Why do you run what you run?
 

Why did you build the particular car you run, and why? Just want to know what everyone's thinking was, whether it was what you had, bought it, had a wild hair, etc...

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I like the FWD cars cheap to build and maintain fun to drive. Year ago used to race 68
chevelle wagon still have it.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I've raced FWD Stockers for the past several years. Two were '85 Sunbirds (AF/S and HF/SA) owned by Billy Nees. My current car I bought from Tom Kasch, a '92 Olds Toronado (EF/SA). Main thing for me is the challenge. I could have bought a FWD car back in 1997, but I let everyone talk me out of it. "Oh, you don't want a FWD car...they are inconsistant....you can't dial them...can't cut a light in them....can't drive the stripe in them..." And so on and so on. After a pair of eighth place Div 1 IHRA Stock finishes and some other good results, I showed that it could be done. It is very dificult, but doable. The down sides are the ones mentioned above. The up sides are they are fairly cheap to build, usually easy to find parts for, and can go Stock racing with very little start up costs, at least compared to many other Stockers. Plus, i like odd or rare type cars. So many '69 BBC Camaros in Stock. I appreciate the odder and one-off type stuff, FWD cars, and lower classified Stockers. For anyone reading this, and wonder what a good combo(s) would be, get in touch with Billy Nees, Bob Shaw, Mark Yacavone, to name a few...I'm sure there are others with knowledge into what to build, for less than an arm and a leg, and still be competitive.

B.D.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

Iraceitall, see my post under inline six cyls.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I actually did a lot of research looking for an untried combo. Back then you had to give NHRA $400 for the complete class guide and engine blueprint specifications. The '70 AMX, while I was always interested in, looked appealing after looking at it in the guides. And I looked at a lot of others too.
Some cars are picked for no other reason than it was laying aroound or the racer always wanted that type of car.
If you really know your stuff, you can look through the guides (now available free on-line) and find errors that will be to your advantage. There are numerous examples which I won't point out. Other ideas are superseded parts being allowed which offer much more to the racer.
If you don't want a belly-button race car there are plenty to choose from. Even if you want a belly button race car you will have fun and should be competitive. Just be aware some classes and some combo's require infinite knowledge and / or $$ infused into the car to be competitive.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I've run the AMC's off and on for 38 years. ....Sometimes because thats what I had, but mostly for the challange. ......As I got older[lazier], I discovered I wanted to spend more time racing,instead of working on the car all the time,so I went to big block Chevies and Super class racing ..........Nowdays, it's become financially impractical to build a oddball combo for Class racing ,unless you dont care about the money or if it's ever quick enough to be competitive. ..........Tom

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

well, Dad bought the 68 corvette in 70. He's had it longer than me, and its been a race car since 73. My dad has had no interest in racing anything other than a big block vette. Its been a 427/400, a 427/435, and we are now building an L88 for it. Dad's been considering building another one just like it to retire this car since it is an original 427/435 4 spd car.

I would love to build a 66 Chevy II 327/350 4 speed car, i am currently looking for a good car to start with. Unfortunetly the budget is not cooperating

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I had always loved Camaro's.
Had a 69 Camaro that ran Super Stock from 1974-1979.

Now after 30 years of not racing, i'm building a 87 Camaro Stocker.


CAMARO'S RULE......................



Pistol Pete

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

My brother and I raced a 69 Camaro in SSBS. 316 in Jerico. It was low buck. Everything was used in it. Our buddy and mentor Bob Gipson got back into racing at our behest in a 65 Chevelle stocker. A 66 Nova stocker came up for sale and we bought it. It allowed us to share technology and was a great way to get going in a hurry as many of the same engine parts could be used between the two cars. It is a great car and has a lot of differnt classes to be run. We have run in K, J, I, H, F, E, D, C stick with the same car. It is a lot of fun. The nice part is that we can actually afford new parts now and again. The old Modified car was just too much $$ for us.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I always loved 66 Chevy II's. I raced my dad's old 65 Chevy II for years and sold it. I decided I wanted a 66 and finally found one a few years ago. The first thing I had to do was get rid of that damn auto that was in it. I bought a Jerico and now my son and I have alot of fun with it. ED

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

James,,, how did your car run when you set it up for C/S? I assume thats the L-79 combo and it seems a lot of Chevy II guys stay away from that setup because of the small Holley carb.Did it take a while to sort it out? Thanks for any info.
Danny Durham

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

Yes, it was an L-79. It ran ok, but not great. The small carb and the intake is not the best deal. The intake # in the guide is something I have never heard of and the alternate # "490" is the one we ran. Went 10.80's best.
I blew it up at Joliet Nat's a few years back.I hung an intake valve and it caused some internal carnage. If I had the springs then that I have now, I think I would have been ok. Might try it again someday, but the 327 275 hp is still a better combo. At that race, we actually borrowed another L-79 from Bob Gipson that was fresh off of the dyno. Ben Wenzel let us use his engine puller and we got it in that night. Went a couple of rounds at least. ( I did drop the rev limiter and 2 step down though) ...

Bob Gipson runs one in his 65 Corvette. He has been working on the combo for awhile. It is another one that likes the good air, but suffers in the bad air with the small carb.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

We run an '02 Firebird V6 231/200 in Stock. We already had the car, and we wanted to get back into running divisional and national events. Slap in a gear that I had laying on the shelf, a Hoosier QTP DOT Slick that I also had, and we had a car 2 tenths under the pure stock index. Then we got a little out of hand and stepped up into the big boy classes last year.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

Thanks for the feedback, James. I appreciate it.........Danny Durham

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

Great topic!

We started with our '65 Dodge Coronet that my grandparents bought new and gave to my dad around 1984. When my dad stumbled across a Max Wedge intake manifold, he had to have it, and after my grandmother passed, we started to build the Dodge into a street car. After one time at the dragstrip, dad got the bug again. The slicks went on, the exhaust came off, and the "Dodge" was a show/race car ever since. We started to make friends at the Mopar events, and 1996, Dave Duell convinced us to run the Max Wedge Shootout at the Mopar Nationals, which got us hooked on Nostalgia Super Stock. In 2002 the owner of the Chrysler Classic series changed the rules to disallow the '65 cars in Max Wedge, so we picked up a carbon-copy '64 Plymouth Belvedere. We transferred the M/W drive train, and have been racing the '64 since 2003.

We race N/SS because it is a cheaper alternative, and a lot of fun! We would love to race Super Stock some day, but finances haven't allowed it yet. So for now we are fans, and part-time crew members for our friends in S/S.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I've had mine for several years, it originally an R&D car for my business and was my everyday transportation. I first pulled the engine at 110,000 miles to fix a couple of oil leaks, then I kept screwing with it. Guess it kinda got out of hand. Still has the 2005 license tag in place.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I bought my Cuda in 1974, drove it to high school and 2 years later made it into a race car. I have always loved my Cuda and don't care if it's not the best combination for a particular class, it still has been competitive enough to get the job done. Built a 80 Volare because it could run Stock, Super Stock, or Super Stock GT making it a versatile car to run. Sold it to Mike Beard and you know how that came out. Built our Avenger to run the Crate Motor conversion class (A/FCM) because we wanted a later model Mopar to run and built for a class that was not populated at all. Still having fun!!!!
Jeff Ross

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I ran with a guy out of Southern NJ in the late 80's who had a SS/FM 5 speed car, was a blast to run, and we had alot of fun everywhere we went. From there I tried my hand at Comp for a few years, then had to retire due to children. So when it came time to get back into first thing I did was buy another Altered like I used to race, found I didnt like it as much, so I picked up the 90 Mustnag I now race and ran it as a street car for the first year, then started making changes, now three years later, and several thousand $$$ I am about to finish it as a GT/MA car to be raced later this year.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I run my Z24 Cavalier, for four reasons:

1. Because I have only $10k in the car including the purchase price, and it's a competitive package.

2. I became interested in it when I saw the burgundy red looking one in the finals of an IHRA race, that was spoken about in the other stock/super stock forum section last November-December (as far as the driver was concerned.

3. Because I like a challenge, and I feel it's much more challenging to make a fwd car a winner than a rwd car, and the fact that only two racers have won one major race with a fwd car (Mark Yacavonne the national, and I'd have to check the other postings to see who the divisional winner was), is all the proof of that statement.

4. Because after I saw the magazine ad talking about the 1986 Z24 Cavalier as a fox raised by wolves (those being the Z28 Camaro, and the Corvette), plus born under a cold white moon, and the end of the ad where it states "BEWARE THE Z24! CAVALIER'S RUNNING WITH THE BIG BOYS NOW"! That's all I needed...

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I run a B-Body Mopar because that's what I like.

Run a car that you like, just make sure it fits a class you can afford and have fun.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I like to run the slow cars. Because it's still a lot cheaper than faster cars,And it's different. Way back when we ran the hemi car in stock, everyone said it wouldn't work. most of the cars were low horsepower cars, were we hated running the real slow cars. You get to think about what kind of light the slow car had, and then you are coming on them at such a great rate of increasing speed you can not judge the real slow car.
But one big drawback is you always get to redlight first.
This is just my opinion FWIW

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

Bought a B/SA BBC and found out we don't get along. Tried a SB ford and costs were more than the BBC back then. Raced a small and big dodge, thought I had the PERFECT combo. (hint, I didn't for either)
Now I run a lower class dodge I bought already -.800 and haven't really improved on it. Everything I do slows it down.

It's just an Ol Pig LOL!

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

Cuz the price was right !!!!

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I bought my Duster because I had a 1973 Duster 340 I/SA
Stock Eliminator car back in the early 80's when the kids
were very young and I had no money. Wife said it had to
go, so it became just one of the Loge family fleet of cars.

Went back to street cars and the last one was an original
1969 Barracuda 340 Formula-S that I could not bring myself
to cut up into a race car (even though Jeff Lee kept after me
to do so)

Bought my current 1974 Duster with a 383/727/8-3/4 for a
fair price, my plan is to run brackets since I still don't have
any money (just like the 80's). I plan on keeping it a 9 inch
tire car so it could be upgraded to SSGT or go back to a 360/
904 and run stock eliminator.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

Why:
1st car - 1967 390 gt fastback mustang
next - 1967 Shelby GT500
1st race car - 1967 mustang s/st
next - 1969 mustang s/g
working on '67 Shelby (clone) B or C/SA
been working on FE's for 35yrs, guess I'm stuck in an expensive rut.

Re: Why do you run what you run?
 

I also run my Z24, because I can't yet afford the cars I want to race...a '63-65 Plymouth Belvedere or Savoy--especially after being a fan of Steve Bagwells SS/BA & SS/CA Belvedere's & I'll never forget (nor stop watching), the Turbo action video from the mid-90's that featured his Savoy racing a 4spd Thunder Bolt in a qualifying run at the Southern Nationals, back in 1992...that was the sweetest profile shot of his car in action I've seen, since the final round shot from the now defunct Cajun Nationals from the 80's that he r.u.'d in. On the Dodge side of the ladder would be the '65 Dodge Coronet, that I also wanted due to guys such as Bob Marshalls "DODGE MATERIAL", and I'll never forget Dennis Mauers blue & white (both of them SS/BA, or I liked to say "SS/BADD"!!!). Thanks to the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction (recently held here in Scottsdale, Az.), and the former football player, turned pro wrestler "Bill Goldberg", I was able to find out that just to have one of them to cruise with mandates $75,000!!!

All of the above are surely worth every dime, but too much for my wallet...lol. I thus won't even try to touch my other favorite Mopars (with big-block hemi's)...that being the '68 Dodge Dart (thanks John Friel & Sid Bonnecarrere)! Maybe someday I'll either find a 4dr Belvedere with a 318, or a Dart/Valiant with a 273 or a 318 that I could afford...Hey, I'd like to have a second car to race too!!! LOL