Coming Soon.....

[Tom Broome]

Originally Posted by BRETV

Tom, Unless I miss understood GUMP, I thought he approached the process just like me and my uncle. I doubt he built the car and then got with NHRA and Toyota and pushed it thru.

As far as glossing anything over, I wasn't trying, just telling Rory there has been a process for years.




Bret Velde
2003 I/SA
Coming soon

Bret, I'm not disagreeing with you directly...see my comments to him. That approval process seems to be somewhat fluid, sometimes it happens rapidly, some times not.
But based on the existence of a car that seems to be complete before it's in the guide....GUMP admits it is not yet in the guide, and alludes that the specs are not yet finalized. Seems to be contrary to how the process has functioned in the past. Then we can add things like the transmission adapter, that currently only exists for that one car....I know you understand the mental gymnastics behind how FEs ended up with C4s...It only steepens the slippery slope that Stock Eliminator maintains a tenuous grasp on. Based on some of that "logic" it would be perfectly legal to use a Metric GM transmission in something like a Fox body Mustang stocker.

[BRETV]

Originally Posted by Tom Broome

Bret, I'm not disagreeing with you directly...see my comments to him. That approval process seems to be somewhat fluid, sometimes it happens rapidly, some times not.
But based on the existence of a car that seems to be complete before it's in the guide....GUMP admits it is not yet in the guide, and alludes that the specs are not yet finalized. Seems to be contrary to how the process has functioned in the past. Then we can add things like the transmission adapter, that currently only exists for that one car....I know you understand the mental gymnastics behind how FEs ended up with C4s...It only steepens the slippery slope that Stock Eliminator maintains a tenuous grasp on. Based on some of that "logic" it would be perfectly legal to use a Metric GM transmission in something like a Fox body Mustang stocker.

Tom, I totally understand what you are saying and Stock isn't anywhere near what it was intended, but what in life is? Everything has evolved and the horse left the barn many moons ago. No going back, believe me I WISH THEY WOULD, But..... why stop progress in a sport we all love. I LOVE the passion coming from all these guys that disagree, makes the sport better. Like I said in a past post, these new cars have many manufactures and it all started getting watered down when they stuck 904 guts in every Stocker trans. LOL I gotta go work on this junk FFFFord, spend twice as much $$$ and work twice as hard as the Chevy guys and now maybe Toyota's too LOL.





Bret Velde
2003 I/SA
Coming soon

[Tom Broome]

Originally Posted by BRETV

Tom, I totally understand what you are saying and Stock isn't anywhere near what it was intended, but what in life is? Everything has evolved and the horse left the barn many moons ago. No going back, believe me I WISH THEY WOULD, But..... why stop progress in a sport we all love. I LOVE the passion coming from all these guys that disagree, makes the sport better. Like I said in a past post, these new cars have many manufactures and it all started getting watered down when they stuck 904 guts in every Stocker trans. LOL I gotta go work on this junk FFFFord, spend twice as much $$$ and work twice as hard as the Chevy guys and now maybe Toyota's too LOL.





Bret Velde
2003 I/SA
Coming soon

Bret, I really don't disagree with the inclusion of this car. It's a representation of an actual street vehicle...Something the DragPaks. et al. are not
Or the fact that you took the initiative to work through the proper channels to fight for the inclusion of a combination you found appealing. Though in the current climate that's probably a lost cause and will never happen again.
.
My only beef is the manner of inclusion and style of execution that makes it seem beyond the reaches of the "normal" racer. Not to mention the extremely vague and potentially misleading answers offered on the process. Sure there is a Supra fan base out there, but those who participate there would find NHRA...Stock Eliminator...unpalatable.
It's sad, when there are many interesting late model combinations that will never find the same inclusion, thus disenfranchising potential new class racers (customers).
Maybe I'm wrong, and this is a genuine shift in the representation of Import vehicles into Stock Eliminator, and Toyota will submit cars from say 1974 onward into the guide But I would take bets that there will be only one single Toyota vehicle in the guide.

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by Tom Broome

But I would take bets that there will be only one single Toyota vehicle in the guide.

OK, I'll bite. How big is the bet and who holds the money?

[Tom Broome]

Originally Posted by GUMP

OK, I'll bite. How big is the bet and who holds the money?

Ha!....I cant afford the oil to put in that car.....you can afford to build it on spec, you're beyond my league. Besides, you seem to have the upper hand on foreknowledge..I'd be betting against the house.


I'll put $5 on it though. Come look me up.

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by Tom Broome

I'll put $5 on it though. Come look me up.

OK. Deal. I'll put up $500.00 to your $5.00. I will expect you to pay. If I fail, I will pay you $500.00.

[JP1738]

Hey GUMP, genuine question:

If a fellow Supra enthusiast wanted to build another Supra to run in stock eliminator, Could he do the front suspension strut bolt in stuff but leave the IRS and stock rear end in it? Or would that guy also have to put a 9 inch in it to be stock legal? I think it makes sense from your side of the equation to put a 9 inch in it and copy the 4 link from the COPOs since that's what you are familiar with, it works, and it's already legal. But if a guy just wanted to do minor fab work with the cage and bolt in front suspension, is there a path for running the car with the OEM transmission and rear end? I feel like just because the rule book says you can put a 9 inch in the car if it was built after 2008, you shouldn't be forced to if you don't want to.

[JP1738]

Originally Posted by Tom Broome

... My only beef is the manner of inclusion and style of execution that makes it seem beyond the reaches of the "normal" racer....

That's where you miscalculated, GUMP is not a normal racer, and I'm glad he isn't.

The normal racer (me) would build the same old beat-up sh!t box that's already had it's hp dinged many times and that there has been 500 iterations of already. He would build something unremarkable but affordable.

GUMP is a man of means and connections that he fostered over decades, giving him the ability to build something completely different and new. Something that I now get to admire from the bench seat of my station wagon. This car is built to the rulebook NHRA provided, but maybe not quite in the spirit of the class. Maybe it's time the spirit of the class changed. I'm hoping that this ushers in a new era of performance oriented class racing and the introduction of many new combinations.

You may not like that this combo GUMP is building isn't attainable for the average guy (not that much of class racing is anyway) but you'd better be glad men like him exist. I know I am. I work at Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation building RV chassis for million dollar motorhomes and coaches. Can I afford to buy the product I help produce? Hell no. But I sure am glad there people out there who can, otherwise I'd be looking for work.