. Way under a grand! I'm sure it could be done today.

Absolutely! And it got you racing!

[Jeff Lee]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Absolutely! And it got you racing!

Yes and I realize that is why you are doing this build up. When I first took the car to the track on Radial T/A's that didn't hook and were about 25" in diameter and still ran 4-5 tenths under, I knew I finally had a ticket into Stock. I was racing S/ST at the time with a 9 second AMX and never really got the point of throttle stop racing. I soon found out my 13 second, stick-shift Shelby was more fun than my 10.90 @ 130 MPH S/ST ride. Sold the S/ST car when I found my current AMX. Everybody has to start somewhere but once your in, and your passionate, your probably in for life. May be hit & miss but your in.

[Jack McCarthy]

im betting on billy...he never told me something that wasnt true.

captain jack

really one day a week in a bone yard and you live in cold a** penn... you may be nuts

[Michael Beard]

Do you still have that burgundy Grand Prix or Grand Am laying around? Bad rear main seal, needed a quart of oil every few hours, but the one time I raced it, ran 17.20's deep-staged and granny shiftin' at Norwalk. Went five rounds with it! LOL Set of tires, drop the exhaust, adjust weight, timing, change the oil, throw some race gas in it and roll! Sleeper combination.

We've talked about it before, too: high initial investment, but if you happen to have a Cobalt floating around, those can be close to the index bone stock.

[James Perrone]

Billy is the only person in the world that can pull this.off
Hes friggin crazy....it takes a twisted mind to figure out what these combos run..
I am a chevy guy ..cause its easy.lol... ..By the way wheres that Nees's Pieces car?
Love that thing..

[Bob Emery]

Originally Posted by Michael Beard

We've talked about it before, too: high initial investment, but if you happen to have a Cobalt floating around, those can be close to the index bone stock.

Which model? I'm looking for a commuter-mobile and this sounds like a great target!

[Robert Swartz]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Tom, I didn't take it that way. Actually, I'm suprised that it took this long for somebody to ask that question. You do have to admit though, you probably don't know a car guy who doesn't have a garage full of parts and a bunch of buddies the same way.
I'm just trying to prove that it doesn't take 10k or 50k to go Stock Eliminator racing and at the same time maybe provoke a few fence sitters to come racing.
Even if you're not interested in this type of thing, check in on it anyway and look at it as some kind of reality show!

Billy,

Love this stuff. You gave me encouragement with the Olds. I have other things that take priority, don't know if we're going to do much with it this year.

All I can add, I took a bone stock car, tuned it as best we could, haven't been able to do anything with the computer yet. Cut the exhaust off it. Put a tach in it, a set of DR's on it. Got it within 60lbs of the weight for EF/SA. We did squeeze a 10.69 against a 9.85 index (1/8 mile). Not saying the thing is a "dime rocket", the potential is there.

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by Bob Emery

Which model? I'm looking for a commuter-mobile and this sounds like a great target!

My wife had the regular naturally aspirated 2.2L '05 Cobalt. It's rated at 140HP, fits DF/S in NHRA (15.60 index), so min weight would be 2830#. Only ran 1/8th mile with Jill's, but I've seen them go 16.30's bone stock. Ran hers over the scales at Rockingham and it was well over 3000#. In IHRA, it fits FF/SA @ 2970#, with a 16.30 index.

On a side note, we discovered that the power steering is electronic on those cars, and fails. Traded it in and got an '08 Charger 3.5L. Best car we've ever had. Hmmm... wonder if we could claim it as an '07... fits R/SA. The 14.05 index looks like a long way off from a 16.40's @ 1 MILLion MPH that the Charger ran, BUT it didn't even shift into high gear until after you lifted past the 1/4 mile finish. Told Jill the thing would really haul if you put some gear in it. "NO!" "Well, I was just saying IF...!"

[RonTheAnnouncer]

Originally Posted by Michael Beard

My wife had the regular naturally aspirated 2.2L '05 Cobalt. It's rated at 140HP, fits DF/S in NHRA (15.60 index), so min weight would be 2830#. Only ran 1/8th mile with Jill's, but I've seen them go 16.30's bone stock. Ran hers over the scales at Rockingham and it was well over 3000#. In IHRA, it fits FF/SA @ 2970#, with a 16.30 index.

On a side note, we discovered that the power steering is electronic on those cars, and fails. Traded it in and got an '08 Charger 3.5L. Best car we've ever had. Hmmm... wonder if we could claim it as an '07... fits R/SA. The 14.05 index looks like a long way off from a 16.40's @ 1 MILLion MPH that the Charger ran, BUT it didn't even shift into high gear until after you lifted past the 1/4 mile finish. Told Jill the thing would really haul if you put some gear in it. "NO!" "Well, I was just saying IF...!"

Riiiight, you were just thinking out loud...
My '07 Cobalt with the same motor and HP has run a best of 16.40 in the 1/4, but is usually 16.65-75 depending on the weather. Best 1/8 mile was 10.47 on a 37 degree day at Norwalk.