I want to go Stocker Racing

[Doug McCue]

Originally Posted by LIGOOMBA

Wow !!! That is a good deal ! And they are good builders ! All I need is a car ! I was going to go look at a 70 Camaro tomorrow ! I'm waiting for my rule book so I can start studying !!
LOL !

You have a PM

[KEN BUGAJ]

Originally Posted by LIGOOMBA

I've been lurking for a bit,and just got the nerve to join and start posting!
I've been hooked on the Stocker Class for a few months now.After walking around Z Max this weekend and watching them ,I'm hooked.
A bit about myself before I get smashed, cause I usually go on YB!!I bracket raced for a bit in the 90s and got out of it.I own. 1972 Chevelle ,back halved with a 565 in it.Due to family life and my career I put it on hold.I just retired and we moved down here last October from L.I. NY.Another reason that I stayed away from racing is the haul to any track took for ever.Im just finishing up a shop at my house.My plan is to finish my car and sell it.As per wife I can only have
one race car !! I don't blame her.
I was leaning towards a mid 12 sec class,J/S or K/S class to start out with.I met some cool/ super smart guys with some great info at the track.I am not gonna build a car from scratch.I most likely will purchase someone's unfinished project I worked in a restoration shop for about 15 years so I know a few things.
I'm leaning towards Nova's 66-70 right now with a small block.
Like I said I'm new to this so don't bash me.Sorry for the long winded story.

Check your PM's

[LIGOOMBA]

Ok ,how about a. 93-2002 Camaro ,they seem to be cheap now a days.I can get a project car for about 1,000-1,500. Still waiting for my NHRA rule book.after walking aroun the Auto Fair and seeing that people want Barret Jackson prices for cars that seem to be pulled out of a marsh not even a barns ! I would appreciate some input .
Thanks for all the responses.

[Richard Grant]

I would say their are not a good starter car. The LT1 has been flogged and hit with HP pretty hard. It would take an experienced racer to build one that's competitive and you have the new cars to deal with.
The LS1 seems to have some room left if you can build a top notch piece.Not a piece of cake for a new racer. Probably expensive to build one that's competitive and you still will be a sitting duck for the new cars.
Unless you buy one that's flogged you will lose any heads up races until it's lined out and by the time you lose to the other LT1's and LS1's then lose to any 2008 or newer cars you will wish that you had chosen another combo.

[Dan Fahey]

Originally Posted by Richard Grant

I would say their are not a good starter car. The LT1 has been flogged and hit with HP pretty hard. It would take an experienced racer to build one that's competitive and you have the new cars to deal with.
The LS1 seems to have some room left if you can build a top notch piece.Not a piece of cake for a new racer. Probably expensive to build one that's competitive and you still will be a sitting duck for the new cars.
Unless you buy one that's flogged you will lose any heads up races until it's lined out and by the time you lose to the other LT1's and LS1's then lose to any 2008 or newer cars you will wish that you had chosen another combo.

IMHO..that can be said with most combinations.
Except the new factory racers.

D

[Robert Swartz]

Originally Posted by Richard Grant

I would say their are not a good starter car. The LT1 has been flogged and hit with HP pretty hard. It would take an experienced racer to build one that's competitive and you have the new cars to deal with.
The LS1 seems to have some room left if you can build a top notch piece.Not a piece of cake for a new racer. Probably expensive to build one that's competitive and you still will be a sitting duck for the new cars.
Unless you buy one that's flogged you will lose any heads up races until it's lined out and by the time you lose to the other LT1's and LS1's then lose to any 2008 or newer cars you will wish that you had chosen another combo.

Originally Posted by Dan Fahey

IMHO..that can be said with most combinations.
Except the new factory racers.

D

Well, what exactly are we saying here? Sadly what is being said above is true. S/SS racing is tough, always was. For someone starting from scatch, this sounds like a tough call. A good established NHRA car, not a new factory car mind you. Costs what? A car that can approach the 1 second under that is required to be competitve on a national level, maybe buy a running car for 15-20K?

It will take in the neighborhood of that to build a car doing it yourself. And at that, no guarantee that the car will even run the index, much less under to any degree. How long before the 100K+ Factory cars dominate the field. Getting to be more and more of those everyday, it seems. Dare I say it but with the advant of the Factory cars, I'm looking at Stock in the same light as we saw Pro Stock 35-40 years ago in relation to cost? Am I right or wrong?

Doesn't sound real encouraging for someone wanting to break into the game? Just some rambling thoughts on a Sunday morning.

On a side note, I looked real hard at the 93 Camaro out of N.C., posted in the For Sale section. Seems like a really nice car for the money. It is an IHRA only car. Even my wife liked it, told me to buy it if I really wanted it, LOL! You would need to know how cheap my wife is to tell me to BUY another car. Myself being unfamiliar with the LT-1 engines and considering what it would take to convert the car to an NHRA car. I came to the conclusion that it might not be the best car for me.

Originally Posted by Dan Fahey

IMHO..that can be said with most combinations.
Except the new factory racers.

D

Dan is exactly right! If you're dead set on NHRA class racing you better bring lots of money. Period. If you want to do it on the cheap you won't be happy anytime you have a heads-up race.

IHRA Pure Stock racing is still the only affordable, entry-level way to class race, not break the bank and be able to have a car that is competitive within it's class.

Scott

[Dan Fahey]

Originally Posted by Robert Swartz

Well, what exactly are we saying here? Sadly what is being said above is true. S/SS racing is tough, always was. For someone starting from scatch, this sounds like a tough call. A good established NHRA car, not a new factory car mind you. Costs what? A car that can approach the 1 second under that is required to be competitve on a national level, maybe buy a running car for 15-20K?

It will take in the neighborhood of that to build a car doing it yourself. And at that, no guarantee that the car will even run the index, much less under to any degree. How long before the 100K+ Factory cars dominate the field. Getting to be more and more of those everyday, it seems. Dare I say it but with the advant of the Factory cars, I'm looking at Stock in the same light as we saw Pro Stock 35-40 years ago in relation to cost? Am I right or wrong?

Doesn't sound real encouraging for someone wanting to break into the game? Just some rambling thoughts on a Sunday morning.

On a side note, I looked real hard at the 93 Camaro out of N.C., posted in the For Sale section. Seems like a really nice car for the money. It is an IHRA only car. Even my wife liked it, told me to buy it if I really wanted it, LOL! You would need to know how cheap my wife is to tell me to BUY another car. Myself being unfamiliar with the LT-1 engines and considering what it would take to convert the car to an NHRA car. I came to the conclusion that it might not be the best car for me.

All the classes have competitive cars.
Getting a ready built car will require update and maintenance.
New from scratch builds may less expensive in the long run.
Their is lots of information to get a car competing quickly.

Most combinations will work.
Pick one.

Like Tar Heal said.
Pure Stock is a great way to build a car and be competitive.
I do not care what you get you are going to work on it to go faster.
Dive in the fun has just begun.

D

[Irondog]

Originally Posted by Jack McCarthy

cmon guys teach him how to do it 2013 style...

option A
start by picking your combo
then begin to write letters to the hp committee
get your -20 or so hp off ...
then go racing...

or option B
spend big buck$$$ and buy a cobra jet
then go racing

seroiusly... buy a car, go racing
have fun...keep wife happy

jack

Here,Here!! #1, keep wife happy!! #2, Have fun!! We tell our kids and been told our whole lives, " Your playin for the FUN of it!!"

[Alan Roehrich]

Money can make you fast, it will not always make you fast. It has to be well spent. I've seen people spend a lot of money in Stock and Super Stock and never get close to 1 under, and I've seen them break a lot of parts and go broke trying.

There are people who are going fast who do not, and have not, spent a ton of money. But they've chosen a good combination and worked on it for a while. There is still something to be said for buying a fairly well flogged combination for a good price, and then investing a little more money and a lot more time, wisely.

It is a myth that you must spend $50K to $100K to go pretty fast. If you buy a decent car for $20K or so, and you work on it, and test it, you can usually go 2 tenths faster for less than $10K. Provided you work hard and smart, instead of throwing money at it. There are 1 under cars for sale for $30K or less if you know where to look. I've seen a couple for $25K or so.

The new factory cars are mostly a problem for guys like us, who have a combination that fits the upper classes. Most mid class cars will not see a new factory car in their class. Being able to fit only CC, A, or B, we're going to see new factory cars in our class. It is something we've learned to deal with. The only other combinations we can afford to build right now, because we already have a lot of the parts, allow us to move up to BB, or down to C. We're stubborn, and we like our combination.

Choose a good solid combination, and choose wisely when you purchase the car. Then talk to the right people, and spend money with the right people. Be prepared to humbly ask for, and accept, good advice and help, then put it to work.

By the way, it is only cheaper to build a car rather than buy one if you have a lot of experience in class racing, and can do most, if not all of the work yourself. You can buy a car at 40-60% of what it costs to pay someone to do the work, plus what the car to start with costs. If you buy a car then pay to have most of it done, and buy new parts, you'll almost certainly pay double what you can buy one for. You'll also almost certainly make some mistakes, and some of those mistakes may be expensive. The way to buy a used class car is to get a good class racer who is familiar with the combination to help you find one, see it run, and buy it. You'll have someone there to tell you what is right, and what is wrong, with any car you look at.