09 challenger
 

How about the 2009 Challenger factory S-S/S in Mopar Action? Factory racecars right off the assembly line. Maybe GM will get off their *** now. Might be cheaper than building one.

Re: 09 challenger
 

There will be a 09 Challenger auctioned at Barrett Jackson in a couple of weeks.Someone could
step up and get a head start on a new stocker.

Re: 09 challenger
 

You can bet your sweet A-- this car will go well above the sticker--I would say at least 50-60 Gs--Can you build a A stocker for that?:cool:

Re: 09 challenger
 

There are quite of few of them already for sale on Ebay, I am not sure if they are scammers or just real SOB's

Re: 09 challenger
 

i am not particular to any car make,but i have to say that is one of the coolest production cars that i have seen,now to see some one build it to stocker status that would be a feat with in it self, the gears are turning(or grinding) gmonde

Re: 09 challenger
 

We are getting 4 of which all are sold. We sell for window price (about 42k with the gas guzzler tax). I think there might be more than announced previously. Might be some factory race cars, but none are free. More as it goes on.

Re: 09 challenger
 

If the marketing guru's at NHRA and the dying USA mfgs had any vision, they would initiate a series (class) with the three new retro cars (Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro)...Detroit mfg a base no frills moderate cost car, SEMA mfgs gear up for traction devices, and other necessary drag mods and NHRA offer a class, say within Stock Eliminator just featuring those three models

'ya think us old '60's gearheads would take a trip back in time with our discretionary income of today?

'ya think NHRA, SEMA and Detroit would partner up on this and make it happen? Nah

Re: 09 challenger
 

The start of the retro muscle cars was when Ford introduced the '05 Mustang. How many of them do you see in stock and S/S? They weren't even in the classification guide until last year. One guy built a one for SS/GT and couldn't run in NHRA, only in IHRA, until he put up a fight to get it into the classification guide. It was added in May of '07, almost three years after it was introduced.

I have no idea of how competitive an '05-'07 Mustang would be in stock. The only engine is the 3 valve 4.6L SOHC engine which is factory 300HP. Even though it has never been run, NHRA put an extra 20 HP on it from the get-go so it's factored at 320. It could run D, E or F, but there aren't any out there. Why not? Why have the extra HP added to it before anyone even tries to run one?

It is probably Ford's fault, since it is up to the manufacturer to provide the specs for the classification guide. Ford doesn't seem to support drag racing at the sportsman level at all. They put more money into Harley pro-stock motorcycles (???!!!) than sportsman racing. It sucks, and as a Ford guy it pisses me off.

I'll betcha that within 6 months of the introduction of the new (ugly as sin IMHO) Camaro, there will be dozens of them in class racing. GM supports the sportsman and sees some value in having their cars at the track. That sure isn't going to make me change my colors but it does make me jealous.

Re: 09 challenger
 

Will be interesting to see how Evan Smith's new Shelby Mustang performs in SS/A.

Re: 09 challenger
 

As far as the new Mustang is concerned in Stock, wouldn't the 4.6 DOHC V-8 be more difficult to deal with in teardown than our current, conventional V-8s?

Re: 09 challenger
 

It took me over a year to get Ford to send NHRA the spec's to my 2003 Mustang Cobra and we have been in the Ford business for over 30 years. They told me the only person they care about in NHRA drag racing is John Force and that's where all their attention and $ are going . Ford point blank told me they could care less about the sportsman racers. I'm still waiting on my class win Ford check from 5 years ago. They did do a good thing with giving Evan Smith the Shelby, so maybe they are starting to see THE BIG PICTURE.


To Myron:

I have been messing with the 4.6 DOHC 32v motor in this Cobra and between having 4 chains, 4 cams, 32 valve springs and lifter's and it being wider from valve cover to valve cover than a Boss 429 or a 426 hemi it been a piece of cake YA RIGHT, it's been a hand full.

P.S. I just want to tell ya little story. The first night I ever went bracket racing was on a Sat. night about 1986, in Orlando and who do I get first round was this Mopar guy who dialed slow, caught me at the 1/8 and fender raced me to the finish line and wore me out and I think it was you.


Good luck in 08 guys!!
Bret Velde
3028 A/S 2003 Cobra

Re: 09 challenger
 

It is amazing they have such attitude. Just take in to account the amount of ink in magazines and Ford/Mustang racing events that take place all over the country.

Just hope that someone does not get ticked-off at you and post money for a teardown just to get you run out of time to put the car together!!!! I would be very upset if I was in your shoes!!!

Re: 09 challenger
 

I admit up front that the following is strictly hearsay,so believe it or don't; if anyone can set me straight with the FACTS, please do so; these are the facts as I have heard them:

Ford is not the only manufacturer who cares little for NHRA Sportsman drag racing. I heard about a racer who spent a ton of his own money to build a late-model Corvette for Stock Eliminator and wasn't having much success with the motor, so went to General Motors and asked for some help programming the fuel curve, mainly. He had LOTS of money to spend and needed nothing but information from G.M.... nothing that would cost them a significant amount of time or factory money.


Their response to him was, basically, "Shoooo... We have ZERO interest in how your car runs, and in fact will do nothing to help you achieve success on the drag strip, because that is not the image we want for our cars." He ended up selling the car.

Insofar as adding horsepower before anyone has run a car with that engine down the track, as Bill Harris has pointed out, didn't NHRA do exactly the same thing to the NASCAR (single 4bbl) Hemi, a couple of years ago? I heard that someone who was, in fact, building a car for that motor stopped the project, cold, when they heard that NHRA had done that.

Where's the logic in that??? How can they (NHRA) know the factor is wrong before they've even seen one run?

Re: 09 challenger
 

The racing divisions are not run anymore by real racers or mechanics like in the early days; today they are run by PR people.

Re: 09 challenger
 

Didn't you get me back at the US Class Nationals? ;) It's been a while, but I think I got beat by a later model Mustang.

With cutbacks at Mopar Performance, I'm concerned about what changes that will bring for Mopar sportsman racers in 2008! :(

Re: 09 challenger
 

Myron hold numbers? This I GOTTA see! LOL! :D I was going to get him a map to the brake pedal for Christmas, but I don't want him to get any better than he already is. ;)

For what it's worth, Jon Clark, a Mopar Performance rep, was strolling the pits at the Canadian Nationals at Grand Bend a few years ago, and took the time to talk with Myron, Terry Knott, and myself, and presumably other Mopar racers. There's one manufacturer that cares! Hopefully Cerebus will allow its employees to maintain the good relationship the prior Chrysler parent companies have built over the years.

Re: 09 challenger
 

Re: 09 challenger
 

Mr Beard.Let me tell you how supportive mopar is.I been dealing with mopar about 25 years.To date Mopar still has not sent me a set of stage 5 castings they told me they were sending.Had some problems with the castings and ruined a SS engine.Talked with mclaren/dart in canada who does the cnc work for mopar about the problems.The ball got dropped at mopars david hakim's desk,ever here of him?Yes we have talked to mopars jon clark before.Big jack brought him by at the gators just after i won class at the gators.He wanted imput on how to improve mopars relations with the racers,seeing how bad david was at it.I thought man finally we got someone up there we can call again.Before the year was out it was apparent jon was infected with the same mentality and evasiveness as hakim.At the pri show jon demonstrates is evasive skills again and doesn't want to talk to racers.We wanted to talk to jon about the new challenger,a body in white program,factory support,ETC.The SS challenger he said was a limited run and that was about it.probably there only for car collectors or someone in the click.After competing with 2 70 challengers for about 15 years A/SA and SS/FA you would think we would be considered.It looks like there are no deals on the new challenger,no factory support,or mabey just to us who knows.Hell you can even buy a v6 cheap challenger to make a race car out of.Ask jon about there aluminum 452 head and how they dropped the ball.If mopar got with edelbrock and made the combustion chamber like a stock head and stock valve size we might be able to get it approved for use in nhra stock/superstock.chevy and ford got theres.Mopar wont even supply stock valve size stage 5 castings we use in SS,only the big valve castings.Theres plenty more storys but you see how supportive mopar is,NOT AT ALL.As fas as cerburs goes dont look for anything from them,they manage several companies(bean counters).Mabey you crate motor car guys are getting support.Mabey you will get new challengers but we'll just keep our old ones.......Tim&Jim

Re: 09 challenger
 

i think i just went crosseyed

Re: 09 challenger
 

Maybe Tim Ilderton and Ilderton Dodge where i work will get a s/ss car and let me race it...I should ask

Re: 09 challenger
 

I heard that as of last month MOPAR had not even commited to pay contingencies for 2008. True or false?

Re: 09 challenger
 

lol "Getting" a new Challenger to race can only be wishful thinking for me. Even if the opportunity would be available, I don't have the time or money to 100% guarantee a full schedule commitment to IHRA, and even less to NHRA. And that doesn't even include the R&D required for a brand new combination. I'm doing well to keep my "old" Dart Sport going from year to year. But I am slowly working on another one as a replacement.

I actually started building a Challenger crate motor combo in '98. But prices of E-body parts and a few rule changes forced me out of it.

As far as the contingency program is concerned, commitments always seem late in coming. I've been to IHRA races where the list hasn't been complete yet. However, I have heard of changes within the Mopar program which concern me. But I don't know all the details and can't confirm anything, so I won't comment further.