65-85 under.

[Alan Roehrich]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Alan, I respect your opinion more that most. I'm not complaining about the 396/375 combo. I'm just using it in an analogy to try and get certain Racers to understand that the Eliminator doesn't end at G/SA. There are a number of Racers on here whose only self-serving mission is to lower the indexes 3/4/5 (what the h&!!, lower them a second!) so that they don't screw up their own personal agenda! There are probably a dozen other combos that I could plug in to my previous post that will serve the same purpose. I really don't care much which way the AHFS goes. I'm AM however concerned when certain people start wanting to lower the indexes just for their own benefit.

The indexes, honestly, haven't kept up with technology. Nor, unfortunately, have they kept up with what NHRA has allowed to pass tech in Stock. NHRA made those choices. A lot of them I certainly don't agree with myself.



Sadly, a lot of combinations haven't, whether or not they can.


I can see where people want the indexes lowered, and why. Even though lowering the indexes would make my life harder, and returning to Stock more questionable. And I'd dearly love to return. having a life threatening disease will make you want to live, and do things. It changes your perspective. Drastically. We won class a few times. We came close to a national event win a couple of times. And I left Indy with my tail between my legs. I have things I'd like to do before I take a dirt nap, things I've come close to.



Racing Stock is a series of choices. NHRA makes a lot of them for you. But you make a lot for yourself. If you choose to race Stock, you chose to race under the rules as they stand.


You choose your car (unless you have a partner who owns it). Now, it's up to you how you choose it, and what factors you considered. Is it something you had? Is it something you got cheap? Did you choose it because you like it? Did you choose it because you have an emotional attachment? But the factors you take into consideration when you choose, are your choice.



If you didn't choose it because it's a competitive combination, and it has support from the aftermarket, then you made the choice, and you don't really have a ton of room to complain. If you chose to try to race Stock on a shoestring budget, you're not going to be very fast, unless you're really good, not many of us are that good. Your choice. If you're not going to tear your stuff down and update, upgrade, test, etc, that's your choice, you chose not to be competitive. It takes the willingness to test, tune, and do R&D to be competitive. If there are cores available, someone will make cams for you. The piston companies will make pistons, and Total Seal makes lot of rings. There are valve companies that will make you valves. If you chose a combination where your stuff has to be "one off", the key phrase is "you chose a combination".


Am I a fan of what NHRA is letting through tech now? Hell NO! I'd love to see NHRA turn Wesley and Travis loose, and let them deal with it. Am I a fan of superseded parts? Not really, but I do see a reason in some cases. I just bought another cast iron original head, to have a second pair of original cast iron heads. I bought a set back that I sold. I don't like the cost to be competitive. I'm not running my own, and we've parked the orange Camaro, as much due to cost as anything. We know what it costs to compete at the level we want to. We don't feel like we can spend that money right now. We're not crying because others can. We're just parked.


As my late friend and fellow racer, Ronnie Duke, was fond of saying, "all drag racing takes is time and money. All your time, and all your money." Being competitive is a choice, if you're going to be competitive, you're going to devote a lot of your life, time and treasure. In Stock and Super Stock especially. And, as Dirty Harry Callahan wisely said, "A man's got to know his limitations".

[Alan Roehrich]

I do understand that there are lower classes, below G, and below where I like to run. Race cars should go pretty fast, at least for me, or they're just not really fun. If it won't run the quarter at least as well as my Harley Pro street Breakout, it just doesn't do it for me. I realize that ain't where everyone is in the sport. Some people really enjoy 13, 14, 15, and 16 second cars. That's their choice. And hey, maybe their indexes don't need adjustment, or much adjustment.



Like Barry Parker said, as much as lot of us older guys would love to see a return, at least partially, to the tech we saw in the twentieth century, those days are gone. Forever. I have to live with the fact that, as Jimmy Bridges says to my wife, "me and your husband, we's cavemen, we from back in history." Doesn't mean I don't want NHRA to tighten tech up. Just means I'm old enough to know not to hold my breath waiting on it.


Relax and make peace with it. It might even make it easier to convince yourself to go racing. We ain't gonna live forever.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

I do understand that there are lower classes, below G, and below where I like to run. Race cars should go pretty fast, at least for me, or they're just not really fun. If it won't run the quarter at least as well as my Harley Pro street Breakout, it just doesn't do it for me. I realize that ain't where everyone is in the sport. Some people really enjoy 13, 14, 15, and 16 second cars. That's their choice. And hey, maybe their indexes don't need adjustment, or much adjustment.

Alan, your last 2 posts are "wise words from a wise man".
The only way that I could even consider an index reduction would be if it DIDN'T include the lower classes. You would have to agree that the "less than hi-performance" combos largely don't respond to or aren't included in many of the "enhancements" that have been given out over the years. Would you consider this for a minute? The L/SA index has been "screwy" (for lack of a better term) forever. Look it up. How about A thru K get -.10 (including the FS classes) and L down (including the FWD classes) get left as is? Or if A/K get -.20 and L down -.10? Would that be enough to keep the fast boys happy?

[442OLDS]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Alan, your last 2 posts are "wise words from a wise man".
The only way that I could even consider an index reduction would be if it DIDN'T include the lower classes. You would have to agree that the "less than hi-performance" combos largely don't respond to or aren't included in many of the "enhancements" that have been given out over the years. Would you consider this for a minute? The L/SA index has been "screwy" (for lack of a better term) forever. Look it up. How about A thru K get -.10 (including the FS classes) and L down (including the FWD classes) get left as is? Or if A/K get -.20 and L down -.10? Would that be enough to keep the fast boys happy?

At the St.Louis Divisional in October where 156 cars were trying to get into the top 128,the first 4 cars were L/SA and lower.
What is the point of this proposal?

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by 442OLDS

At the St.Louis Divisional in October where 156 cars were trying to get into the top 128,the first 4 cars were L/SA and lower.
What is the point of this proposal?

Well, you've got me on that one! Hit the indexes a second! I'll put something out there that will be OK.

[Frank Castros]

What year and why did the 396/375 replace the 427/425 as the engine of choice in the A/SA '69 Camaro?

[B Parker]

Originally Posted by Frank Castros

What year and why did the 396/375 replace the 427/425 as the engine of choice in the A/SA '69 Camaro?

Frank I still think the 427/425 is a good combo. I ran a 69 Camaro with a 350/255 for several years. Jimmy Marshal would always tell me to put a big block in it and have more fun. He was right in some ways but he forgot to tell me that it would eat a lot more money. I chose the 396/375 Hp because at that time the Aluminum head for the 427 was ten more Hp than the stock steel ones. My back was already not in good shape so lighter was better. Seems most of the guys that run the Aluminum head 427 like to run in AA. BP

[Kirk Morgan]

I like to read posts on this topic. I usually don,t post. When Allen mentioned the index adjustment a few years ago i thought it was time. I just purchased my 390 67 Fairlane post car in 2008. It ran about 4 tenths under the index here in division 4. The next year i freshened the engine and up graded the camshaft, ring and piston package and picked up about 5 tenths. My engine still had the OEM crank and iron heads. If it wasnt for my friend and racing mentor RJ Sledge i would have never got there. So they lower the index 3 tenths so i gained 2 tenths for all my effort. Now with that being said i think a index adjustment may hamper new people to get started in this type of racing if they dont have the funds to buy a top notch car or try to build there own on a budget. I was told from day 1 that this is a expensive sport and that proved to be so. Each year i would try to improve the car and slowly was able to improve performance. Anyway no matter what happens iam still game. Currently building a SSGT.

[B Parker]

Kirk I don't have the information but I would like to see them post all of the new Stock racer that have joined the Class in the last 5 years...I'd be willing to bet most have not built a car from the ground up. And the few that have knew what they were doing and went to a Stock engine builder. The problem with the AHFS the way it is now will put almost all the engine combo's in the pool to get HP at the end of the year. And for those who's car's can't run that fast there are others that may run your combo that can. Take a look at Indy qualifying this year in crap Indy air. The easy fix would have been lowering the index's a tenth. A lot of racers didn't want that. But as they say be careful what you wish for. BP

[Alan Roehrich]

The aluminum head is still a 10HP penalty on the 427/425. We ran it for years. We never had a high dollar set of killer aluminum heads, so I guess that's why I don't care for the combination, although I could put ours together fairly quick, and without breaking the bank. I just don't think it would be fast enough to suit me or be really competitive. I bought my old iron heads back, and I have another pair. They're all going to be checked and flowed. I don't know what we're going to run yet, if we run. I'm thinking our aluminum heads will be better on a 396, which I have a few parts for. If I were running a 69 Camaro myself, I'd be looking at the iron heads on the 427, and a four speed.



Myself, I want to go with a 69 Chevelle. My two favorite Stock eliminator cars ever, are Harry Vineyard's 69 Chevelle, and Kevin Borgstrom's 69 Chevelle Yenko clone. Who knows, maybe I can sell off enough stuff and get lucky.