Why did you build your "slow" stock eliminator car?

[Mark Yacavone]

Enough said...

[RonTheAnnouncer]

Again, I want to say I'm not trying to be negative here. I was wondering what makes someone build a 273/2bbl Belvedere wagon when most go the 350/4bbl Camaro route. As far as 12.89 being fast, it would be for me. I've taken over 50 different vehicles down the track in 28 years of racing, none "faster" than 14.63.

[joe huestis]

Tried running SS in the early 70's. Blew an engine and discovered I could not afford it. Sold the SS less motor and trans purchased my 69 Camaro which after driving it on the road for 6 months turned it into a stocker in '74. My high school sweetheart and I married in '77 and began our family in '78. Have raced a slow stocker ever since and now with all 5 of my children grown and with college degrees have " moved up" to K and L stock. Ran brackets and T through V stock while raising my family due to affordability from '82 to '07.
Could not break this addiction all those years and never felt I was driving a slow stocker. Still enjoyed the ride !

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by RonTheAnnouncer

Again, I want to say I'm not trying to be negative here. I was wondering what makes someone build a 273/2bbl Belvedere wagon when most go the 350/4bbl Camaro route.

Let's see, I've raced/built enough 350/4bbl Camaros, I'm cheap, I bore easily and I like making parts for cars that no one makes parts for. I guess I'm also a personal satisfaction junkie.
And just for the record, if I were getting paid for the amount of time that I have spent on making cars that shouldn't go fast fast, I could have just paid cash for a COPO. Now IMHO, that doesn't sound like any fun.

[Hemi Moose]

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Hemi Moose

Maybe not, but the car in the far lane is O in 2 against my 12.0 NSS/E car.

[Dick Butler]

Whats the" Hot Ticket" Dime rocket now? The turbo Pt? Turbo Truck?

[art leong]

I built a slow car because it is a lot cheaper don't have to keep up with the latest and greatest new thing-a-ma-bob. It is kind of expensive to get one-of parts, but I don't need a lot. I go so slow the real fast cars (160-170) are at a disadvantage. They can not judge how quick they are closing. I'm going about 105.
It's like walking on the shoulder of a highway and having a car going the speed limit. And you have to get to the stripe at the same time.
My only disadvantage is if I redlight it's over.

[Marty Knox]

I built my first slow stocker in 1972 because I liked Chevy 230's. I got a kick out of beating $10,000 Chevelles with my $650 Bel-Air. Now I'm building my El Camino to see how much faster I can get a 230 to go now than I could in 1972. And I'm building a 67 l Camino because that's the car I've always wanted. I'm going to build it the way I want, NHRA Stock legal, race it for a couple of years, then put it on the street. And yes, I hope to beat $100,000 Camaros with my $10,000 Chevelle/El Camino.
Oh, and it will run V/Stock - or V/SA if Billy convinces me to run a Powerglide!

[Mike Carr]

For most of the same reasons many others have stated. I raced from 2000 to 2006. Drove ten cars (five were Stockers). Quickest car was my daily-driver at the time, a '95 LT-1 automatic t-top Camaro. 13.881 @ 99.81; 1.98 in 60'. My first street car, also the first car I raced, 1979 Olds Cutlass. 260 cid V8 2 bbl. Almost 3,600 pounds with me in it, all the weight, tool box, spare tire, jack, etc out of it. Best run 18.59; won a lot of rounds and races in that (only the Camaro won more, of the cars I raced), even against a lot of 13-15 second newer cars. Good practice for my future (didn't know it at the time) career driving for Billy Nees in FWD Stockers. They *are* dificult to drive, as far as dialing, but can be do-able, as Michael has pointed out. I could have bought a FWD Stocker for $3,500 in the late 90's, but let other racers talk me out of it. "You can;t drive them, can;t cut a light, can't drive the big end, yadda yadda yadda...". I won a lot of rounds in Billy's cars; finished Eighth in IHRA DIvision 1 Stock points in 2003 and 2004 (was actually fourth going into the last race of the year in '04) in a 17 secnd HF/SA. For people just starting out in Stock, on a budget, a FWD or P/SA and lower Stocker is the way to go (there are a few in the Classified section on here). My main reason was Billy basically GAVE me the car, to keep here at our house and race as we please (and I am forever grateful to him). In four years, I replaced two starters, an alternator, the slicks, and the front (back?) runners, and a set of spark plugs. Doesn't get much more affordable than that.