Considering going Stocker Racing

[THE LEGEND]

I think you are better off building one from scratch.
Your typical competitive e-k muscle car will bring 20-25 grand. Then you will want to "PAINT THE HOUSE" so to speak and spend another 10 grand. All of a sudden you have $35,000 grand in a stocker.
I know I did it 3 times, and a crate motor to boot. You would think I would've learned by now.LOL
If you Don't want a muscle car and can do any of the work yourself, You can do a nice car for less than $20,000. If you want a muscle car add the price of the car to that.
Just my opinion
Retired Class racer
Chip Johnson

[Jack Matyas]

Chip -- Get real -- how many stocker guys are spending 10 grand on paint ? And if guys had $35K they could buy most they could buy almost any stocker that's for sale on the market today not just lower class cars . Buying a "starter" stocker is still the best value ...........

[Mark Callanan]

Jack will you be at the valley with the car??

[Jesse Knapp]

If you have been reading the rulebooks, NHRA and IHRA, then you know that stock eliminator has many restrictions. One cannot do anything their heart desires with their car. Superstock has restrictions as well, but is much more expensive. If you want or desire the challenge of trying to make a car fast in it's class with the limitations NHRA allows, you will love class racing. This is why I don't race a bracket car. Stock would be a good place to start. Jerry Ryan has a Nova stocker roller for sale. It's a nice car and he is a good man with lots of savvy regarding stock/superstock. I'm sure he'd be of some help. Scroll down the For Sale section, maybe a few pages back, to find it.

[Joe Marcinowski]

Louie,
I'll give you my scenerio. 1 1/2 years of work and about $20,000 and my best run to date is .37 under. Did my own chassis, engine, trans, and carb. It would have been more cost effective to buy one done. That being said, I wouldn't change a thing. I have learned a lot. I like the way my car looks (a body style I liked, painted and detailed how I wanted it). The fast guys at the track have been supportive, friendly, and have offered lots of advice. I have had a blast so far (except when I raced Keith Lynch in Jim Marshall's car heads up) that was hillarious. My advice is if you want to learn a lot and you dont mind gettin your ***** kicked for a while, build one. If you can't handle that, buy one thats allready fast. I will caution you about one thing. I've been around racing for over 30 years and I have never worked so hard on anything in my life. If you don't like working on them, do not go class racing!
Good Luck!
Joe

[THE LEGEND]

Jack,
You get real. Your paint job does'nt look like a MAACO to me. I was'nt just talking about the paint either.
Paint,Wheels,Tires,Wiring,interior,Etc,Etc,Etc You will spend another 10K.
A cheap paint job will run you a minimum of 3-4 grand unless you do it yourself.
Wheels and tires are another $2,000. Then you will want to put new interior and chrome to highlight that nice paint job Oh it's jus gonna be a few hundred more dollars. Oh while we are at it lets go ahead and put new Tach and gauges in. Might as well rewire the car too. Almost forgot While we are rewiring lets do the Fuel and brake lines too. Now we have spent another couple grand also. Then we go to our first race. We run a couple tenths under and are tickled to death until we loose that Heads up run 2nd rd. Then we go and buy that trick carb,trick headers,Liteweight radials, trick tranny and convertor.

Jack get out the Calculator you been doing this a long time. That $15,000 stocker will cost you another $20,000 minimum, unless you are content with Shoepolish racing.
Chip Johnson

[THE LEGEND]

Joe,
You're did exactly what I was getting to. You did your car. You spent $20,000 but you know what you got.
It won't cast you that much more to run with the faster cars.
Chip

[Mark Callanan]

Originally Posted by Joe Marcinowski

Louie,
I'll give you my scenerio. 1 1/2 years of work and about $20,000 and my best run to date is .37 under. Did my own chassis, engine, trans, and carb. It would have been more cost effective to buy one done. That being said, I wouldn't change a thing. I have learned a lot. I like the way my car looks (a body style I liked, painted and detailed how I wanted it). The fast guys at the track have been supportive, friendly, and have offered lots of advice. I have had a blast so far (except when I raced Keith Lynch in Jim Marshall's car heads up) that was hillarious. My advice is if you want to learn a lot and you dont mind gettin your ***** kicked for a while, build one. If you can't handle that, buy one thats allready fast. I will caution you about one thing. I've been around racing for over 30 years and I have never worked so hard on anything in my life. If you don't like working on them, do not go class racing!
Good Luck!
Joe

Never build one unless you like pain
Or are at the top of the class and have built one many times
Much better to buy a fast one...

[6682Bktrcr]

The paint is the least of my problems.I used to be a bodyman,miggin and tiggin is no problem either,built a few motors also.I KNOW THAT BUILDING A STOCKER MOTOR/CAR IS GONNA BE A WHOLE DIFFERNET STORY.Nice to know that all are supportive.Hopefull I can finish my junk and sell and move on with this journey.






http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee300/profgh6682/

[Alan Roehrich]

IF you KNOW Stock Eliminator, AND you can do all or at least most of the work your self, AND you can get good deals on parts AND the work you can't do, then you might try building one. If ALL of the above DOES NOT fit you, then BUY a nice running car that goes 5-7 tenths under for your $35K, learn, and work your way up.