Ol' Fart's Firebird Fantasy

[Tony Corley]

So what I am hearing is that since others cheat, then it's permissable for you too also? I understand what you are saying about it not being much of a performance advantage, but it's still against the rules. Why go into a build with the idea that you are going to start out being illegal?

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by Tony Corley

Why go into a build with the idea that you are going to start out being illegal?

I reckin it's just a matter of your point of view. Mine is that if a part like the width of a rear end housing is not going to give me an unfair performance advantage over other cars, then what the heck difference does it make, especially since it will only be for maybe one division race per year. It looks to me like you guys are trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, and calling me a cheater, just because I don't have enuff $$ to spend to buy the exact correct length rear end housing, or have someone modify a stock one for me.

I wish I had plenty of $$ to just buy a perfectly built car that would run a sec under and pass tech at any race. But I don't. I reckin I read too much into that $1000 dime rocket thread. Seems that just a legal rear end will cost way more than $1000 by itself.

I'm just in the planning stages of trying to figure out what year and body style I might could run, and I'm already getting negative feedback from you guys. It seems on the surface that you guys are sort of an exclusive club and you don't really want any more Stockers built.

I had in mind trying to build what I can afford and then working on improving it as I go. Ya'll seem to be saying build it perfect before you even take it to a track, or don't even try. Well, unless I win the lottery, I can't afford to build it perfect, so maybe this was just a bad idea from the very start. Oh well, thinkin about it and planning it was fun for a while. Thanks to all you guys for all the advice. And good luck with your racing season.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by oldskool

I reckin it's just a matter of your point of view. Mine is that if a part like the width of a rear end housing is not going to give me an unfair performance advantage over other cars, then what the heck difference does it make, especially since it will only be for maybe one division race per year. It looks to me like you guys are trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, and calling me a cheater, just because I don't have enuff $$ to spend to buy the exact correct length rear end housing, or have someone modify a stock one for me.


I'm not making you out to be a cheater, YOU are doing that! There are rules about rearend width for tire clearence issues and suspension geometry.


I wish I had plenty of $$ to just buy a perfectly built car that would run a sec under and pass tech at any race. But I don't. I reckin I read too much into that $1000 dime rocket thread. Seems that just a legal rear end will cost way more than $1000 by itself.


You apparently didn't read enough out of the dime rocket thread! if you can't afford to get what you want to get, then improvise! But that might mean that you're not going to get the bodystyle that you might want or the best parts!


I'm just in the planning stages of trying to figure out what year and body style I might could run, and I'm already getting negative feedback from you guys. It seems on the surface that you guys are sort of an exclusive club and you don't really want any more Stockers built.


We ARE an exclusive club! And if you can't play by the rules or don't want to play by the rules, then don't play!


I had in mind trying to build what I can afford and then working on improving it as I go. Ya'll seem to be saying build it perfect before you even take it to a track, or don't even try. Well, unless I win the lottery, I can't afford to build it perfect, so maybe this was just a bad idea from the very start. Oh well, thinkin about it and planning it was fun for a while. Thanks to all you guys for all the advice. And good luck with your racing season.

You didn't hear ME say that! The first sentence in your last paragraph is the only thing in your post that makes any sense.
I've brought cars home from junkyards, brought them to the track, raced them, found out what I wanted to find out and brought them back to the junkyard.

You want to race a Pontiac? Get a Pontiac! Preferably find a good running , ugly one. Take it to the track and play with it, see what it wants. If you're a Pontiac guru then it will show you something, build on that. Bracket race the wheels off of it. Add to it as you can afford to. When it runs the index, take it to an NHRA event but when you do, BE LEGAL!

[Tony Corley]

So just to clarify. You feel like no one wants you too race because they won't condone the idea of you cheating? Nobody is saying you have to build it perfect, just legal. I would much rather show up legal and slow, than illegal and a second under the index. Build the car you can afford, (and be legal), and work on it over time to make it better, while racing it in the meantime in brackets. That attention to detail that you referred to lacking earlier is exactly what you need to possess to field a competitive stocker on a limited budget. When you can't afford to pay someone to do everything for you, then you have to learn to do it yourself. That is actually the allure of stock. There are no extremely high dollar parts required to be competitive, just lots of attention to detail. As Billy said, a lot of people have been trying to help you in here, because racers want to see others race. But don't slap them in the face by feeling like you have the right to show up at a race with an illegal car, just because you didn't have the funds to spend on it. Racing is expensive, and class racing moreso. The old saying, "Get in where you fit in" applies.

[Dave Gantz]

Depending on the car, a rear that is not stock width could give you an advantage by positioning the wheel mounting surface so that a 9 X 30 slick fits, where it wouldn't with the stock width.
It wouldn't surprise me that someone is running a rear that isn't the right width. Or, one or more of a zillion infractions. I was a partner on a car in the 90's. It was right. My partner (Mike Smith) and I had a respect for the sport and the other racers for it not to be.

The acid heads are NHRA's fault. They published bogus specs (after they knew there were lots of them out there) and everyone built to them. NHRA has given in on many things; today's stocker's are not 1975's, even though the rules haven't changed that much.

If I were NHRA, and I read this thread, I would measure your rear. (Axle!)

I've been following your thread from the begining. More and more I read into it, I question if you are really looking to do this. There are people who just want to talk about it and that's fine.

If you want to build a car, find something that fits your budget and go. If you have a car and it fits a class, it might be best to build that car around the rules. It's easier and cheaper to build an engine then a whole car.

If you have trouble interpreting the rule book and have to ask countless questions about it every day, this deal might not be for you. Maybe try to show up at a track and observe different cars and how they are put together. I'm sure if the rear end housing is slightly off width wise you will be ok. Especially if the car is a 77 Bonniville, who the hell would know that, or come to the race with that info. If you had a Camaro or a Mustang it should be right, and it would be easy to tell by the rim offset and tire placement . As long as the tires fit correctly you should be fine.
I'm not sure you have the right judge what is more or less illegal with other car in the class when you don't and have never raced in it. Either crap or get off the pot, this post of 10 pages of how about and what do you think of this. When you start building a car then start a new one about it.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Todd Hoven

I'm sure if the rear end housing is slightly off width wise you will be ok. Especially if the car is a 77 Bonniville, who the hell would know that, or come to the race with that info. If you had a Camaro or a Mustang it should be right, and it would be easy to tell by the rim offset and tire placement . As long as the tires fit correctly you should be fine.
.

There ya go,Todd

Now everybody here knows about , so we can't do that.
Have to move on to the next idea...
This could go on forever, with no actual racing..
Maybe that's the plan after all....

That's the plan, to be the center of attention.

Damm! I guess my next build is in the crapper. I was going to build one of those with a shortened rear from an Austrialan Cadiliac in reverse rotation. The 301 combo with an altered firing order to optimize the resonating pulse in the intake. Hope I didn't just let out the secret of this combo. Sorry 😁

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

There ya go,Todd

Now everybody here knows about , so we can't do that.
Have to move on to the next idea...
This could go on forever, with no actual racing..
Maybe that's the plan after all....

[Don Himes]

Yo! Todd, stop giving away all the 301 speed secrets