Crate Motor Class

[Bruce Noland]

Originally Posted by PozQB14

10 years ago the 350/330 was using a vortec head that you can literally find on Craigslist for a couple hundred bucks. 10 year from today, the 350/330 will be using the same head. As a current CM racer, I can promise I'll never ask IHRA or "maybe" nhra to approve a bogus aluminum cylinder head even though there is the 350/385 that runs one but the specs of the engine are much different. Only aftermarket stuff you really need is maybe a block which is very unnecessary (mine is a stock 350 .060 4 bolt main, nothing special) Actually bought it off Craigslist for $250 then had it decked and honed. Got lucky it was a decent piece. most use a victor jr and a holley 750. Some guys might get crazy with the trick ring package, not me. Way to expensive and not worth it. These are not fancy or special engines. At farmington this past wknd I literally rolled off the trailer, put gas in and went to staging cause I was in a hurry (barely had time to check tire pressure which was a little low) to make a pass and still went low 6.60's.
It's a low maintenance engine that can go 100's of runs before a freshen up, as is the 350/385 with aluminum heads with a larger cam ect...

It's very simple, guys that have 25-30k in there rockets can't handle getting put on the trailer by a low budget CM. It's a pride thing. But really, when the light turns green, are you not going to go because the other guy has a crate motor?

Funny thing is, the best sportsman racer in the history of drag racing has no problem mixing it up with IHRA guys as well as numerous other guys that were even at Indy this year in stock, some who were even class winners. Simply put, if you're a racer then strap up and race regardless of your opoonents combo. If you build a car for the prestige, go to Barret Jackson.

Thanks for all of your lovely advice. But let me splain something to you. Nhra Stock racers built and or purchase their cars to run in the NHRA system. It's not our problem that you wish to run a low budget crate motor car. There are tons of races for you to attend. Enjoy your car where you are wanted. And for the record this discussion has been going on for decades and nothing has happened. And if nhra ever allows crate motor cars into Stock they won't be the low budget variety. They will be the new OEM motors and not what you're thinking at all. Get used to it!

[Dan Fahey]

Crate Motor Classes were discussed 25 years ago.
Object to build combinations to the spirit of Stock.
Nice to see Vegas, Pintos, 55/57 Chevys, Barracudas with updated combinations!
It worked and GT Classes and Pure Stock were added to round out the needs racers were asking for!

Certainly more realistic than the FS Factory ready to race cars.
I remember the pride A Stockers had when they first started breaking into the 9's.
Now talking 2 seconds for a 7 second 150 mph Stocker.
One racer wrote adding a Roll Bar to a U/SA for fear of being rear ended by an FS car...!

One other idea.
What is missing are people setting National Records in IHRA.
Setting one always creates a Buzz of Excitement...
Wish IHRA would give 5 points as incentive to do that.
It would be one of the small things that would help attract more racers.

Especially those lazy CM owners!

D

[bubski]

Originally Posted by Bruce Noland

Thanks for all of your lovely advice. But let me splain something to you. Nhra Stock racers built and or purchase their cars to run in the NHRA system. It's not our problem that you wish to run a low budget crate motor car. There are tons of races for you to attend. Enjoy your car where you are wanted. And for the record this discussion has been going on for decades and nothing has happened. And if nhra ever allows crate motor cars into Stock they won't be the low budget variety. They will be the new OEM motors and not what you're thinking at all. Get used to it!

Bruce !! maybe you need it splained to you !! NHRA already is allowing crate motors in S/SS !! So if you don't build a new 25.000$ plus crate motor you don't count as an NHRA class racer ?? A low budget motor will be just what it is, like a traditional car without all the new enhancements. A way to race and maybe not stand a chance against the best in your class , but a way to get out there and race . So the new OEM motors aren't crate motors ?? This holier than thou hypocrisy in S/SS is amazing !! As everyone pushes for non stock parts to gain an advantage while moaning about a car you'll never race heads up .

[Bruce Noland]

Originally Posted by bubski

Bruce !! maybe you need it splained to you !! NHRA already is allowing crate motors in S/SS !! So if you don't build a new 25.000$ plus crate motor you don't count as an NHRA class racer ?? A low budget motor will be just what it is, like a traditional car without all the new enhancements. A way to race and maybe not stand a chance against the best in your class , but a way to get out there and race . So the new OEM motors aren't crate motors ?? This holier than thou hypocrisy in S/SS is amazing !! As everyone pushes for non stock parts to gain an advantage while moaning about a car you'll never race heads up .

I just love you no name guys. You, of course, splained nothing. I'm talking about Stock. We all know the new OEM motors are in SS. But there are none in older cars in Stock. You want in the back door of Stock with your garden variety low budget crate motor cars when others have spent their money and built their cars for nhra racing. Go build a legitimate nhra Stocker (budget or expensive) and you will be welcomed with open arms but you will not make it in with the budget crate motor cars. nhra already has way more Stockers than it wants. A Division Director told me that "if" anything was ever to be allowed it would be the new oem motors (read expensive) and that they have absolutely no interest in opening the door to the old ihra crate motor cars. I hope you understand my splaination this time. But I doubt it!

[Cameron Collins]

If nhra let crate motor stockers run, there still be low car counts. To many key board racers that wanna wine and bitch.

[Ed Wright]

If you you build an IHRA only combo, go run IHRA.
If you want to run both, be bright enough to build a combo that fits both. Don't expect rule changes to make you happy.
Simple, right?

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

If you you build an IHRA only combo, go run IHRA.
If you want to run both, be bright enough to build a combo that fits both. Don't expect rule changes to make you happy.
Simple, right?

Sounds like perfect logic to me!!

[KEN BUGAJ]

and

[Ed Wright]

My car came from the factory with an LT1 engine, and that is what is in it now. It is a '96 model, I bought in 1997, it was 18 months old with 36,000 miles on it, with an LT1 engine & automatic transmission.

You evidently built that car for IHRA, you can still run it there, right?
You can also bracket race it at NHRA tracks, right?
But, expect THE major sanctioning body to make new rules for you?
You built the wrong car for NHRA, other than et brackets.
You did not understand that when you built it?

[Todd Hoven]

Originally Posted by KEN BUGAJ

Eddie, it's not how smart a person is, it's what they want to spend or can afford.(that's smart) The Crate motor car I built was for my son who's just starting out in life. He raced it had fun and now is into something else. What would be a good idea is stock GT. Just like they did for Super Stock. Isn't that what you run ? A motor in a car that didn't come from the factory

Sounds like a suggestion for the IHRA